Westfall

Westfall is a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Stormwind. This rich land has lain fallow since the Second War, and years of neglect and conflict has not improved the situation. Westfall is a region of rolling pastures and farms that were once beautiful and green, but now have become barren with drought due to maltreatment at the hands of bandits. The grass is yellowed and the fields are infested with ravenous carrion birds and mechanical harvest watchers gone rogue. Stormwind claims the land as its own and has been working hard to secure and renovate the region. The Westfall Brigade, formerly known as the People's Militia, has erected a last bastion of military power in the region at Sentinel Hill from where they issue commands to anyone willing to aid the cause. Although most of the area's farms have fallen to disrepair, there are still a number of farmers who bravely (and desperately) cling to their holdings in spite of overwhelming odds. A handful of farmers still try to keep their land, and some even attempt a tithe to Stormwind every year, but most only grow enough to feed themselves.

Discontent is brewing however as many people living in Westfall became homeless and bankrupt. Westfall is now inhabited by transients, homeless Stormwind Citizens and drifters. Rumors state that the Defias Brotherhood is making a resurgence and is rallying the discontented masses against the Alliance in Moonbrook.

History
Westfall was settled by the Arathorian Empire along with Elwynn Forest when they landed on the coast of Azeroth between 900 and 600 P.C. Its fertile lands were quickly carved up by the colonists and its bountiful farm production fed the needs of Strom.

War for Independence
Strom's increasing reliance on Westfall grain led to ratchet pressure on the colony to increase production for less and less gold. The strains the empire put upon Westfall led the provinces to be one of the many of the Stormwind colony that rebelled in the War for Stormwind's Independence.

After the Stormwind Militia's victory in the war and the establishment of the Kingdom of Stormwind, the lords loyal to the House of Wrynn were appointed to the Stormwind House of Nobles. The fertile lands supported the kingdom's needs - and brought wealth to the kingdom as trade increased between the Eastern Kingdoms that emerged from the defunct empire.

Prosperity and Peace
Without the overburdening tensions put upon the province by the Arathorian Empire, the people of Westfall focused their raw materials and wealth inward to build up its infrastructure. Roads and grand keeps were constructed. Due to the increased demand for stone by the newly empowered nobles of the realm, the mining industry of Westfall exploded.

By chance, or perhaps by fate, gold veins were discovered on the rocky coast of Westfall. Aptly named the Gold Coast, a rush by adventurers and citizens of Stormwind ensued. Aware of the prying and hungry eyes of the other human kingdoms, the reigning King Adamant Wrynn I nationalized the primary gold mine on the coast and spent greatly on a fleet of warships to protect Westfall's coast from raiders. The Stormwind Navy as it was called firmly established the kingdom's place as a world power - deterring the other kingdoms from attempting a grab at the newly found riches.

Destruction in the First War
Westfall suffered greatly in the First War, and was among the first provinces invaded by the Orcish Horde. Having broken through the Black Morass and Brightwood, a war party of orcs and ogres swept through the largely unguarded heartlands, pillaging, torching and raping their way through the countryside. The Horde based themselves in the Deadmines, where they most famously captured Lord Anduin Lothar when the champion sought to recover the Tome of Divinity. The Orcish Horde's grip on Westfall became complete when Prince Varian Wrynn and the subjects of the Kingdom of Stormwind made their exodus to the Kingdom of Lordaeron.

The province was eventually recaptured in the last weeks of the Second War, but the damage was already done. Most of the arable ground and trees had been torched and the structures that once stood as strongholds for Westfall's nobility had all but fallen to rubble.

Rise of the Defias Brotherhood
All other Azeroth territories taken out of Alliance control had the Horde, the undead, or the demons behind them. Westfall fell to bitter humans soon after the Second War. The Defias Brotherhood, led by Edwin VanCleef, attempted to take Elwynn Forest but failed. Its members chose Westfall as their new home, and the farmers, still shaken from the Horde attacks, put up little resistance. The Brotherhood found that the time to steal land from their own accepted ruler was when he was too concerned with orcs, undead and demons to realize that a good chunk of the continent was gone. The rulers at Stormwind, even with knowledge of the Brotherhood's actions, considered other threats to be higher priorities and figured they would re-establish control in Westfall eventually. They did not know the true threat Westfall presented — or even how much the city would miss the agricultural tributes the farmers made.

Once the breadbasket of the kingdom, the land of Westfall started to grow fallow after years of conflict and neglect had diminished its harvests. Crops could eventually no longer be cultivated in the fields, and the once-abundant mines were ultimately deserted. Even the former defenders from Stormwind pulled stake and abandoned the lonely realm when the cost of upkeep became too great.

Due to this lack of military protection, Westfall was all but destroyed by the rebel Defias Brotherhood and its minions; who could easily take control of the poorly defended farmlands. The Brotherhood, composed mainly of thieves and bandits, drove off many of the good farm folk and made Westfall their new refuge. Employing everything from local superstitions to sabotaging mechanical harvest watchers, the Brotherhood stopped at nothing to scare away trespassers and protect their stolen treasures.



Glimmers of Hope
Only the People's Militia, a volunteer military organization, had risen to stand in their way, recruiting young heroes of the Grand Alliance to strike back and regain what has been stolen. Under Gryan Stoutmantle's command, heroes of the Alliance struck down the leaders of the Defias in the Deadmines, effectively subduing the Brotherhood. With the People's Militia renaming themselves the Westfall Brigade and moving their troops into Grizzly Hills, it was suggested that the Defias Brotherhood threat died down.

After the Shattering, many people living in Westfall became homeless and bankrupt. Westfall is now inhabited by transients, homeless Stormwind Citizens and drifters. The farmlands, still reeling from years of neglect and desolation, are still as barren as ever. The Westfall Brigade, having returned from the war in Northrend, now seeks to secure the region and restore it to its former glory; but the resurgence of an old and familiar enemy hinder their efforts.

People and culture
The peaceful inhabitants of Westfall find it a frightening place to live after recent events. While the Defias Brotherhood hatches its schemes to hurt Stormwind, the Alliance and all beholden to it, Westfall's simple folk just try to live from day to day with thieves, bandits and gnolls threatening them. The thieves and bandits find it a large area in which they can plan their attacks without much bother. Little fun and celebration occurs among Westfall's inhabitants, as they have poor community support and hardly any aid from Stormwind. The garrison at Sentinel Hill is nothing more than a Stormwind figurehead.

The thieves of the Brotherhood, on the other hand, apparently live a fine life. Only a few Brotherhood members live in Moonbrook, presumably acting as sentries. The bulk of the population occupies the Dead Mines, which the Brotherhood has converted into an underground fortress.

Geography
Once a proud land of farmers and herders, Westfall now lies fallow for the most part because of the thieves who have usurped it. Weeds and seedling trees mark the rich land, and the wind cries over the fields. Thieves and bandits are the greatest problems here, but gnolls and the slouching harvest golems also terrorize the already harried farmers. Most of Westfall is choked by the Defias Brotherhood.