Defias Brotherhood

The Defias Brotherhood is a group of assassins, thieves and pirates that dwell in the rural areas of the Kingdom of Stormwind - areas not easily protected by the Army.

Origins
The Alliance recaptured Stormwind after the Second War, finding the city in ruins. King Terenas ordered a massive reconstruction of the city with the assistance of the Alliance human nations and member races. Many of the exiles and refugees from the first war started to return to their old homeland.

The construction was overseen by the House of Nobles, who accepted the help of many artisans and specialists from across the Eastern Kingdoms. The spirit of rebuilding, hope, and prosperity struck many who decided to volunteer for the great work. However, other less altruistic laborers considered the opportunity of rebuilding as a lucrative government contract; a chance to prove their craftsmanship and start anew. Eager to forge new lives, these craftsmen traveled to Stormwind, many bringing their families at great expense.

When the rebuilding was completed, it came as a rude shock to the nobles that there were many craftsmen who were demanding payment for their labor. Engineers, laborers, stonewrights, and blacksmiths marched together to the new keep to request just payment for their services. The nobles were stunned - the bill was too high and the insult too severe. It was decided to expel the "greedy" laborers and artisans from the refounded kingdom.

Alone, betrayed, and disillusioned with the Alliance, the group turned to Edwin VanCleef for leadership. VanCleef -- master engineer, former cat burglar -- then founded the "Defias Brotherhood". Ostensibly standing for freedom and justice, they built a base of operations in the Deadmines of Westfall.

The Defias Today
Having long forsaken those noble virtues on which their brotherhood was founded, the mysterious Defias faction is now composed of thieves, bandits, and vicious mercenaries. This vile group is determined to wreak havoc upon, and ultimately destroy, the House of Nobles in Stormwind City. Convinced that the nobles are corrupt and villainous, the Defias Brotherhood has waged an underground war in a quest to rid the land of their hated enemies.

It is also known that groups of gnolls, kobolds and even goblins each help the Defias Brotherhood in their own particular ways. For example, goblins built Harvest Golems at the behest of the Defias Brotherhood to scare off the local inhabitants of Westfall, allowing the Defias to run their smuggling operations with greater impunity. The Harvest Golems have done that job well -- eliciting terror in anyone foolish enough to roam alone in the fallow fields of Westfall. Now, in Westfall, only The People's Militia stand in the way of Defias operations, which seemingly become more brazen by the day.

The Defias have taken over parts of Elwynn Forest, Duskwood, Westfall, and have recently caused significant problems in the Stormwind Stockade. They are a dangerous group, with infiltrators in the highest circles of Stormwind Nobles and a sinister single-mindedness in the execution of their illegal trading. Wiley the Black in Lakeshire rumors that the Defias have even begun work on a "weapon of mass destruction"...a hypothetical weapon of unknown origins and power. However the existence or non-existence of such a weapon is not expected to effect any unilateral action that may be taken against the Defias by bands of adventurers. That weapon is probably a reference to the huge juggernaut battleship that is in construction in the Deadmines. After all, the entire Deadmines are a huge construction yard for the ship. It is also revealed in some lower mid-level quests, such as The Missing Diplomat, that the Defias have staged a worldwide plot related to the 10-year old king of Stormwind, Anduin Wrynn.