Hello everyone! The early years of Genn Greymane’s story
are not explained in great detail. We know that his father king Archibald Greymane
ruled their kingdom of gilneas into a prosperous time, but with the mindset of never asking
aid from others. ‘Never take a man’s hand, Son. Tis always better to stand tall on your own. It is what separates the great from the meek.” A lesson that his son Genn took to heart as
his father eventually passed away and the prince grew into a king. A king with a loving family. His wife Mia who he first met at the Royal
Aderic Banquet, she gave birth to two children, a son named Liam and a daughter named Tess,
but her birth didn’t come without complications. She might have died soon after being born
but with the aid of Krennan Aranas, the royal alchemist who made her a potion, she survived. Although he hardly ever said the words, the
king loved his children, his family dearly as well as his people who meant everything
to him. Yet this is Warcraft and keeping the things
you love safe is never easy. The Dark Portal opened, the Horde invaded
the world and Stormwind fell. It’s survivors, lead by Anduin Lothar fled
across the sea to the lands of Lordaeron. As they fled, word of the city’s destruction
spread to other nations. Lordaeron’s ruler, King Terenas Menethil
the second was deeply shaken by the news. It had been difficult to seperate fact from
rumor. At first, the king had not even believed that
the orcs were real. Now he knew they were a grave threat. When Stormwind’s survivors finally arrived
in Lordaeron, Lothar told Terenas of the Horde’s true might. He urged the king to gather the other human
nations immediately. Without unity, the Horde would have no difficulty
picking off each kingdom one by one. In time, the leaders of all the human nations
gathered in Lordaeron’s Capital City. Joining Lothar and Terenas were Lord Admiral
Daelin Proudmoore of Kul Tiras, Archmage Antonidas of Dalaran, King Thoras Trollbane of Stromgarde,
King Aiden Perenolde of Alterac and of course King Genn Greymane of Gilneas. This moment was called the Council of Seven
Nations with the idea of uniting against this threat, but it seemed to be a distant dream. Working together like that was interesting
to some, but people like Perenolde and Greymane were not so easily convinced. Genn was hesitant to place his people in the
line of war, where as Perenolde was simply a sly coward. They openly expressed suspicion about whether
creatures from another world had invaded at all, believing that there must be some other
explanation. As they discussed and debated, the Horde didn’t
sit still and moved out to conquer more of the world. Soon enough, gnome and dwarf refugees arrivied
in Lordaeron with dire news. Khaz Modan had been conquered and this turn
of events shocked the human leaders. The dwarves and the gnomes were mighty and
the speed with which their territories had fallen defied understanding. What was worse, the Horde was now encroaching
north, yet still Greymane and Perenolde stubbornly resisted calls for creating the Alliance. They feared that by unifying, they would lose
some of their regional power. Divisions widened between the gathered leaders,
their arguments grew so fierce that Gilneas and Alterac threatened to abandon the council. Now in the chronicles it’s the priest Turalyon
that steps up, gives a speech and motivates them while Genn’s short story actually explains
a little bit more about what happened during the discussions. With Genn came several of the most influential
Gilnean Nobles and mere hours after learning of the orcish Horde conquering Stormwind,
they discussed what to do next. Lord Darius Crowley believed that they should
join the Alliance and do what they can before the monsters tear through the other kingdoms’
lands and into their own. He was a smart man, younger than Genn and
a bit less polished in the finer points of politics, but many believed he was a noble
with a bright future. Greymane understood his fears, but wasn’t
too sure if that plan was the right all. The orc had not come near their lands, not
a drop of Gilnean blood had been shed. His heart was heavy for what happened to Stormwind
and Varian, but should they commit their people to a similar fate? Is even one Gilnean life worth sacrificing
for a cause that does not affect them? Perhaps his industrious people would be able
to do this by themselves, the orcs were just brutes after all. Demi-beings. Monsters. His father never thought that the future of
their people was bound to which way Lordaeron, Stromgarde and Alterac leaned. Some are strong and some are weak. It is the way of things and the Gilneans are
strong. They had to watch over their own pack first
and foremost, but then a measured voice arose from the back. Lord Godfrey, a man less sympathetic then
crowley and more about politics believed they should stay in good graces of their sister
kingdoms, ensuring that future trades remain stable. A small token force would show them what even
the slightest addition of the Gilnean military can do and wouldn’t you know it, he was
the commander of that force. It was a smart political play and Godfrey
counsel was trusted by Greymane, but he was always suspicious about his ambitions. Baron Ashbury, one of Gen’s most trusted
friends. They had grown up together and his father
Lord Ashbury the first had helped Gen’s father with building the nation up, he backed
Godfrey’s plan and so it was that Gilneas did indeed join the Alliance of Lordaeron
but only send out a token force. Gilneas first and foremost, but they did stand
with the Alliance unlike Aiden Perenolde of Alterac who betrayed them all and bargained
with the Horde. This nearly cost them the war, but the Horde
also had betrayals from within which lead to the Alliance of Lordaeron winning the war
and kicking the horde back all the way to the dark portal. Khadgar and the Kirin Tor shut the portal
down, but they were unable to completely close the rift between their worlds. There was a chance that the Horde would come
back so they decided to build Nethergarde keep to keep an eye on the area. The orcs that surrendered were a bit of a
problem and a subject of bitter debate. Gilneas and Stormgarde argued for the execution
of the prisoners, yet Lordaeron was against putting the orcs to the blade. The capacity for mercy proved that the Alliance
was more civilized and honorable than the horde. Rather than execute the orcs, Lordaeron wanted
to lock them in internment camps to be funded by members of the Alliance. Dalaran’s Kirin Tor also lobbied for imprisonment. The Kirin Tor argued that by better understanding
the orcs’ strengths and weaknesses, they could defeat them if war ever broke out again. They eventually came to an agreement where
the member of the Alliance would fund the construction of internment camps, which would
house the orcs. One of Stromgarde’s most celebrated soldiers,
Danath Trollbane, would oversee these crude prisons. If order could be maintained, the camps would
remain. If not, the Alliance would revisit executing
the orcs. The camps did prove successful, but bitterness
remained over their existence. Gilneas thought the prisons were a pointless
burden on the Alliance. They were already spending a fortune rebuilding
Stormwind, the construction of Nethergarde Keep and now more coin was being siphoned
into keeping their enemies alive. Greymane was not quiet about this either,
openly complaining to young Varian Wrynn and the other leaders as they inspected the keep,
but what price do you place on the safety of your people. It’s a good thing that they invested in
this since the Horde would return for a second invasion, but Gilneas didn’t play a major
part in it. Heroes sacrificed it all to make sure that
Azeroth remained safe, but politics and times of relative peace caused fractures within
the Alliance. A big point of debate was Alterac who had
betrayed the alliance and was placed under martial law. With the war behind them it was time to decide
what to do with Stromgarde believing they had rights to it for their sacrifices and
valor during the war. King Terenas didn’t see it that way, was
still considering adding it to its own kingdom or place someone new on its throne, someone
with a sympathetic ear for Lordaerons causes. Gilneas didn’t really have such ties to
the lands involved, but still skillfully manouvered itself into the discussion, not only to raise
their own prestige but to perhaps further their own dreams of expansion. Isiden, One of Lord Perenolde’s nephews
had fled to Gilneas after the treachery, and rumor had it that Greymane supported his claim
as successor. A base in Alterac would give Gilneas access
to resources the southern kingdom did not have, and an excuse to send its mighty ships
across the Great Sea. That, in turn, would draw Kul Tiras into the
equation, the maritime nation being very protective of its naval sovereignty. This had the potential to tear the alliance
apart not to mention that the black dragon aspect Deathwing had also showed up to weaken
the alliance, pretending to be Lord Prestor, a young noble hailing from the most mountainous,
most obscure region of Lordaeron. He claimed to have bloodlines in the royal
house of Alterac as well, claims easily supported by using his powers and turning the rulers
of the alliance into his willing puppets. He convinced Terenas to suggest him as the
next ruler of alterac with the other leaders soon enough backing him up, he even figured
to strengthen his hold by marrying Calia Menethil but thankfully others made sure to defeat
Deathwing and the plans he had as Lord Prestor disappeared. Sadly the cracks amongst the Alliance did
not vanish so easily, in fact Greymane decided that he had enough. His advisors had assured him that joining
the alliance would be a boon to their people, but all they had to show for was dead gilneans,
families torn apart by the orcs and now the Alliance just kept demanding more and more. Gold for Nethergarde, gold for the camps,
gold for Stormwind, they gave the alliance their support and as a nation they are poorer,
while it reaps the benefits of their contributions. Ignoring the fact that the united alliance
was able to protect their world, or perhaps believing they could do it on their own, Genn
decided to build a wall, close their borders and end trade with the rest of the Alliance. Insert building a wall and making others pay
for it joke here. Godfrey was one of the first that Greymane
told about his plans and he was able to turn, as they say near Booty Bay, lemons into lemonade. The wall would have to cut through a noble’s
land and by using the mountainous region they could create a secure natural barrier which
would make his realm the most strategically valuable, as it would be nearest to the wall
and their buffer to the outside. Despite the political motives, the plan was
solid yet by building it like this, the wall would have cut through some of Crowleys land,
something he might not take lightly. They’d simply have to make him see reason,
that this was the best for Gilneas. Anyone can see that it would make an impenetrable
barrier, just imagine how bright their future will be without any interference... There was a future alright, just not one as
bright as Greymane envisioned it since outside their borders the events of Warcraft 3 played
out with the plague spreading across the lands of Lordaeron. Lordaeron asked Gilneas for aid, begged them
to help, but Genn wasn’t having it. A heated argument with his son liam followed,
now a teenager, but not afraid to voice his opinion. He was scared and angry and flat-disagreed
with his father. What if the plague will reach them, what if
those undead creatures get through their wall, what if they could have done something to
stop it beforehand? Lordaeron is pleading here, only asking for
aid in a most desperate time. They are dying by the moment and don’t request
for simple trade, but aid for their people! They are requests of weakness, Genn said. I will not risk the life of my son or any
son of Gilneas. My father would not have and neither will
his son! Always with Grandfather, Always. It’s as if you yourself are not king, just
some steward keeping the chair warm until he returns. When I was your age, gen replied, all I wanted
was to be like my father. That is a prince’s duty, but Liam thought
that a prince’s duty was to be a greay king. He knew this argument was lost; his father
would do as he always did and he was right. Genn believed that the wall would protect
them, the wall would hold and Gilneas will always be great... always! The people of Lordaeron begged them for aid
and Gilneas kept its doors shut. Weeks later wave after wave of scourge, a
sea of shambling undead bodies, countless arachnid creatures and massive monstrosities
whose bodies seemed to be stitched together from the skins of rotted corpses assaulted
their great wall. Their moans echoes up while Gilnean soldiers
outside the wall tried to hold the line. There were just too many of them, even their
grey wall will give against countless numbers. Father...you should have....you should have
listened to me Liam spoke out, but now was not the time. Genn had to show leadership, no matter what. He had to be the lord of his pack, Gilneas’s
beating heart as he wondered what his father would done at a time like this. There had to be a solution and one was offered
by Archmage Arugal. He had researched the studies of a mage called
Ur, studies on the Worgen and their world. He describes it as a dark place, a place of
nightmare. The worgen, ferocius and wicked. It is his hope that no Dalaran wizard seeks
out the Worgen for no pact may be struck, no secrets may be learned, no good can come
from these beasts. They are best left to their world for if found
in ours and not destroyed, our peril will be dire. The warnings were there, yet all the same
Genn gave Arugal permission to go ahead and unleash the Worgen against the Scourge. At first it seemed like their plan was working. They were a force unlike any they had ever
seen; vicious, unyielding and exactly the beasts they needed to fight the monsters at
their gates. But these beasts turned out to be near impossible
to control and when the scourge was in retreat, the Worgen turned their fury against the gilneans. That was the day Greymane closed the gates
of Gilneas and never opened them again. Only afterward did they discover that the
wounded soldiers brought inside the gates were actually cursed. The bite of the worgen would slowly but surely
take away their humanity and turn them into worgen as well. It had come into their protective walls, they
were his countrymen and he was forced to order their deaths. You don’t know pain until you’ve made
a decision like that. But no matter how many infected they put down,
still enough of them had escaped. Every full moon, Genn together with Godfrey,
Ashbury, Walden, Marley and a few other nobles hunted in the blackwald, armed to the teeth,
searching for creatures most of their people believed to be myth. The nobles would hunt them for sport and for
vengeance – exterminating the pests that had infiltrated their lands. It was during one of those hunts that Genn
got bitten before taking down his prey, but he can’t tell the others knowing full well
what they would do, what he would if he was in their shoes, they’d shoot him and prevent
the curse from spreading further. So it was that the king of gilneas kept the
worgen curse a secret from all those around him, but this was just the beginning of the
trouble for his beloved kingdom. “Lead by their indomitable king gen greymane,
the proud citizens of Gilneas once stood with the alliance against the vile orcish horde
that sought to conquer all of Lordaeron. Gilneas survived but in the chaotic years
following the second war, the mighty kingdom drew ever inward. Distrustful of their former allies, the gilneans
erected a mighty wall at the borders of their land. Closing off their nation and their hearts
from an ever darkening world. Now many years later as the seemingly unstoppable
undead scourge marches across Lordaeron, human civilization once again teeters on the brink
of destruction. As war and terror close in all around them,
the citizens of gilneas are faced with one terrible truth. Their mighty wall cannot hold back the dead
for much longer and worse, rumors of a new threat have arisen within the kingdoms borders. Of feral nightmare creatures that walk upright
as men but hunt and howl as wolves.“ “We protected Gilneas from the Scourge. We protected Gilneas during the Northgate
rebellion. We will protect Gilneas from whatever this
new threat may be.” Turns out multiple threats at the same time. This is around the cataclysm period, a bit
before the actual cataclysm shook the world. Outside their walls we have the Forsaken trying
to make their way in and as we can see, the worgen roam the streets of Gilneas but not
everyone is aware of their existence. The northgate rebellion Liam was talking about
was a rebellion lead by Darius Crowley who had not taken the wall with grace. He had defied Greymane and had even aided
the Alliance during the Third War by sending the ‘Gilneas Brigade’ to Jaina Proudmoore. Crowley believed Greymane had abandoned his
people while Genn had tried to reason with the prideful noble. Had tried to make it clear that this wall
was the way forward. He had tried to explain why assisting the
Alliance was so wrong, even if his own son disagreed with him. But Crowley didn’t see the truth of it,
insisted that he was doing what was best for the future of Gilneas and that he would end
Genn’s Tyranny. Civil war gripped the nation, but Genn was
able to hold control and placed Crowley and his men in prison. Meanwhile night elves traveled to Gilneas
amongst them priestess Belysra Starbreeze sensing the wrongness involving the worgen. She’s been kept a secret from everyone by
Genn, hiding out in his observatory, not even his beloved wife knows. She uses the powers of Elune to help Greymane
keep the animal inside under control, but this method won’t contain the beast forever. There is a ritual he could go through, but
now is not the time for it, instead he has spoken to master alchemist Krennan Aranas
about seeking a solution through some sort of potion. Starbreeze will offer any aid possible with
creating it, while the Forsaken outside the wall have risen to a number beyond reckoning. There’s murder in the streets, livestock’s
gone missing, while Godfrey reminds them of the worgen threat. It’s been too long since greymane joined
them on a hunt. Things have gone hard these past few years. ‘Could be that you’ve grown tired, majesty,
could be that the years and the war and the endless siege have dulled your edge a bit. None of us would think less of you for taking
a brief respite...for leaving the decision making to someone else for a time.’ ‘Someone like you, godfrey? If I didn’t need every capable leader right
about now, i’d have your treasonous ass chained to a dungeon wall! Now get out of my sight!’ Treasonous, you say? I shed more rebel blood during the war than
you would care to imagine, majesty! And unlike you I didn’t call the leader
of those treacherous bastards my friend before doing so!’ Get out Genn tells him as he nearly loses
control and transforms. Starbreeze is able to help him out and lets
him know that her fears of who’s behind these recent events, those fears mean that
he needs allies. Greymane has considered to set the events
of the war aside and reaching out to crowley, granting amnesty to his one time friend. Perhaps he and his rebels would be able to
help them out, but what if they can’t let bygones be bygones? Those worries are a luxury on the day of the
attack, the day the worgen strike out in mass against Gilneas. Greymane tells his son Liam to place the city
under lockdown, establish a base in merchant square and that’s where our worgen starting
area begins, right in the middle of the attack. Liam is unable to hold the square against
such numbers and orders an evacuation to the prison district where his father’s army
will be able to protect the civilians. It’s time to call in any aid that we can
and while Lord Darius Crowley has been called many things. Rebel. Traitor. Terrorist. Before the civil war he was called a friend. Greymane never blamed him for leading an insurrection
against him. His land and people were separated from Gilneas
by a stone wall....but he believes that they had no choice. Regardless...Crowley is exactly the type of
person we need right now so we’re ordered to go to Stoneward Prison and recruit Crowley’s
aid. Darius lets his fellow rebels known that the
beasts are back. They don’t care about the war or their squabbles. The nobles and their cronies have cursed the
name of Darius Crowley for far too long. Your names too, Tobias Mistmantle, vincent
hersham. There’s a good chance we’ll not live to
see the next sunrise...but if we die here today, let our names be remembered for different
reasons....Let us be written of and spoken of not as warmongers, but as guardians, protectors,
saviors even. We wipe the slate clean and do what ever it
takes to preserve life, rebels or royal, and put down as many of them damned mongrels as
we can. FOR GILNEAS! We bring the good news back to the king and
locate the artillery the rebels have been able to sneak into the city. Josiah Avery was supposed to be our contact
but the man wants to be left alone, don’t look at him but it’s already too late. He too has been taken by the worgen curse
and like Genn, we’ve also been bitten. It’s probably nothing, but it sure stings
a little. Nothing to worry about I’m sure as Darius’
daughter Lorna puts the worgen down. We inform Greymane that her father’s arsenal
is at his disposal. All these years after the war and Crowley
was still hiding enough firepower in that cellar to level half of the district. It might have to come to that, but we can’t
open fire just yet. Not while there are still civilians trapped
on the other side of the prison. Not just any civilian either, Alchemist Krennan
Aranas is amongst them so we take Greymane’s horse and rescue him. “Help! Up here!” “Thank you. I owe you my life.” “We’ve got Aranas. Fire at will!” The streets were overrun with worgen but our
canon fire quickly takes care of them. The bite wound we suffered is getting worse,
we’re not feeling too good but worries for later. More and more of the people are turned into
the feral worgen and we’re left with very few choices. What we do next will be a critical decision. “If we can make it past the gates into Duskhaven
we’ll be safe. The eastern mountains are virtually impassable.” “We need to keep the worgen’s attention
in the city, Genn. It’s the only shot we have for the survivors
to make it to Duskhaven.” “I’ll stay behind with the Royal Guard,
father. It is my duty to Gilneas.” “Not a chance, boy. Gilneas is going to need its king’s undivided
attention. Can’t have your father wondering whether
his child is alive or not. My men and I will hole up inside the Light’s
Dawn Cathedral. I’ve already given the order and the cannons
are on their way. Lead our people well, Genn.” “We were fools to take up arms against each
other, Darius. The worgen would’ve never stood a chance.” As Genn, Liam and the rest of their people
evacuate to Duskhaven, Crowley and his rebellion draw the attention of the worgen and make
a stand at Light’s Dawn Cathedral. Lorna is informed by Liam what has happened
and she’s ready to blow Genn’s brains out. You gave him a taste of freedom only to turn
around and feed him to those...things! How could you? Was it not enough to lock him away? Seperay him from his family? Is this your final revenge then? But genn never meant for this to happen, his
heart breaks for his old friend while we help out Crowley with his suicide mission. “Lets round up as many of them as we can. Every worgen chasing us is one less worgen
chasing the survivors!” “You’ll never catch us, you blasted mongrels!” We had enough ammunition to carry on the civil
war for another month, yet the worgen numbers are such that we’re nearly spent. We don’t want to be caught out here in the
open when that happens. It’s time to fall back inside the cathedral
use the chokepoint and kill any mutt that comes for us. In the meantime our wound has gotten quite
hideous. The skin around it is black and blue, there
also appears to be thick hair growing around the edge of it. After taking out a fair few of them inside,
they simply stop coming and no....that’s not a good thing. CInematic:
Bark bark, roaaaaaar. AAA aaaaaaa. Awoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Parapampammmmm Ow helly Godfrey. Bit rainy aint it? Grrrrowl. “Look at what you’ve become. Those cursed beassts.... they’ve left you
nothing more than just another wretched mongrel.” “Do you even remember what you did to your
friends?” “Your kind....haunting the wilds unchecked
until we found you.” “They’ve kept you alive, because they
still believe you can be saved.” “To which...I must ask... Is there even a shred of humanity left within
you?” “Perhaps. We will find out...soon enough.” We shall find out next week as that’s when
we’re going to continue the story, find out the history of the worgen curse, the connection
to the night elves, rediscovering our humanity and so much more. For now thank you very much for watching everyone! Subscribe if you like my videos, leave a like
if you enjoyed this one....and until next time guys....see ya!
