First, a quick note. Stormwind City is the capital of the kingdom of Stormwind in the world of Azeroth and the lore of the Warcraft universe. I will from here on simply refer to Stormwind City as Stormwind, which is technically not correct but it’s how I think of it. Blame WoW, which calls Stormwind City just Stormwind.

Stormwind, on its face, appears to be a fairly generic fantasy castle/city. Indeed, as the “human city” in World of Warcraft it seems specifically designed to be quite normal and expected. However, beneath its surface are some interesting bits of lore and plot which could go well in any setting.

Rebuilt on a Shameful Foundation

Stormwind was one of the oldest human kingdoms in Azeroth, and among the first destroyed when the orcs came to Azeroth. It was only retaken in recent years, and the crown set out a call to all the kingdom’s greatest engineers and artisans to help rebuild it.

A dispute arose as the workers, after toiling long and hard to rebuild, demanded recompense. The crown had assumed they’d worked for civic pride alone and refused them, in fact exiling them from Stormwind entirely.

The wronged craftsmen banded together, forming a band of criminals known as The Defias. The same ingenuity which allowed Stormwind to regain its former glory was now turned against it, the artisans and engineers using their skills to take their payment in the form of blood and banditry.

Since then, The Defias have grown exponentially, conscripting all those whose greed outstrips their scruples. Entire portions of the kingdom of Stormwind have for all intents and purposes been taken over by them, and the crown has had little success in stopping them.

The Stockade

Within Stormwind, there is a dungeon-esque prison known as The Stockade. Frequently plagued by riots, recently they’ve gotten so bad that the Stormwind guard has pulled out entirely. They now sit outside the only entrance, standing behind barricades and simply trying to keep the prisoners from escaping.

A prison like this is ripe for adventuring and adaptation. Not only can the PCs help to protect the city or stop the riots, but an adventure could also be setup where the PCs have to find a contact inside the prison, but don’t have the time or resources to actually stop the rioting.