User:Minionman/Tauren economy

As the Tauren have settled down in Mulgore, they have established themselves as an important part of the horde's economy, as well as culture, military, and leadership. Mulgore itself supplies much food and wood, while Thunder bluff and other Tauren settlements have established themselves as important trade centers and centers of craftsmanship.

Food
The lush lands of Mulgore are a rich source of food of all kinds. The Tauren themselves can graze on its rich grass, while harvesting fields of "Mulgore Grains", unique wheat like grains that grow in some sections of the plains, and several types of wild mulgore fruits have been cultivated in orchards, or are harvested in the wild. Mulgore's lands supply many types of game animals, and hunting these animals provides training for Tauren hunters, as well as supplying meat for the horde. Surprisingly, herding is rare in Mulgore, as the growing plants supply much more food than herded animals could, though Kodo are regularly taken to Mulgore to graze, some of which may be used for food.

The Tauren shamans have learned throughout many centuries to manage the lands of the barrens well, and so far they have used this experience to manage the lands of mulgore well, allowing the Tauren to extract more food from this land than they otherwise would be able to. Per area, Mulgore supplies about as much food as many farmed areas in the Eastern Kingdoms, though the intense magical farming of the Blood Elves significantly outcompetes them. Tauren leaders worry that the richness of Mulgore compared to the surrounding drier lands will go to the Tauren's heads, and encourge overuse of the land, so the leaders have begun establishing rules and traditions for managing Mulgore well, allowing it to remain plentiful for a long time to come.

For the rest of the horde, Mulgore is an important supplier of grains and fruit, while also supplying specialty meats for celebrations or ceremonies. Other types of meat are often bought from the Barrens. Plant products such as cloth or dyes mostly come from Quel'thalas, though a few wild mulgore plants supply these products as well.

Craftsmanship
Although the Tauren are not known for their metalwork (as the orcs are), magical skills (As the blood elves are) or fine craftsmanship of all sorts (As the forsaken are), they have carved a niche for themselves as skilled leather workers and woodworkers. These types of craftsmanship were important in the Tauren's more nomadic existence, and those skills have easily transferred to their more settled existence today. Tauren also supply much of the commonly used metal tools used in Kalimdor, as tools from Durotar are often quite expensive.

The land of Mulgore supplies much of the wood and skin for leather used by the Tauren. In addition, Outposts in Desolace, thousand needles, and other places are close to metal rich areas, though Durotar still supplies most of the metals used in the horde.

Trade
As the original inhabitants of Kalindor in the horde, the Tauren have long had established outposts in locations that proved excellent for trading. The Crossroads is perhaps the most famous example, it was once the site of a Tauren outpost called Watertent, named for the oases surrounding it. Thunder Bluff and Freewind Post are also major trading cities, they are protected from attacks by their height, and are located in important regions in Kalindor, Freewind Post on a road north from Gadgetzan, Thunder bluff towards the middle of the continent.

In past times, most current trading outposts served as centers of craftsmanship and record keeping as well as trade, and were well placed for nomadic hunters and herders to meet and exchange information and goods. With the establishment of the horde, these outposts have flourished, with Tauren, Orcs, and Trolls settled together for trade, fighting, and other activities.