World of Warcraft
There are names that endure throughout history, not because they achieved great deeds through war and conquest, but because they stood as pillars when the world itself trembled beneath. One known as Huln Highmountain was such a figure. Chieftain, hunter, unifier, and guardian of his people in a time when flame rained from the skies and the land itself rotted beneath demonic invasion. His life unfolded during the War of the Ancients, when the Burning Legion first wanted dominion over Azeroth, and when unlikely alliances were forged. Yet Huln’s story does not belong to this war alone. It consists of devotion to land and lineage, of a spear heavy with ancestral memory, and a spirit so bound to the wilds that even death couldn’t part him from his watch.
The Spear and the Summons
Long before the mountain peaks of the Broken Isles echoed with his name, Huln walked as a chieftain among his divided people. The Rivermane, Bloodtotem, and Skyhorn tribes struggled in constant cycles of mistrust, their strength wielded against one another while a far greater threat gathered beyond the horizon. It was in these times that Huln rose to become a symbol. Not only as a warrior, but as a unifier, calling the tribes beneath the banner of Highmountain.
At his side he wielded the Eagle Spear (later to be known as Talonclaw), a weapon that had the deeds of those who had wielded it before him etched onto it. Its lineage reached back through generations, carrying blessings from the Wild Gods Ohn’ahra (eagle spirit) and Ursoc (bear spirit), and also written within its carvings the memory of agreement between hunter and wild. When the Kirin Tor mage Krasus (an alias in place of his real dragon name of Korialstrasz) sought aid for the kaldorei resistance, it was Huln who answered his call. And so the shu’halo marched into a war not one of their own making, stepping onto battlefields scarred by the fel and ancient magic. Huln fought beside figures whose names would be known through ten thousand years (Jarod Shadowsong and Malfurion Stormrage among them) and in the time of shared distress, bonds were forged that went beyond the differences of tribe and race.
Glory Beneath a Burning Sky
Much of Huln’s reputation was earned in the shattered lands of Azshara, where the Legion’s advance threatened to destroy all resistance. There he rescued the Blackmaw tribe and encountered Eche’ro, a noble moose favored by Malorne (The White Stag), who became his steadfast companion. The blessing of Cenarius also soon followed, marking Huln’s people with the Horns of Eche’ro, antlers that would be seen as a visible sign of divine favor (for this reason alone, highmountain tauren are a cool addition next to our favorite classic taurens).
He stood as a shield beside Malfurion while his druidic magic summoned allies from the root, and he fought beside Jarod in the battle against the dreadlord Tichondrius at Eldarath. Even the Wild God Omen (wolf spirit) joined the fray, though fel corruption struck him in a heavy manner. After taking fatal blows, Omen blessed Huln’s spear with his remaining strength, deepening the spear’s sacred meaning.
At the final battle before the Well of Eternity in Zin-Azshari, Huln faced the doomlord Xyburn, who had sworn on the destruction of his people. Though wounded and exhausted, Huln struck with such aim, blinding the demon in one eye before the Legion’s forces were cast back into the Twisting Nether through the efforts of Malfurion and Illidan Stormrage with the Dragon Soul. The war ended in disaster, the world sundered into continents, and Huln returned home to a land forever changed.
The Mountain That Bore His Name
After the end of the war, the homeland of his tribe came to be known as Highmountain, honoring the Huln, whose courage had preserved it. Yet peace was a fragile thing. The Earth-Warder Neltharion (also known as Deathwing later on) turned upon the world he had once sworn to protect. Huln confronted him at Neltharion’s Vault, Igrul the Scalebane by his side, and an uprising of drogbar long oppressed beneath the dragon’s tyranny.
Within the vault lay the Hammer of Khaz’goroth, an artifact of titanic origin. Huln understood it could not destroy Deathwing, but it might perhaps help to banish him. In a battle that shook stone and sky, the chieftain and his allies drove the corrupted dragon aspect away from Highmountain, sending him into the depths of Deepholm (Therazane didn’t like this one bit). From the vault was also found a singular uncorrupted egg. Huln purified it with the Hammer’s power, and from it hatched Ebyssian, a black dragon whelp untouched by the Old God corruption. The dragon would remain in secret to watch over Huln’s descendants for ages.
Wards Against the Deep
The shadows of the Old Gods however, knew no pity. Uul’gyneth (a C’Thrax) rose to claim Highmountain, leading the Necrodark drogbar in a campaign of corruption. Huln gathered champions from across the tribes, but strength of unity alone proved futile against such an evil force. Recognizing that some evils cannot be simply slain, he turned to the idea of containing it. Wards were placed across the mountain, sealing Uul’gyneth’s essence and limiting the reach of the Old Gods’ influence. Though the general was still alive in a more diminished form, the land was spared full consumption.
Huln’s later years didn’t consist of battle or conquest, but by guardianship. He passed down Talonclaw to his successor, seeing to it that the spear’s legacy would continue. When his life reached its end, legends tell that the eagle spirit Ohn’ahra herself lifted his spirit to the skies.
The Hunter Beyond Death
Huln’s journey did not end with his last mortal breath. His spirit passed on to Ardenweald (Shadowlands), the realm that shelters those close to nature. There he joined the Wild Hunt under Lord Herne, becoming known as the Horned Hunter. In that realm he pursued creatures that threatened the groves, confronting Voras, the Realm Eater, through patience and strategy rather than reckless assault, just as he did in life. His hunt later turned him towards the Night Warriors of Elune, leading him across Maldraxxus and Revendreth, through captivity and misunderstanding, until alliances were made with Khaliiq and the Stonewright in the effort to save Tyrande Whisperwind from the consuming weight of divine power. Even in the Winter Queen’s court, where victory over the Drust was celebrated, Huln stood as a sentinel, attuned to the balance between life and decay.
(This portion is mostly from the sources I’ve read through and not of my own knowledge since, I gotta say, I unfortunately didn’t give a single thought to Shadowlands and its zones’ campaign stories. You may guess why if you’ve played through them.)
Personal Thoughts on Huln Highmountain
Even after thousands of years, Huln Highmountain’s legacy has endured intact. The peaks of Highmountain still rise against the sky he once defended. Talonclaw remains a sacred relic (in the banks of survival hunter players), its carvings lengthened by generations who remember his deeds. And Ebyssian (for a long time hidden as Spiritwalker Ebonhorn) watched faithfully over Huln’s descendants, honoring his debt.
Huln’s story took my interest while doing both the highmountain area campaign in Legion and the hunter hall Unseen Path quests. I was finally glad to see the class fantasy shown through Huln’s connection to the wilds. The spear Talonclaw (also being available as an artifact weapon) and Eche’ro (as a mount if you did the archaeology quest for it) really did feel right at home for me and I was spending the majority of my time either going around the highmountain area or spending time in Trueshot Lodge, and was exposed to his story. And even though I wasn’t that much into it unlike the tauren of Kalimdor, it was still a familiar face. Far from the verdant lands of Mulgore, but all the more closer to the heart and principles of the same culture.