Gilneas " Gilneas is located on the peninsula south of Silverpine Forest . " " The human kingdom had supported the Alliance during the Second War , but King Greymane had no qualms about severing all ties to the outside world when it became clear that the Alliance needed Gilneas more than Gilneas needed the Alliance . Unbeknownst to the rest of the world , darkness fell on Gilneas after the Greymane Wall ' s gates had been closed , and the worgen curse ravaged the nation . Before long , Gilneans were fighting against Gilneans in a bloody civil war that left the kingdom in tatters . Remarkably , the people of Gilneas have somehow managed to hold on to the last vestiges of their humanity . . . for now . " Gilneas ( pronounced Gil - neigh - uhs ) is a human nation and kingdom located in the peninsula that lies to the southwest of Silverpine Forest on the continent of Lordaeron . The kingdom was founded following the splitting of Arathor and is ruled by the House of Greymane . Besides the peninsula , the kingdom also included the island of Zul ' Dare . Gilneas is a large peninsula that juts into the sea south of western Lordaeron . Silverpine Forest lies to the northeast and Kul Tiras awaits across the sea to the south . Lord Genn Greymane never supported the Lordaeron Alliance in the Second War . Thus , after the war , he constructed the Greymane Wall : a massive barrier spanning the entire northern border . The enormous wall barricades Gilneas from Lordaeron . Gilneas does not allow anyone in or out , and because of this no one knows what has been transpiring there since the end of the Second War . It was later found that the Worgen curse swept mercilessly across the nation , turning many of its inhabitants into savage beasts . However , they were able to get their humanity back and rebuild the land . Following the " " and an invasion by the Forsaken , Gilneas rejoined the Alliance . People and culture . A person from Gilneas is referred to as Gilnean . Like their leader , Gilnean people are often burly and gruff . Extremely isolationist , they supported the Greymane Wall ' s construction . They speak common , and have their faith in the Holy Light . Their resources are unknown . Moreover , their costumes , weapons , architecture , and accents have Regency connotations ; along with the cold and rainy weather of the peninsula , it gives the feeling of being in the London of the early nineteenth century . Lord Genn Greymane , a brawny warrior who is in his seventies , has ruled Gilneas for decades . " The Old Ways " . It is unclear how the Gilneans came to posses their druidic powers . Some believe that the night elves taught them , yet this must have been before the Greymane Wall was sealed , as the Gilnean druids were instrumental in saving their population during a famine after the Wall was closed and before the night elves arrived during the Cataclysm . There is sufficient proof and reason to believe that the practices of primitive druid ism or " the old ways " were once alive and well within or around Gilnean society before the sealing of the Wall . It is likely that that the people of Gilneas would have once practiced or acknowledged ( in varying degrees ) the traditions and reverences of nature worship . In time though ( before the Greymane Wall was erected ) the followers of the Holy Light must have spread their teachings to Gilneas and succeeded in converting many of its people , causing druidism to slowly fade into the past and become mostly forgotten . When starting a Worgen Druid the from does seem to support these assumptions . During Hallow ' s End the Faction Commoners and Celestine of the Harvest also have supporting these assumptions , connecting Gilneas , druidism , and the traditions of Hallow ' s End . In the early days of humanity and its civilization , many tribes of humans had primitive belief systems that incorporated simple nature magic . However , the rise of organized religion such as the Holy Light and the potent arcane magics introduced by the high elves quickly supplanted such traditions . Gilneas , due to its relative isolation , has retained a degree of their ancient culture in the contemporary era . The religious leaders of what was in Gilneas referred to as the “ old ways ” eventually became “ harvest - witches ” ; those who used their nature powers to augment Gilneas ’ agricultural output during and following its period of industrialization . Due to the presence of harvest - witches in their culture , when Gilneans learned about night elf druid s ( albeit through second , third and even fourth - hand sources ) they became fascinated by them and their exotic connotations , to the point where many started referring to harvest witches as “ druids ” , though this was quite far from the truth , as few Gilneans had any idea what a druid actually was ! Harvest - witches have a limited control over nature , especially plant life , and the powers of harvest witches bear a coincidental resemblance to the low - level abilities of actual druids . Harvest witches who contracted the worgen curse ( which was druidic in origin ) found that their powers were somewhat amplified , and after making first contact with the night elves cursed harvest witches were offered induction into the Cenarion Circle for both study and training . History . Following their victory in their war against the trolls , the empire of Arathor entered into a period of prosperity and growth . After the death of King Thoradin , the empire began to expand , founding new city states in the wilderness , including Gilneas . Each city grew and prospered . Both Gilneas and Alterac developed strong armies that explored the world . Over time , the power of Gilneas and the other city states grew as that of Strom waned ; eventually , they developed their own customs and beliefs , and the empire splintered into seven independent kingdoms . By the start of the Second War , Gilneas was one of the most powerful human nations , and because of this , the kingdom ' s ruler , Genn Greymane , was not a strong supporter of the Alliance , believing that his own armies would be more than enough to deal with any threat . However , Gilneas held no fondness towards the Horde and gave its full support to the Alliance late in the Second War ( although Lord Greymane constantly argued against the existence of the Alliance from beginning to end ) . He never fully supported the Lordaeron Alliance in the Second War , and shortly after the Horde was defeated , Greymane pulled his nation ' s support from the Alliance , refusing to spend his nation ' s resources on keeping the orcs alive in internment camps or in rebuilding other nations devastated by the war . Greymane ' s isolationism may have been influenced by Daval Prestor , who was secretly the black dragon Deathwing in human form ; Greymane had supported his ascension to the throne of Alterac . The Greymane Wall and the Third War . Some time after the Second War , Greymane constructed the Greymane Wall , an enormous stone barrier that now separates Gilneas from Lordaeron . Attempting to forever remove his nation from what he considered " other people ' s troubles " , he barricaded Gilneas behind the wall . No one , not even other humans , was allowed to enter Gilneas . Even during the Scourge ' s invasion of Lordaeron , while human refugees came begging to be allowed in , the Greymane Wall remained closed . At the peak of their strength , the Scourge relentlessly assaulted the Greymane Wall and threatened to devour all Gilneas . King Greymane ' s armies held the wall for days against a massive sea of undead hordes , but for every undead that fell , another took its place . In order to keep the Scourge out , Greymane ordered his court archmage , Arugal , to unleash a " secret weapon " against the Scourge : the worgen , who had been contained for millennia . Unfortunately , after attacking the Scourge , the worgen began attacking humans living in Silverpine Forest and infecting Gilnean soldiers beyond the wall . Before long , the affliction had advanced through the legendary barrier and gradually ate away at Gilneas ’ humanity . Meanwhile , refugees and other nations entreated Gilneas for aid from the Scourge . These unfortunates never saw a Gilnean and became easy prey for the worgen that occasionally strayed south from Shadowfang Keep . Gilneas was not affected by the Scourge . Although the land connection to Gilneas was closed , ships from this self - isolated nation were spotted throughout the world , such as the pirate ship " Heedless " , captained by Baron Longshore . A small group of soldiers known as the Gilneas Brigade joined the Human Expedition led by Jaina Proudmoore during the Third War ; they had been dispatched by Lord Darius Crowley . Civil War . Lord Darius Crowley , upset about Greymane ' s isolationism , launched the Northgate rebellion , and later on , the Gilneas civil war . Lord Crowley was eventually captured by Greymane ' s forces . However , as wild worgen spread and attacked Gilneas City , causing massive harm , Crowley was released by Gilnean adventurers and convinced to give aid to Greymane , who had ordered the evacuation of Gilneas to lands controlled by the night elves . In order to divert the worgen ' s attention from the fleeing citizens , Crowley led a group of sane Gilneans to stand against them at Light ' s Dawn Cathedral . Crowley and his followers were overwhelmed and became worgen themselves . The Cataclysm . The Cataclysm breached the Greymane Wall , and the Horde , now under the command of Warchief Garrosh Hellscream , ordered the Forsaken to attack Gilneas . In desperation , King Genn Greymane asked Crowley for help ; he would fight under the command of Lord Vincent Godfrey . Crowley refused until Greymane revealed that he , too , had been transformed into a worgen . Lord Crowley led the Gilneas Liberation Front against the Forsaken in Silverpine Forest . With help from the 7th Legion , who used a submarine to pass the enemy lines , the Alliance gained the upper hand in Gilneas . However , agents of the Horde ended up destroying some the reinforcements and enabled the Forsaken to resurrect Lord Godfrey as one of their own , a fact that none of the Gilneans were aware of . Crowley later surrendered to Sylvanas Windrunner after she had taken his daughter hostage . Meanwhile , Lord Godfrey rebelled against Sylvanas and " killed " her , although she was quickly resurrected . Sylvanas returned to the Undercity to recover , enabling the Alliance to retake Gilneas . Post - Cataclysm . The worgen curse that started from Shadowfang Keep and swept across Gilneas left its people irrevocably transformed . Almost the entire human population has been turned to the beastly worgen , a humbling failure for Genn Greymane in his efforts to keep his people safe . The reaction of the people to this change will likely be greatly varied , and has yet to be revealed . Preliminary dialogue from Cataclysm has revealed that Gilnean mages and healers went to great strides to fight the affliction . Gilneas has undergone deep changes in the wake of its cursing , and while the people maintain their free will , the impact of the curse remains to be seen . Gilneas in Warcraft II . Leader : " Genn Greymane " Nation Color : " Black " Background : " Despite the impending Orcish invasion , Gilneas has remained separate from the Alliance of Lordaeron . As ruler of one of the strongest human nations , Genn Greymane is convinced that his own armies can deal with any threat , and has therefore remained unmoved by Lord Lothar ' s pleas for unity . Despite this apparent disdain for the Alliance , the denizens of Gilneas harbor no fondness for the orcs or their allies and are prepared to meet them blade for blade . " Gilneas in Warcraft III . In the " " Orc Campaign : The Invasion of Kalimdor in Chapter Three : Cry of the Warsong , one of the human factions you face has the force name Gilneas Brigade , implying that people from Gilneas travelled to Kalimdor with Jaina and are very likely still with her now . In World of Warcraft . Gilneas in Cataclysm . Gilneas was introduced in the Cataclysm expansion , as the starting zone of the new playable worgen race . Players enter the story as a human . The quests reveal how the worgen curse came to be , how the humans of Gilneas came to be affected by it , and lastly with the player him / herself being infected with the worgen curse . Later the Greymane Wall is shattered , which forces the Gilneans to re - enter the conflicts they sought to escape . The threat of Forsaken attacks and an offer of aid from the night elves brings Gilneas into the Alliance , which serves as a counterpart to the introduction of the Horde - allied Goblins of Kezan . In - game , Gilneas appears to be a dreary and rainy territory , reflecting the cursed nation itself . The Greymane Wall has received a graphical update to match the new style of Gilneas . Much like when Quel ' Thalas was introduced in " " , the Peninsula of Gilneas has a considerably different landmass than it does on the current maps . Prior to the Cataclysm , Gilneas appeared as a small , thin peninsula roughly the same size and shape as Silverpine Forest to the north . After the Cataclysm , the Gilnean peninsula appears slightly shorter but significantly wider ( even accounting for the land that sinks into the ocean during the Worgen starting experience ) . The current state of Gilneas and its future are not clear . Officially the Alliance controls Gilneas with skirmishes on the border ( as is the purpose of the battleground ) but this story has not come to a conclusion as Genn Greymane remains in Stormwind City , the bulk of its population remain in Darnassus , and the zone itself is largely empty with no NPCs and only a few mobs . Geography . Gilneas is a large peninsula that juts into the sea south of the western regions of Lordaeron . Silverpine Forest lies to the northeast and Kul Tiras and Crestfall await across the sea to the south and Tol ' Barad stands to the east . Because of its nearness , Zul ' Dare is considered part of Gilneas . Gilneas is a cold , rainy place , mainly because The Great Sea surrounds the peninsula on three sides , making sea storms common . High cliffs on the shores protect Gilneas from sailors ’ curious eyes . The Greymane Wall is the only evident site in Gilneas . Travel . Getting there . " Note : There are no flight paths for Gilneas . " Both Alliance and Horde can reach the Ruins of Gilneas by foot through the breach in the Greymane Wall via southern Silverpine Forest . The Ruins are what is left of the zone after the worgen starting experience ; players that are not worgen will not have access to the zone during that experience . Inhabitants . " Worgen experience only . " " There are no rare mob s within Gilneas . " Resources . " Though there are no pools to speak of , a fishing skill of 25 is needed to fish coastal waters without catching junk . " Notable characters . Players are introduced to several heroes and patriots of Gilneas in the starting experience who are trying to repel the invading Worgen from their city . Players are introduced to the , the , the treacherous Vincent Godfrey , the leader of the northgate rebels Darius Crowley and his daughter Lorna Crowley , the alchemist Krennan Aranas and the himself . After the battle with the Worgen , some of the population of Gilneas City , including the player , are transformed into feral worgen . Quests . At the time of the first Forsaken invasion of Gilneas , the player is given a potion by Krennan to give control of his / her mind back . During the battle , the Cataclysm hits and the battlefield collapses into the ocean , killing many of the forsaken invaders as well as some of the Gilneans . The Forsaken send reinforcements and they quickly capture Gilneas City and begin enslaving the surrounding population . As the rest of the Gilnean people travel to a safer area , they are joined by Darius Crowley and those loyal to him who have all been transformed into Worgen ; their sanity was saved due to the help of the Night Elves . It is at this time that Genn reveals himself to be afflicted with the Worgen curse , too . With the Gilneans united , they liberate the town of Emberstone and its mine , freeing the Gilneans who were enslaved there . Together they on their capitol to reclaim it . The reclamation is a success but Liam is killed in the attack by Sylvanas Windrunner . The next day the Forsaken use their plague on the city . Most of the population is evacuated , but once again the city is back in Forsaken control . Many of the Gilneans then flee from their country with the help of the night elves to Darnassus , but some remain behind under Darius Crowley to form the Gilneas Liberation Front . Horde players are sent into Gilneas from quests in Silverpine to stop the Worgen and fortify their hold on the kingdom . This effort fails greatly as the Forsaken underestimated the Worgen ' s strength ; their entire second invasion crumbles as soon as the 7th Legion arrives and completely pushes the Forsaken out of Gilneas and back into Silverpine . Areas of interest . Points of interest . " Note : Coordinates are not exact . General locations shown . Locations also depend upon phase . "