Stranglethorn Brigade

YohwaThe Stranglethorn Brigade of the Stormwind Army, also known as Kurzen's Expedition, is a force of soldiers loyal to the House of Wrynn that were deployed to Stranglethorn Vale to expand the kingdom's military presence there. Never numbering larger than a regiment in size, the Brigade soon fell afoul of the local ogres and trolls, with over 90% of the expedition, including their leader, Colonel Conrad Kurzen, going mad.

Following this, the troops still loyal to Stormwind rebelled and gathered at Rebel Camp, under the leadership of Lieutenant Doren.

Forces
The Stranglethorn Brigade mostly consisted of Footmen, Armsmen, Scouts and Archers, accompanied by a small group of Priests and Paladins. Following Kurzen's madness, those troops loyal to him soon "went native" due to their lack of supplies and equipment and began copying the tactics of the local troll tribes. Thus the Brigade's Footmen and Armsmen were re-organised as Jungle Fighters and Elites, the Scouts and Archers became Commandos, Wranglers and Shadow Hunters while the Priests and Paladins abandoned the Holy Light and took up shamanism, becoming Witch Doctors, Medicine Men and Headshrinkers.

Similarly, the maddened soldiers reorganised their rank structure in imitation of the trolls. Though Kurzen still called himself a Colonel, his subordinate officers began to describe themselves as Chiefs and Subchiefs.

Conrad Kurzen
The leader of the expedition, Colonel Kurzen was mind-controlled by the ogre mage Mai'Zoth, which resulted in the brigade's downfall to madness. Around the time of the Cataclysm, the Colonel's subordinates began to consider him weak and flung him from the compound's tower, ending his life.

Esquivel
Formerly a Lieutenant Colonel and second-in-command of the expedition, Esquivel took command as interim leader following Kurzen's execution, although he was soon killed by adventures on the orders of Lieutenant Doren.

Anders
Formerly a Major and third-in-command, Anders took control of the regular forces and militia of the expedition following its fall. He was killed by adventurers shortly after the Cataclysm.

Gaulus
Formerly a paladin and co-leader of the expedition clergy, Gaulus forsook the Holy Light following Kurzen's fall to madness and became a shaman. With the other leader of the clergy, Miranda, assigned to study the blue stones of the area, Gaulus took full command of the remaining clergymen and oversaw their conversion to shamanism. Following this, on Kurzen's orders, he had his followers distribute mind-controlling potions in the guise of health potions, to ensure the loyalty of the remaining members of the expedition, while also overseeing relations with the local troll tribes.

He was also killed by adventurers shortly after the Cataclysm.

Miranda
A priestess and co-leader of the expedition clergy, Miranda's study of the strange blue stones that were found around the compound resulted in her and the rest of the expedition falling to madness. Following this she took command of the expedition's shadow operations and continued to study the blue stones. Strangely, she was the only member of the clergy not to embrace shamanism or shadow magics, and instead continued to use the Holy Light until she was killed by adventurers, following the Cataclysm.

Doren
The highest ranking officer not to fall to madness, Lieutenant Doren led the forces that rebelled against Kurzen and established a small camp on the Duskwood border, known as Rebel Camp, where he dispatched adventurers to kill the maddened leaders of the expedition.

Following Deathwing's defeat, he was promoted to Captain and deployed to Pandaria, where he was slain.

Yohwa
Becoming second-in-command of the forces still loyal to Stormwind, Sergeant Yohwa worked to fight back against the forces of Kurzen and hopefully restore them to sanity. Following Doren's redeployment, she became the leader of the Stormwind forces in the region.

Nimetz
A battle priest, Nimetz is the only known member of the expedition's clergy not to succumb to the madness. He believed Kurzen to have once been a great man, and worked to understand the madness that had gripped the expedition, with the help of the Explorer's League.