Globin VI Stormpike

Globin VI Stormpike was born about 70 years BDP (before the opening of the Dark Portal) in Ironforge.
In the year -9 BDP, Gimli's father, Globin VI was among the first Stormpikes of Ironforge who became interested in the hints of activity from his Clan's forefathers in Lordaeron. Evidence pointing to a settlement in the Alterac mountains drove him to ride his ram North of Khaz Modan to seek the help of the Wildhammer gryphonriders of Aerie Peak in the Hinterlands, in order to scour the region from the sky for the concealed valley.
However, reconciliation between the mountain and hill dwarves hadn't been fully achieved yet. The episode of the War of the Three Hammers, and then Grim Batol, had left the Wildhammers in deep distrust of southern dwarves, even though they held the Stormpikes in higher regard than other Bronzebeards. Their lack of interest for archaeology, exploration and foreign contact wouldn't work in Globin's favor either.
Globin was welcomed by the Wildhammers as a guest, but borrowing gryphons was another story entirely. He was made to enlist into the Wildhammer defense forces, swear fealty to Thane Kurdran Wildhammer and train as a gryphonrider. As a soldier, he discovered that he wasn't allowed to ride his gryphon on his own, without an order to fly. So as to achieve his goal of scouting for the Alterac valley, he then patiently waited until he could work his way up to broader independence.
But in the year -3, when he achieved a high enough rank to be allowed to leave Aerie Peak on his own and take other riders along with him, his first thought went to his family and his youth sweetheart, Saoirse Stormpike (a distant cousin). Riding south to Ironforge along with two fellow riders who were more curious than the rest of their brethren, Globin made a triumphant appearance at the dwarven capital city, harboring a promise of more understanding and archaeological cooperation with the Wildhammer dwarves in the future. Making quick work of his courtship and marriage to Saoirse, he sired his son, and promised to return soon. Before making his way back to the Hinterlands with his companions, who were starting to get interested in the mountain dwarves' ways and taste for archaeology (as well as their women), Globin was named an official liaison between the realms of Ironforge and Aerie Peak.
When Saoirse knew she was pregnant with her newlywed husband's son, she sent word to the Stormpikes of the whole continent, and to Globin in Lordaeron. He would not be there to receive the message, as he finally got to take a band of gryphonriders to Alterac, hoping to discover archaeological remains of his family's early settlements. As no answer to their request for an audience with the local King had come to them for three months, Globin decided to fly west anyway.
The squad of five dwarves, including his two companions from the trip to Ironforge, were met with arrows and burning pitch. The Alteraci King, Aiden Perenolde, had become so paranoid from the ongoing conflict with Stromgarde that any message from the outside was immediately destroyed by flames (except for messages of magical nature sent by Dalaran), and any outsiders were considered spies or mercenaries. One of the riders was shot down, and the others decided to surrender, because they wished to bring their dead comrade's body back to his family instead of risking more death among their band.
They would remain unjudged prisoners until General Hath interceded in their favor in -1. Begrudgingly leaving Alterac without having been auhorized to unearth his companion's remains or any artifacts, Globin led his band back to Aerie Peak on foot and swearing revenge upon the human, as the gryphons were kept as trophies by Perenolde. His flying steed, Tar'an, had shed a few feathers when he was bound by the Alteraci guards, and Globin had picked them up and kept them hidden for the entire duration of his capture.
Upon reaching the Aerie Peak, Globin learned he had a son, and wished to rally Ironforge right away. However, the Wildhammers would not lend him another gryphon, as his expedition was considered reckless and contrary to the values of the reclusive hill dwarves. The loss of a Wildhammer and five gryphons also got him demoted and forbidden from leaving the Hinterlands until he would retrieve his companion or befriend a wild one. Thinking himself beset by asinine and cruel leaders, he found solace in the letters he received from his beloved describing his son to him, and in the unconditional affection he found with the animals he tamed and befriended. He soon came to the decision that his son would be named after his comrade fallen in Alterac, and he sent a letter to his wife with three ornate gryphon quills, engraved with the names Globin, Saoirse and Gimli, urging her to wait for his return to freedom.
==Great Wars==
Taming another gryphon wasn't an easy task, especially since the Wildhammers were instructed not to facilitate his research. Globin spent endless months waiting, killing time honing his archery and wildlife knowledge skills. By the time of the end of the First War (year 3), Globin had resolved to find a way out of the Hinterlands, and he volunteered to be among the patrols keeping the Amani trolls in check on foot, hoping to eventually be sent to either Alterac or Dun Morogh.
When the Bleeding Hollow Clan besieged Ironforge during the Second War (year 5), the mountain dwarves sealed off all ways in and out, preventing any messages to go through the doors. Globin became wary of his family's situation because his ravens would either come back with the messages undelivered, or not at all. The forest trolls had grown restless, enticed by the news of likeminded, green-skinned conquering fiends marching north. When they struck a bargain with the invading Horde, the Wildhammer forces suffered light, albeit traumatizing casualties.
As the thane of Aerie Peak pledged his complete loyalty to the Alliance, Globin was deployed to chase the orcs on their way to Quel’Thalas. He despaired at the fact that the orcs were moving so swiftly and fearlessly, surely meaning that his homeland had fallen to the rabid aliens. It was there and then that he first heard a young inspiring hero, the priest-recently-turned-paladin Turalyon. Moved by the latter's mowerful words of hope, and later in Quel’thalas by Alleria Windrunner’s will in the face of a much worse fate than the one befalling Ironforge, Globin resolved to follow them to the ends of the world, should his family survive the war.
Globin retrieved his gryphon when he convinced his superiors to lend him to the forces of Stromgarde to raid the traitorous Alliance kingdom of Alterac, for he had been a prisoner there and would facilitate contact with the Alliance loyalist General Hath. Released from his sanction, Globin rode Tar’an into battle against the Horde, for the freedom of Khaz Modan and the whole of Azeroth.
When Ironforge was relieved from the Horde blockade (year 6), Globin was among the forces chasing the orcish troops on gryphonback. He began settling there once again, meeting his son Gimli for the first time and reuniting with his wife, on a long permission granted for his actions in favor of allying the Wildhammer and Bronzebeard clans.
From there, he started gathering funds and the attention of the Explorers’ League to investigate Alterac valley, which had, unbeknownst to him, already been found by the Frostwolf orcs. His first trip, featuring explorers and soldiers from both dwarven kingdoms, was unsuccessful, mostly because of the Frostwolves’ friendship with the elements who concealed the secretive place, and would be his last. Although more detailed maps of the region could be established from it, they were incomplete at best, because of the spirits’ deception.
Back in Ironforge, he pondered on whether to give up on his ambition temporarily and raise his child with Saoirse in Aerie Peak, in the hopes of mustering another expedition force soon. His ambitions were foiled when the Wildhammer clan called for his service once again. He heeded Terenas II Menethil, Kurdran Wildhammer, Danath Trollbane, Khadgar, Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner’s call and joined the expedition to Draenor (year 8) alongside Kurdran’s troops.
He was one of the gryphonriders among the troops led by Turalyon and Alleria in a battle that took place in Outland three years after the closing of the Dark Portal (year 11). The Alliance forces present there would all disappear inexplicably. No one would hear from him again among the Wildhammers in Shadowmoon valley.
Category:Characters
Category:Alliance Characters
Category:Alive characters
Category:Dwarves
Category:Ironforge
Category:Hunters