Standhaft Garithos

**Lands**
 **Relatives**
 **Date of Birth**
 **Affiliations**
 **Status**

Standhaft Garithos is a human noble, born of both Lordaeron and Stormwind.

His primary seat of power is the County of Faulkenburg in Stormwind, where he uses his limited resources to find shelter and work for the countless refugees from the North.

Despite having acted only in Stormwind for nearly a decade; Standhaft maintains his claim to the contested lands of Blackwood in northeastern Lordaeron, and plans to reclaim it when the Alliance restores the Northern Kingdoms.

## **Personality**

Standhaft is a righteous man, possessed of indomitable courage and determination. He spends his life struggling to restore the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron and safeguard the Eastern Kingdoms.

His people are paramount to him as he is a sincere believer of noblesse oblige. He believes that it is the divine responsibility of the nobility to defend the people they rule and destroy the forces of darkness that threaten civilization. And that to shirk these duties is a most heinous and sacrilegious crime.

Though he was raised as a devout follower of the Holy Light, his beliefs are coloured both by his father's grave views on the world, and by the very harsh realities of Azeroth following the opening of the Dark Portal.

Standhaft worships the Holy Light Triumphant, rather than the Holy Light Mundane. That is to say, he worships the Holy Light of heaven, rather than the worldly church that is its pale reflection. Ultimately, he has rejected the modern church and returned to the old human worship of the god Tyros.

Standhaft Garithos is not only a warrior and commander whose actions bespeak the conviction and determination of his beliefs, but also a great orator who inspires fervent loyalty and adoration from both his soldiers and the commonfolk. His adversaries and detractors viewed him as zealous in his unwavering pursuit to destroy the fulcrum of true evil. Inversely, his many followers viewed him as heroic for the very same qualities.

## **Appearance**

Standhaft Garithos is a brutishly large man, whose presence speaks of training from an early age. His strikes are as an avalanche unleashed and his guard is as unbreakable as the mountains. Few men in the realm can match his natural strength.

The seed of his father can be seen clearly in him, as he is his father's spirit and image. The powerful jaw of the Garithos line and Grand Marshal Othmar's grave visage was especially passed to him.

## **History**

Standhaft was born of both Lordaeron and Stormwind blood, heir to the Barony of Blackwood in northeast Lordaeron near the border with Quel'thalas. He grew to be a stalwart patriot of his respective homelands and of the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron.

While technically the heir to the Barony of Blackwood, the town and most of its vassals were destroyed in the Second War, and again in the Third War, so there remained nothing left to inherit save for ruined and plagued land and displaced survivors. Standhaft inherited little of his intended birthrights save for a small manor in Stormwind. But due to the unfortunate fates of his cousins, the Semmelweises, inherited the County of Faulkenburg. A land he was never destined to rule, but one which he toils to rule justly nevertheless.

### **Early Life**

Standhaft was born the first child of Othmar Garithos and Lady Leliana Hannelore Semmelweis.

His mother was a woman of strong piety and began from the start to instill in her young boy a strong faith. His father personally trained Standhaft in the arts of war, and oversaw his extensive education by scholars, priests, and specialist trainers in language, mathematics, the histories of the human kingdoms, the Holy Light, horse riding, and blacksmithing, among other subjects.

As a young boy, Othmar had Standhaft swear vows to forever fight for humanity and the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron.

When the Third War broke out, Othmar Garithos sent his family away to the safety of Stormwind, but their party was attacked en route to the port in Tyr's Hand. During this attack, Mara Garithos, Standhaft's younger sister, and many of their loyal retainers were killed.

### **The Third War**

Standhaft blamed himself for Mara's death, but it was only the first of many that would scar him. His father, Othmar Garithos, and nearly all of his family, friends, and loyal retainers who had not fled Lordaeron were known to have perished in the wake of the Scourge and the Burning Legion.

But rather than fall into depression, Standhaft turned his grief to grim determination. Upon his father's empty tombstone, Standhaft reaffirmed his childhood vows.

> *"Until my dying breath, I will defend all Humanity and the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron. By the grave of my father and by my noble birth, this I swear."*
>
>

### **Recent History**

Standhaft has spent his years in Stormwind toiling to establish himself and consolidate the power needed to make an impact on the world around him. But his greatest boon came through unfortunate circumstance when his cousin, Philip Semmelweis, perished in a horse riding accident and as the closest living heir Standhaft became the Count of Faulkenburg.

Through justice and temperance, Standhaft earned the loyalty and admiration of the Faulkenburg citizenry, and with the County of Faulkenburg as his new seat of power he was able to participate in many public works and charitable affairs; doing his best to aid the refugees fleeing the calamities of the North as well as the Stormwindians suffering domestically.

Standhaft has led his men-at-arms in battle against bandits in Westfall, beasts in Duskwood, and the Horde in Redridge. Though far too few in number to technically qualify as a brigade, they are known colloquially as the "Blackwood Brigade" for their distinguishable Blackwood heraldry.

## Family

### Othmar Garithos

Baron Othmar Garithos was the father of Standhaft Garithos, best known as Grand Marshal Garithos and the leader of the Alliance in the Third War.

Othmar Garithos was a grim man known for his iron will, courage, and martial ability. He was considered one of the finest military commanders in Lordaeron and the Alliance. Though he was never defeated in battle, he was eventually forced to capitulate by the physic powers of the Dreadlord Detheroc. He was briefly freed from this mind control by the Banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, but she betrayed and murdered him after their combined assault on Lordaeron City.

He blamed the high elves' fecklessness for the destruction of Blackwood in the Second War, and subsequently developed a strong hatred for elves. He also came to disdain non-humans in general.

### Leliana Garithos

Leliana Hannelore Semmelweis Garithos

Lady Leliana is the mother of Standhaft Garithos and sister of Ignaz Semmelweis.

A true daughter of Stromwind, Leliana, or "Anna" as her family once affectionately called her, is the quintessential lady of nobility. Born to Philip and Cecilia Semmelweis, scions of the wealthy House of Semmelweis, Leliana has struggled to maintain her identity throughout the years of her turbulent life. Despite the difficulty she has experienced during her years on Azeroth, Leliana  manages to retain the grace and poise that is expected of Stormwind's ruling elite.

Despite her sometimes removed countenance, Leliana is a woman of energy and exuberance.
In the traditional stylings of the House of Semmelweis, Leliana is oft genuinely kind and charitable to those of lesser station but quick to expect a natural deference from those of inferior station.

### Mara Garithos

Lady Mara Garithos was Standhaft's younger sister.

Having grown up in the strict and demanding atmosphere of her father's household, Lady Mara always carried herself with the deference expected of a woman of her standing when among her fellow nobles; remaining silent, nodding, and smiling to the noble Lords, Barons, and Dukes.

Otherwise, Mara, was a very normal little girl when the glaring spotlight of society was not upon her. Delighting in games with other young children and fanciful interests, Mara was quite sheltered and naive of the world around her.

Mara, along with her brother and mother, was ordered to travel to Stormwind for her own safety at the onset of the Third War, but while en route to Tyr's Hand their carriage was attacked. Mara fled in fear and became separated from her family and guards.

Standhaft pursued her in a desperate attempt to save her life, but failed and witnessed as she was torn apart by undead monstrosities.

### Wilhelm Garithos

Baron Wilhelm Garithos was Standhaft's paternal grandfather. He died defending Blackwood from the Horde in the Second War. In life he was well loved by his people, whose loyalty he won through justice and temperance.

He left behind a legacy of such tremendous greatness that he was apparently able to practice nepotism from beyond the grave, as he promoted his son, Othmar Garithos, to leader of the Alliance in Lordaeron during the Third war, more than a decade after his death.

### Ignaz Semmelweis

"May the man rest in peace, but what he stood for go on forever." - Dame Amailiana Bradford

Ignaz Semmelweis was Standhaft's maternal uncle and the Count of Faulkenburg.

Nobleman, Officer, Paladin, Politician, Writer, and Philanthropist, Count Semmelweis, was many things. From his noble birth in a long line of the Kingdom of Azeroth, failed Governorship over the misty jungles of Stranglethorn, his illustrious career in the Church of the Holy Light, and his stunning military career, Ignaz Semmelweis had been a true shaper of the world around him.

Despite his aristocratic tendencies, Semmelweis was a man of deep and resounding faith, a faith which initially led him to join the ranks of the Clergy of the Holy Light in humble servitude shortly before the First War. In service to the Church, Lord Semmelweis' wealth, prestige, and influence in the political spheres of the Alliance rose to staggering heights.

Ignaz managed to survive the First War and led a battalion of men against the Horde in the Second War. He later joined the Alliance Expedition through the Dark Portal and is presumed deceased.

### Philip Semmelweis

Philip Semmelweis, named for his grandfather, very briefly succeeded his father Ignaz as Count of Faulkenburg before his untimely death. Despite the high public visibility of his father, very little was known of the recently elevated lord due to his hermitic and reclusive nature.

His sudden and unexpected death led to his cousin, Standhaft Garithos, becoming the current Count of Faulkenburg.

### Wilhelmina Cartres

Wilhelimina Cartres Semmelweis was the wife of Ignaz Semmelweis until her death in the Culling of Stratholme at the hands of Prince Arthas Menethil and the soldiers under his command.

A daughter of the illustrious and wealthy Cartres family, the Counts of Northdale, Wilhelmina was a woman of great beauty and charm. Although the entirety of her blood family perished in the Culling, she was survived by her husband and son.

## Quotes

"'**Until my dying breath, I will defend all Humanity and the Grand Alliance of Lordaeron. By the grave of my father and by my noble birth, this I swear."**
—Standhaft Garithos

"'**A man like that, an aristocrat with soldiers, money, and the love of the people, might make himself king."**
—Katrana Prestor

"'**Born in the South to die in the North."**
—Standhaft Garithos

## **Trivia**

* The two dating systems used are the King's Calendar and 'A.D.P' which stands for After Dark Portal.

* "Noblesse oblige" is generally used to imply that with wealth, power, and prestige come responsibilities.

* A great deal of inspiration was drawn from the TV series Rome, the fanfiction novel Victory at Ostagar, Dawn of War, and others. I loved those works and I wouldn't want to claim any of their ideas as my own. My imitation is in loving homage.

## External links

* The "original" or "retail" version found on Moon Guard:Standhaft Garithos-Lionheart I

## **Notes**

* Standhaft Garithos on the Bloodsail Buccaneers is a sort of alternate universe prequel character from his Moon Guard counterpart.