Thorium Brotherhood

The Thorium Brotherhood is a guild of Dark Iron smiths who broke away from their clan and its master, Ragnaros. From their camp in the Searing Gorge they trade the secrets of the Firelord's forges to anyone who brings them materials from Molten Core. In Classic the faction is the source of some of the best crafted gear in the game, including the plans for the weapons Nightfall, Ebon Hand and Blackguard.

Who they are

The Dark Iron Dwarves were bound to Ragnaros after their summoning ritual went wrong at the end of the War of the Three Hammers. Most of the clan now forges weapons for the Firelord's armies under Blackrock Mountain. The Thorium Brotherhood, a guild of craftsmen, refused to waste its talents that way and escaped. Its members insist they are nothing like their cousins in the gorge, and they keep a close watch on them.

There was one problem with leaving: the guild's formulas all call for materials found only in and around Blackrock Mountain. So the Brotherhood settled across the gorge from its old home and now pays adventurers to fetch what it cannot reach itself. It sells to anyone who can pay, Alliance or Horde.

Where to find them

• Thorium Point, on the cliffs above the Cauldron in the north of the Searing Gorge, is the guild's base. Overseer Oilfist runs it, and Master Smith Burninate, Hansel Heavyhands, Taskmaster Scrange and Lookout Captain Lolo Longstriker give its quests.
• The Grim Guzzler, the tavern inside Blackrock Depths, is where Lokhtos Darkbargainer sits. He takes the reputation turn-ins and sells the recipes.
• Gadgetzan in Tanaris has Derotain Mudsipper, who trades plate armor plans for thorium bars, and Everlook in Winterspring has Malyfous Darkhammer.

Earning reputation

Everyone starts at Neutral, and the Brotherhood cannot be made an enemy.

• Thorium Point quests. A set of one-time quests for players around level 50, such as WANTED: Overseer Maltorius and What the Flux?, takes a character through Friendly. Completing What the Flux? lets players make Fiery Flux, needed for the Brotherhood's recipes, and Burninate offers small repeatables like Restoring Fiery Flux Supplies via Kingsblood and Gaining Acceptance.
• Imperial plate. Derotain Mudsipper in Gadgetzan trades thorium bars for blacksmithing plans, starting with A Blue Light Bargain; quests such as Imperial Plate Chest also give reputation.
• Lokhtos's turn-ins. These are the main road to Exalted. In patch 1.12, 10 [Dark Iron Ore] give 50 reputation (Favor Amongst the Brotherhood, Dark Iron Ore), 2 [Core Leather] give 150 (Favor Amongst the Brotherhood, Core Leather), and one [Fiery Core], [Lava Core] or [Blood of the Mountain] gives 200 (Favor Amongst the Brotherhood, Fiery Core, Favor Amongst the Brotherhood, Lava Core, Favor Amongst the Brotherhood, Blood of the Mountain). The cores and the leather come from Molten Core, so serious progress needs a raiding guild.
• A Binding Contract. A player carrying a [Sulfuron Ingot] from Golemagg the Incinerator can trade it to Lokhtos for the [Plans: Sulfuron Hammer] and 200 reputation in A Binding Contract.

Rewards

Lokhtos sells only to those he trusts. In Classic his recipes all call for Molten Core materials, so they are made almost entirely by raiders.

The Exalted plans are the prizes. [Plans: Nightfall] makes [Nightfall], a two-handed axe whose hits can make the target take 15% more damage from spells, so melee players carried it to help their raid's casters. [Plans: Ebon Hand] makes the mace [Ebon Hand] and [Plans: Blackguard] the sword [Blackguard]. The [[forever:item:20761]] at Friendly turns a Heart of Fire into three Elemental Fire, a reagent in much of the fire resistance gear raiders needed for the Core.

Sulfuras

The Brotherhood also plays a part in the most famous blacksmithing item in Classic. [Plans: Sulfuron Hammer], bought with a [Sulfuron Ingot], makes the [Sulfuron Hammer], which is combined with the Eye of Sulfuras from Ragnaros to forge Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros.

History and trivia

• Thorium Point and its quests arrived in patch 1.5, and the same patch made the Brotherhood impossible to go to war with. Patch 1.6 added more recipes and changed the standings of some old ones, and patch 1.7 added [Plans: Dark Iron Boots].
• In the Warcraft role-playing game, the Brotherhood began as a craft guild in Ironforge before the War of the Three Hammers, and Lokhtos was its old overseer who stayed behind when the others fled.
• Lokhtos asks for a Sulfuron Ingot with the line "I must have it! I must!", one of the more memorable pieces of gossip in Blackrock Depths.

Sources

• Thorium Brotherhood (Warcraft Wiki)
• Lokhtos Darkbargainer (Warcraft Wiki)
• Classic reputation guide (Warcraft Wiki)