Genn Greymane



Lord Genn Greymane (sometimes spelled as "Graymane"  ) is the king of the nation and kingdom of Gilneas. He is a large bearish man, a brawny warrior with thick features, a heavy beard, and black and gray armor who must be in his seventies or eighties by the time of Cataclysm. Greymane was also noted for being stubborn, proud, strong-willed, cunning, and arrogant.

During the Second War, Greymane met with the other human leaders at Capital City to hear of Stormwind's fall at the hands of the orcish Horde. Greymane joined the other human leaders in forming the Alliance of Lordaeron to counter the Horde threat, but due to his pride, he offered only token support. After the conclusion of the Second War, Greymane chafed at using Gilnean taxes to help pay for the orc internment camps and Nethergarde Keep. Greymane decided that Gilneas could not and would not pay for the wars of other nations, so he withdrew Gilneas from the Alliance, ordered the construction of the Greymane Wall and isolated Gilneas from the rest of the world.

Around the time of the Third War, Greymane instructed Archmage Arugal, a Dalaran wizard loyal to Gilneas, to summon feral worgen to protect Gilneas from the Scourge threat. The plan backfired, and the worgen curse would eventually run rampant among the Gilnean population. In the time between the Third War and the War against the Lich King, the number of those afflicted with the worgen curse had grown and were now attacking Gilneas City. To counter the threat, Greymane helped to defend the city and aided in the evacuation of citizens to Duskhaven. In the aftermath, Greymane faced the dual threats of the Cataclysm and the Forsaken invasion, culminating in the battle to retake Gilneas City from the Forsaken and witnessing the death of his son and heir, Liam. Humbled by his son's death and the devastation of his kingdom, Greymane accepted the aid of the night elves, who had offered to relocate Gilnean survivors to Darnassus. In a fit of stubbornness, Greymane was against formally rejoining the Alliance until he had almost lost his wife and daughter during the crossing. After a short layover at Darnassus, Greymane decided to travel to Stormwind to speak with Varian Wrynn.

Early life
Genn Greymane is the son of Archibald Greymane, the Gilnean king who lead Gilneas into its industrial age. From a young age, Greymane was taught by his father not to rely on others and that asking for help was a weakness, and this characteristic stuck with him throughout his life. Greymane had grown up with the man who would eventually become Baron Ashbury, and Ashbury's father was a member of Archibald's council of Lords that had helped Archibald build up Gilneas into the industrial nation it would become. Because of the closeness of the two families, Greymane was advised by Archibald to put his trust into the Ashbury family's fidelity to the crown.

After Archibald's death, Greymane took the throne and led Gilneas much like his father had. At some point, Greymane met his wife, Mia, at the Royal Aderic Banquet. They had two children: Liam, his son and heir, and Tess, who would have died in infancy if not for the intervention of the Royal Chemist, Krennan Aranas. Greymane was gruff with his children, and rarely told them he loved them.

Alliance of Lordaeron
Prior to the Second War, Greymane was among the human leaders summoned to an emergency meeting at Capital City in Lordaeron by King Terenas Menethil II. Accompanied by a group of nobles including Baron Ashbury, Lord Vincent Godfrey, and Lord Darius Crowley, the youngest and newest of the council of Lords, Greymane listened to the plight of Anduin Lothar regarding the fall of Stormwind and the threat of the orcish Horde. Greymane dismissed these concerns, stating with confidence that the Gilnean army could withstand any threat. While most of the other heads of the human nations were in agreement that an alliance against the orcish invaders was needed, Greymane was hesitant about joining, and was difficult about it.

After a polite state dinner with his fellow rulers, Greymane retired to his guest chambers for the evening to discuss the situation with his nobles. Crowley was enthusiastic about the prospect of an alliance, stating that sending the whole Gilnean army to aid their sister nations against the orcish threat would strengthen ties and it would help the people of Gilneas in the long run. Greymane felt Crowley was too naive and idealistic in this situation, and dismissed his ideas. Godfrey agreed with Crowley, but suggested that to stay in the good graces of their sister kingdoms for the benefit of trade and tariffs, they should only send a small token force instead of the whole Gilnean army. Baron Ashbury echoed Godfrey's sentiment, and Greymane stated that he would consider it.

When the rulers or the human nations met again, Greymane voted to join the Alliance of Lordaeron, but Gilneas offered only token support. Thus, Gilneas was essentially separate from the Alliance of Lordaeron for the entirety of the Second War.

After the betrayal of Aiden Perenolde, the ruler or Alterac, was revealed, Greymane had his eye on ruling the now-leaderless kingdom, even though he had no right to it. He supported the claim of Lord Perenolde's nephew, Isiden, to Alterac's throne. Over time, due to mind control by the black dragon Deathwing, he grew to support Lord Daval Prestor (actually Deathwing in human form), in his bid for the throne. However, after Prestor vanished, Greymane continued to push Isiden's claim.

Seceding from the Alliance
After the war, Greymane chafed at having Gilnean taxes pay for orc interment camps and the construction of Nethergarde Keep. In a discussion with Godfrey, Greymane questioned the wisdom of listening to the advice of Crowley and Godfrey in joining the Alliance, stating that it had gotten them nothing but dead Gilneans. Greymane stated his plans to withdraw from the Alliance and wall off Gilneas from the rest of the world. Upon looking at the map of Gilneas Greymane had in front of them, Godfrey suggested the wall be built through Crowley's lands, in effect cutting off Pyrewood Village and Ambermill from the rest of the kingdom, as Crowley's lands had the mountains as a natural barrier the wall could be built into. Greymane agreed, and was confident that Crowley would understand his reasoning.

Crowley did not take Greymane seceding from the Alliance and the building of the wall through his lands as well as Greymane hoped he would. Crowley started a rebellion against Greymane and his decision to secede from the Alliance, gathering likeminded Gilneans including his daughter Lorna and Tobias Mistmantle in forming the Northgate rebellion. The resulting civil war weakened the kingdom and split the populace into two groups, "royalist" and "rebel", labels that continued to spark fights years after the event ended. In an act of defiance against Greymane, it was Crowley that sent the group of soldiers known as the Gilneas Brigade to assist Lady Jaina Proudmoore during the Third War.

Greymane was hurt that a man he considered his friend started an uprising against him, but did not blame him for it. Greymane's forces eventually captured Crowley and his followers and threw them in jail.

Unleashing the Worgen
The worgen threat was contained for millennia, until Archmage Arugal managed to pull the wolf-beasts from the Emerald Dream. Summoned by order of King Genn Greymane, the worgen were used to battle Scourge forces encroaching on the kingdom of Gilneas. Yet the feral creatures soon spread their curse throughout the human population of Silverpine Forest, infecting Gilnean soldiers stationed beyond the Greymane Wall. Before long the affliction had advanced through the legendary barrier and was gradually eating away at Gilneas’ humanity. As reports of strange attacks and disappearances rose, fear took root in the hearts of Genn’s people.

Not long ago the curse’s spread was stifled, but the victory proved short-lived. The Northgate rebellion left Gilneas in a weakened state, and the worgen curse soon returned with renewed fervor. To compound the worgen threat, the Forsaken have started battering at the nation’s gates in a bid to conquer Gilneas. Unbeknownst to many of the kingdom’s citizens, a war between beast and man is also raging within the worgen themselves.

Genn was bitten by a worgen during a worgen hunt with Lord Godfrey and other Gilnean nobles. He covered up the wound to prevent Godfrey from realizing that he had been bitten and shoot him.

In the comic, Curse of the Worgen, Genn hopes to understand the worgen curse better by learning the origins of the worgen curse from his ally, Priestess Belrysa.

Cataclysm
Genn Greymane made his debut in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and is one of the first people worgen players meet during the spread of the Worgen curse in Gilneas. He plans on releasing Darius Crowley from the Stoneward Prison in Gilneas City, believing him to be a useful asset in the upcoming battle with the feral worgen that have overran Gilneas. With Darius released, he and the player offers to stay behind and create a distraction for the worgen while Genn and the other Gilneans evacuate the city and head towards the safety of Duskhaven. The player turns into a worgen, lost to the worgen form's feral instincts but is captured by Greymane's forces. Greymane saves the player from an executioner's blade by injecting them with a serum that gives them control of their minds, thus allowing them to retain some semblance of their humanity.

After the loss of Gilneas City, he retreats to Greymane Manor, where he tries to think of a plan to safeguard his people from the invading Forsaken forces; but when the Shattering sends Duskhaven underwater, he decides to move the evacuees further inland and sends the Gilnean survivors towards Stormglen in stagecoaches. He later reunites with Lord Darius Crowley and his army of worgen and together, the two united Gilneas against the Forsaken invasion. Unbeknownst to others, though, Genn had also been affected by the worgen curse. He preferred to remain in his human form because he feared that if his people knew about his affliction, they would no longer accept him as their king. Yet once he revealed the truth to them, the people accepted him and rallied to him when he called for a united counter attack against the Forsaken.

Having learned of Genn's worgen affliction, Lord Godfrey and his supporters betray Gilneas by attempting to turn Genn over to the Forsaken. Lord Godfrey's machinations were foiled by the worgen player and Genn was rescued. Genn later participates in the Battle of Gilneas City in order to reclaim the city, but his son Liam Greymane is killed by a poisoned arrow from Sylvanas Windrunner that was intended for Genn. Genn buries Liam afterwards, shortly before the mass exodus of Gilneas.

For a short time after the fall of Gilneas (at the climax of the worgen starting experience), Greymane is present at the Howling Oak in the night elf capital of Darnassus, where the surviving Gilneans have resettled; he then journeys to Stormwind City, where he remains at the side of King Varian Wrynn in the throne room of Stormwind Keep. Gwen Armstead takes his place in Darnassus.

Quests
Genn Greymane appears throughout Gilneas during the Worgen starting experience and is involved in the following quests:

In Gilneas City:

In Duskhaven:

In Greymane Manor:

In Tempest's Reach:

In Darnassus:

Abilities at Stormwind Keep
Genn Greymane fights alongside Varian Wrynn at Stormwind Keep. Only Varian's death is needed for the achievement.

Quotes

 * "Damn the orcs, damn the Alliance, and damn you! The last thing Gilneas needs is sponges from other nations drawing from our resources, Dalaran wizards meddling with our affairs, and someone else's enemies killing our soldiers! Gilneas is its own nation and it always will be. This is the last time I'll ever talk to you, Terenas, so I hope you were listening." (Greymane's last known speech, as recorded by Mystrum Runedance, presumably at one of the Alliance councils)
 * "Pah, the fountains in Gilneas could grant ten times as many wishes as Dalaran's!" (Genn's Copper Coin)
 * "When I told some of you that I wanted to form an ARMY to retake Gilneas City from these LIGHT DAMNED Forsaken….There were those who said Gilneas City would NEVER be retaken. That it was IMPOSSIBLE. Well I say to you that we must no longer let our FEARS control us! For too long I let my fear control ME…Fear that I had made all the WRONG DECISIONS…Fear that our nation would LOSE its IDENTITY…Fear that if all of you knew the TRUTH, the whole truth…You would REJECT me as your LEADER. Well I GIVE IN TO FEAR NO LONGER. Look upon me NOW and see that which I have kept HIDDEN. Now that you know the TRUTH, I ask each of YOU…who will stand WITH ME, who will fight by my SIDE? Who among you will set ASIDE YOUR FEAR?"
 * "Then it is time for those Forsaken PREDATORS to become the PREY!!"

Duskhaven

 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say

Liam's Funeral

 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say

Greetings

 * Gilneas will rise again!
 * For Gilneas!
 * Gilneas will prevail!
 * My people have suffered so long... if only I could shoulder more of their burden.
 * The Alliance has done us a great service, for this I am eternally grateful. (Worgen form only)

Aggro

 * FOR GILNEAS!
 * I SHALL BURY YOU!

Killing a player

 * Fall before me!
 * You have no chance!

Death

 * Gilneas... I... have... failed... you.

Personality
''The people of the Alliance remember the king of Gilneas as a proud, strong-willed, cunning, and arrogant man. He and his armies stood by the Alliance during the Second War, but in the aftermath it became clear to Genn Greymane that the Alliance needed Gilneas more than Gilneas needed the Alliance. He ordered that the Greymane Wall be closed to all outsiders, effectively sealing off his kingdom from the outside world and its conflicts. But fate, it seems, was intent on teaching the king a lesson in humility: although the wall succeeded in isolating Gilneas from the rest of the world, it also served to damn the kingdom's people forever. As the worgen curse swept the nation and early attempts at containment failed, Greymane found himself fighting a battle for his people's very humanity.''

Genn's personality in-game seems drastically different from that shown in the novels, appearing as a kinder, understanding ruler instead of the gruff, impatient king. This could be explained as him being humbled by the terrible consequences his rash decisions have had on his people.

Trivia

 * As of Cataclysm, Greymane is one of the three surviving Alliance rulers from the Second War, the others being King Varian and Kurdran Wildhammer; King Terenas of Lordaeron, King Thoras Trollbane of Stromgarde, Admiral Proudmoore of Kul Tiras, Lord Perenolde of Alterac, Antonidas of Dalaran, King Anasterian Sunstrider of Quel'Thalas and King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge have all died (all murdered with the exception of Perenolde, died in prison, and Magni, petrified during a ritual) in the interim.
 * Genn is also one of the two racial leaders with a still living spouse in World of Warcraft, the other being Tyrande Whisperwind.
 * Genn Greymane makes an appearance at Arthas Menethil's induction into the Knights of the Silver Hand ceremony in Stormwind. Gilneas had seceded from the Alliance and shut out the rest of the world by this point, so his presence there is a mystery.