Stormwind Army

From WoWWiki

Stormwind Army
Main Leader	King Anduin Wrynn
Secondary Leaders	Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, Marshal McBride, Marshal Dughan, Marshal Haggard, Deputy Willem, Deputy Rainer
Capital	Stormwind City
Main Language	Common
Secondary Languages	Dwarven, Thalassian
Member Races	Humans (Majority), Dwarves, High Elves
Theater of Operations	Elwynn Forest
Affiliation	Alliance
Alignment	Lawful neutral

The Stormwind Army is the military force of the city of Stormwind, the human capital. Recently, the army has been criticized by the leaders of the zones surrounding Elwynn Forest for its lack of response to their needs and neglect of its duties.

Notable NPCs

• Marshal McBride is in charge of the military forces in Northshire Abbey, the human starting location. He is the quest giver for all of the class-specific introductory quests for humans, as well as the following quests:

   [2] Kobold Camp Cleanup

   [3] Investigate Echo Ridge

   [5] Skirmish at Echo Ridge

   [5] Report to Goldshire

• Deputy Willem serves under Marshal McBride in Northshire Abby. He is likely the first quest-giver new humans meet, and gives the following quests:

   [1] A Threat Within

   [2] Eagan Peltskinner

   [4] Brotherhood of Thieves

   [4] Milly Osworth

   [5] Bounty on Garrick Padfoot

• Marshal Dughan is the leader of the Stormwind Army's forces in Elwynn Forest, and the elected ruler of that zone. He stands near the blacksmith in Goldshire, where he waits for word on the conditions of the area he is responsible for, and gives the following quests:

   [7] The Fargodeep Mine

   [10] The Jasperlode Mine

   [10] Further Concerns

   [10] Cloth and Leather Armor

   [10] Westbrook Garrison Needs Help!

   [10] Manhunt

• Deputy Rainer is a ranking member of the Stormwind Army, stationed at the Westbrook Garrison, near the bridge to Westfall. He is concerned over the encroachment of the gnolls that live in Forest's Edge to the south of his post, and gives the quest  [10] Riverpaw Gnoll Bounty to alleviate the gnoll threat.

• Marshal Haggard is a former leader of the Stormwind Army, and lives in a house near the Eastvale Logging Camp. He gives the level ten warrior quest, [10] Dead-tooth Jack, as well as  [10] Report to Gryan Stoutmantle, which sends players into Westfall. Marshal Haggard also plays a small role in the Legend of Stalvan quest chain.

Reactions to the neglect

The Stormwind Army has been criticized harshly by the leaders of the surrounding zones, Westfall's Gryan Stoutmantle, Redridge Mountains' Magistrate Solomon, and Duskwood's Lord Ello Ebonlocke, for their lack of response to the zones' troubles. In Redridge, and Lakeshire in particular, there is at least a presence of the Stormwind Army, even though the soldiers there, like the ones in Elwynn Forest, give many quests to help alleviate the problems in the zone. In Westfall, the people have formed The People's Militia to fight against the Defias Brotherhood and the gnolls and mechanical monsters that have taken over their fields and the town of Moonbrook. In Duskwood, the people have formed a militia called The Night Watch, assembled to battle the undead, worgen, ogres, and vicious spiders that have taken over most of the zone outside of the town of Darkshire.

Reasons for the neglect

There are numerous reasons that could be used to explain the Stormwind Army's inability or refusal to aid the people in the zones surrounding Elwynn Forest. Lack of sufficient manpower, mistaken or intentionally altered information being passed to those in charge, and messages being intercepted and destroyed before reaching key personel are all cited by Lady Katrana Prestor for the army's inaction.

In reality, Lady Prestor is Onyxia, current broodmother and elder of the black dragonflight in disguise. There is evidence linking her to the disappearance of the former king of Stormwind, Varian Wrynn, which caused the ascension of the boy-king Anduin Wrynn, whose ear she has. Her influence keeps the Stormwind Army out of areas where she wishes to sow discord and weaken the human influence, ostensibly to enable the plans she and her brother, Nefarian, have for increasing the numbers and power of the Black Dragonflight.