Gantrithor

Information

Player: CappnRob

Character Full Name: Gantrithor

Character In-Game Name: Gantrithor

Nickname(s): Big Blue, Gan, Thor

Association(s): Honor Hold, the Alliance army, Shat'kure

Race: Draenei

Class: Warrior

Age: 8000

Sex: Male

Hair: Grey

Eyes: Glowing Blue

Scale: 1.0

Appearance

Gantrithor has given up full metal suits of armor for a lightweight, more mobile garment that resembles the Draenei peacekeepers. It is made of Clefthoof leathers, scale mail with a cassock. He is also rarely seen without a large leather hat atop of his head.

Gantrithor's hair is long, messy and gray. His forehead crest is slightly dented inward, and his jawline carries a significant scar as well as a slight asymmetric lump.

Personality

Gantrithor is a man whose pride has been broken. Where he was once short-sighted and selfish, absorbed in his own displays of glory and valor, he now tries to be humble and meditative. A spiritual journey on Outland opened his eyes to the truths of the world, and have granted him clarity and focus in his thoughts. However, he is still a learner, a journeyman in this new walk in life, and thus his old habits still hold onto him by threads which weigh him down at times. He still thinks highly of himself and prefers action over words, but by and large he has become a much more diligent warrior than he ever was before.

Alignment: Lawful Good

History

Born on the Oshu'gun across its long and winded journey across the twisting nether nearly seven millenia before the settling of Draenor, Gantrithor was the younger son of a venerable vindicator, who himself was a vindicator of Argus. Raised in the tradition of his father and grandfather before him, Gantrithor too was trained to be a holy fighter for the Naaru against the Burning Legion. Taking to these teachings feverishly, Gantrithor as a child was firey spirited and rock-headed to boot. He held a passion to destroy the evil masters who lorded over his people's past, which fostered in him his impulsive, do or die personality.

Gantrithor, being a draenei, was raised by the community like all of his people are. There was though one soul in particular who contributed to the other half of Gantrithor's being, and that was his elder brother Uri. Uri was soft-hearted and jovial, and while often upset at his brother's trouble-making, was always supportive and friendly to him in the absence of their often-busy parents. Gantrithor in turn became a very boisterous and mirthful soul himself, his brother's kind-hearted happiness mixing with his brash attitude to create an identity that was fun-loving, bold, and often times impulsive. Despite the implications, though, Gantrithor made a fine vindicator and proved popular amongst his peers.

When the Oshu'gun finally made landfall onto Draenor, the gung-ho warrior was overjoyed not to be cramped inside the confines of the vessel, and embraced the open fields of Nagrand happily. However, sedentary living was not in his calling, so while he contributed what he could to the initial settlement of the draenei people, namely the foundation of his home village of Baar'an where his brother's family would settle, he took to the roads for months at a time as a traveler. He patrolled the roads connecting all of the settlements, from Telaar and Halaa, to Shattrath and Telhamat, all the way to Faralohn and back. For nearly a thousand years he made Draenor his own, fighting the odd Ogre on the road with his comrades whenever they tried to stir up trouble and doing his duty proudly. For almost a thousand years, it was all good. Then, the Blood Curse came.

He was on patrol when the attacks began, away from any initial signs of trouble in the wilderness. As he made his way back, though, he saw smoke on the horizon, and knowing Baar'an's close proximity to the nearby orcish villages, he dashed off speedily on his elekk to assess the situation. He arrived too late, seeing only burnt canvases and mangled bodies strewn about with two idle raiders plundering for goods. He slaughtered them mercilessly in a righteous rage. When it was done, he hurriedly made way for other smaller villages, seeking out survivors. He learned of Karabor's fall, and how the Prophet ordered all of the draenei to fortify themselves within Shattrath City's walls, and Gantrithor obliged. He was relieved to see his brother Uri and his wife safe - however they were missing some of their adult children, as well as the brothers' own parents. A slow, seething hatred began to boil within Gantrithor, but he kept a tight lid on it for the sake of pride and vanity.

It became apparent that Shattrath would not hold back the blood-crazed orcs forever, and thus a plan of evacuation was made to the swamps of Zangarmarsh. However, not all would make the journey - by choice, in fact, as some must stay behind and put up a token defense to hold the attentions of the orcs that would attack so the refugees may make it out safely and unseen. Gantrithor was one such volunteer, and he did so with a swelling of pride to make such a heroic sacrifice... and as a means to bring justice to the demon-groveling orcs. In his final days in the city, Gantrithor pulled rank to captain of a personal cadre of soldiers, and they were his truest companions and friends in their final moments. Yet, when oblivion closed around them, as Gantrithor watched his last friends fall in battle, and heard his voice drowned out amidst the screams of combat, he faltered. Fear of loss overtook him in a situation he could not win, and so he retreated.

Alone and defeated, he carried himself to Zangarmarsh with shame to reunite with his people. Along the way, he twisted the tale in his head to cope with his cowardice: he told himself that he tried to save his brothers and sisters, told himself that he did all he could, and that he was not a coward, but a victim! He told himself if he had only been stronger, he could have done more, and soon he began to believe his own lies. These same lies he told his family and friends in the marsh, and they coddled him with sympathies as the world of Draenor fell silent in the nights following the final days of the bloodlust. Despite being alive and with his family, though, Gantrithor became withdrawn over the following years. He surrendered his mastery of the Light, and trained himself vigorously every day at physical feats. Absorbed in his own heroic myth, Gantrithor was determined to overcome a fault he had only constructed in his mind.

As the decades past and the Draenei survived on the fringes of Draenor, a new, alien force would make its presence known to the world: The Sons of Lothar. This valorous army of Light-wielding creatures, short and tall, with fair skin and silver armor, enthralled Gantrithor's mind. Was this the Army of the Light foretold by the Prophet? As they used the Light to destroy the orc armies and retake Draenor, it surely seemed that way to Gantrithor. At last, he made a choice: he must meet these valiant Light-wielders. Setting out alone, and telling only his brother, the ex-Vindicator traveled to the fortress of Honor Hold. Then the unforeseeable happened: Draenor exploded. Gantrithor nearly lost his life in the chaos, but was discovered by a troupe of Alliance soldiers who almost mistook him for a demonic creature. While communication was difficult at first, he showed them the Gift of the Naaru, proving his holy connection to the Light. He was taken in by the Sons and given a new home with them.

With the Dark Portal destroyed, Gantrithor began a new life in Hellfire in the fortress of Honor Hold. He was taught Common, and grasped it fluently. He shared his knowledges of Draenei craftsmanship, and in turn he learned the crafts of humans, dwarves and elves. His alien appearance made him a bit of an icon among the Sons of Lothar, though he was held at arm's length by the older members, the younger ones, especially the children born in the Hold, took to him playfully. Of special note was Castor Rookwood, a young aspiring paladin who took to Gantrithor like an uncle and studied under him the crafts of blacksmithing and combat. During his time isolated at Honor Hold, Gantrithor seemed to completely forget his woes and concerns - the "Alliance" had defeated the orcs, and though they were trapped on this world, he was certain they could defeat the Legion in time as well.

Gantrithor's life remained stable for many years following his integration into Honor Hold, until the Portal was once again reopened and members of the Alliance came forth to reinforce their lost brethren in Outland. To his amazement, these new souls included Draenei! Exhilarated to see they survived the destruction of Draenor and that the Prophet had allied with the Alliance, Gantrithor felt now more than ever that destiny was soon at hand. In is own time he decided to venture from Draenor and experience the world of Azeroth: home of the Alliance, only to find to his disgust that there were orcs there, and they were thriving once more as a force to oppose the Alliance. His old hatreds once more began to boil up, but this time Gantrithor was determined not to let the orcs take away what he held dear again.

During his ventures on Azeroth, though, the draenei knight's biases and conceptions were brutally challenged. During one occasion, he found himself captured amongst a multitude of others of all races and cultures inside a mountain hideout, where he proudly puffed out his chest and refused to bend knee to their tormentors - a display of pride which cost him some bodily harm. He met with the Bonechewer orc Voragh Backbreaker, who was a hired thug to keep the prisoners in line, and Gantrithor held him in utter contempt. However as their situation grew complicated, he found himself having to work together with this crude individual for the safety of everyone - and to his disbelief, almost found him enjoyable company. Yet, their friendship was one of necessity, and when they had escaped their captors, the two went their separate ways, which Gantrithor thought was for good. He was mistaken.

He can not remember how he got there, but Gantrithor awoke one day in the snowed in city of Northwind. There, he found out that the settlement was haunted by angry spirits who desired escape - and were willing to take the bodies of those who were trapped there to do so. In a stroke of coincidence, or perhaps fate, Gantrithor reunited with Voragh amidst a group of other members of the Horde who did not regard the prideful draenei with the same respect. They did not matter to him, though - only that he did his duty to protect the helpless and find a way out of the cursed town. Yet this time his displays of bravado were not welcomed as feats of heroism, but foolishness. Gantrithor refused to show fear to the evil spirits that tried to control everyone; he refused to bend knee to their wickedness and dared to oppose them as he would oppose any force of evil - but for naught, and he was mocked as a fool for it. Embittered by what he saw as a lack of gratitude, he kept to himself, when another orc took interest to him: Orvisha Lorewolf.

While not impressed with his foolhardy attitude, Orvisha provided an ear for him to rant on and Gantrithor appreciated that. He took a peculiar liking to her, as she was not quite like other orcs - strong willed and stubborn to be sure, but also soft and thoughtful. Where as Gantrithor found himself attracted to Voragh for their similarities, he found a befitting contrast with Orvisha, and found her fascinating for it and for her arts, poetry and storytelling. In turn, he told her of the homeworld of her people that she never knew: of an unbroken Draenor in all of its beauty, and of his friends and family. The two fostered a strong friendship through this common appreciation, and Gantrithor's attitude as a whole was better for it, but it was not the end of trials for him.

One night while meditating to himself, a spirit of Northwind spoke him and called itself Judgement. It asked Gantrithor what sort of man he thought himself to be, what his strengths were and how he benefited others. Gantrithor replied with strength, valor, and courage, after all this is what he always displayed even if it was not always appreciated, right? Then, a vision came to him. A terrible vision of Shattrath, the day of the last battle. He saw his friends once more - saw them giving their lives. He tried to tell them it was hopeless, to retreat - but his words fell on deaf ears. Then a voice spoke to him, "What if you had not escaped?", and the draenei blacked out. He awoke to find himself in the smoldering ruin of Shattrath, but his body was different: he was a Broken One. The voice asked him if he had forgotten those who he left to die, and those who suffered worse, and once more he blacked out. Then he awoke in a field of red clay - Hellfire Peninsula. A demon of the Legion loomed over him, and Gantrithor found himself in the shape of a Lost One, weak and hopeless to resist. It commanded that he get back to work, but he was frozen with fear and did not move. The demon struck him down for his defiance, awakening Gantrithor from the nightmare.

The spirit had judged him. It said to him, "You are not as strong as you think... not as brave as you need to be", words which pierced Gantrithor to his soul, unraveling an ugly truth he had not only forgotten, but indeed had never even considered the worse possibilities of his cowardice. With a single blow over the course of a long, arduous stay in the cursed town, Gantrithor's pride had been broken, his eyes opened to the truths he had hidden from for so many years. He swore upon his escape from Northwind that he would set these things right so his soul may be at ease. He set out for Draenor once more, and Orvisha came along with him to experience her ancestral home alongside.

During the months that followed as Gantrithor tried to connect with the spirits of the world, he found himself under the guidance of many wise men: the anchorite Telah, the far-seer Jurok, and more. He reconciled himself with the souls of those he left to die, and reached outward to become a more insightful man as a whole. His ventures across outland with Orvisha caused him to shed his old self figuratively and literally, casting aside or losing his old armor, his old weapons, and his old ways of life for a new one of enlightenment and meditation. He could feel the essences of the world speaking to him: giving him peace of mind. By the end of his enlightening journey, a revelation had come to him, that he will give up his body and surrender his soul to the spirits' will, becoming their champion of arms. That is only the beginning of a new turn in his life though, as now the Cataclysm puts the spirits in anguish. Furthermore, as if to truly test his character, the Draenei finds the Alliance at total war with the Horde. Will he have to bring himself to arms against he new found companions? Only time will tell.

Skills and Abilities

Spiritual Guidance: Gantrithor turns to the wisdom of the spirits to guide his arm in battle. Through their insight he is capable of fantastic feats of arms the average soldier could never dream of.

Master Blacksmith: Gantrithor is an accomplished blacksmith in Draenei, Human, Dwarven and Elvish styles, both at weaponforging and armorcrafting.