Baine is regarded as Cairne’s potential successor

Full History

The future of Thunder Bluff was already a subject of speculation while Cairne Bloodhoof still led the tauren. Many believed the aging chieftain was preparing his son Baine to assume his responsibilities. That expectation belonged to a people newly established in Mulgore, whose survival had depended on Cairne's judgment during the centaur wars and the journey alongside Thrall's Horde.

The tauren had not always possessed a secure capital. Cairne's scattered people had followed the herds and defended themselves against centaur attacks until their alliance with the orcs opened the way to a permanent home. Their settlement upon Thunder Bluff therefore placed unusual weight upon the character and judgment of whoever might eventually lead them. Baine was regarded not simply as the son of a celebrated warrior but as a possible inheritor of the political settlement his father had built.

The original World of Warcraft manual frames Baine's preparation as what many believed, not an accomplished transfer of power. Cairne remained chieftain; the question of succession remained open. The distinction matters because the tauren's new unity was not self-sustaining, and disagreements among their clans would continue to test it. Baine's place in that future could be anticipated without making the later course of his life part of this history.