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.

Among the first creatures beginning demonologists learn to summon, the voidwalker is a common but nonetheless powerful ally. There is nothing subtle about its’ strength; the voidwalker is a brute, and its charge is physically protecting its summoner.

Download the PDF now and you’ll also get:

• The Bound Voidwalker, a level 15 version with the Shadow’s Embrace aura which protects its allies from harm
• The Chained Voidwalker, a level 25 version which can Consume Shadows to restore its health

EDIT: Thanks to HollowsHeart for catching an error. The PDF has been corrected (you may need to clear your cache to see the corrected PDF).

As a result, blood elves are largely mistrusted or despised, with some exceptions. It’s true that many of their numbers fall fully into madness from their arcane addiction. These elves truly deserve their sobriquet of “The Wretched,” for truly they are wretched creatures. Rather than trying to resist, they give themselves fully to the hunt for magical energy, and will risk anything and stop at nothing to sate their thirst for it.

Still, at least as many of the blood elves take pains to hold back their addiction. To these strong ones, the idea of becoming one of the wretched is a fate worse than death. Alone or together, it is every blood elf’s goal to find a cure for their race’s affliction.

For a much more indepth description of blood elves, see their entry on WoWWiki.

Racial Traits

Average Height: 5′3″-5′11″
Average Weight: 120-170 lbs.

Ability Scores: +2 Charisma, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light

Languages: Common, Thalassian
Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 History

Magical Addiction: Every day, you must absorb magical energy or suffer the effects of withdrawal. You may absorb the magical energy in one of the following ways:

• Sacrifice a daily spell whose level is within 10 of your own.
• Have someone else sacrifice such a spell on your behalf.
• Drink the blood of an immortal, aberrant or elemental creature. The blood may not be more than a week old.

If you fail to absorb magical energy on some day, you take a -1 penalty to your will defense and lose one healing surge. The penalty and amount of healing surges lost double each consecutive day you fail to feed your addiction.

Spell Mastery: You gain a +1 racial bonus on all attack rolls with spells.

Arcane Torrent: You can use Arcane Torrent as an encounter power.

Download PDF of the above monsters.