Wirha Stripesnout

Basic Information
Name: Wirha Stripesnout

Title: Elder Crone

Guild: The Silvertail Tribe

Race: Tauren

Class: Druid/Shaman hybrid (Druid in-game)

Gender: Female

Age: Venerable (95+)

Fur: Dark grey

Hair: Long, braided and grey

Eyes: Red

Weight: Her already less bulky frame slightly more deminished due to age

Height: Her already smaller than average (which is average for Silvertail females) size slightly deminished due to age

Garments/Armour: Usually seen wearing leather. Especially her ceremonial harness and kilt and generally preferring kilts, skirts, robes over anything else. Also often wears a feathered headdress. Among her many charms and decorations, the symbol of her tribe is the most prominent one.

Features: Her right horn is broken (in all her forms). She has white stripes running across her snout. As is typical for a Silvertail, her tail is tipped with bright hair.

Known Facts
Wirha is the Elder Crone of the Silvertail Tribe. It is also no secret that she is a druid with greater knowledge over natural/magical healing abilities. Some mistake her for a Shaman, as she also seems to be in touch with the Ancestors or spirits to a lesser extent (for example, to her, shapeshifting is the spirit of an animal taking over). As such, she is perceived by most as wise, perhaps even a spiritual guide.

Fellow Tauren may deduce that 'Stripesnout' was the Dream Name given to her by her tribe, for her obvious facial feature.

It is rumoured that she raised and still teaches a young Tauren of her tribe, who she saved from the Centaur.

Personality
Wirha is﻿ disciplined, calm, has a great sense of honour and believes strongly in tradition. One might say she is conservative and restorative. She has a soft and forgiving personality, protective but also stern when needed - a mother figure.

She is eager to ensure that the Tauren way of life and their legends live on. Nature and the Earthmother are held very close to her heart.

Her Animal Totem is the Owl. In Tauren beliefs, the totem represents a person's character or destiny. In this case, a wise, spiritual leader.

Speech
She has a notably formal way of speaking, inherent in older generation Tauren. No matter whom she addresses or in which setting. Her low, warm voice pronounces every weighted, calculated word slowly and to the fullest. This only seems to add to the perception of her wise outward appearance and demeanor.

Animal Companions
Two notable animals seem to be around the druidic elder quite often.

The Owl, whom is sometimes also reverently called Washte (or "Spirit") by the Crone, is most often spotted perched on her shoulder or stalking her close by. This rather average looking dark grey owl comes and goes as it pleases, yet always seems to do so with good reason. It is no wonder the Elder considers it the embodiment of her totem, and her spirit guide.

The hardworking, loyal Kodo has always been the most providing animal of the Shu'halo culture, both as adversary in the hunt and as a domestic beast: Providing the nomads with sustenance and materials as prey, and as mount or carrier of choice. The spotted grey Kodo in Wirha's possession is called A'chee (like a sneezy sound), and carries the aged Tauren with a swiftness and stamina outlasting her own, when called upon.

History
A general outline of Wirha's part in most key events and lore of the realm.

Background (summary)
When her tribe was under attack from the Centaur, Wirha managed to get away while saving a Tauren child she named Enuka. They both eventually made it to Thunder Bluff. Wirha attempted to find her family and tribesmembers again, but they never did get reunited. However, she hasn't entirely given up hope.

Her disposition toward the 'new' Horde races (Undead, Sin'dorei, Goblin) is one leaning more toward distrust and doubt. But she will barely voice those feelings, treating honour and mutual respect as the highest values. Over the course of events (outlined below) they have gradually earned the Crone's trust.

The Silvertail Tribe Tales
From the Centaur attack until the day Wirha made her first appearance in Moonglade's Roleplaying scene... On this siteyou can find the full version of Wirha's background story and that of her tribe. More chapters will be added over time!

Legends of the Elements: Swords of the Four Winds
(For all stories written by participants in these events, go here.)

When Wirha spotted posters in the Horde's capital cities promoting an expedition, lead by one of the Forsaken, she decided to keep a close eye on the endeavour. She initially didn't trust the undead management to be mindful for the welfare of their more living compatriots, so her main goal was to ensure safety and medical support.

She wound up partaking in more than she bargained for however; discovering the devastation and new growth brought on by the Cataclysm, acting as a diplomat to ensure the expedition's safe passage through Feralas, first introductions with the members of the New Horde and allegiances forged between her tribe and the Horde's various factions and orders - primarily the Crimson Legion, at the time, among other noteworthy events.

It is uncertain what fate befell the swords ultimately sent to Undercity, Silvermoon and even Orgrimmar. Only that which was agreed to be entrusted to Thunder Bluff is known to be safe, according to various sources who participated in the discussion that lead tho the divide of the Swords, it would in fact be in the Elder Crone's charge.

Union Accord
A new initiative was taking form within the Horde, in the form of a Union Accord where several influencial factions would cooperate. Elder Crone Wirha and her tribe were offered a seat in the Council of this accord by general Ajaxxor Thunderhusk. Whilst contemplating her honoured friend's proposal in their homeland of Mulgore, Wirha found herself suddenly cornered by cultists of the Twilight Dawn.

The cultists sought to lure the wise druid to their side, but resorted to violence when their plan was obviously doomed to fail, as the elder Tauren would never allow the dark magicians and undead into her life. Two young Tauren of the Crimson Legion sped to the Elder's aid and fought the cultists off while she prepared a destructive spell to banish them from their lands. Wirha conjured up a storm powerful enough to chase the baffled cultists away, but one of the younger Tauren had been killed in the battle.

These events made Wirha realise that uniting the Tauren into one tribe wasn't enough to ensure their survival and the safety of their homes. They could still rely on their allies of the Horde, and both sides needed eachother in these trying times. The bond between the different races and people of the Horde needed to be refortified, and with this vision in mind, the Elder Crone agreed to the Union Accord and any initiatives to enforce this revelation from then onward.

Fourth War
(For all stories written in this campaign, go here.)

Wirha was involved in the Union Accord's Fourth War campaign, having lead a medical station during the battle for Desolation Hold and the battle against the Northwatch. She and her tribe have generally provided medicinal aid during the war. When the Twilight Cultists encroached on Tauren homeland however, with a Twilight Dragon residing in the pine forest of Mulgore, it was she who called the Union's aid. The Accord replied swiftly to the Elder's call, and rushed to Mulgore in great numbers. This time, she actively participated in the battle, from which the Horde emerged victorious and the lands were rid of their Twilight taint. But not without a cost... In the days after the battle, the Elder, along with an old Orc friend, tended to the severely injured in Bloodhoof Village and revisited the plains which had been turned into a bloodbath, littered with dead. Along with the Tauren citizens, they gave the deceased warriors proper burial and asked the spirits and the Earthmother for their blessings and forgiveness. Ultimately restoring the land.

Twilight is not over yet
Hereafter, Wirha was sometimes seen granting the Earthmother's blessings to those of the order "Hand of the Titans", who embarked on further missions against the Twilight presence. On rare occasions, she even accompanied them, mostly to provide medical assistance. On one of such missions, the most important as well as the most dangerous one, she felt the failure of not being able to prevent that the order's leading Sin'dorei - also a friend of hers - Caerule, would meet his end on that fateful day, giving his life for victory.

Vendetta with a Warlock & the Hand of An'she
For some time the Elder had been captured by a Sin'dorei Warlock known as Enthoras Bloodlight. After discovering what had happened in the light of her disappearance, Enuka and mutual friend Dorlatus Stonehoof rallied the tribe's allies (which were many by this time) and set out to rescue Wirha from the hands of this malevolent elf.

They were successfull but to everyone's dismay and astonishment the old Tauren let her captor go free. Apparently this was to have him reveal the entirety of his plan so they could eventually put a stop to all his evil activities which would otherwise have continued unsupervised and beyond their knowledge.

Wirha and her friends successfully discovered Enthoras' plans of summoning an uncontrollably powerful demon and put them to a halt. In this process the Elder had taken the weapon of the demon - held by the demon's hand chopped off by Dorlatus - purified it with An'she's blessing (with the aid of Sunwalker Enuka, it is rumoured) so that it would contain the power of the sun instead of demonic fires, and ironically enough, killed the demon's summoner with it while her allies brought the creature itself down. The warlock's remains were tossed into the lava on the spot. Wirha still wields the hammer, now dubbed "Hand of An'she", on occasions where she would be required to be armed.

Legends of Pandaria: The Casket of Cai-Li
(For the full stories of these events, you can go here.)

As relations between the Silvertail tribe and the Hand of the Titans fortified, the Elder Crone again pledged her aid to an expedition, this time led by Anroka Scaleslicer, commander of the order. The expedition would take them  to the newly discovered continent of Pandaria, and would be the first time Wirha set hoof on the land in the mists.

Toward the end of their journey, with the artifacts found, the Elder concerned herself more with those injured and making sure lives were saved than the actual matter of what was to be done about these artifacts - completely avoiding a part in the final discussion altogether. Possibly due to the outcome of the previous expedition years earlier, she truly focused on her own mission rather than being concerned with artifacts that would give nothing but trouble in the end.

Rebellion of the Horde
Having remained neutral for as long as possible, Wirha and her tribe concerned themselves only with individual loyalties and allegiances toward them rather than toward any Warchief. However, with the efforts from both the rebels and the loyalists slwoly draining life away from her motherland of the Barrens, the Crone soon summoned aid from her allies to mend the Earthmother's ache.

Alas, these peaceful intentions lead to a skirmish between the group of healers and their support, and the patrolling Kor'kron under command of Overlord Agronak. A young tree spurred to life by the druidess inadvertently wrecked the pipelines used to leech oil from the Barrens' soil. Neither parties suffered casualties although it was a close call - but Wirha and her tribe's neutrality could be no more from then on. They pledged to aid the people of the Horde as they had always done before, and joined many ventures of the rebellion since, also supplying Razor Hill with medical supplies.

Siege of Orgrimmar
The only known active interference of Wirha or her tribe during the actual Siege, is when the rebels moved to retake the Valley of Wisdom. Being the place of refuge in Orgrimmar promised to the Tauren people, it only makes sense that she would have lent her aid to safeguard her own as well as in retaking the honourable seat of the Shu'halo in the city.

Current Affairs
She still actively endeavours to record in writing all legends of Tauren and especially Silvertail culture which were originally only spread orally. Tauren cultural events are often hosted by her and her tribe, actively keeping their traditions and way of life going.