The Grimtotem tribe is one of the mightiest of the tauren tribes. They stand as an aggressive extreme in the usually pacifist tauren. They wish to eradicate the "lesser races" from Kalimdor and retake the long lost tauren ancestral holdings. The Grimtotem tribe fights to eliminate enemies of the tauren; to the Grimtotem, almost all races are enemies of the tauren. They are known for unprovoked attacks, slaughter and mayhem, in great contrast to the peacful, spiritual natures of the other tauren clans. The Grimtotem tribe seems to have declared war on the world. While the Grimtotem name is generations old, the clan as an organization has existed only for a few years. Magatha Grimtotem and her tribe felt that Cairne Bloodhoof’s friendship with the orcs was a bad idea; the tribe felt that Kalimdor belonged to the tauren, and no other race held claim to it. In recent years, the Grimtotems have conducted raid after raid on goblin, centaur, and orc settlements. Some dark tales even hint that the Grimtotems kill tauren who live in non-tauren settlements, considering them traitors. No one seems to know why the Grimtotems feel this way, though most believe the sentiment either originated from Magatha Grimtotem or her father.HPG 162
They are led by the powerful shaman Magatha Grimtotem, who gained leadership after marrying the previous leader, who died shortly after in an "unforeseen climbing accident."
The Grimtotem tribe operates mainly in the Stonetalon Mountains and Thousand Needles, though some also live in Thunder Bluff. Two main settlements of Grimtotems exist: Grimtotem Village in the Stonetalon Mountains, and Darkcloud Pinnacle in Thousand Needles. Magatha Grimtotem, leader of the clan, makes her home on Elder Rise in Thunder Bluff. Several hundred Grimtotems live in Thunder Bluff as well, to be close to the Elder Crone, but their influence is limited. Magatha’s the one with all the power and brains.
Tauren disillusioned with Cairne Bloodhoof’s message of peace and harmony seek to join the Grimtotems. It’s mostly older tauren who are used to peace and solitude and don’t like the new interlopers. Warriors and hunters seem the most likely to join — not many shaman favor the Grimtotem philosophy, though there are a few who subscribe to Magatha’s “the spirits are angry” philosophy. They’re convinced that the land is sick and requires “purging.”
The Grimtotem tribe does not have an organized structure or a complicated hierarchy. There is just over a thousand of them, split pretty evenly between the major Grimtotem settlements. The chief of each settlement reports directly to Magatha, and she uses her magic to keep in touch with them. Their information might influence her, but the Elder Crone makes all the decisions.
Allying with the Grimtotems isn’t an easy thing. People can’t walk up and ask to join; the Grimtotems are suspicious of spies. It’s traditional to bring an offering. Up in the Stonetalon Mountains, the head of a goblin is customary to prove a new recruit is serious about aiding the Grimtotem cause. Usually the chief sends a tauren who wants to join on a series of increasingly dangerous raids against centaur or goblin encampments. If the recruit survives and does a good job of killing, he's in, though the leaders watch him carefully for the first little bit.
New members have to keep killing to stay in, too. A Grimtotem who loses his taste for carnage is killed by his tribemates rather than letting him leave. A Grimtotem who balks at killing a “traitor” tauren may have his war party turn on him and tear him apart. Grimtotems allow only tauren to join. If a nontauren tried to join they’d probably laugh at him before they killed him.
