House of Grunwald

The House of Grunwald is a Stormwind noble family founded by Edrington W. Grunwald, its first and current head. He was knighted in 38 L.C. and given his first hereditary title in 39, the Baron of Umberfall. Before rising to prominence as a noble family, the Grunwald family were wealthy merchants and landowners. Originating from the Lordaeron-Gilneas borderlands, the Grunwalds moved to Stormwind shortly before Third War. They made their fortune during the kingdom's reconstruction period, investing in land rental and maritime trade. With the endowment of peerage and hereditary lands, the House of Grunwald still focuses on mercantile activities along with new ventures in industry and mining.

History
The origins of the Grunwald family date back to the rise of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, where the family settled in the Westweald or the 'Western Plaguelands' as they are known today. Over time, the family shifted further west in pursuit of economic ventures, namely construction, agriculture, and an increasingly lucrative maritime trade with Gilneas and Kul Tiras. Eventually, the Grunwalds took up a more permanent residence along the borderlands between Lordaeron and Gilneas, namely in the Silverpine region, and helped construct a town there named Yoncy. In the centuries that followed, the Grunwalds remained a small but wealthy merchant family with great influence in local politics and markets.

By the time of the Second War, the Grunwalds were involved in the growing arms market that supplied the northern kingdoms in their war effort against the Orcish Horde. Family-backed ships and caravans transported much-needed weapons and armor to the armies of Lordaeron, Gilneas, and Stromgarde, but no family member served directly in the armies of those kingdoms. Once the Second War ended with an Alliance victory, the Grunwalds moved further south to assist in the reconstruction of Southshore. When word reached the northlands that the Kingdom of Stormwind required laborers and settlers to help rebuild, the recently-arrived Grunwalds sensed that great profits could be made by capitalizing on the nascent land market in Elwynn. They quickly prepared to move, taking a ship from Southshore to Stormwind City. The Grunwalds were fortunate, though, as the plague that ushered in the Third War struck the Kingdom of Lordaeron some years later.

Upon their arrival in Elwynn, the Grunwalds quickly purchased vast swathes of ruined land on the southern border that ran along the Nazferiti River. Although the initial cost was high, the Grunwalds received bountiful returns on their investment, as tenants flocked to cultivate the new farmlands in return for a home and sustenance. In the years that followed, the Grunwalds used their newfound fortunes to forge a mighty estate in southern Elwynn, solidifying their part in Stormwind's wealthy landed aristocracy. The head of the family, Wilhelm Grunwald, also joined the Board of Directors for the Stormwind Trading Company, a chartered merchant company that brought exotic goods to Stormwind City from all over Azeroth.

The next major change in the Grunwalds' fortune came when Edrington Grunwald, son of Wilhelm, enlisted in the Stormwind Royal Army, became knighted, and later joined the ranks of the Grand Alliance proper. As an officer in the Fifth Legion, he enjoyed close ties with the legion's commanding officers, Theodora and Markus Stonewall. Though the three of them had already served together previously, their renewed involvement in the Fifth Legion brought them together once again. Edrington was given the opportunity to head the reconstruction of a portion of the County of Fairshire, known as the Barony of Umberfall. Accepting the offer, Edrington became the Baron of Umberfall, thus making the Grunwald family a house of noble peerage. The newly raised House of Grunwald continues to develop the Barony of Umberfall, as they bring new wealth to the land through the power of coal, steam, and iron.