Rethu Ironhorn

Rethu Ironhorn was a legendary Highmountain tauren miner. Revered by miners and blacksmiths, Rethu was one of the first tauren settlers in the Broken Isles. His descendants carry on his traditions of metalworking at the Ironhorn Enclave, near the top of Highmountain Peak.

His weapon was the Spear of Rethu.

Biography
In his youth, Rethu Ironhorn walked the land, carving out caves and canyons and even speaking to the rocks. Some stories say that this rock-speech was the reason he was ejected from his original tribe.

Rethu was the first of his kind to set hoof on Highmountain Peak. He made a plateau near the top of the peak his home and raised his children there, and some say that he carved the Ironhorn Enclave out of the mountain itself. All stories of him mention his patience, and most also describe his wisdom. His bravery was said to be contagious.

He may have been the greatest miner the tauren have ever known, but he was not afraid to share his knowledge with the rest of the herd: in addition to training his own children, he also took on apprentices, and many greenhoofs ascended Highmountain to seek him out and learn what he had to teach. Rethu's knowledge of leystone Ore was legendary, and he also worked with ore similar to the modern-day felslate; much like modern times, the time period during which Rethu lived was plagued by demons. He owned a journal in which he logged mining techniques he was working on. He owned many different mining picks, as the stories claim that he went through them almost weekly. One of the many stories told about Rethu detail the day he lost one of his horns in battle. Rethu also owned a spear, which at some point made its way to Neltharion's Lair.

No one knows what ultimately happened to the miner. He left the enclave while they slept and never returned. Some say he sailed off in search of new challenges, while others say that he dug too deep and uncovered something he shouldn't have. Regardless, Rethu's legacy lives on, and to this day some of the inhabitants of the Ironhorn Enclave bear his surname.

While mining in the Broken Isles, adventurers may occasionally encounter Rethu's spirit. During one of these encounters, Rethu will commend the adventurer for fighting for their ore, saying that he believes that to be the most noble way to obtain the stone, as it "gives the land a fighting chance". He then warns them to not be callous with their own life and that if one digs too deep, the land will overcome them. Before disapearing, he also mentions that "no stone is worth the price I paid" before saying that that is a tale for another day. When told of this, Ronos Ironhorn at the Ironhorn Enclave interprets Rethu's words to mean that he was "taken" by the Earthmother.