Gilneas

"'Rain, rain, its always rain there..... A cold rain that seems to permeate everything it touches, even its people; they're an awfully depressing lot. But when it comes to war, these people are the Boralian Empire all over again.'""— Henrei Ackhart, Stormwind Ambassador to Gilneas"The Aeonic kingdom of Gilneas, situated upon its namesake peninsula, is well known for its wet climate and vast area of woodland that covers most of its land. A land shrouded in gloom and mist, it's inhabitants are also famously morose, stoic and humorless, but are nevertheless are regarded as the most skilled and renowned hunters and marksmen of all mankind.

Originally one of the Aeonic Kingdoms, Gilneas grew increasingly distant from Lordaeron after the fall of the Empire. When the numerous Aeonic Kingdoms confederated into the Kingdom of Lordaeron, Gilneas, as the second largest after Lordaeron, kept to their own and remained an independent nation to this day. After the Second War, King Genn Graymane ordered the construction of the Greymane Wall and the nation has entered a period of isolationism ever since.

However, rumors of a great terror grasps the population of the nation, a rumor of terrible and ancient curse that haunts the Blackwald, threatening the sanity of its people. While most Gilneans regard this as merely stories to scare misbehaving children, foreigners have the impression that the forest nation's people are becoming increasingly paranoid and taciturn, always keeping an eye on the grove outside of their windows.

The Südenwalder Diaspora and the Taming of the Wildlands
The Gilneans are an offshoot of the Aeonic ethnicity and resided within the vast southern woodland that was known during the early ages as the Südenwald, which encompasses what is now known as Silverpine Forest and the Gilnean Peninsula. The early tribes inhabiting the woodlands include the Aeqors, the Ostalaths, the Gortigians, but were collectively known as the Gilneans, coming from the old Vrykul word galnaar, meaning "stout-faced". The Gilneans kept to their own woods, but because of their warlike and barbaric nature, they've never developed an established civilization like their northern cousins in early history.

Holy Light
The worship of the Holy Light is prevalent within the mountain nation, with the Gilnean diocese the second largest in the realm of man after the destruction of Lordaeron. All religious activities related to the Holy Light are controlled and organized by a militant church council known as the Holy Inquisition, which holds absolute authority over the Church of the Holy Light in Gilneas and are known for their fanaticism in vanquishing and dealing anything they see as a threat to the church.

Geography
"'They produce some of the best timber in the world, and an entire country of it; but I wouldn't bother, at least not without a hundred mercenaries in tow.'""— Stormwind merchant"Gilneas is well-known for being covered by a blanket of woodland that dominates over three quarters of the country. Known collectively as the Great Forest,

Gilnean Infantry

 * Langersnecht — “Land Servant" in Gilnean, the Langersnecht are the citizenry militia of the kingdom, which makes up the bulk of the Gilnean army. Serving as the police force as well as the armed forces of the kingdom, the Langersnecht are much more well-armed than most citizen militia, sporting suits of plate armor along with long spears, swords and heavy shields.


 * Freibruders — A paramilitary auxiliary force attached to the Gilnean army, the Freibruders assist the Langersnecht as a peacekeeping force within the kingdom. Self-organized citizens armed with rifle muskets and blunderbusses, the Freibruders keeps patrol on night roads and within smaller settlements near the woods, protecting their own homes as much as for others.
 * Gilnean Riflemen — The Gilneans' propensity for firearms are well-known, and the marksmen wielding those firearms are known as some of the best in the world. The small kingdom has a well-established regiment known as the Rifelkorps, an entire army of trained soldiers wielding rifle muskets, with only a light cuirass and arming sword to protect themselves from closer threats. These soldiers work in a formation known as a Trilinaer, adapted from Kul'Tiras, where they are protected by a row of Langersnecht spearmen while two rows of riflemen fire alternatingly.
 * Nevelhaven Shipmen — As home to the Gilnean navy, the port-city of Nevelhaven has always maintained a standing corps of naval infantry, known colloquially as "shipmen". Easily recognizable from the fan of gull feathers adorning their helmets, the shipmen are stationed on royal warships and seaside outposts on constant outlook of threats to Gilnean interests, with at least three regiments always prepared for an amphibious deployment in any case. Armed with rifle carbines, arming swords or battleaxes, and equipped with light leather-mail armor, these infantrymen are well-suited for rapid deployment and lightning tactics.
 * Grimswald Sharpshooters — The most skilled riflemen within the entire country hail from the canton of Northgate, known to be home to the forboding Grimswald forest. The woodlands has long been rumored to be cursed and all sorts of evil run rampant in the woodland province. As a result, the canton has long maintained a corps of patrollers to guard the borders of the dark forests and ward off dangers that may threaten settlements around the woods. Equipped with Gilnean longrifles outfitted with malachite scopes, armed with an assortment of traps, magical wards and swords, these guerilla warriors are some of the best skirmishers the kingdom has to offer.
 * Gilnean Zveuhanders — Elite swordsmen of the Gilnean army, the Zveuhanders often serve as guards to generals and commanders, protecting them in the heat of battle. Armed with double-handed cleavers known as messers, these heavily armored swordsmen provides the kingdom with a dedicated shock infantry force, attacking enemies in the flanks while they are concentrated in dealing with spear and pike troops, their sweeping strikes known to be able to cleave an orc in clean halves with one well-placed blow.
 * Treulangar Guards — Borrowed from the Gortigian word Troranskvar, meaning "sworn companion", the Treulangar Guards are an elite dwarven regiment of Gilneas that serves as the personal guard of the king. The dwarves are known for their sturdiness, loyalty and ferocity in battle and the Treulangar Guard are extremely skilled and well-trained in warfare. Armed with double-edged battleaxes and messers and encased in heavy suits of chainmail, these elite dwarven warriors are known to be deathly faithful to the king and unwaveringly resolute in battle.
 * Justiciars — Agents of the Holy Inquisition, the Justiciars are the holy warriors of the Church of the Holy Light in Gilneas. Often acting as a religious police force, the justiciars are responsible for rooting out activities that may undermine the church, most particularly practicing of the Dark Arts and supernatural anomalies that so often occur in the vast woodlands of the country. Clad in light chainmail and plate armor and armed with shortsword and shield, the justiciars are devout protectors of the Gilnean diocese.

Gilnean Cavalry

 * Reiters — Equipped with light plate armor and rifle carbines, the Reiters are agile light cavalry with dedicated roles as scouts and skirmishers. Forgoing the heavy armor commonly endorsed by horsemen of other nations, the Reiters' superior speed allows them to strike at the weakest point in enemy lines, harassing them with a hail of bullets and fleeing with ease.
 * Bergsteigers —"mountain scaler" in Gilnean, the Bergsteigers are a specialized Ostalathi cavalry regiment designated to patrol the Greymist Mountains. Astride the fierce mountain boars native to the region, the bergsteigers traverse the treacherous mountain paths to keep away infiltrators that might attempt to bypass the wall. Wearing half-plate armor and easily identified by their signature tophue — a brimless wollen cap, and equipped with rifle carbines and wood-axes, they are excellent scouts and specialized cavalry units.
 * Panzkavalier — Heavily armored shock cavalry armed with lance and shield, Panzkavalier are the elite mounted troops of Gilneas. Disciplined and skilled, pantzkavalier are organized specifically to counter the armored knights of Lordaeron. Clad from head to toe in armor forged from tempered mithril, they are equipped to defend against a direct frontal charge of a Lordaeronian knight, while their lances, longer and thinner than the Lordaeronian version, is designed to punch through weak spots of a knight's armor, landing a killing blow with one well-placed blow.

Gilnean Warbeasts

 * Mastiffs — These gruff and strong hounds are native to Gilneas, bred as hunting hounds for centuries by the Gilnean woodsmen. Standing as tall as a grown man's waist, the mastiffs are known for their extremely sharp sense of smell and their unwavering loyalty to their handlers. Fierce with a fiery temper, they have long been recognized as a political symbol for Gilneas.
 * Mountain Boars — Large, voracious and foul-tempered, the mountain boars of Gilneas are ferocious omnivores that spend most of their lives deep in the woods of Grimswald search for whatever morsels they could find to satiate their seemingly endless appetite. It takes an equally fearsome and hard-headed people to hunt them, not to mention tame them. The mountain folk of Gilneas have been using these muscular beasts as beasts of burden and steeds.


 * War Ettin — Strong, hulking and stupid, these foul-smelled two-headed giants are native to the mountainous woodlands of Gilneas. Standing as tall as a church bell tower, Ettins are notorious for devastating entire villages for food to satiate their hunger. The scarcity of resources upon the rocky cliffs has driven more to the lower woodlands, where some are captured and enslaved by the Gilneans as beasts of war. When unleashed unto the battlefield, they lumber into the fray with a voracious fury, bashing regiments of armored soldiers and consuming them when they are alive. Some War Ettin are even armed to carry a trebuchet or cannons on their backs, effectively acting as walking siege machines.

Gilnean Artillery

 * Rotary Gun — A simple, yet devastating design, the Rotary Gun is seen as a staple of Gilnean ingenuity. Simply fifteen rifle barrels strapped together on a revolving axle, operated by simply cranking an attached wheel, the Rotary Gun fires at an astonishing rate that mows down light armored infantry like a scythe through a hay field. Light and quick to assemble, it could be attached on wheels, installed on castle walls, emplaced on horse-drawn carts or even fired hand-held. Its versatility and low-cost has lead to it becoming one of the most common artillery pieces in a Gilnean army and a politically satirical symbol for Gilneas.
 * Basilisk — Named after the dreadful reptilians of Kalimdor, basilisks are heavy brass cannons originating from Gilneas. Often installed on battleships or castle walls, the basilisk has also seen widespread employment as heavy field artillery, mounted on a carriage or even on the backs of War Ettins. With a longer barrel and larger caliber, it packs a powerful punch and is designated to puncture castle walls, which makes it an extremely useful weapon against war machines and defenses. However, its slow rate of fire and lack of accuracy makes it overall less potent as a field weapon.
 * Trebuchet — This large siege weapon is a Lordaeronian product imported into Gilneas, which quickly became the staple of any Gilnean siege party. Capable of lobbing gigantic pieces of debris and large explosives over walls into cities, the Trebuchet is an efficient and cheap weapon to cause large scale damage in siege battles. With the alchemic excellence of the Gilneans, they have since devised different volatile chemicals that are thrown into enemy cities to strew chaos and destruction.

Gilnean Lords

 * Baron — Barons are the nobles of Gilneas, gifted with a manor along with its surrounding lands by the king for their services. The barons are greatly different individuals ranging from bloodthirsty warriors to morbid sorcerers, but what is the same is their fearsomeness when it comes to defending home and hearth. It is true that Gilneans love their land, and none love their land more so than the great landlords.
 * Inquistors — The Inquisitors are the highest clerical authorities of the Gilnean diocese. Members of the council of the Holy Inquisition, these masked individuals are known for their fanaticism and determination against any threat to the church. Mysterious and enigmatic, the Inquistors never show their faces in public and are always seen draped in the crimson robes of the Inquisition over their golden armor. They are powerful wielders of the power of the Holy Light and will stop at nothing to carry out its will to vanquish evil.

Gilnean Heroes

 * Yäegar — "Hunter" in Gilnean, the Yäegare were originally organized as a militia corps specialized in dealing with whatever terrors that come out of the Blackwald. Since the disaster in Pyrewood, it has since evolved into a secret police force for the kingdom, hunting down illegal practitioners of the Dark Arts and silencing political dissent within the turbulent nation. Armed with their signature revolver rifles and pistols, these sword-wielding, leather-clad warriors are dedicated to eradicating any threat that defiles the ancestral lands of the Gilneans.
 * Harvest Witches — Druidic priestesses of the Society of the Harvest, they are practitioners of the Old Ways of the Aeonics. Serving as wandering folk healers and guardians of the Scythe, they are also potent wielders of the powers of nature, which aid them in helping the common folk of Gilneas and fighting whatever evils spawned from the unchecked powers of the Scythe.
 * Judicators — Judicators are Gipfenian warriors serving the Holy Inquisition, often acting as judges for religious trials and executions, serving as the heralds and personal guards of the Inquisitors. Recognized by their crimson, fur-lined cloaks and ornate armor adorned with symbols of worship, these zealous warriors are determined to crush any threat to the church with their double-handed messers and battleaxes.

Cantons of Gilneas

 * Canton of Northgate —

Notable Settlements of the Kingdom of Gilneas

 * Gilneas City —


 * Nevelhaven —

Notable Individuals

 * Thurigen Wolfskin —


 * Genn Greymane —


 * Darius Crowley —
 * Vincent Godfrey —


 * High Inquisitor Karslyn —


 * Matriarch Alnyss —

Trivia

 * Gilneas appears to draw on medieval Gothic/Germanic fantasy combined with characteristics of Victorian-era England.