Garithos Imprisons the Blood Elves

Full History

The fall of Quel'Thalas had scattered its defenders and changed their identity. Kael'thas took the name blood elves for his surviving people to honor those killed by Arthas and the Scourge. He joined the human remnants resisting the undead, expecting that cooperation against a common enemy could preserve what remained of the old Alliance. Yet Garithos distrusted the elves and repeatedly placed their small army under dangerous orders without dependable support.

Lady Vashj and her naga intervened when the blood elves faced overwhelming enemies. Their alliance was born in battlefield necessity, not in a long-standing friendship between their peoples. Kael accepted the assistance because it saved lives and made an otherwise impossible mission achievable. Garithos saw the naga as an unacceptable foreign power and refused to consider the circumstances. He imprisoned the prince and his soldiers despite their service against the Scourge.

The episode marks a decisive failure of trust among those still fighting for Lordaeron after the Third War. A commander who might have gained committed allies instead drove them away. Vashj helped the condemned elves escape, and Garithos lost their service. This is an important part of the original Frozen Throne narrative because it shows how the disintegration of the northern kingdoms continued after Arthas's departure; the Scourge had damaged more than cities, and the survivors could not necessarily agree on whom to trust.