GRUMM ES

Travelers, traders and luckydos

by Kundric Zanden, Northshire Abbey

Dear Reader,

In your hand is a work of true collaboration. This work would not have been possible to
complete without the help of many individuals. I would like to thank the abbot and clerics
of Northshire Abbey for their continued support of my work. It is much appreciated. I
would also like to thank the leader of the Pandarian expedition, Admiral Taylor, for bearing
with my eccentricities and providing me with ample escort on many a trip. Finally, Id like
to thank my Pandarian interlocutors, the excellent Lorewalkers, for opening their vast
archives to me.

The lavish imagery accompanying this finely crafted document is the work of Sudiin
Crimsonstone, field photographer par excellence. Not only did he traverse the demanding
passageways of Kun-Lai with me, he also found it in himself to document the very essence
of this land and its people. We would like to thank the Explorers League of Ironforge, and
Raegar Breakbrow in particular, for providing us with a magnificent camera apparatus that
we used to capture the landscape around us.

This work is dedicated to the memory of Loremaster Dibbs. Rest in peace, friend.

Northshire Abbey, Kundric Zanden,

in year 623 of the Kings Calendar, brother of the Church of Light

Kundric Zanden and Sudiin Crimsonstone

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 Grummles: travelers, traders and luckydos

The mists have parted from Pandaria, for better

or worse. This continent, hidden to our eyes and
knowledge for centuries, suddenly opened up to
outsiders. For some, this meant an opportunity for
glory, others saw a profit to be made, some found
Pandaren history #1
tranquility there, while others even found a new home.
For inquisitive minds, such as that of yours humbly, Pandaria presented a new source of
knowledge. I know that many of my fellow archivists worked together with the venerable local
organization, the Lorewalkers, to uncover elements of pandarian history which ultimately let
us know about the history of other parts of Azeroth, even. I am very grateful for their work,
and will rely on their findings in my treatise.
The aim of my work is entirely different in intent, and if you allow me to say so, in scale.
During my travels all over Pandaria after the fateful siege of Ogrimmar but before the grim
reopening of the Dark Portal I became more and more interested in the diminutive creatures
devoted to making travel easier (or, indeed, accomplishable at all) in the rugged northern
reaches of the continent. Grummles, they call themselves, and this is my attempt at piecing
together the available information about their past, present and maybe even their possible
futures. You have my thanks for reading this small work about a small race, and I hope this
piece will be as interesting and as important for the reader as the life and work of its subjects,
the humble grummles.
Origins
Unlike some races, whose origins are unknown to us, the story of the
creation of the grummles is well documented in the legendary of
Pandaria. It was the mogu Emperor Tian, described to me by Lorewalker
Cho as the Monstrous, who found himself in need of a new species of
messengers and deliverymen he could trust.1 He turned to the technique
of flesh-shaping: a painful process through which the bodies of animals
or sentient creatures are reshaped to fit the vision of their masters. It is a
thorough reshaping of bones, joints and muscles through magical
processes. A special substance is necessary for the success of the
process,2 and although we are not sure about this, this substance is quite
possibly the unpolluted water of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.3 The
changes effected by the flesh-shapers upon their subjects persist over
Illustration of a mogu #2
generations of the creatures, even after they reproduce, effectively
allowing the creation of new races to the masters of flesh-shaping. It can
be speculated that such technology is titanic in origin.4 The first record of mogu using flesh-
shaping is during the reign of Lei Shen, the Thunder King, who was responsible for the creation
of the saurok race (and who now we know to be a confidant of titanic secrets).5

1 The Humble Grummle

2 Dungeon Journal: Dark Animus
3 The Mogu and the Trogg
4
5
Voljin: Shadows of the Horde, pp. 31
Saurok Creation Pit; Ra-den
3
 The reign of Emperor Tian cannot be precisely dated for the moment but it can be strongly
suspected that it came before the rebellion of the saurok during the reign of Emperor Dojan
I. Firecrown.6 After the failure of the saurok project, the mogu turned from flesh-shaping to
the technique of spirit binding, turning flesh into stone and reanimating it with a captured
soul. The resulting warriors, dubbed the stoneborn, were fully obedient servants, unlike the
sauroks before them.7 Therefore the major flesh-shaping project of creating the grummles
likely came before the rule of the Dojanid dynasty and the change in focus to spirit binding.

The grummle species as we know it today

As a base for his new project, Emperor Tian used a population of troggs living in caves and
tunnels under the mogu lands.8 Troggs, populations of which still exist in other parts of Azeroth,
are known to be an offshoot of the titanic earthen race, through their affliction with the
Curse of Flesh. They share this origin with the dwarves, being different outcomes of the same
process. Troggs as we know them are strong but rather unintelligent subterranean creatures.9
They have not been encountered in Pandaria recently, which along with the relatively high
number of the grummle population suggests that perhaps the trogg population of what
now is the continent of Pandaria was fully transformed into grummles through the process
of flesh-shaping. Alternatively, the troggs may have died out or destroyed by the mogu
themselves, or (although this seems less likely) they may have departed to other regions.
The Emperors flesh-shapers improved the troggs physique in multiple ways, primarily
further strengthening those capacities of the troggs which were already strong at that point.
Their hands were made stronger, their smelling keener, and their sense of direction and
memory was also improved.10 These changes point to the planned use of the newly created
grummle species primarily as messengers and carriers,11 and less so as weapon, claimed by
other sources.12 The intense process of flesh-shaping also resulted in other changes to the
grummles capabilities: current grummle populations are significantly more cunning than
troggs encountered in other parts of Azeroth, unlike them they do not consume stone or
the flesh of sentient creatures, and live over ground rather than underground. They seems
to be able to withstand even the harshest cold without covering their hands or feet. If these
qualities are by design of the mogu or should be considered mere side products of the flesh-
shaping process is unknown to us.

6 The Defiant; The Dungeons of Dojan

7 Spirit Binders; Victory in Kun-Lai
8 The Mogu and the Trogg; The Humble Grummle
9 Lore Keeper of Norgannon
10 The Mogu and the Trogg
11 The Humble Grummle
12 The Mogu and the Trogg
4
 At the end of the flesh-shaping emerged the grummle species as we know it today. They
are short humanoids with large and strong arms, incredibly sensitive noses, and skulls hard
as granite. They can carry five times their own weight, they never sweat, and have excellent
smelling as well as outstanding tracking and climbing skills.13 They have strong cognitive
skills: they know every mountain trail and never forget one.14 Grummles are intelligent, and
are considered shrewd negotiators.15
Under the Mogu Empire
After their creation, the grummles were immediately put into use as a servant species of
the mogu. They were settled in the mountainous region of the Kun-Lai Summit. Kun-Lai,
originally populated by mountain hozen, pandaren and jinyu, had been captured by Emperor
Lei Shen after a legendary duel with the celestial being, Xuen the White Tiger, as well as a
battle against the jinyu forces at Inkgill Mere.16 Lei Shen and his successors invested in the
region heavily, including building the great wall, the Serpents Spine at its western reaches,
as well as creating the Valley of Emperors, the burial place of the mogu dignitaries.
Since northern Kun-Lai is mountainous,
featuring the highest peaks of the
whole continent (Mount Neverest and
Kota Peak), and the trails through the
mountains are twisty, windy, cold,
dangerous and unforgiving,17 the
mogu were eager to use the grummles
to navigate these roads, transporting
supplies from the farmlands in the east
and south of the region to the wall.18
The main passageway established by
the grummles, the so-called Burlap Trail,
has been in use since the mogu times.19 The mountains of Kun-Lai
Beyond this, grummles were also used
as messengers and deliverymen throughout the expansive empire. Surpassing these official
functions, the ingenious grummles also started acting as merchants and traders, functions
that they have kept all the way until today.20
When some twelve thousand years ago, during the rule of Emperor Lao-Fe the pandaren slaves
of the Mogu Empire erupted into open rebellion against their masters, the other enslaved
races of Pandaria soon joined them in their revolution, and the grummles were no exception.
Legends imply that already before the revolution the grummles had deliberately sabotaged
mogu efforts at gathering intelligence about the brewing storm.21 The grummles stand by the
other slave species had key importance on the outcome of the war. Not only did they provide
their services to the rebels, they also stopped doing the same for the mogu. This meant that
mogu messages and supplies were undelivered, and thus their armies in the field starved
while full garrisons of troops set idly, oblivious to the events.22 After the final overthrow of the
mogu regime at the end of the bloody
civil war, the grummles joined the newly
founded Pandaren Empire.

13 The Humble Grummle; Li Lis Journal (entry #9)

14 The Mogu and the Trogg; Brother Lintpocket
15 Madam Lani
16 The Duel of Thunder and Strength; Patch 5.2: The Thunder King trailer
17 Bestiary: Grummle; Merchant Qiu
18 The Mogu and the Trogg
19 Lucky Eightcoins Map of the Kun-Lai region
20 Zone Preview: Kun-Lai Summit
21
22
The Mogu and the Trogg
Together, We Are Strong
5
 The rise of the Shado-Pan
We have little information
regarding the grummles during
the two millennia of the Pandaren
Empire. Nevertheless, since their
roles seem to have remained
unchanged from the mogu times to
our days, we should suppose they
were integrated into the empire,
now as a free species, and served
as messengers and deliverymen
in Kun-Lai and beyond just as they The Shado-Pan Monastery
did before.
Ten thousand years ago, concurrently with the Sundering of Azeroth, the last emperor of
Pandaria, Shaohao, founded the order of the Shado-Pan and tasked it with keeping the sha
in check.23 The treacherous sha are best described as the physical manifestations of negative
emotions, created by the curse of the old god YShaarj, banished from the land by the titans
and their mogu servants eons ago.24 The Shado-Pan fulfill their task by patrolling for sha
within the lands east of the Serpents Spine as well as defending the great wall itself against
the mantid, who live beyond the wall and remain worshipers of the old gods to this date.25
Shaohao founded the Shado-Pan Monastery, the center of the new order, within the mountains
of the northwestern Kun-Lai Summit. After the emperor became one with the land to shield it
from the destruction caused by the Sundering,26 the empire itself was disbanded, and power
shifted to the local level.27 In the absence of a strong central army, the Shado-Pan became
Pandarias first and only line of defense against external and internal threats.28
The grummles had to find their role in this new world order. Considering themselves to be
packers and explorers but not fighters,29 and clearly understanding that being brave is not
one of their strong sides,30 they looked for protection. As a solution to this situation, a long-
standing agreement was worked out with the Shado-Pan, in which the monks would guard
the trade routes of the grummles and the grummles would keep the monastery and the
wall supplied.31 The Burlap Trail became
the lifeline of the Shado-Pan,32 and
soon their guards were stationed in the
major grummle settlements alongside
the trail.33 The grummles would move
perishable goods from the farmlands
to the Shado-Pan strongholds, and also
find opportunities to trade with the
denizens of Kun-Lai. This arrangement
proved to be stable and the source of
much prosperity to both sides.34 A long-standing agreement was worked out with the Shado-Pan

23 The Emperors Burden (part 7)

24 Shadow, Storm and Stone; But Wait Theres Lore (S05E01)
25 Q: Shadow of the Empire
26 The Emperors Burder (part 8)
27 Dave Kosaks Twitter (Aug 15, 2013)
28 Q: Where Are My Reinforcements
29 Q: Traffic Issues
30 Q: Instant Courage
31 Bestiary: Grummle
32 Zone Preview: Kun-Lai Summit
33
34
Guardian of the Peak
Bestiary: Grummle
6
 The Grummle Bazaar
A closer look at the crucial Burlap Trail reveals much about the grummles. At its eastern
terminus, north of the Kun-Lai Pass, one finds the largest known grummle settlement, the
Grummle Bazaar. This marketplace is the primary meeting point of the pandaren farmers of
the southern plains and the grummle packers traversing the mountains. Pandaren merchants
travel here to trade with the grummles, and even though the roads are not easy and the
grummles are known to be good negotiators, enterprising traders can expect to make a
reasonable profit for their efforts.35 A particularly prosperous enterprise at the time of writing
is selling yaks to the grummle caravan masters. Rancher Lao Muskpaw runs a large yak farm
and a yak wash to cater to the needs of the grummles, selling the readied beasts of burden
on the market.36

The Grummle Bazaar

While the grummles shops are mostly temporary pavilions, pandaren have set up permanent
buildings at the bazaar, including a granary and an inn. At the time of my visit, The Two Fisted
Brew Inn was ran by Li Goldendraft, a scion of the prestigious Goldendraft family of Dawns
Blossom. (The inn was guarded by a lowlander Guardian of the Dawn, a rare sight at Kun-Lai.)
The bazaar is heavily guarded by the Shado-Pan at all times, but should they be occupied
elsewhere as was the case during my visit the grummles hire local pandaren guards,
dubbed the Guardians of the Peak, who are paid well for their services.37 Some of them are
former Shado-Pan members.38
The bazaar is also an important way-point for grummles venturing out to the southern and
eastern regions of Pandaria through the only feasible known land route, the Veiled Stairs.
Grummles start this dangerous trek traveling along the Kun-Lai Pass to Binan Village in the
southeast. From there, they take a boat ride through the dangerous, saurok-infested caverns
of the Ancient Passage (a ship is preferred because the saurok make walking through the
cave system exceedingly dangerous),39 leading to the no less dangerous Spring Road.

35 Merchant Qiu
36 Q: Fresh Needle Scent, Q: Back in Yak
37 Guardian of the Peak
38
39
Zaiyu
Q: The Spring Drifter
7
 This ends at the pandaren-ran inn, the Tavern in the Mist, its walls providing at least temporary
protection to the travelers. The stairs of the Path of a Hundred Steps leads south from here,
and descending the steps the grummle traders can finally emerge at the fertile Valley of the
Four Winds. The merchants often make it as far as the prominent Halfhill Market, selling their
exotic wares from beyond the mountains there.40 Grummles usually complete this difficult
route without the help of yaks.41 Some grummles may make it as far as the seaside. A pandaren
soldier told me that he witnessed a case when grummles brought a strange creature to the
bazaar from the coastal area. Judging from his very thorough description, this creature must
have been a murloc. Curiously, this is the only time I know of murlocs being observed in
Pandaria, and of course the evidence remains anecdotal.42 Apart from trading, grummles also
offer messenger services on this side of the Serpent Spine, reaching places as distant as the
Jade Forest and the Krasarang Wilds.43
The merchants of the Grummle Bazaar specialize in buying resources from the eastern
merchants and selling them the goods brought back by the caravans from the west or
manufactured locally. Such goods include incense, candles, clothes, kafa blends, specialty
food as well as yaks.44 Grummles buy or tame wild yaks and produce added value through
grooming. Beasts of the large, white yak breed called kobeyaks are on sale here perhaps
for culinary purposes? as well as agile riding yaks and the exceedingly expensive grand
expedition yak, the preferred mount of mountain explorers.45 Grummles are also imploring
visitors to buy any number of knick-knacks called luckydos, said to provide their owners with
good fortune.
Whatever is not sold at the market is organized into caravans to ferry
them towards the west through the mountains. At the time of my visit,
caravan master Lucky Eightcoins seemed to be running most of the trade.
Grummles called Burlap Trail organizers structure the west-bound
traffic.46 Caravans are usually lead by trail guides, who act as armed guides
and are also relatively capable warriors. They also contain dedicated
trail yakkers, handling the yaks of the caravan and also providing limited
healing services. Apart from these specialists, the rest of the caravans
are made up of packers, carrying the heavy payloads of goods.47 Before
A grummle merchant
leaving, the caravans are blessed by the organizers, who also try to lift
spirits by lighting incenses alongside the road.48
One Keg and Mount Neverest
The first leg of the Burlap Trail leads northwest from the Grummle Bazaar through the foothills
of the large mountains of Kun-Lai. This part of the trek is usually not particularly dangerous,
the biggest threat is posed by the local white tigers prowling the roadside.49 Within a few
days, the caravans can reach the first major stop on their route: One Keg.
Nested at the foot of the highest peak of Pandaria, One Keg is the gateway to Mount Neverest
as well as the Burlap Trail.50 Its a pandaren-ran trading station that features an inn, the Lucky
Traveler. Pandaren traders occasionally make it this far with their carts and goods,51 perhaps
trying to cut out the Grummle Bazaar operators from the supply chain. At the time of my visit,
the Lucky Traveler inn was operated by innkeeper Chiyo Mistpaw.

40 Trader Jambeezi; Brother Rabitsfoot (at Halfhill Market)

41 Highroad Grummle
42 Guardian of the Peak
43 Messenger Grummle; Li Lis Journal (entry #9)
44 Q: Oil Stop; Wishbone, Whetstone, Clean Pelt
45 Herder Muskfree; Uncle Bigpocket
46 Clovercatcher
47 Grummle Trail Guide; Trail Packer; Trail Yakker
48 Travel Incense; Q: Roadside Assistance
49 Summit Prowler
50
51
Q: Roadside Assistance
Ji-Lu the Lucky
8
 Apart from offering food and bed for the travelers, One Keg also had its own blacksmith,
general goods vendor, trade goods purveyor and a flight master. Usually protected by the
Shado-Pan, owing to the various ongoing crises I only met Guardians of the Peak here, too.
While the establishment is mainly ran by the pandaren, grummles have also set up their tents
near the inn. Apart from serving as a way-point on the Burlap Trail route, One Keg is also
the point of departure for Mount Neverest expeditions. A dangerous mountain pass leads to
the west and north from One Keg, where a base camp was set up by the grummles on the
mountainside. From the base camp, the even more dangerous Seekers Folly path leads to the
camp of Seekers Point, the last stop before the Neverest Pinnacle itself. Atop the pinnacle,
one can find a statue dedicated to the pandaren brew-master Ren Yun the Blind.52
Although the grummles marked
the most viable path up the
mountain with flags,53 it is still
considered to be extremely
unlucky to try and ascend on the
peak without grummle guides.54
Grummles from One Keg can
transport people and supplies to
the Neverest Base Camp in carts,55
however the Seekers Folly with
its continuous snow calamities
can only be accessed on foot.
Nevertheless, the grummles
One Keg themselves know other pathways
through Neverest, too. One of
them, Brother Lintpocket told me of an alternate route which takes three days longer than
usual, but the scenery is more beautiful and includes a waterfall.56 Other grummles are known
to have scaled the mountainside with ice picks and the like, but this is an even more dangerous
enterprise.57
After taking a rest and breathing in a fresh dose of the travel incense, the grummle caravans
are reassembled by the trail organizers, and they set out for the second, more dangerous leg
of the Burlap Trail: the road towards the Burlap Waystation.
Burlap Waystation and the mountain hozen
The most dangerous section of the Burlap Trail is the area around the Burlap Waystation.
The station itself is an unexceptional outpost set up by the grummles on a small hill roughly
halfway between One Keg and the Kota Base Camp to the west. At the time of my visit, it was
barely operational after a hozen attack left its buildings ravaged and many local grummles
captive or dead; in better times, however, its security was guaranteed by the Shado-Pan58
and it offered basic amenities to the travelers.59 Even after the hozen attack, caravans were
making stops at the outpost, reorganized and sent on their way towards Kota Peak and the
last leg of their trek.
The reason why this section of the Burlap Trail is so difficult is because it runs through the
lands of the mountain hozen. The hozen, who had inhabited Kun-Lai even before the rise of
the Mogu Empire,60 are tribally organized and live in the highlands on both sides of the trail.
52 Ren Yun the Blind
53 Q: Seekers Folly
54 Q: Instant Courage
55 Q: Comin Round the Mountains
56 Brother Lintpocket
57 Mountain Climber
58 Q: The Rabbitsfoot
59
60
Yoona
The Duel of Thunder and Strength
9
 At the time of writing, the most
prominent tribes here were the
Broketooth, the Knucklethump
and the Ookin. Because of their
large numbers and the harsh
terrain, mountain hozen often
find food and supplies scarce.
Whenever that happens, tribal
chiefs may declare a ravage
on the surrounding settlements.
During a ravage, every able-
bodied hozen swarms the nearby
villages until either enough
supplies are plundered to survive A mountain hozen
the harsh times, or enough hozen
are killed to make do with whatever the tribes have. (Usually, its a combination of plunder
and attrition which does the trick.) Mountain hozen are considered to be unusually aggressive
even by hozen standards.61
The grummles and the Shado-Pan seek to keep the hozen in check with a carrot-and-stick
strategy. Hozen are bribed with food tributes, and the fear of Shado-Pan retribution also
keeps them in line.62 Sometimes hozen leaders even become friendly to the grummles, such
as one particular Jib of Dook reigning for three years before the rise of the Ookin tribes chief
at the time of writing, Ook of Dook.63 Whenever the grummles dont have enough food for
the tributes, or the Shado-Pan show weakness, a ravage becomes likely and this was exactly
the case at the time of the destruction of the Burlap Way-point.64
Kota Peak
The last grummle outpost
on the Burlap Trail is the
Kota Base Camp, found at
the northeast foothills of the
second highest mountain
in Pandaria, Kota Peak. The
camp is almost exclusively
populated by grummles
pandaren merchants rarely
if ever make it as far as here.
The only permanent-looking
structure in the camp is a
watchtower, presumably built
by the Shado-Pan (the building
seems to be of pandaren
Kota Peak
design). Nevertheless during
the time of my visit, this camp
was also protected by Guardians of the Peak instead of the Shado-Pan.
The camp features a relatively large number of vendors, including a food vendor offering
grummlecakes, an alcohol vendor offering grummlegrogs, a small inn (in reality a tent), a
stable master selling kobeyaks as well as a flight master.65 However, the biggest drag is neither
of these its the substance known as Kafakota blend.
61 The Hozen Ravage
62 Q: A Monkey Idol; Q:The Rabbitsfoot; The Hozen Ravage
63 Brother Rabbitsfoot
64
65
Q: The Rabbitsfoot
Cousin Copperfinder, Clover Keeper, Uncle Mountainmusk, Cousin Tealeaf
10
 Kota Peak is covered with kafa bushes in fact, no other
local plant is known to survive at this elevation. The
kafa berries are harvested by the grummles, the seeds
are cut out, roasted, ground, pressed and brewed. The
resulting drink, called the Kafakota blend, is a pleasant,
refreshing and sobering drink, not unlike the espresso
blends known in other parts of Azeroth.66 Kafa means
good business: it is usually easy and safe to harvest from
A kafa bush on Kota Peak
Kota Peak save for the stray yeti , its also a relatively
rare commodity, therefore grummles can make a good
fortune selling it.67 When I was visiting Kota Peak, an
enterprising grummle by the name of Uncle Keenbean set up a whole company harvesting
kafa. The Keenbean Kafa Co. even established a new outpost on the southern side of Kota
Peak.68
Nevertheless, kafa is not without its dangers. While a cup of kafa is merely refreshing,
eating the kafa berries raw has strongly stimulating effects.69 Overexposure to kafa results
in addiction, victims of which suffer from moodiness, crankiness and an inability to get the
proper amount of rest. At the time of writing, the Keenbean Kafa Co. is facing the potentially
disastrous consequences of mistakenly hooking up the local wildlife, including the goats and
the yeti, on kafa.70
Delivery to the Shado-Pan
The last leg of the Burlap Trail, yet again in relatively safe terrain, is the route between Kota
Peak and the Shado-Pan Monastery. The road runs northwest from Kota Base Camp through
the Shado-Li Valley until it reaches the Shado-Pan outpost of Winters Blossom. This base
camp is sitting on the mountainside overlooking the Ox Gate, one of the few openings of the
Serpents Spine and the gateway to the Townlong Steppes. Winters Blossom is a military-
type camp, and was well garrisoned when I was passing through it, after the heavy battles
against the yaungol intruders at the Ox Gate. Grummles were absent from the camp when
I visited, and I suspect that they would usually have to deal with Shado-Pan quartermasters
within the monastery itself rather than having the opportunity to linger in Winters Blossom
to sell their wares.
From Winters Blossom a snow blown, steep mountain passage leads to the monastery itself.
The path is not particularly dangerous, although snow tigers and yeti are occasionally found
alongside it. After passing through a gate guarded by two stone tigers, the grummles finally
arrive at the monastery. Founded by the Emperor Shaohao, it is the center of the Shado-
Pan order to this day and the home of the Lord of the Shado-Pan, currently Taran Zhu. Its
buildings stand atop a plateau of the Kun-Lai Summit. Apart from its prominent dojos and
numerous training grounds, it also features a large dining hall71 as well as the Grove of the
Falling Blossoms.72
Grummles are allowed to enter the monastery to trade with the Shado-Pan, who are usually
friendly to them.73 The Shado-Pan of the monastery sometimes also utilize the grummles
as mountain guides and pack carrier to conserve the energy of travelers.74 We know that in
certain cases the grummles drop off their ware directly at the Serpents Spine itself,75 or guide
visitors to one of the Shado Pans outposts on the wall.76
66 Q: Kota Blend; Q: Shut It Down; Uncle Keenbean; Kafa Press
67 Q: Shut It Down; Q: Gourmet Kafa; Q: Kota Blend
68 Uncle Tallmug
69 Kafakota Berry
70 Q: Trouble Brewing
71 Voljin: Shadows of the Horde
72 Q: Lord of the Shado-Pan
73 Dejected Grummle Trader
74 Voljin: Shadows of the Horde
75
76
The General and the Grummle
Li Lis Journal (entry #10)
11
 Although there are few trading opportunities at the Townlong Steppes, grummles do visit the
region, not the least because of the temple of the great yak, Niuzao is located there.77 After
unloading their cargo, the grummle caravans begin the no less perilous trek back towards the
lowlands, picking up the occasional package messages or goods such as kafa on their way.
Grummle society

Cousin Tealeaf Cousin Copperfinder Uncle Keenbean

While the economic activities of the grummle have been mapped relatively well, far less is
known about the other aspects of grummle society. For all my efforts, I havent been able
to locate a residential grummle settlement; all Ive seen are the tents used at the various
trade outposts I have visited. The grummles have no central government or racial leader to
speak of,78 and probably no capital city either. Their settlements must be small and hidden
from outsiders. Their cousins, the troggs, dwarves and earthen all have a preference for
subterranean abodes, but I havent been able to observe such tendencies with the grummles.
Granted, I havent seen over-ground grummle architecture either
Grummles interacting with outsiders are exclusively males. However, we do know that
grummle females exist, even if they are scarce.79 It can be strongly suggested that grummles
reproduce sexually. Their ancestors, the troggs are known to reproduce as per a standard
biomass,80 and there is no reason to suspect that the mogu found it useful to eliminate
the self-reproducing quality of their newly created slave race. Comments made to me by
grummle trail organizer Brother Lintpocket about finding grummle females being worth the
search can also point in this direction.81 At this point we have absolutely no knowledge of, or
interaction with, juvenile grummles either.
Kinship seems to be a strong organizing influence for the grummles. Many grummles
encountered along the Burlap Trail and beyond have a first name relating to male kinship
brother, cousin, uncle and nephew are the primary ones, although I have also made note
of one Grandpa Grumplefloot.82 Moreover, these kinship-based names seem to be fixed and
not merely relational. Examples abound in the conversations I recorded during my field work.
Uncle Tallmug called Keenbean an uncle, but both Tallmug and Keenbean called Gootfur a
cousin.83 The pandaren Ji-Lu the Lucky called Brokendice brother, even though they do not
seem to be even friends, let alone relatives.84

77 Q:Bad Yak
78 Bestiary: Grummle.
79 Brother Lintpocket
80 Lore Keeper of Norgannon
81 Brother Lintpocket
82 Grandpa Grumplefloot
83
84
Q: Kota Blend, Q:Trouble Brewing (both come in two versions and the texts of these were compared)
Ji-Lu the Lucky
12
 Helping to clarify the issue is the information available regarding Brother Rabbitsfoot,
one of most prominent grummles. When meeting him, he introduced himself as Brother
Rabbitsfoot.85 Others, such as Brother Trailscenter and Brother Lintpocket, simply referred to
him as Rabbitsfoot.86 However, caravan master Lucky Eightcoins at the Grummle Bazaar, also
used the Brother Rabbitsfoot version, and then remarked: It is simple: he is called brother, I
am called Lucky. Obviously I am of more luck.87 By juxtaposing brother with lucky, Eightcoins
pointed at the at least semi-permanent quality of these relational first names. Moreover, it
should be noted that Rabbitsfoot does have a brother, whom he multiple times called my
brother, and whose full name is Brother Yakshoe.88
From the rudimentary information available I infer that the kinship-based first names are
fixed, and refer to the strongest relational tie that particular grummle has to a male kin he is
working together with. In other words, for every brother there is another brother, for a nephew
an uncle, a cousin a cousin. Those who do not share such a strong connection do not have
such a first name. Of course, this is little more than speculation based on the scarce evidence
that we have. In any case, I believe the otherwise excellent Lorewalker Chos assertion that
all grummles appear to be related should be rejected as a misinterpreted analysis of first
names.89
Traders, messengers, guides and pack bearers
Although as mentioned above, the grummles do not have a central government, many of them
who work in the wider world are integrated into various business networks. Caravan masters
organize trade and handle business90 such as seen in the case of the Burlap Trail organizer
network stretching from the Grummle Bazaar all the way to the Kota Base Camp, hinted to
be ran by the influential Lucky Eightcoins.91 Enterprising grummles also form ventures, such
as the Keenbean Kafa Co. created (or at least lead) by Uncle Keenbean.92 Grummles seem to
have a credit system running at the Grummle Bazaar, paying later to ranchers for yaks delivered
by intermediaries.93
The most important occupation for grummles
is still that of packers. They explore trails and
carry messages, people and cargo over them.
Grummle pack bearers travel in groups (mildly
confusingly also called packs).94 Their most
important equipment is the grummlepack, the
large backpack used to ferry around goods.95 A
grummlepack undelivered is considered to be
the cause of great misfortune, and therefore
if possible, no pack is left behind.96 Other key
pieces of packer equipment are show shoes,97
rope lanes, ice picks98 and walking staffs used
to navigate even the most hostile terrain.99
The Burlap Trail Healing herbs are used to help injured party
members.100
85 Brother Rabbitsfoot
86 Q: Rabbitsfoot; Brother Lintpocket
87 Lucky Eightcoins
88 Q: Bros Before Hozen
89 The Humble Grummle
90 Bestiary: Grummle.
91 Q: Back in Yak
92 Uncle Keenbean and others
93 Q: Back in Yak
94 Bestiary: Grummle.
95 Grummlepack
96 Q: No Pack Behind
97 Dejected Grummle Trader
98 Mountain Climber
99
100
Trail Packer
Essence of Grummle
13
 The Burlap Waystation

Grummles are said to known all the mountain trails, however they do not fully share this
knowledge among themselves and some are said to make better guides than others as they
know a wider range of trails.101
Other grummles opt for a more individualistic way of life and become merchants, traders or
manufacturers. Signature goods known to be dealt in by grummles include yaks, incense,
kafa, alcoholic beverages, and sweets.102 Some grummle are also known to have skills in
fishing, leatherworking, blacksmithing and the reforging of weapons.103 Apart from the
merchants working in fixed location such as the Grummle Bazaar, there is an abundance of
traveling traders selling various goods, from food to weapons.104
Grummles have also been able to de facto
monopolize the service sector positions in
various key Kun-Lai locations. Currently, one
of these locations is the key Temple of the
White Tiger, where grummles provide weapon
repair and reforging services, sell food and
drinks, and even operate the kites.105 Another
is the Shado-Pan Fallback, located within the
Serpents Spine itself in southwestern Kun-
Lai, where grummles handle the modest inn,
sell food and drinks, and offer equipment
repair.106 The kites at One Keg are also currently
operated by a grummle.107 Supplies on the road

101 Brother Lintpocket

102 Uncle Bigpocket, Slimy Inkstail, Unkle Keenbean, Cousin Tealeaf, Beige Sugar
103 Brother Shallowpond, Clean Pelt, Whetstone, Mystic Quillstar
104 Cousin Slowhands, Brother Yakshoe, Trader Jambeezi
105 Black Arrow, Mystic Quillstar, Furnisher Echoroot, Full Flask, Sweaty Glove, Big Greenfeather
106
107
Stained Mug, Trader Hozenpaw, Fixxit Redhammer
Little Cleankite
14
 Good fortune and luckydos
Grummles are highly superstitious, and rely heavily on luck and
fortune to succeed in their ventures.108 Central to their culture
is the concept of luckydo, which is an object, person or place
of good luck and fortune.109 Most grummles carry several lucky
charms with them, and many of them consider these important
enough to name themselves after their favorite luckydo, the one
that brings most fortune to them (perhaps by being the most
pungent smelling one).110 These objects are usually small, and A bundle of luckydos
always smelly grummles believe that they can distinguish
between good luck and bad luck through their uncanny smelling
ability.111 It is said that a grummle always trusts his nose above everything else.112 They are
highly suspicious of luck they cant smell, since they believe that can easily turn out to be
someone elses luck.113 Grummles are known to pay more for yaks that smell good to them,
and they are known to avoid acquiring both smelly and unscented yaks.114
Successful luckydos can become revered by whole groups of grummles the luckydo of
Brother Rabbitsfoot, an ancient preserved rabbits foot reeking of incense, oils and animal
odors is considered to be a big luckydo for grummles everywhere.115 The opposite of a
luckydo is a luckydont, a thing or person that brings misfortune.116 Common luckydo objects
include smelly animal parts, incense and various (often broken or found) everyday items.
The reverence of lucky trinkets sometimes extends to those who deal with grummles. In my
meeting with him at One Keg, pandaren trader Ji-Lu the Lucky explained that he had four
such trinkets: a yak shoe, a virmens foot, a four winds clover and a gold coin, items very
closely resembling known luckydos.117
As mentioned above, not only objects, but also persons,
places and even activities can become luckydos. People who
bring luck to the grummles are considered (big) luckydos118
as are those who adhere to the wisdom of the grummles
about navigating the roads of Kun-Lai.119 Luckydos can be
stolen, and not just physically: grummles are worried about
losing their luckydos to the enemy in the fear that they would
be able to decipher the secret of being lucky, empowering
Even a pandaren can become a luckydo them.120 However grummles also think they can make gains
by stealing the luck of their enemies.121
Grummle superstitions extend beyond luckydos, and they become especially important
during times of travel and exploration. They believe luck and good fortune will allow them to
traverse the high passes of Kun-Lai Summit.122 Grummles have a strong connection to smells.
Certain types of incense are believed to strengthen the resolve of grummle packers.

108 Bestiary: Grummle

109 Lucky Eightcoins, Brother Oilyak
110 Li Lis Journal (entry #9); The Humble Grummle; Q:The Hozen Ravage; Lucky Eightcoins
111 Brother Rabbitsfoot
112 Li Lis Journal (entry #9)
113 Lucky Eightcoins; The Humble Grummle
114 Q: Fresh Needle Scent; Q: Pick a Yak
115 Brother Rabbitsfoot; Rabbitsfoots Luckydo
116 Lucky Eightcoins, Cousin Gootfur
117 Q: They Stole My Luck!
118 Q: Traffic Issues; Brother Rabbitsfoot
119 Q: Roadside Assistance, Q: Hozen Love Their Keys
120 Q: A Grummles Luck; Q:T he Brokentooth Ravage
121
122
Q: Oil Stop
Bestiary: Grummle
15
 Because of this, trail organizers regularly bless caravans leaving grummle outposts with travel
incense since ancient times,123 Incense is also lit alongside the Burlap Trail to give good fortune
to passing packers.124 Different type of reagents are believed to have different effects. Fire
lotus incense is used to embolden dis-encouraged grummle guides,125 and pungent smelling
lucky burlap incense is burned to speed up their journey.126 On the other hand silversage
incense is thought to have soothing effects.127 Caravan members often carry ritual bags, and
use them to perform blessings that strengthen the resolve of party members and heighten
their spirits.128
In grummle superstition, mountains are personified. Whenever a mountain is believed to be
angry, the grummles become wary of trying to traverse it.129 Grummle flightmasters often
remark that the mountain will forgive the bird, but not always its rider.130 A good wind is also
considered to be essential for lucky travel. Grummles like to make their journeys when the
winds blow from the east, which is considered to be a lucky occurrence.131
Fortune and luck are central enough to
grummle thinking to be used in their
most common greetings. Anyone
who has met a grummle in person
knows the species iconic greeting:
whats your luckydo? Another oft
used formula wishes good fortune to
the friends of the grummles. A travel-
related wish of fortune would be may
your feet find good trails.132
A group of superstitions certainly
worth mentioning are those
regarding the yeti of the mountains.
The grummles have a cautious, but
at the same time somewhat light-
hearted relationship to these semi-
sentient creatures. Yetis, who are
abundant in this region,133 are known
to eat grummles,134 which is of course An unfortunate mountain climber
a cause for concern. However, I have
seen an instance where grummles were in fact able to tame a yeti and even make it do their
bidding.135 Most grummle superstitions and practical advices about yeti seem to be somewhat
light hearted. Lucky Eightcoins warned me that yeti shouldnt be set on fire, because they
just get mad not that I was planning to do anything like that.136 Another (apparently well
known) piece of knowledge is that one should never put a sleeping yetis paw in hot water,
because its very dangerous.137 Dirty yaks, found abhorrent by the grummles is general, are
said to provoke yeti attacks.138 In general, in spite of the joking references, grummles are
beware of the yeti.139
123 Ability: Travel Incense
124 Q: Roadside Assistance
125 Q: Instant Courage
126 O: Lucky Burlap Incense; Incense: Burning Burlap
127 Silversage Incense
128 Burlap Ritual Bag; The Burlap Blessing; The Burlap Resolve
129 Uncle Cloverleaf
130 Big Greenfeather, Little Cleankite, Uncle Eastwind
131 Q: Comin Round the Mountain; Li Lis Journal (entry #9)
132 Grummle voice files: Standard_Greeting, Standard_Farewell, Kooky_Farewell
133 Zaiyu
134 Q: The Snackrifice
135 Q: The Burlap Grind
136 Lucky Eightcoins
137 Audio files: Standard_Pissed
138
139
Brother Lintpocket
Audio files: Kooky_Farewell
16
 Superstitions about luck and fortune are thus present in most aspects of grummle life,
including such diverse activities as drinking kafa, cleaning yaks or counting items (four is
considered to be an especially unlucky number and thus counts should never end on four).140
This tight network of norms and superstitions give the grummle society a semblance of order,
and I believe that in many cases they make up for the lack of a central government or laws.
Grummle culture
Grummles speak the tongue of their creators, the mogu language. However unlike most other
species of Pandaria, who were forced to accept the language of their overlords, mogu is the
original mother tongue of the grummle species.141 They do have a certain accent to their talk,
seen in the creation of new words (kafa, luckydo), unorthodox word ordering and modified
pronunciations (such as goot = goat).142 We do not know if there exists anything like a
grummle written culture, however we do know that at least some members of the species
have a capacity for humor and an appreciation for beauty.143
The only form of art that can be consistently observed in grummle outposts is music. The most
important musical instrument is the floot, a wind instrument capable of producing complex
tunes. Floots or at least good ones are considered to be luckydos.144 In grummle music,
rhythmical instruments such as drums and bells are used to complement floot tunes.
In many ways, yaks are in the center of grummle culture. These sturdy bovines are natives
to several different regions of Pandaria (including the regions beyond the wall), and they
are used as domesticated animals by most pandarian races, but they are perhaps the most
important for the grummles. Grummles either buy their yaks from ranchers, or capture wild
yak themselves using lassos.145 They accompany the grummles on their treks through the
mountain as beasts of burden. They carry carts, and they can even be trained to independently
carry messages over longer distances.146 Their wool is used to create clothes147 and incense.148
Their various body parts and accessories are sources of luckydos and amulets.149

Grummle merchants along the trail

140 Brother Lintpocket

141 Unity at a Price
142 Q: Gourmet Kafa
143 Lucky Eightcoins, audio files: Seedy_Pissed; Brother Lintpocket
144 Grandpa Grumplefloot
145 Q: Back in Yak; Q: Pick a Yak; Yak Lasso
146 Q: Trouble Brewing (Tallmugs version)
147 Yak Wool cloth armor set
148
149
Yak Incense
Q: They Stole My Luck; Trader Jambeezi
17
 Breeding, buying and selling yaks is one of the most important grummle businesses, including
the riding yaks trained especially for sale. Yak breeding can produce highly specialized
types such as the luxurious kobeyaks, the sturdy grand expedition yaks, as well as the black
riding yaks, favored by grummles for their ability to blend into the night unnoticed.150 Many
grummles give their beloved yaks nicknames.151
Unsurprisingly, yaks are objects of many superstitions.
Grummles are most satisfied when their yaks are clean, have
a fresh smell, and are complacent neither too aggressive
nor too scared.152 The smell of unwashed yak is considered
to be most unfortunate by grummles as Brother Lintpocket
told me, a clean yak is a lucky yak, a dirty yak is a yeti
attack.153 (This also goes to show that many of the grummle
superstitions have practical considerations underpinning
them, in this case in that yetis are probably really drawn to
the smell of unclean yaks.154) The Muskpaw family of ranchers
make a living of cleaning yaks for sale at the Grummle
A yak of the wild plains Bazaar. To raise the value of their ware, the Muskpaws use
pine needles taken from needle sprites to give a fresh scent
to their yaks. Yak shoes are cleaned three times before long journeys.156 Grummles often
155

depart from each others company with the words may your yak always be clean.157
Yaks also form the staple of grummle cuisine. Their flank and haunch are considered to
be delicacies.158 A specific grummle way to prepare a yak is to make a lukewarm yak roast
broth.159 Other known pandarian ways to prepare yak meat include roast yak leg and yak-
tail stew.160 Yak milk is praised for its nutrients and can be used to help the recuperation of
injured persons.161 It can be processed to create cheese curds, yoghurts and puddings, and
even pearl milk tea, a delicacy beloved all over Pandaria.162 Goat meat and milk are also used
frequently by grummle cooks. Steaming goat noodles is a grummle specialty dish prepared
from mutton and goat milk.163 Goat milk is sweetened to create a refreshing drink.164 During
my travels I also regularly observed fish being fried in a pot over a bonfire. Grummles also
have a sweet tooth they love their crunchies and munchies, as they call them.165 The most
famous grummle dessert is the grummlecake,166 which is also supposed to help travelers with
the acclimation to the mountain air.167 Kafa is a drink enjoyed by grummles and the pandaren
denizens of Kun-Lai alike.168
A cultural trait grummles share with their dwarven cousins is the love of alcohol. Alcohol
vendors either grummles or pandarens are present in most major grummle settlements.
The pandaren innkeeper of the Two Fisted Brew Inn at the Grummle Bazaar told me that the
best way of trying to keep up with grummles in drinking is to not stop until one of the sides
passes out.169

150 Black Riding Yak

151 Cream, Fishbreath, Ruthers, Sugar
152 Q: Pick a Yak
153 Brother Lintpocket
154 Q: Hozen Love Their Keys
155 Q: Fresh Needle Scent; Q: Back in Yak
156 Audio files: Standard_Pissed
157 Audio files: Seedy_Farewell
158 Unbruised Yak Haunch; Heavy Yak Flank
159 Lukewarm Yak Roast Broth
160 Huge Yak Roast; Mahs Warm Yak-Tail Stew
161 Q: Fallen Sentinels; Yaks Milk
162 Yak Cheese Curds; Tangy Yoghurt; Rice Pudding; Pearl Milk Tea
163 Brother Noodle; Steaming Goat Noodle
164 Sweetened Goat Milk
165 Beige Sugar, Sweety Gloves; audio files: Seedy_Pissed; Kooky_Vendor
166 Grummlecake; Cousin Copperfinder, Trader Hozenpaw, Wishbone
167 Acclimation
168
169
Zengi
Li Goldendraft
18
 Apart from established pandarian drinks,
grummles have a liking for the type of drink they
call grummlegrogs, and also for spiced punch.170
Of course pandarens are established drinkers
themselves, and even the grummles are no match
for the appetite of their brewmasters.171 Grummles
are known to experience hangover.172
Grummles clothing seems to be rather monotonous
and the only major observable variations are in
coloration. Again it has to be noted that foreign
observers have yet to see female or juvenile
grummles or even males in non-work-related
settings. The grummles we know usually wear
trousers, a thick, usually sleeveless collared sweater,
under that a long-sleeved shirt, thick bracers with
fingerless gloves, and furry caps. Their caps always
remind me of the top of their tents. Notably, they
walk barefoot even in the coldest weather, and
leave their fingers uncovered, too. They accessorize
with belts, various bags, pouches, necklaces (often
with bells on them) and various fur straps on their
clothes and of course the iconic grummlepacks.
The most common color combinations I observed
include purple-yellow-dark grey, light blue-yellow-
white-red, and green-red-light blue-white. Practical yet elaborate package carrier outfit

The skin tone of the grummles seems to range between light brown and dark brown, often
with a purplish hue. Their most distinctive facial feature is their large nose, usually bluish for
light skinned grummles, and reddish-brownish for darker skinned ones. Much less prominent
are their eyes, usually almost lost below their furry caps or their long hair, which they invariable
keep combed down and in front of their eyes. Grummles often wear facial hair, including
mustaches and various beard styles. Their hair and facial hair ranges between dark blue,
brown and although I was unable to verify this, probably in case of older grummles snow
white. Their large noses give their face a feline, light-humored look, and this is reinforced by
the non-militant looking, colorful but utilitarian clothes they wear.
The yaungol offensive
It is safe to say that we know more about the events playing out in the last few months of
the grummles lives, since the landing of the Alliance and the Horde in Pandaria, than about
the millennia preceding it. Therefore I feel that this account wouldnt be complete without
a brief recounting of the turbulent events of the near past, with a focus on the grummles
themselves.
The chain of events that upset the balance of power in the Kun-Lai Summit was set off by an
early swarm of the mantid from the Dread Wastes. Every one hundred years, the insectoid
mantid produce an extremely large number of hatchlings, which then storm the Serpents
Spine. This swarm has never been successful, and the mantid end up losing thousands of
their own in the process. The fact that the swarming happens in precise hundred year cycles
allows the Shado-Pan to prepare for it properly.173
170 Cousin Tealeaf, Full Flask; Q: Comin Round the Mountain
171 Brewmaster Chani
172
173
Audio files: Kooky_Pissed
Cycle of the Mantid
19
 However, this time around the swarm hatched ten years earlier than expected, a mere 90
years after the last swarm,174 and the mantid began a push beyond the usual limits of their
territory both towards the east (the Serpents Spine) and the north (the Townlong Steppes).
The reason for this early swarm was the corruption of the mantid leader, Grand Empress
Shekzeer by the Sha of Fear. The precise turn of events is thus far unknown, but it is known that
mantid forces breached the Ghastly Confines below the Temple of Niuzao on an island off the
coast of the Townlong Steppes, and freed the Sha of Fear imprisoned there.175 The sha then
proceeded to take total control of the empress, reducing her to a mere puppet and ruling in
her name.176 Although the sha and the mantid are both supporters of the Old God YShaarj,177
by unleashing the swarm early the Sha of Fear upset the cycle of the species and turned the
Klaxxi, an influential council of mantid elders working to preserve the cycle178 against the
empress. If the initial actions of the mantid, aimed at freeing this sha, have anything to do
with the parting of the mists surrounding Pandaria, or with the arrival of the Alliance and the
Horde on its shores, is unknown to us for the moment.

Part of the mantid swarms wrath fell on the unsuspecting yaungol tribes of the Townlong
Steppes. The bovine yaungols, descendants of tauren hunters who found themselves cut off
from their peers by the events of the Sundering ten thousand years ago,179 were most likely
as surprised by the premature timing of the swarm as the Shado-Pan.180 While under normal
conditions the yaungol are able to stand up to the mantid,181 this time around they were
routed by the swarm. Seeing their homes getting destroyed, some of the yaungol warlords
decided that breaching the wall and escaping into Kun-Lai Summit in search of new homes
was the best hope of their people.182

174 Q: Gao-Ran Battlefront, Q: Breach in the Defenses

175 Q: The Terrible Truth, Q: A Trail of Fear
176 Sha of Fear (at the Heart of Fear)
177 Q: Shadows of the Empire
178 Death from Above (short story)
179 Bestiary: Yaungol; Trapped in a Strange Land
180 Q: Gao-Ran Battlefront
181
182
Trapped in a Strange Land
Q: The Ordo Warbringer; Bestiary: Yaungol
20
 The circumstances of the first, wildly successful yaungol attack against the wall are thus far
unknown to external observers, and unsurprisingly the Shado-Pan are not very eager
to disclose facts about their failure to protect the Serpents Spine and the lands beyond it.
However, the geography of Kun-Lai allows us to reconstruct the events at least partially. There
is only one major gate on the wall facing Kun-Lai: the Ox Gate, also called the Gate of Winters
Blossom.183 This gate remained under the control of the Shado-Pan even during later phases
of the campaign and saw heavy battles and repeated yaungol attacks aimed at capturing it.
All of these failed. Moreover, this gate leads to the Shado-Li Pass, and the two major outposts
within the pass (Winters Blossom and Kota Base Camp) were left untouched by the yaungol.
It is not impossible, but highly implausible that the yaungol hordes would have stormed the
Ox Gate and then sped through the Shado-Li Pass without causing any significant damage.
Yaungol are known for their penchant for not just defeating, but also decimating their enemies
with fire.184
South of the Shado-Li Pass one finds the inhospitable Kota Peak, which
could hardly be traversed by whole tribal armies. This leaves us with one
plausible option: the yaungol must have breached the wall somewhere
between Kota Peak and the garrison fortress of Shado-Pan Fallback.
(Had they breached the wall more to the south, they wouldve found
themselves in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.) They couldve either used
a yet undiscovered, smaller gate or breach on the Serpents Spine along
this section of the wall, or just climbed the wall with their equipment. We
know that yaungol infantry is capable of scaling the wall fully armed,185
and since their cavalry uses yaks, they could have easily replenished their
Yaungol caster mount pool from local Kun-Lai yaks.
Whatever the strategy, the incursion was made possible by the overburdening of the Shado-
Pan, at this point having to contend with mantid attacks at the southern portion of the wall,
severe sha infestations all over the continent186 and a growing mogu menace. Moreover, the
Shado-Pan themselves were compromised. The Shado-Pan Monastery was founded at the
location where Emperor Shaohao had defeated three of the sha Anger, Hate and Violence.
The three sha were imprisoned in the Sealed Chambers of the monastery, and the monks of
the Shado-Pan were tasked to restrain and control the them.187 However, perhaps fueled by his
oft-pronounced hatred for the Alliance and Horde forces in Pandaria, Lord Taran Zhu, leader
of the Shado-Pan was overcome by hatred and inadvertently released the Sha of Hatred from
its confines.188 Whats worse, this also allowed the other two sha to erupt from their prisons.
While the Sha of Violence stayed in the monastery, the Sha of Anger left it and started roaming
Kun-Lai, corrupting its creatures.189 Taran Zhu fell under the total control of the Sha of Hatred,
who decided to close the gates of the monastery and institute a lock-down.190 Thus, just as
the yaungol poured into Kun-Lai Summit, the Shado-Pan fell in total disarray and the regions
inhabitants were left to their own resources.
The yaungol emerging in Kun-Lai left a trail of destruction in their wake. Their first target,
just east of the wall, was the small town of Firebough Nook. The town was sacked and its
inhabitants mostly killed by a yaungol warband led by a certain Kobai. Already at this point
he and his men were acting under the malevolent influence of the Sha of Anger, who was
roaming Kun-Lai unchecked. The Shado-Pan from nearby Shado-Pan Fallback were unable to
prevent the carnage.191

183 Q: Beyond the Wall

184 Q: Perfect Pitch
185 Q: To the Wall!, Q: Off the Wall!
186 Bestiary: Yaungol
187 The Emperors Burden (part 7)
188 Q: Lord of the Shado Pan, Q: Sha of Hatred
189 Dungeon Journal: Shado Pan Monastery
190
191
Q: Where Are My Reinforcements?; Q: To Winters Blossom
Q: Holed Up, Q: Turnabout
21
 After this, the yaungol advanced along
the main east-west road of southern
Kun-Lai, sacking the villages of Westwind
Rest, Eastwind Rest as well as the farms
surrounding them. Many were taken
prisoner and employed as slave labor,
while others managed to escape and fled
towards Binan Village in the southeast.192
Here, too, observers pointed to a change
in the behavior of the yaungol leading
to unprecedented levels of violence and
aggression,193 clearly another sign of the
shas malevolent work. Ook of Dook

Some of the yaungol continued beyond Eastwind Rest. A band attacked the Muskpaw Ranch
and hijacked many of the yaks there, scaring away the others.194 Another group under the
leadership of a certain Shonuf advanced on the Temple of the White Tiger. Shonuf demanded
that he be allowed to compete in the tourney organized by Xuen, the White Tiger. When
Xuen denied him this because of his brutality, he and his men proceeded to burn close-by
Yinying Village to the ground.195 It can be suspected that he acted under the influence of the
Sha of Anger, whose corrupting presence in the vicinity of Shonufs camp and Yinying Village
could be observed even at the time of my visit.
The grummles under siege
Even though their settlements had escaped the wrath of the yaungol, the war in Kun-Lai
produced a dire situation for the grummles. Because of the mantid swarm, the hard pressed
Shado-Pan had withdrawn its protectors from the Burlap Trail to the Serpents Spine, leaving
the trail undefended196 and forcing the grummles to hire mercenary Guardians of the Peak
to protect them.197 The closedown of the Shado-Pan Monastery meant that the grummles
delivering supplies to the monastery were denied access to the building and the Shado-Pan
even refused to trade with them.198 Soon thereafter, yaungol warriors from the Ruqin tribe
started attacking caravans returning from the
Burlap Trail, robbing them of their luckydos. Later
the trail came under a full yaungol blockade.199
With this, the grummles situation became critically
bad. The Grummle Bazaar was surrounded by
yaungols from three sides, their pandaren trade
partners were chased away from their villages, the
Shado-Pan closed the doors of their monastery,
and the yaungols were now blockading the Burlap
Trail itself. Bad fortune doesnt even come close to
describing the gravity of the situation.
Trouble also popped up in the mountains. The
new leader of the mountain hozen tribes, the Ook
of Dook who replaced the more amicable Jib
of Dook realized the gravity of the grummles
Grummle caravans are far from defenseless situation and that it could very easily result in the
loss of food tributes from them.

192 Q: Eastwind Rest, Q: Westwind Rest

193 Q: Challenge Accepted
194 Q: Muskpaw Ranch, Q: At the Yak Wash
195 Q: Contending with Bullies
196 Zaiju
197 Guardian of the Peak
198
199
Dejected Grummle Trader
Q: Traffic Issues; Q: A Grummles Luck
22
 Rebuilding Westwind Rest after the yaungol devastation

Therefore, trying to avoid a potential famine among his people, he declared a ravage.200 The
Broketooth and Knucklethump tribes descended on the poorly defended Burlap Waystation,
and razed it to the ground.201 Hozen also began preying on grummle caravans, killing or
capturing grummles and looting their supplies and luckydos.202
The situation below Mount Neverest also deteriorated quickly. The hozen ravage meant less
visitors and less supplies for One Keg.203
The outpost was cut off from the Grummle Bazaar by the yaungol blockade, and the hozen
ravages also meant that the connection with Kota Base Camp was also severed.204 Meanwhile
grummle guides around the mountain itself began to disappear at an alarming pace, making
grummles very reluctant to brave the mountain passes. While local pandaren attributed
this reluctance to superstitions,205 we now know that both the hozen and the mogu indeed
became active in the passageways around the Valley of Emperors. At least one attack each
by both hozen and mogu on Neverest hikers is now public knowledge, 206 so perhaps at least
part of the disappearances can also be attributed to them.
Counterattack
After their initial successes, the yaungol began solidifying their positions. They established
several fire camps at southern Kun-Lai, and began building windmills and drilling for oil, the
key material to their warfare.207 Captured pandaren were forced to toil at the farmlands to
produce food for the invaders.208 Hijacked yaks were put to use as mounts. At the peak, the
bulk of at least five tribes was present east of the wall the Bataari, the Burilgi, the Ordo,
the Ruqin and the Yongqi tribes. The tribal affiliation of other forces, such as the yaungol
occupying Firebough Nook, cannot be ascertained at this point.

200 Brother Rabbitsfoot; Q: Thumping Knuckethump

201 Q: The Rabbitsfoot
202 Q: No Pack Left Behind; Q: Bros Before Hozen
203 Chiyo Mistpaw; Q: Resupplying One Keg
204 Zaiyu and Yoona
205 Q: Instant Courage, Chiyo Mistpaw; Zaiyu
206 Q: Comin Round the Mountain; Q: One Travelers Misfortune
207
208
Yaungoil
Q: Trouble on the Farmstead; Q: The Fearmaster
23
 However, this proved to be the zenith of yaungol success. The turning point of the war came
when the Bataari tribe tried to assault Binan Village in the southwest, only to be beaten back
multiple times. Binan was at this point harboring droves of refugees from the other parts of
Kun-Lai. The local militias were able to hold back the advancing yaungol just long enough for
the vanguard of Alliance and Horde forces to make their way into the village from the south,
a lucky break for the inhabitants of Kun-Lai Summit. Strengthened by these reinforcements,
Binan repulsed the attackers.209 A repeated attempt during the villages acclaimed Brewmoon
Festival failed spectacularly.210
After breaking the spearhead, the
pandaren and their foreign allies
advanced quickly. Admiral Taylor
retook Westwind Rest for the Alliance,
while General Nazgrim secured
Eastwind Rest for the Horde. Both
villages were rebuilt, and the Bataari
yaungol were completely routed, their
chieftain Ur-Bataar slain.211 Training
of local farmhands into warriors
began immediately, and more locals
were recruited after the farmlands
in the south were recaptured from
the Ordo tribe.212 Alliance and Horde
both worked to liberate the pandaren
held at the fire camp of the Ordo. The
Mounted elite Bataari Fire-Warrior
tribal leader, Chief Ragemesa was
slain, the camp torched, and the Ordo
dispersed.213 In short order, the Burilgi
warriors looting the Muskpaw Ranch were also apprehended, their leader killed.214 Meanwhile
Xuen the White Tiger made sure that the warlord Shonouf was not left unpunished for the
slaughter at Yinqing Village.215 After his death, the Yongqi stopped playing an active role in
the combat. True to form, the yaungol retreated as quickly as they charged,216 leaving only
wreckages behind them. The notable exception to this was the group occupying the ruins of
Firebough Nook: their sha infestation was so advanced that they fought to the last man as the
Shado-Pan evicted them from the town with the help of foreign reinforcements.217 The Sha
of Anger itself was dispatched by Alliance and Horde adventurers, its free roam in southern
Kun-Lai ended.218
Seeing that no help was forthcoming from the Shado-Pan, the grummles also took matters
in their own hands. Apart from hiring guards to protect their settlements, they also made
deals with Alliance and Horde adventurers to aid them against their enemies. Adventurers
entered the Ruqin tribes fire camp, retook the luckydos stolen from the grummle caravans,
and significantly thinned the ranks of the yaungol.219

209 Q: The Spring Drifter; Q: Call Out Their Leader

210 Brewmoon Festival scenario
211 Q: Challenge Accepted
212 Q: Farmhand Freedom
213 Q: Barrels of Fun, Q: Pandaren Prisoners; Q: The Ordo Warbringer
214 Q: Yakkity Yak, Q: The Fearmaster
215 Q: Contending with Bullies
216 Yaungol Tactics
217 Q: The Defense of Shado-Pan Fallback; Q: Unmasking the Yaungol
218
219
Dungeon Journal: Sha of Anger
Q: A Grummles Luck; Q: Traffic Issues
24
 The blockade of the Burlap Trail was thus lifted and the Muskpaws resumed sending yaks to
the Grummle Bazaar from their ranch.220 The grummles were back in business. Even better,
some of them even found a way to profit from the yaungols deadly legacy: the enterprising
merchant Slimy Inkstain took samples of the oil produced by yaungol derricks, hoping to turn
it into another source of income.221
Recognizing the effectiveness of their hired
adventurers, the grummles further tasked
them with helping their caravans progress
through the Burlap Trail.222 Soon enough, One
Keg was resupplied,223 and even the leader
of the resurgent mogu forces operating
under Mount Neverest, General Sho Lien was
slain.224 The adventurers also proved to be
very effective against the hozen. Instructed by
the Brothers Rabbitsfoot and Yakshoe, they
were able to inflict serious damage to both
Supply cart resuming its course up the passes of Mount Neverest
the Broketooth and Knuckethump hozen
and free many of the captured grummles before finally eliminating the hozen chief, Ook of
Dook himself. These victories secured the Burlap Trail and brought an end to the ravage.225
Moreover, the grummles at Kota Base Camp were able to find a way to tame a yeti and used
it to wreak havoc among the Ookin tribe of mountain hozen.226
The Shado-Pan resurgent

Even after the collapse of their forces in the south, the yaungol were not ready to give up
on advancing to Kun-Lai. The strong Osul tribe, supported by their allies from the Gal-Cho
tribe, mounted two direct assaults on the Ox Gate itself. The Shado-Pan were able to repulse
both, although not without suffering heavy losses of their own. Nevertheless after suffering
grievous losses and the death of their lieutenant, the yaungol were forced to withdraw for
good.227
The continued lockdown of the Shado-
Pan Monastery and the absence of
either reinforcements or Lord Taran
Zhu at the frontlines began to raise
questions even among Shado-Pan
frontline leaders. Supported by a
group of foreigners, the commander
of the Winds Blossom garrison Ban
Bearheart arrived at the monastery
to find answers, only to uncover its
total corruption by the sha. His group
ventured inside the monastery, and
in difficult battles was both able to
extinguish the Sha of Violence as
well as purge Taran Zhu of the Sha of
Hatred. The latter sha was able to flee Shado-Pan Defenders in front of the Ox Gate
towards the west, however.228
220 Q: Back in Yak
221 Q: Oil Stop
222 Q: Roadside Assistance
223 Q: Resupplying One Keg
224 Q: One Travelers Misfortune
225 Q: Breaking Broketooth; Q: Thumping Knucklethump; Q: The Leader Hozen
226 Q: The Burlap Grind
227
228
Q: To Winters Blossom; Q: Line Unbroken; Q: Finish This!
Q: Where Are My Reinforcements?, Q: Unbelievable: Q: Into the Monastery; Q: Lord of the Shado-Pan
25
 Freed from the influence of the sha,
Lord Taran Zhu led the Shado-Pan
deep into the Townlong Steppes to go
after the root of the yaungol invasion.
A Shado-Pan excursion of this size was
not seen in the region for thousands
of years.229 Despite the Osul tribes
initial resistance, the pandaren were
able to establish an outpost west
of the wall and kill their chieftain,
Jung Duk.230 With the yaungol threat
effectively extinguished, Taran Zhu
took the bulk of his forces south to
The yaungol siege force reinforce the beleaguered Shado-
Pan outposts on the border between
the Townlong Steppes and the Dread Wastes, now the front of the batt le against the mantid.
The Shado-Pan were able to strengthen their forces at the Gao-Ran Battlefront, the Dusklight
Bridge and the Farwatch Outlook, pushing back the mantid incursions.231 At the end of a
lengthy chase, Taran Zhu and his men defeated the Sha of Hatred.232
The mantid push in the far west, against the Temple of Niuzao was halted by the wardens of
the temple and foreign adventurers.233 In the final stages of their wildly successful campaign,
the Shado-Pan created a new garrison across from the bridge to Niuzaos island, from where
they kept tabs on the mantids of Krivess and Shavess as well as the Gai-Cho tribe of yaungols
and group of yaungol mystics known as the Deadtalkers.234 The mantid swarm finally abated
after the death of their empress by the hand of Klaxxi rebels and the purging of the Sha of Fear
from the Dread Wastes.235 With the Townlong Steppes secured, the attention of the Shado-
Pan turned to the mogu activities in the islands in the northwest as well as the zandalari
invasion in northern Kun-Lai. By the end of the campaign, the yaungol were a broken force:
their formerly bustling camps right by the wall were now deserted or even wrecked. Many
of the yaungol chiefs were dead
alongside a large number of warriors.
However, a source quotes a Shado-
Pan warrior stating that the nomad,
survivalist culture of the yaungol
should help them prevail under these
difficult conditions.236 Certainly, with
the mantid threat eliminated and the
pandaren seemingly uninterested in
colonizing the Townlong Steppes,
the yaungol can retake ownership of
the region and maybe even learn
from the past events.
The Shado-Pan are ever vigilant

229 Q: Beyond the Wall

230 Q: My Husband, Q: Foot in the Door; Q: Jung Duk
231 Q: First Assault; Q: Gao-Ran Battlefront; Q: Behind the Battlefront; Q: The Taking of Dusklight Bridge; Q: Joining the Hunt
232 Q: The Sha of Hatred
233 Siege of Niuzao Temple
234 Q: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Still My Enemy!; Q: Assault on Deadtalkers Plateau; Q: Sravess Wetwork
235
236
Heart of Fear
Li Lis Journal (entry #10)
26
 Grummles waiting outside of the Shado-Pan Monastery before the reopening of its gates

Even though the yaungol and the sha were purged from Kun-Lai Summit, the face of the land
remained considerably changed. The August Celestials led by Xuen the White Tiger decided
to open the gates to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and allow refugees of Kun-Lai to settle there
in large numbers.237 Some of the more enterprising grummles followed them to the region.238
Meanwhile the Shado-Pan Monastery reopened its doors to outsiders, including grummles.
During the stay of eventual Horde warchief Voljin at the monastery, grummle guides were
hired to help him and his group in their journey to the Vale through the mountains. They
carried the groups luggage to the Vale and reported back to Taran Zhu about their progress.
The seven grummles involved received arrows from the human warrior Tyrathan Khort and
braids of hair from Voljin as part of their reward, surely highly valued luckydos.239 Horde
warchief Garrosh Hellscream briefly occupied one of the deserted yaungol camps in Kun-
Lai Summit during the later stages of the pandarian campaign, and Alliance agent Connelly
disguised himself as a grummle Cousin Goottooth to infiltrate the Horde camp.240
Future outlook

The situation of the grummles stabilized

after the successful counterattacks of
local and foreign forces against the
yaungol and the sha in Kun-Lai. Even
though the people of Kun-Lai suffered
heavy losses certainly in the hundreds
and maybe even in the thousands ,241
and whole villages were wiped out in the
carnage, others remained and resumed
their former trade relationships with The yak merchant secure and back in business
the grummles.242
237 Q: Witness to History
238 Beige Sugar
239 Voljin: Shadows of the Horde
240 Q: Bugging Out
241
242
Q: Jung Duk
Q: Back in Yak
27
 The grummles settlements themselves
with the notable exception of Burlap
Waystation were spared of the worst,
and the movement of goods resumed
after the breaking of the yaungol
blockade.243 Not only did the grummles
resume catering to their former markets,
some even found new ones, as attested
by the presence of grummle traders at
The messenger service resumed the newly discovered Timeless Isles
Celestial Court,244 not even to mention
that grummle messengers were able to set up an impromptu mail delivery system between
the isle and the other parts of Pandaria.245 The war provided the grummles with opportunities
to get into contact with both the Alliance and the Horde, and their relationships with the
Shado-Pan was also normalized after the reopening of their monasterys gates.246
Thus, even after the difficult period behind them, the grummles remain what they have been
since the creation of the race by the mogu flesh-shapers: traders, messengers, guides and
pack bearers of the mountains of Kun-Lai Summit.247 It is a testament to their humble tenacity
that they were not only able to survive the tides, but also found ways to fend for themselves
when their Shado-Pan protectors couldnt, while remaining royal to the monks to the last.248
I would advise the readers of this treatise
to respect the grummles and visit them
in their rugged homeland. Perhaps
new visitors could find ways to uncover
what I was unable to maybe even visit
a grummle village and witness their
private lives. It is clear that the grummles
will join neither the Alliance nor the
Horde unless the Shado-Pan does so,
which is highly unlikely at this point. At
An unlikely alliance: Kota Kon, the yeti
any rate, the grummles remain key to
traversing northern Kun-Lai, and any race or faction would do well to seek their friendship
and be a luckydo to them. After all, they are a race which is not very hard to please: they carry,
they explore and they are content.249
243 Q: Roadside Assistance
244 Brother Rabbitsfoot, Brother Yakshoe, Brother Noodle
245 Hopswift
246 Voljin: Shadow of the Horde
247 The Humble Grummle
248 Brother Rabbitsfoot
249 Q: The Snackrifice

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