Sign inDefias Brotherhood
The Defias Brotherhood is a gang of outlaws that began as a guild of unpaid stonemasons and turned into the largest criminal army in the kingdom of Stormwind. Led by Edwin VanCleef, the Defias raid farms, rob travelers and hide a pirate warship deep under the abandoned town of Moonbrook. For many Alliance players they are the first real enemy of the game, from bandits in Elwynn Forest to the final fight in The Deadmines.
History
The Stonemasons' Guild
After the Horde burned Stormwind to the ground in the First War, the kingdom hired the Stonemasons' Guild to rebuild the city. Edwin VanCleef, a gifted mason, led the work, and in a few years his crews raised the new walls, keep and cathedral of Stormwind City.
When the job was done, the House of Nobles refused to pay the masons the money they had been promised, claiming the treasury was empty after the war. The guild protested and riots broke out in the streets. Queen Tiffin Wrynn, the wife of King Varian Wrynn, was killed during the unrest. VanCleef and his followers were driven out of the city.
Into Westfall
The masons settled in Westfall, the farmland west of Elwynn Forest, and organized themselves as the Defias Brotherhood. They swore revenge on the nobles and on the kingdom that had betrayed them. Over the following years they recruited thieves, mercenaries, goblin engineers and desperate farmers, seized the town of Moonbrook and the mines around it, and drove most of Westfall's people from their land. The kingdom, distracted by other troubles, sent almost no help.
Behind the scenes, the Brotherhood had a powerful contact in Stormwind. Lord Gregor Lescovar, a noble of the House, passed information to the Defias, and the court adviser Lady Katrana Prestor is later revealed to be the black dragon Onyxia in disguise.
In World of Warcraft
Elwynn Forest
Defias show up almost immediately for human characters. Defias thugs (Defias Thug) lurk near Northshire Vineyards, and Brotherhood of Thieves asks for their bandanas. Bandit leaders such as Garrick Padfoot (Bounty on Garrick Padfoot) and Morgan the Collector (The Collector) lead to Goldshire and Marshal Dughan, who warns that the Brotherhood is spreading east from Westfall.
Westfall and the People's Militia
At Sentinel Hill, Gryan Stoutmantle has rallied the farmers into the People's Militia. His quests The People's Militia, The People's Militia and The People's Militia send players against waves of Defias across the zone: Defias Trapper, Defias Smuggler, Defias Pillager, Defias Highwayman and more. Scout Riell wants red bandanas in Red Silk Bandanas.
The main story is the chain named The Defias Brotherhood. Stoutmantle sends players to Wiley the Black in Lakeshire, then to Master Mathias Shaw of SI:7 in Stormwind, and back to Westfall to ambush the Defias Messenger for his orders (The Defias Brotherhood). A Defias traitor then leads players to the hidden entrance in Moonbrook (The Defias Brotherhood), and the final quest, The Defias Brotherhood, asks for VanCleef's head. Its rewards are the [Chausses of Westfall], [Tunic of Westfall] and [Staff of Westfall].
The Deadmines
The Deadmines is a dungeon for players around levels 17 to 26, entered through a mine in Moonbrook. Inside, the Brotherhood has built a full shipyard under the hills, where goblin workers are finishing a pirate juggernaut. The bosses are:
| Boss | Notes |
|---|---|
| Rhahk'Zor | Ogre foreman at the entrance |
| Sneed's Shredder | Lumber shredder; Sneed climbs out when it is destroyed |
| Gilnid | Goblin smelter in the foundry |
| Mr. Smite | First mate, drops [Smite's Mighty Hammer] |
| Captain Greenskin | Goblin captain on the ship |
| Cookie | Ship's cook, drops [Cookie's Tenderizer] |
| Edwin VanCleef | The Defias Kingpin on the ship's deck |
VanCleef drops [Cruel Barb], [Cape of the Brotherhood] and [Blackened Defias Armor]. He can also drop [An Unsent Letter], which starts The Unsent Letter.
The Stockade and the conspiracy
Many captured Defias are locked in The Stockade in Stormwind, where they rise up in a prison riot. Warden Thelwater asks players to put down the uprising in Quell The Uprising, and Bazil Thredd, the Defias leader inside, is the target of The Stockade Riots.
The unsent letter from VanCleef links the Brotherhood to someone inside the city. Following the trail through Bazil Thredd, The Curious Visitor and finally The Attack!, players hide in the garden of Stormwind Keep, overhear Lord Gregor Lescovar talking with the assassin Marzon the Silent Blade, and kill them both.
Elsewhere
Further east, Defias night runners and night blades (Defias Night Runner, Defias Night Blade) prowl the roads of Duskwood. Rogue characters get a closer look at the gang through Mathias and the Defias, an SI:7 assignment that sends them undercover to Westfall.
Later history
In Cataclysm, VanCleef's daughter Vanessa rebuilt the Brotherhood and staged a new uprising in Westfall, and the Deadmines was redesigned around her. A heroic version of the dungeon followed, and the Defias have returned as enemies in several later stories, including Battle for Azeroth.
Sources
Categories: Lore
Comments (0)
No comments yet.