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Template:Battle The Invasion of Gilneas is a battle between the Forsaken and the Worgen for control of Gilneas. It is an important part of the Alliance-Horde war and resulted in Gilneas remaining contested between the Alliance and the Horde.

The Invasion of Gilneas has two phases. The first was the Forsaken invasion into Gilneas that resulted in most of Gilneas civilians fleeing to Darnassus. And the second was the fighting between the joined forces of the Gilneas Liberation Front, the Bloodfang pack and the 7th Legion from one side, and the Forsaken from the other.

Causes of the invasion

The Cataclysm has caused the gates of the Greymane Wall to shatter, which marked the end of Gilneas's isolationism from the rest of Azeroth. Due to the events at the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate, the Forsaken are "in the dog house" with the rest of the Horde and the Horde leadership, now controlled by Garrosh Hellscream, has ordered Sylvanas Windrunner to claim Gilneas so the Horde can have a port in southern Lordaeron.[1]

Chronology

The Invasion and the Exodus

Forsaken started an assault on the Greymane Wall, however, it's mighty defenses were easily driving the Forsaken back despite all their efforts and mighty attacks. This situation continued for a time, until the Cataclysm started and shattered the Greymane Wall, and the Forsaken invaded Gilneas from a breach in the wall.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Gilneas was ravaged by the Worgen Curse, which transformed any human into a worgen, loosing their minds to bloodlust and desire to tear flesh. The Curse was rapidly spreading through Gilneas and eventually forced Gilneans to leave Gilneas City and flee to Duskhaven, while Lord Darius Crowley and a group of his followers remained behind to take the worgen attention, and were eventually surrounded and slain, or at least so was thought. However, Krennan Aranas, the loyal alchemist of King Genn Graymane, created a special portion that, when drank by a worgen, helped him regain balance between human and beast, in other words, return him his mind. Thus a group of captured worgen returned their minds and joined the Gilneans.

The Attack on Duskhaven

Soon two ships of the Forsaken Navy arrived to Duskhaven and commenced a bombardment. At the same the ships started landing Forsaken footsoldiers and abominations. However, Duskhaven troops and newly-cured worgen met their enemy head-on, and, acting under the command of Prince Liam Greymane, showed heavy resistance to the Forsaken invaders. Lord Vincent Godfrey desided to use the worgen to destroy the Forsaken ships, and commanded them to capture the catapults that bombarding Duskhaven and use them to catapult themselves into the ships and slay their captains - Morris and Anson. Lord Godfrey also commanded them to slay the Forsaken commander, Dark Ranger Thyala, by using the Ability hunter beastcall [Mastiff Whistle] to call forth a pack of attack Mastiffs. But even with this victory, there came a price. The earth, already weakened from the bombardment, began to fragment and collapse as the Cataclysm continued, and an evacuation of Duskhaven was put together before the town was completely consumed. The survivors fled to Greymane Manor, and then further inland - into the Blackwald.

Origins of the Worgen Curse

Within this dark forest, the Gilneans met the night elves, who told them of the origins of the worgen curse - that long ago, the Druids of the Scythe had abandoned the balance and allowed the beast within to consume them. They had been banished to the Emerald Dream to sleep for eternity under Tal'doren, the wild tree in the Blackwald...but not before their curse had spread. Lord Darius Crowley, who had also been transformed into a worgen and had managed to regain the balance between man and beast, was curing more feral worgen with the aid of the night elves. He also revealed that the Forsaken were trying to find a special artifact that would bring the worgen to their control - the Scythe of Elune. A group of worgen was sent by Crowley to attack Sylvanas's dark rangers that held the Scythe at Woods' End Cabin, led by Tobias Mistmantle, a former follower of Lord Crowley who also became a worgen. While Tobias and his trackers were keeping the dark rangers occupied, another worgen sneaked by and stole the Scyth before it could reach Sylvanas.

The worgen, knowing that the alchemy that had returned their minds to them would not last long, drank of the waters of Tal'doren, and restored the balance between human and beast. King Genn Greymane himself came to the Blackwald and revealed that he too had been affected by the curse, and joined with all of his people to drive the Forsaken from their lands.

Godfrey's Treason

Lord Godfrey was an unaffected nobleman who condemned the transformed Gilneans as monsters. Upon learning that Greymane himself had been cursed, Godfrey put a plan into motion that he believed would save Gilneas. Joined by two eastern lords, Baron Ashbury and Lord Walden, Godfrey captured Greymane and held him prisoner. He hoped that by turning the king over to the Forsaken, Gilneas would be spared.

The Gilnean worgen struck back, tracking down and assassinating both Ashbury and Walden, and cornered Godfrey at Tempest's Reach. With his support gone and his plan defeated, Godfrey committed suicide rather than acknowledge a worgen as his king.

The Battle for Gilneas City

With the dissent from within crushed, Greymane sent his loyal supporters to aid in liberating the mining town of Emberstone from Forsaken control. Prince Liam and Lorna Crowley, the daughter of Lord Darius, led the troop, making headquarters in the livery stables. After freeing the enslaved Gilneans, they aimed at the Forsaken leader, Executor Cornell, known for his unbound ruthlessness, and Valnov the Mad, the so-called scientist who carried out inhuman experiments on the villagers too old to work the mines.

Having assembled an army composed of every available Gilnean, the army was split around Gilneas City, Liam heading the assault on the Merchant Square, while King Greymane and Lord Crowley handled the assault on the other districts. The Gilnean forces under the command of Liam Greymane were fighting their way through Gilneas City, destroying Forsaken forces positioned there. Soon they were attacked by a large number of abominations, however, the villagers of Emberstone brought powder cannons that helped in defeating them.

After Liam's forces met and united with Lord Crowley's worgen forces around Stoneward Prison, the flesh beast known as Gorerot appeared and threatened the whole operation, but he was quickly brought down by Forsaken catapults used by the worgen against him.

Liam and Crowley caught Sylvanas herself at Greymane Court, while his father came and attacked from the other side. As the tide was turning against Sylvanas, she used her dark powers to stun every one in the immediate area and aimed a poisoned arrow at Genn Greymane. Liam jumped in front of the bowshot, saving his father from certain doom. As Sylvanas fled the scene, Liam died with the knowledge that the city had been freed from Forsaken control.

Escape from Gilneas: The Endgame

Later on, Sylvanas met with General Warhowl, envoy of Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, telling him that Gilneas was under control and agreeing not to use the Forsaken Blight, as its development had been banned after the incident at the Wrathgate. As the emissary left, Sylvanas told High Executor Crenshaw to deploy the new plague as planned, despite Garrosh's command.

At the dawn of the next day, despite the wishes of Garrosh Hellscream, the Forsaken used their Blight on Gilneas, what the Forsaken didn't know however is that the population was being evacuated through a secret passage to Aderic's Repose due to Tobias Mistmantle and an Adventurer discovering the plot. While Adventurers distracted the Forsaken using bombing bats they had recovered destroying some of their Blight deployers and thinned out the forsaken ranks, the rest of the city populace escaped.

Showdown between Lorna Crowley and Korm Bonegrind

Lorna Crowley facing Korm Bonegrind.

The night elves, led by the priestess of the moon Belrysa Starbreeze, made good on their promise and brought ships at Keel Harbor, as well as an offer of sanctuary in their lands. Unfortunately, the Forsaken's allies, the Horde, arrived as well. An orcish gunship, similar to Orgrim's Hammer, which had fought in Northrend, entered the field, preventing the transport ships from taking the Gilneans to safety. While the druids were holding the enemy back, the siege weapons carried by the elven ships were deployed and met their enemy head-on.

A hippogryph-mounted party boarded the gunship to place explosives in the engineering room below deck. As they proceeded, the gunship's captain, Korm Bonegrind, appeared and the party fled on wyverns roosting on the lower deck. With its engines destroyed, the explosives detonated, destroying the gunship at the Greymane Wall.

The Fight Continues

The Battles in Silverpine

File:Silverpine 06.jpg

A Worgen Renegade and a Forsaken Trooper in Silverpine Forest

Although most of the Gilneans were evacuated to Darnassus, a group of Gilnean worgen (and some humans, perhaps) remained behind and formed the Gilneas Liberation Front, and organization with the goal of driving the Forsaken from Gilneas. Under the leadership of Lord Darius Crowley, the GLF forces started operating not only in Gilneas, but also in Silverpine Forest as well, and soon had a few minor victories. Due to the GLF having much less numbers than the Forsaken, they used guerilla and ambush tactics against the Forsaken, making attacks of opportunity.

Soon after, Darius Crowley formed an alliance with the Bloodfang pack lead by Ivar Bloodfang. The Bloodfang worgen started constantly ambushing and destroying Forsaken forces in Silverpine Forest, for example they attacked and destroyed three Orc gunships that had arrived from Kalimdor to aid the Forsaken, full of supplies, weapons and soldiers.

The Forsaken, understanding that this new threat must be dealt with, started bolstering their numbers by slaying the human refugees that have settled in Fenris Isle and rising them us Forsaken using the new servants of Sylvanas - the val'kyr. However, Lord Crowley and Ivar Bloodfang used this to offer the humans of Fenris Isle their blood - by drinking it they would become worgen, thus becoming immune to the val'kyr magic while also getting the power to have their revenge. This single act bolstered the Worgen numbers greatly, and although around hundred were slain by artillery fire when trying to cross the lake, it barely made a scratch in their numbers. Warlord Torok send his Sea Gogs to fight the Hillsbrad Worgen swimming to the Decrepit Fields however, without the adequate alcohol, the Sea Dogs were defeated and mostly slain.

As the fighting for Silverpine continues, the Forsaken discover that Crowley and Bloodfang are having a meeting in the Deep Elem Mine, Sylvanas sends one of her best warriors under the command of Master Forteski to trap and corner the worgen leaders in the mine, which had only one entrance. However, the Forsaken soon discovered that it was a trap, and a whole squadron of Veteran Forsaken Troopers was destroyed. At the same time another group of Veteran Forsaken Troopers and Forsaken catapults were crossing Olsen's Farthing, where they were ambushed by the Bloodfang pack, resulting in all the Forsaken troopers slain and catapults destroyed.

The Liberation of Gilneas

Worgen Rebel and Forsaken Vanguard

A Worgen Rebel and Forsaken Vanguard in combat

At the same time Genn Graymane traveled to Stormwind and asked king Varian Wrynn to aid the Gilneas Liberation Front in their fight for Gilneas. King Varian, understanding that aiding the GLF and driving the Forsaken from Gilneas will give the Alliance potential foothold and allies in Lordaeron against the Forsaken, sent his most elite force to Gilneas to ensure victory - the 7th Legion.

As most of the Forsaken forces were occupied fighting the worgen, the 7th Legion fleet sank down the entire Horde fleet with Gnomish submarines and invaded Gilneas. A vanguard force of 7th Legion submariners under the command of Master Sergeant Pietro Zaren attacked Rutsak's Guard and Dreadwatch Outpost, slaughtering every Forsaken, leaving alive only Captain Rutsak so he may witness their strength. This resulted in the Forsaken loosing control of Gilneas City, and Pietro Zaren occupied the Cathedral Quarter of Gilneas City and made it his headquarters. And although the Forsaken stroke back and assassinated Pietro and many of his submariners, however, the joined forces of the 7th Legion and the Gilneas Liberation Front started an offensive, attacking and overrunning the Forsaken Forward Command.

Thus the Forsaken were driven back into Silverpine Forest and Gilneas was at last liberated. However, adventurers, with the aid of theval'kyr, Arthura, and Deathstalker Commander Belmont, managed to recover the corpse of Lord Vincent Godfrey, despite all the efforts of the Gilneas Liberation Front to destroy them, and brought it to Sylvanas.

The Fall of Ambermill

Ambermill residents undead

Ataeric and his fellow mages, now as Forsaken

Now that Gilneas was secure the 7th Legion and GLF attempted to begin pushing into the lands of Lordaeron and reclaim it from the Forsaken. Meanwhile Sylvanas Windrunner had Arthura bring back Godfrey, Walden and Ashbury in service to the Forsaken.

Out of survival, the Kirin Tor mages of Ambermill and Dalaran Crater (left behind to protect the land for the day when Dalaran would return), made a pact with the Alliance to protect themselves from the Forsaken who in the past years had been attacked by them. They agreed to summon in the Stormwind army when the time was right to repel the Forsaken. Too protect themselves till then, they phased the entire of Ambermill out of their reality so they could not be attacked. This plot however failed when Forsaken adventurers found a way in and disrupted the connection to this different dimension and brought back into the original. At this point the Forsaken killed the Kirin Tor mages and rose them as New Forsaken.

The Alliance Counteroffensive

Sylvanas Windrunner sends Lord Godfrey, Lord Walden, Baron Ashbury and the Forsaken adventurer to operate in Southern Silverpine. First of all, the group enters Pyrewood Village, which was attacked and is now controlled by the 7th Legion, and, after founding some Forsaken Troopers that survived the attack and slaying 7th Legion Scouts, set it ablaze. Their next move was attacking the 7th Legion Base Camp, assassinating General Marstone and recovering the Inv misc book 12 [7th Legion Battle Plan]. Meanwhile, the 7th Legion and Gilneas Liberation Front decided to set their plans in motion and start the reclamation of Lordaeron. The army of the Alliance started a massive offensive from Gilneas and clashed with the Forsaken forces in southern part of Silverpine. As the battle went on, Godfrey and his entourage move to the Gilneas Liberation Front Base Camp to capture Lorna Crowley who had not become a Worgen and could be changed into a Forsaken. She was overpowered and kidnapped by the traitor Godfrey and brought back to Sylvanas where she could then finally put an end to the invasion.

Accompanied by High Warlord Cromush, her Val'kyr and her most trusted soldier, they went to meet Darius Crowley and Ivar Bloodfang at the gates of Gilneas. There she offered Darius a choice, either he leave Silverpine and take the entire GLF with him, or his daughter would become a Forsaken. Godfrey, Walden and Ashbury then appeared with his daughter and he had to make an ultimatum. Unable to allow such a horrifying fate happen to his daughter he agreed to retreat back to Gilneas. Lorna was released and Ivar cursed at Darius for being a coward.

Commander Lorna Crowley

Lorna Crowley, daughter of Lord Darius Crowley

As the three fled back to the safety of Gilneas, Godfrey did the unthinkable and assassinated Sylvanas Windrunner. In shock the Horde group had a short duel with Godfrey's trio until they were overpowered and forced to fall back to Shadowfang Keep. Cromush ordered the Val'kyr to "fix" the Banshee Queen but in doing so they sacrificed themselves in the process to bring her back. The Dark Lady rose again furious with rage at Godfrey's betrayal and believed that the Val'kyr were indeed the future of the Forsaken. With that she returned to Undercity to recover. The Alliance forces fell back to Gilneas and the invasion of Silverpine was over.

Aftermath

Gilneas was left in ruins, both by the Forsaken invasion and by the very land ripping itself apart. While their soldiers in the front, the surviving Gilnean civiliences fled to Teldrassil and other Alliance strongholds, where they offered their services to the Alliance. With his homeland turning in to a war zone and his heir slain, Genn Greymane journeyed to Stormwind, political and military capital of the Alliance, where he stands at the side of Stormwind's master, King Varian Wrynn.

Though Gilneas is free of the Forsaken for the moment, the border remains a hot spot between the Horde and Alliance where both sides fight for control in the Battle for Gilneas.

References

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