Toderick Stoneward

Lord Toderick Ian Stoneward is an affluent Gilnean Earl and Magistrate. In addition, Toderick has significant experience within Alterac as both a man of the law and a politician. While in Alterac, Toderick has presided over a plethora of positions, his present one being the CEO of the Thonbridge Company.

Early Youth
Toderick was born and raised knowing that one day he would lead their House. Born the year of King Genn Greymane's coronation, Toderick is eldest child of Lord Roderick Stoneward and Lady Eleanor Stoneward. Toderick was held to highest standards throughout his childhood and nurtured for the office of Warden of Stoneward Prison.

House Stoneward has always had deep ties to the Gilnean legal system, dating back to his ancient ancestors, Erick the Clever who helped organize the first Laws of Gilneas and then Theodrick Stoneward, who also assisted in the law reform during the reign of King Haerord. His grandfather, Lord Frederick Stoneward had built Stoneward Prison on behalf of the Gilnean Crown during the Gilnean Industrial Reforms of King Archibald Greymane I. The construction of the prison only further established their family within the Gilnean judicial system. Yet, Toderick was not the only child of the Stoneward family. Toderick had two younger siblings, a younger brother and younger sister. His brother, Geoffrick Stoneward had a similar upbringing but resulted in becoming more short-tempered and belligerent by nature. Geoffrick picked plenty of fights which Tod needed to reconcile on more than one occasion. The boy's sister, Maxine was the youngest child of the Stonewards. Maxine spent much of her free time outside of her home, spent strolling about Gilneas City or within the local library.

Toderick had a pleasant enough childhood, educated and developing a serious persona to him from a young age. He got along with his siblings well enough. Young Toderick seemed an intelligent lad who knew he must one day inherit the family legacy and expanding on what his ancestors built. Essentially, your standard eldest child of nobility.

Early Adulthood
When Toderick reached adulthood, he formally entered the ranks of the Stoneward Regiment as an officer, as the son of the commanding Warden. During his time in the Stoneward Regiment, Toderick prepared for his eventual command, taking on many of the duties of Warden when his father was away on other business.

At one point, Toderick was called to his House's ancestral lands known as the Earldom of Corvric, where a rebellion led by Baron Erwin Manders, a vassal lord to his father and the Baron of Torby. Baron Manders reportedly took arms against his liege lord in order to take the entire earldom for himself, believing the Stoneward family had neglected the region. Toderick dealt with the rebellion wisely, knowing that Torby was the most prosperous village under the Stoneward domain, Toderick could not inflict great harm upon the people. Thus Toderick disguised himself and a small group of men as commoners, entering Torby only to slaughter the guards and make their way to the keep to execute Baron Manders himself.

Toderick remained within the Stoneward Regiment for a few years, during this time the First War had erupted in the south. Many Gilneans felt little sympathy for the plight of the southerners, thus resulting in Gilneas and the rest of the Human Kingdoms withholding support to the humans of Azeroth.

In the midst of the First War, a prison riot broke out in Stoneward Prison for unknown reasons. During the riot, the Stoneward Regiment attempted to quell the uprising. Toderick, as the commanding officer, led the force of guards to subdue the prisoners. In the heat of the chaos a prisoner attempted to pull rifle from the hands of a guard. During the struggle, the rifle discharged and the shot went through Toderick's knee. Toderick fell to the cobbles, and went into unconsciousness. He awoke the next day unable to move his left leg. The doctor presiding over his wound informed him that his kneecap had been shattered.

Toderick remained bedridden for some time, however the doctor eventually advised that Toderick could begin moving about with assistance from a cane. However, the doctor's suggestion was immature and his kneecap healed incorrectly, resulting in Toderick requiring the assistance of a cane for the rest of his life.

This enraged Toderick, it was bad enough he had been hurt, only he thought he would eventually make a full recovery. Now his future had been robbed from him and Toderick was left a cripple for the rest of his life. Toderick grew depressed and took the liquor for comfort. As Toderick was on the brink of descending into serious alcoholism, he received comfort from the advise of his dying grandfather, Lord Frederick Stoneward the man who had built Stoneward Prison.

Frederick reminded Toderick that all was not lost, he was a brilliant young man with a long life ahead of him. He reminded him there were other ways to serve his House. Thus Frederick recommended Toderick pursue a career in Law. Toderick took his grandfathers advice and cast aside the drink to begin as a barrister in the Gilnean court system. Toderick kept at it for several years, however his clear talent and name resulted in Toderick receiving a recommendation to become a magistrate.

Life as a Gilnean Magistrate
At the young age of twenty-five Toderick had become a magistrate of Gilneas. Toderick certainly wasn't the only magistrate and his name only took him so far, thus he presided over only a few cases in his earlier years. During this time, the aging Lord Roderick searched for a bride for his eldest son. Lord Roderick soon found Victoria Ashwin, the daughter of the successful businessman Percy Ashwin. Although they were not of noble blood, Percy Ashwin had built an economic empire from his various merchant ships and factories. It was agreed that they would wed after six months of courtship. During their initial meeting, Toderick and Victoria were awkward with one another. They were both considerably attractive, save Toderick's crippling, but they quickly warmed up to another and made the best out of their situation.

By the time of their wedding, Toderick and Victoria had grown to better know each other and the year following their wedding, Victoria gave birth to their first child, Cedrick. They became a happy family, residing in the older Stoneward lands which had been mostly ignored by the Stonewards since the building of Stoneward Prison. Toderick and Victoria enjoyed a happy marriage and a few years later, the Second War erupted. Gilneas's hesitant but eventual membership of the Alliance of Lordaeron displeased the Stoneward's who held the belief that Gilneas was capable of standing on its own and the Alliance would only prove detrimental to Gilneas. At this time, Toderick and Victoria had their second and final child, another boy by the name of Nederick Stoneward.

During the labor of Nederick, there were complications and sadly Victoria died during childbirth. This sent Toderick falling into depression once more. Only finding relief in liquor, Toderick grew distant from his two motherless sons, leaving them to the care of their governess.

Toderick had coped with the death of his wife through alcohol and at one point found comfort from a barmaid, she seduced him and he drunkenly produced a bastard with her. He was unaware he had done anything until a several months later when she presented their son to him. Ashamed, Toderick took the child and paid the woman off to disappear. Toderick raised the bastard under the name William Stoneparish, he had done what he could to hide his existence, thus he placed him an orphanage but saw to his sons well-being through financial support. This event sobered Toderick and he soon recovered.

Construction of the Greymane Wall and the Northgate Rebellion
Shortly afterward, the Greymane Wall was erected, this caused Lord Roderick to call all of his family back to Stoneward Prison so that they might all be safe. Toderick restored the strained relationship he had with his siblings, growing ever closer to them. Toderick soon noticed that his eldest son had grown to become a fine young man and a skilled warrior. Lord Roderick was able to arrange Cedrick to join King Genn Greymane's Personal Guard. Toderick's practice had also picked up, and his time in office caused him to gain more respect from his colleagues and he started to preside over more trials.

House Stoneward had enjoyed nearly two decades of happiness and prosperity when the Northgate Rebellion erupted. The Stonewards remained staunch loyalists to their King and gladly administered his justice. This caused his family to be despised by many rebels, as they were known to mistreat the imprisoned rebels they did not execute.

In the midst of the war, Cedrick Stoneward was returning from his duties of guarding the king to visit his family during the hard times. On the road between Greymane Manor and Stoneward Prison, Cedrick was ambushed by Northgate Rebels. Although he managed to fend them off, Cedrick suffered significant wounds and was unable to continue on the path. He was later found dead on the side of the road a few hours later by a traveling merchant.

The death of his eldest son was another hard blow Toderick, he was excused from overseeing trials for medical leave. In the midst of the one night, Toderick traveled into the streets of the city, in his old armor, hobbling about with a flintlock in his other hand daring the Northgate Rebels to have at him. However the Northgate Rebellion was crushed and Crowley and his officers captured. Toderick punished them brutally for the murder of his son, treating them terribly, torturing them through methods that were reserved for most disobedient prisoners.

Following the defeat of the Northgate Rebellion, the Starlight Slasher murders raged through Gilneas City. One night, Lord Roderick was walking through Gilneas City when he was murdered, his death was brutal and cruel. It was apart of the series of murders carried out by the criminal known only as Starlight Slasher. Toderick was suffering enough from the death of his son, but the loss of his father destroyed him. Yet Toderick resisted using liquor as a treatement. Toderick was now the Lord and returned to his practice. Toderick appointed his brother, Geoffrick as the Warden of Stoneward Prison.

The Worgen Curse and Fall of Gilneas
As life finally seemed to be returning to normal, more trouble cam upon them. Their sovereign, King Genn Greymane ordered a state of emergency to defend Gilneas City from the feral Worgen Curse that had been taking much of the populace. Toderick ordered Stoneward Prison to undergo a lock down to prevent an infection within the prison. However, it wasn't long before the feral Worgen attacked the prison. Yet the afflicted Worgen overcame the defenses and the prison was overrun, despite the assistance of King's Men.

However, Toderick had taken a precaution and also locked him and his family into various cells, so even if they were afflicted they could do no harm. All of the Stoneward's, save Maxine and the children of Geoffrick who had miraculously been spared, were afflicted with the Curse inside their cells. Fortunately, after the feral Worgen moved on from Stoneward Prison and the refugees were prepared to leave, the children unlocked their cells and alerted the fleeing Gilneans. They informed them of their family, and it was decided that the afflicted Stonewards would be rescued and transported in cages, in case a cure was produced.

Toderick and the rest of his family later received treatment for the Worgen Curse within Tal'doren. Toderick had decided to embrace his new identity, although he, unlike Geoffrick avoided his true form due to the difficulty he had walking. He was actually capable of walking in his true form, however with a serious limp and he was still crippled in Human form. Throughout the Invasion of Gilneas, Toderick often kept order among the refugees, overseeing brief trials over any crimes and was apart of negotiations for the release of King Genn Greymane from the traitor Lord Vincent Godfrey, who had once been a friend of Toderick. When the Gilnean refugees arrived in Darnassus, Toderick was at first hesitant to rejoin the Alliance but he later submitted that perhaps it was time and they owed their saviors that much. Toderick came to to terms that Gilneas was no longer the mighty power it had been. Toderick and the rest of the Stonewards found the Howling Oak to be crowded and unsuitable for long term living quarters and resolved to follow King Genn to Stormwind. Upon their arrival, Toderick decided to enter retirement and purchased a home now known as the Stoneward Estate where he was financially supported by his son, Nederick and his brother who became mercenaries.

A New Home
Toderick remained in retirement for nearly three years before hearing word of a new nation rising of out of Alterac, hoping to restore the defunct kingdom. Toderick recalled the injustice that Alterac experienced at the hands of the Alliance and sympathized with the fallen nation. Toderick had no interest in pursuing a career in Law in Stormwind and thus decided to offer his services to this City State of Alterac.

Toderick's significant experience in Law was enough reason for the leader of the City State, Kormed Wolfheart to quickly appoint him as the Lawspeaker of Alterac, as there was zero legal structure within Alterac. As Lawspeaker, Toderick soon became a well-trusted advisor of Kormed and one of the most important figures in Alterac. As Lawspeaker, Toderick restored the Countship of Begenburg which was traditionally gifted to the Lawspeaker during their time in office, which was often for life. Toderick became the Count of Begenburg and encouraged many Gilnean refugees to find refuge in the newly restored Alterac. Toderick became an august figure throughout Alterac, despite his status as a foreigner. Toderick oversaw an enormous reform of the ancient Laws of Alterac and established a successful Syndicate and Ogre bounty program.

Branded as a Traitor
As Lawspeaker, Toderick became considerably involved in the politics of Alterac. At one point, the Alliance of Arathor and the Archduchy of Gavenstead appeared to be on the brink of war. Alterac had opted to support Arathor, but not formally declare war on Gavenstead. However, the Shadowtalon Company, led by Vincent Ravenwing and Galmone Wolfgang Smith who were apart of the Alteraci Imperium the City State had grown to become, threatened to do otherwise.

With the absence of Kormed, Toderick represented Alterac and informed them that doing otherwise would be treason. Subtle threats were suggest by either sides and thus the conflict between Toderick Stoneward and the Shadowtalon Company began.

The heated dispute worsened after King Wolfheart received the Shadowtalon Company, the leaders of the organization told Kormed of what Toderick had done and made multiple accusatory and slanderous remarks towards Toderick. Toderick maintained a sense of decorum for only so long when he began to reply to the Commander's insults. As a result, physical violence broke out. Commander Galmone charged and struck Toderick. However, Toderick managed to fend off Commander Galmone with a strike of his cane despite his crippled state.

The dispute hardly ended at that hearing, some time later, Toderick was returning to Alterac from a battle accompanied by an Imperial Guardsmen, Lee Adams. However, they were ambushed by the Shadowtalon Company and both Toderick and Lee Adams were taken into custody for his accused crimes. However, Toderick demanded a proper trial and summoned Kormed Wolfheart as a witness to testify on his behalf in the farce trial. Kormed did arrive, but rather struck a deal with the Shadowtalon Company that allowed for them to remain within the Imperium so long as Toderick apologized.

For Toderick to agree to this deal would be contrary to his core principle of justice and Toderick believed that the dispute would not end through this agreement. The only solution in Toderick's eyes was to resign as Lawspeaker in order to bring lasting peace to this issue. Furthermore, Toderick felt the king and the Arch-Marshall who had accompanied the King had betrayed him in forsaking the law for the sake of keeping the empire whole. Toderick attempted to depart with peace however he was later confronted and attacked so that he might be captured again, thankfully Geranelm Syla had arrived on the scene and aided a wounded Toderick in escaping.

Toderick found refuge in the lands of the Iron Hills partially under Syla's rule. To repay the debt he owed to them for ensuring his safety, Toderick aided in organizing the laws. During his time in the Iron Hills, Toderick grew quickly weary of Northrend, an assassination attempt at the hands of the Galmone's son, Tyler Steele did not make him feel any safer. Toderick managed to bring a resolve to the dispute between himself and Shadowtalon Company and arranged to return to Alterac.

A Rise to Power
Initially, many Alteraci were distrusting of Toderick. Some were unfamiliar with him and thought him a traitor. However, he gradually regained their trust and was restored to his position. After the departure of the Arch-Marshall, Toderick was once again the primary advisor to the Emperor. During this time, Toderick led a campaign that resulted in the conquest of the formerly Syndicate controlled, Duchy of Eadfast. Toderick took the title of Duke of Eadfast following this and began to restore this land to its formerly glory.

With the large void in the positions needing to be filled, Toderick was appointed Great Officer of the Crown of Alterac. A term used for the combination of the duties of Lawspeaker and Arch-Seneschal. Toderick took over the administration of the Imperial Diet and became the only respected ruler of Alterac in the eyes of many of the nobility who had grown to dislike the King.

The End of the Imperium
In order to prevent corruption and absolute monarchy, which Toderick saw as an imminent threat, Toderick swore Kormed Wolfheart in as the Emperor of the Imperium. Although this may seem counter-productive to his concerns, in doing so he bounded Kormed to a strict set of rules. Kormed broke this code within a week of his coronation and thus set into motion the events known as the Ousting of Kormed Wolfheart. The Emperor had ordered the execution of multiple suspected war criminals, in truth, they were civilians under rebel rule, who had not been proclaimed guilty by a court of law. Thus, Toderick immediately suspended his title as Emperor until further notice and summoned Kormed and all who had followed the order to trial.

However, Kormed repeatedly ignored these summons and Toderick brought the matter before the Diet which renounced Kormed (and his entire bloodline) as King and Emperor and established an oligarchical republic to rule Alterac rather than a King.

Kormed arrived at the Imperial Diet quite late and all of this had lawfully come to pass. Kormed was immediately subjected to an informal trial to which he confessed numerous crimes, including the murder of his wife and her unborn child. The decision of the Diet remained and although Kormed later challenged the judicial position and made his own charges against Toderick.

Toderick responded how he and others would consider justly and befitting a man of his position. It would not have been a true trial, should Toderick oversee his trial, nor could great faith be placed in the integrity of other Alteraci magistrates, as most had been appointed by Toderick. Thus Toderick arranged for a Grand Jury to oversee his trial, leaving three agreed upon judges to render a verdict.

The judges were Highlord Zaria Blackmoore, Bronwynn Branson and then Scarlet Gernalem Syla. After a lengthy trial, the Grand Jury deemed Toderick innocent of corruption and treason, thus recognizing his actions against Kormed as legal. This sealed the fate of House Wolfheart and ended the Imperium.

With the new lacking of a King in Alterac, there was unrest amongst some of the common folk who had revered Kormed. To make matters worse, the Forsaken had appeared to seek to take advantage of the political instability and attempted an invasion.

The new republic of Alterac lasted for only a few days before disbanding entirely. Governance over Alterac was left to individual lords who had absolute power over their respected lands. As a result, much of Alterac was returned to chaos and instability.

Toderick had little interest in remaining in Alterac after this, he had no desire to combat the Forsaken threat and thus departed Alterac with many refugees who were like-minded in toll. Toderick led them to Gilneas, however his lands within Gilneas were incapable of supporting this massive population. Toderick resolved the matter by organizing their relocation to Arathor.

A Renewed Sense of Patriotism
After Toderick's skillful management of the refugee crisis, Toderick was offered the appointment of Ambassador of Gilneas to Arathor by the recently reformed Gilnean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Both Arathor and Toderick agreed and Toderick began his brief service as ambassador. During his administration over the position, Toderick organized a land purchase which saw to the construction of Port Aderic and witnessed the terrorist attacks orchestrated by the Army of the Truthful. Yet, Toderick's time in Arathor was short-lived, Toderick and Geoffrick developed a personal dispute with a former Northgate Rebel. This resulted in Toderick cutting off Gilnean support, which was not in the interest of the Gilnean government which had essentially pardoned all rebels. Due to his refusal to comply, Toderick was terminated from his position.

Another Folly
After Toderick's termination, Toderick learned of the present state of Alterac and how it had not been destroyed by the Plague, although it did indeed fall as he predicted. With the interest of Gilneas and Alterac at heart, Toderick resolved that the restoration of stability within Alterac would pose a potential ally for Gilneas but also potentially distract the Forsaken war effort.

Thus, Toderick reached out to various Alteraci peerage. He described to them how Alterac had fallen and if it ever intended to once again return from this dark place, the nobility must cooperate. Toderick proposed the creation of the Commonwealth of Alterac, kept together through the Assembly of Alterac. Rather than directly govern all land, Toderick proposed that the Assembly ought to serve as a resource for cooperation and compromise amongst the peerage and also allow for nobility to retain complete autonomy over their lands. Toderick envisioned he would serve as Clerk of the Assembly, and take upon a more facilitatory role. Toderick organized the first convention of the Assembly of Alterac which formally established the Commonwealth and the Charter of the Commonwealth of Alterac. Toderick's office of Clerk, although incredibly successful for the most part, was a short one. He accomplished much but after coming to the realization that the Assembly had been degraded into a power struggle between the nobles within, he resigned and the Assembly and thus the Commonwealth fell.

Although the Commonwealth had collapsed, Toderick had no intention to flee Alterac again. He journeyed to Thonbridge, a region he had kept his eye on for sometime. He quickly established power here and founded the Thonbridge Company, a corporation under his control that operates in a diverse number of fields.

After spending nearly 3 months building up the Thonbridge Company, Toderick returned to the public eye. Using his old political ties, the Thonbridge Company became one of the foremost businesses operating within Alterac. Providing employment to many rural people in various mountain valleys whose mines had been closed until the Thonbridge Company seized or purchased them.

Official Title
Although Toderick rarely requests being referred to by his formal title and a simple "Lord Stoneward" is usually all he requests, Toderick's full title is, Earl of Corvric, Toderick Ian Stoneward.

However, when referring to him or introducing him, Toderick would be addressed as "His Excellency, the Earl of Corvric, Toderick Ian Stoneward"

Reputation
Toderick is a man deplored by some and respected by others, but admired by few. A man of his age and personality, Toderick scarcely inspires love. During his times in Alterac, at times Toderick was greatly esteemed by the common folk, at others times he was considered a notorious traitor or a failure. Toderick has a most consistent relationship with nobility, however. Toderick is respected by more nobles throughout the Eastern Kingdoms than he is despised. Regardless, his relationship with nobility is rooted in his ability (or to some, inability) to negotiate with his peers to accomplish his goals.

Even in the Earldom of Corvric, a land he is no stranger in, people do not love their leader. Rather those with positive feelings, at least approve of his management at the last and at the most have deep respect for their lord.

Some find that Toderick has a commanding presence at times, but those are often those who Toderick knows he has authority over. Towards men of equal status, or even men who behave as if they were of equal status, Toderick is often polite, perhaps even giving the occasional, but usually empty compliment. However, Toderick will seldom gain their respect through charm alone.

Possessions of Note
(( Rather than a full description which would only make this page even longer and would be a bit unnecessary, here is a list of some of the more unique possessions of Toderick ))

Ornately Crafted Cane
Ever since his crippling, Toderick has required the assistance of a cane in order to properly walk. Although Toderick can stand and barely limp without assistance in Human form, it is quite painful and difficult to do so. Even in Worgen form where the cane is near impossible to operate, Toderick limps. Thus, Toderick typically remains in Human form and restricts himself to the cane. The bulb and tip of the cane are comprised of silver, the tip simply being a small silver cushion and the bulb being crafted into the shape of the sigil of Toderick's house, a crow. The cane itself is made of oak, however it has been painted black. Within the cane there is a hidden mechanism. In the base of the cane following the bulb, it cane is hollowed out to make room for a small hidden dagger attached to the bulb. The knife sets into a wooden sheathe within and is hidden from plain sight. In order to access the knife, a small dial at the base of the bulb must be turned which unlocks the sheathe and allows the knife to be withdrawn.

Golden Pocket Watch
Toderick also possesses an ostentatious golden pocket watch that was passed down from his father to Toderick. The golden pocket watch has been well maintained, Toderick takes the time when necessary to rewind the watch and uses it often.

Custom Saddle and Archibald the Gilnean War Horse
Due to Toderick's crippled condition, a saddle design was sought out early in his life so that Toderick would continue to be capable of riding. Soon a special saddle was designed that would strap Toderick's legs to the saddle, thus making it difficult for Toderick to use traditional commands. Rather horses must be specially trained to respond to either vocal or hand commands. Toderick trains most horses using hand commands, and has multiple ready for use should one follow. Traditionally, Toderick uses a white Gilnean steed whom he always names Archibald, even though the original Archibald deceased some time ago and multiple Archibalds have been replaced.

Fun Factoids

 * Toderick's middle name is Ian... He rarely reveals this for no apparent reason and there are only a select few who are aware of it.
 * Toderick is the 38th Earl of Corvric.
 * In the Stoneward line, the three most popular names in order being Edrick, Benrick, and Kerick. There have been eight Edrick's, four Benrick's and three Kerrick's. There have been other names used, however the more recent generations preceding Toderick's great-grandfather, Edrick VIII had used more already used names than new ones.
 * Toderick once intended on releasing a large novel encompassing the history of Alterac but was unable to finish the project.
 * As a young child, Toderick suffered from a speech impediment from ages 2 to 7. He was clearly brilliant however he managed to overcome to affliction and today enjoys speaking and has a large vocabulary at his disposal.
 * Toderick abides by strict principles, that he has never broken and has shown that he is unwilling to break them. Although he stated he will do so for the greater good and has no other option, but never has he been confronted with this issue yet.
 * Toderick hates the temperate climate of Stormwind. It apparently gives him headaches.