Hamuul Runetotem

Hamuul Runetotem is the Archdruid of Thunder Bluff and a venerated leader of the tauren people. He is the highest-ranked tauren in the Cenarion Circle, though the inclusion of tauren had incurred the ire of his former night elf counterpart, Fandral Staghelm, who believed that only night elves can be druids.

As many of his people do, Hamuul believes very much in the balance between nature and the races of Azeroth. This was the reason that he sought out and befriended the mighty night elf Malfurion Stormrage during the recent invasion of the Burning Legion, to request training in the druidic arts. His new shan'do taught Hamuul many secrets of the wild and blessed him with the touch of nature. In the few years since that time, Hamuul has become an honored member of the (predominantly night elf) Cenarion Circle, and is recognized as the first tauren druid in nearly twenty generations. Hamuul was a fierce supporter of Cairne Bloodhoof and teaches the ways of druidism to his honored brethren.

Biography
Hamuul is a childhood friend of Cairne Bloodhoof, and is one of the Grand Chief's strongest supporters.

Hamuul has a daughter, Bashana, who is a Cenarion Circle member like her father.

Hamuul Runetotem is an elderly tauren who knows Naralex from years back, Hamuul lives in Thunder Bluff and trains druids. Quite old, he rarely leaves the city, but those that have seen his skills know that he is not to be trifled with. Sometimes some wonder if he’s past his prime, or even afraid of Naralex’s fate. He likely has enough power to help heal the caverns, but he claims he is too old to travel that far. He’s hesitant to travel by magic to the area, fearing the magic of the caverns will trap him the way Naralex was trapped. He sends new druids to Nara Wildmane in the Barrens when he feels they’re ready for further training.

Hamuul Runetotem lives in Thunder Bluff, where he is an important leader of his community. Considered by many of his peers as one of the most honorable and just druids in the world, Hamuul Runetotem is fervently dedicated to the Cenarion Circle and the protection of nature. Hamuul recently dreamed that there was a group of druids who were noble, but had lost their way. They had become servants of the taint seeping through the Barrens.

Hamuul appears briefly in the World of Warcraft comic, when Varian and Broll are taken to Thunder Bluff. Following their victory over a rampaging earth elemental in the Pools of Vision, Hamuul invites them to his tent where he recounts the legend of Lo'Gosh. He then grants them the gift of a hippogryph feather. Although Varian is confused about the usefulness of the gift, Broll understands what the archdruid had really given them. They use it to summon a hippogryph to them and flee their slavery.

Much later, Hamuul becomes a part of the new Council of Tirisfal as a representative of the druids. He aids them in their fight against Cho'gall, being one of the many to give Med'an some of his power. Although a difficult fight, they are eventually able to claim victory.

Stormrage
Hamuul is a major supporting character in the novel Stormrage. In the time since his first meeting with Broll, the two have become close friends. In fact, Broll considers the tauren his closest friend barring Varian and Valeera. Hamuul is frequently Broll's confidante, especially in matters where the latter is troubled by disturbing visions and dreams. When Fandral Staghelm summons the strongest druids to Teldrassil, Hamuul is surprisingly among them. He meets Broll after he lands, the two go together to the decided meeting spot. There, Fandral instructs the gathered that they would be aiding in the healing of the World Tree, along with continuing to find a way to wake Malfurion. Broll, however, starts to continually lose focus and lapse into vivid hallucinations. Hamuul covers him, pretending to speak with him in such episodes. He later suggests to Broll that the visions may have some meaning, as reluctant as his friend is to accept it.

Hamuul's role in the story is minimal until the moment Broll suddenly decides to leave the congregation, pursuing an alternative means to save their teacher. Understanding that what his friend may be planning could have a greater effect than Fandral's own plans, the archdruid covers for his disappearance. However, Fandral is quick to discover the other's actions, and even finds that he had stolen the Idol of Remulos. Fandral gives Hamuul a disapproving look, believing the tauren had aided Broll in this, but does not say more. Nonetheless, it is enough for the other druids to shun the archdruid, save Naralex and a handful of others. In order to not cause trouble for his friends, Hamuul avoids conversation with them anyway.

Following a break between attempts to heal Teldrassil, Hamuul decides to lay a hand on the tree itself. Shockingly, he is able to hear whispers from the tree, and not like the usual way druids listen to nature speak. He then realizes the World Tree is going mad, and attempts to tell the rest of the Circle of this. Fandral, however, dismisses his claims, stating that it is only the old tauren's weariness as they all had been expending so much energy to heal the tree. Fandral then apologizes to him for silently condemning him for Broll's actions, and instructs Hamuul to rest earlier than the others. The tauren, however, is unconvinced his tired mind was playing tricks on him.

Eventually, he discovers Fandral's duplicity, having been driven mad by the Emerald Nightmare and Teldrassil itself. Shandris Feathermoon, Naralex, and he are silenced before they can act against him, as he easily overpowers them. Fortunately, Malfurion arrives not soon after, freeing the three as he fights Fandral. The three are then able to warn the other druids, who although not entirely believing them, are of reasonable enough mind to discover the truth themselves. Hamuul is, obviously, one of the first to immediately side with Malfurion, and later plays an important part in their final conflict against the Emerald Nightmare. While many of the others take their fight into the Dream, Hamuul stays awake to defend their bodies against the apparitions that appear in the waking world. After these events, Hamuul takes up the human Lucan Foxblood as his student to further assist him in utilizing his unique abilities.

Following their hard fought victory, Hamuul is among the many to bear witness to the marriage of Malfurion and Tyrande.

The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm
In the novel The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, Hamuul and a group of Tauren druids set up a peace summit with Archdruid Elerethe Renferal and a group of Night Elf druids, in the hopes of reducing the rising tensions between the Horde and the Alliance, following the murder and skinning of a group of Sentinels in Ashenvale. A group of Twilight's Hammer orcs interrupted the druid summit and killed all the Night Elves. When Gorkrak identified himself as leader of the orc band, Hamuul questioned if Garrosh Hellscream had sent him to interrupt the summit. Gorkrak feigned ignorance of who Garrosh was and when Hamuul turned his back to him, he used the oppurtunity to shoot an arrow into his back. Satisfied that suspicion of the murders were being pinned on Garrosh, he ordered Hamuul to be buried with the corpses of the other dead druids and was left for dead. He crawled out the grave as the sole survivor of the summit and called out for an owl to inform Cairne Bloodhoof of what had transpired.

The Molten Front
As the Guardians of Hyjal are preparing to open the Molten Front Hamuul confronts Leyara and is burned near to death. This is witnessed by the player during the quest Quest:Leyara. Subsequently the player has a chance to be offered a daily quest from Dorda'en Nightweaver at the Sanctuary of Malorne related to the ongoing treatment of Hamuul's injuries.

World of Warcraft
Arch Druid Hamuul Runetotem is a level 62 quest giver located on Elder Rise in the tauren city of Thunder Bluff.

He starts the following quests:

See List of Thunder Bluff NPCs.

Cataclysm
In Cataclysm, Hamuul Runetotem, along with Malfurion Stormrage, will assist Ysera in protecting the recovering world tree Nordrassil from the resurgent Ragnaros.

Hamuul assists in the freeing of Tortolla, and succeeds in bringing the powerful ancient onto the side of the Guardians of Hyjal. He and Malfurion join with Cenarius in Sulfuron Spire, and together push back Ragnaros into the Firelands. With the immediate threat dealt with, though Ragnaros still at large, Hamuul suggests that they confer with the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance to best plan their next move.

Hamuul is attacked by a powerful Druid of the Flame, Leyara, after her induction into their corrupted order by Fandral Staghelm. Leyara is elated with having supposedly killed the powerful Archdruid of Thunder Bluff, and leaves. Hamuul's body is later found by the Cenarion Circle, who quickly transports the Arch-druid - clinging onto life - to the Sanctuary of Malorne. Over time, Hamuul begins to recover his strength.

Later, Leyara reappears and begins to chide Malfurion for his own weakness, noting that she will destroy him just as she did Hamuul. However, Malfurion only mentions that Hamuul is not dead at all, and a revitalized Hamuul himself disposes of her - wishing her to finally find peace in death. The two friends then retreat.

During the battle into the Firelands, Hamuul will assist heroes in doing battle with Ragnaros in his most powerful form.

Quotes

 * (In Sancutary of Malorne of Mount Hyjal)
 * Look at this devastation, ! Blood and ash, as far as the eye can see.


 * But nature is not so easily put down. With some effort, we may yet coax life from this scorched soil.
 * Ah, Tortolla! Often misunderstood and always, always underestimated. Creatures who move effortlessly between land and sea look to Tortolla as their patron ancient.
 * Ah, Tortolla! Often misunderstood and always, always underestimated. Creatures who move effortlessly between land and sea look to Tortolla as their patron ancient.


 * Ten thousand years ago the Burning Legion invaded Azeroth, and Tortolla was among the ancients who took to the field of battle alongside Cenarius and the mortal races.


 * As the demon hordes crashed against the front lines of the beleaguered defenders, they didn't know what to make of Tortolla. At first they tried to ignore him, but his terrible weight and crushing jaws laid waste to hundreds...


 * Tortolla never fell. Eventually the greatest Doomguards of the legion surrounded him, but couldn't pierce his stony skin and invulnerable shell. Oh, how they raged! Tortolla held his ground and covered a final retreat, before the mortal races regrouped and managed to seal the portal and end the invasion.
 * Tortolla never fell. Eventually the greatest Doomguards of the legion surrounded him, but couldn't pierce his stony skin and invulnerable shell. Oh, how they raged! Tortolla held his ground and covered a final retreat, before the mortal races regrouped and managed to seal the portal and end the invasion.


 * It was said that after the battle, Tortolla was found underneath a mountain of demon corpses. He shook the bodies free and his head emerged from the gore. Then, quietly, slowly... he asked if we had won.


 * 