Syndicate

File:Syndicate.jpg

• Membership: 3,000.
• Affiliation: Independent

The Syndicate is a mostly Human criminal organization that operates primarily in the Arathi Highlands and the Alterac Mountains, although a few small encampments are scattered in the Hillsbrad Foothills. It is chaotic and evil.

Based in Strombrad, wields strong influence throughout the Alterac Mountains and the Arathi Highlands, where another faction is being built in Stromgarde. Like the Scarlet Crusade, these humans are considered enemies of the Alliance, but that shattered organization has no resources with which to deal with them. The only true threats to these rogues are the individual humans in the areas the Syndicate threatens. The Trollbane family is such a rival. They also hate the Horde with a passion, as these orcs severed ties right when the Syndicate needed them.Template:Cite

They currently have two known leaders: Lord Aliden Perenolde (who took over from his father Aiden Perenolde), descendent of the original Lord of Alterac, who directs the Syndicate's actions in the Alterac Mountains from Strahnbrad; Lord Falconcrest directs Syndicate actions in Arathi Highlands from the main keep in the semi-abandoned fortress of Stromgarde; and perhaps Lady Beve Perenolde, daughter of Aiden Perenolde.

History

During the Second War, the Horde attempted to conscript some Alliance nobles to help them in their campaign, and the weak-willed nobles of the Alterac Mountains readily agreed to help the orcs overthrow the Alliance leaders and take Lordaeron. With the defeat of the Horde came the punishment for these traitors: exile from their former holdings. Many citizens thought death would not have been too harsh for these turncoats, and thus life became difficult for them. Very few people wanted to be associated with the exiles, and they were turned away from every door. On a realistic level, their numbers were large; they resembled refugees instead of a handful of exiles, and most farmhouses couldn’t have kept them if they’d wanted to. The ousted nobles discovered, to their dismay, that the few bands of free orcs in Lordaeron wanted nothing to do with them and refused them sanctuary, so they began stealing to stay alive. Soon they banded together to become more powerful and called themselves the Syndicate. A haughty, fractious group led loosely by Lord Aiden Perenolde, this collection of fledgling rogues had many troubles working together, but managed to stay alive, stealing from towns and villages and traveling frequently. During their travels, other outlaws joined their ranks. These professional thieves found they preferred a larger community of rogues to working alone, although some detested the Syndicate’s haughty noble leaders. Lord Aiden Perenolde, the self-proclaimed leader, realized he had to do something drastic to reclaim his lands. When the Burning Legion and the Scourge began their assault on Lordaeron, he did not make the same mistake twice by allying himself with the enemy; he simply took advantage of the Alliance’s distraction to begin moving on his lands. The harried and panicked citizens, the people they used to lord over, were frightened and confused and put up little fight, more concerned with the hellish creatures that were rampaging over the land. The Syndicate thus retook the Alterac Mountains and currently battles with ogres and the undead to keep their lands. After regaining much of their lost territory, they sought to expand their sphere of influence, looking to punish the already hurting Alliance. They set their sights on the Arathi Highlands to the South.Template:Cite

At first the Syndicate's goal was just to spread chaos and disorder, striking from hidden bases in the Alterac Mountains. With the end of the Third War and the resultant chaos however, the leaders of the Syndicate saw their chance to return Alterac to its former power. They have now gained control of several outposts in the surrounding area including the sacked fortress of Durnholde Keep and a portion of the city of Stromgarde. At some point Aliden Perenolde took over the Syndicate from his father (what happened to his father is unknown).

They are enemies of both the Alliance, whom they consider their mortal enemies, and the Horde, whom they consider mere brutes good for nothing but slave labor. As a result, the Syndicate is now hunted by both factions, with the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, in particular, placing a bounty on their heads - guaranteeing that all captured Syndicate members will be summarily executed. In addition, Horde Warchief Thrall ordered a number of his agents, including Krusk, Drull, Tog'Thar and their leader Gol'Dir to launch an investigation into the nature of the Syndicate and its activities, as well as to recover a necklace that belonged to a dear friend of his, Taretha Foxton - a necklace now worn by Elysa, the mistress of Lord Aliden.

Organization

The trouble with the Syndicate is that it is primarily made up of egotistical, high-born nobles, with lands, farms and citizens who once owed fealty to them. When time came for them to band together and work as one, there was difficulty in finding a leader, as they all wanted the job. Once the Alterac Mountains were retaken and nearly every noble was back in his former home with a citizenry of bandits serving him, many of the old habits returned. Each noble claimed autonomy from the others and considered himself answerable to no one. When Lord Aiden Perenolde came up with the idea to take advantage of the Alliance’s crippled state and attack neighboring lands, the Syndicate once again came under his rule, grudgingly. There was little structure beyond his rule, although Lord Falconcrest had taken over command in the Arathi Highlands.

Each noble has a household and family that serve him or her, including whatever rogues or bandits they’ve picked up along the way. These nobles in turn answered to Lord Perenolde, but there was little organization beyond that. The Syndicate suffers from pride and jealousy, each leader wished to be in Perenolde’s position. There are no titles and little management. Infighting, usually over newly acquired holdings, is a frequent problem. The dirty work, of course, is done by the people lower in the household. The nobles did the stealing and the fighting when they were exiles, but they consider themselves too good for that now, desiring to merely train their underlings and plan grand conquests over ravaged Lordaeron. Yet don’t mistake, these nobles are fierce in battle and will pick up weapons if pushed.

The Syndicate is based in the Alterac Mountains, with Lord Aiden Perenolde’s keep in the Uplands considered the meeting place for the Alterac nobles. The group has spread southwards to the Arathi Highlands, where most nobles there serve Lord Falconcrest (who is based in Stromgarde).Template:Cite

Membership

Most Syndicate members had no choice in the matter: they were part of the traitorous nobles’ households, either staff or family, and they were exiled with their lords. They learned the lifestyle of the thief the hard way, leaving their pampered lives behind to steal from others. They still managed to justify it with no problem, saying that their victims should be supporting them anyway, as they once did. Many of these valets, stablehands, and pampered noble children found themselves developing a clever hand and a scrappy demeanor when it came to living hand-to-mouth on the road. After some weeks of whining, most everyone began pulling their weight when their bellies became empty enough. With enough stolen items, they began to build a semblance of a community in the foothills.

Leaving the Syndicate is very difficult. Each noble knows who belongs in his own little “gang” and notices when someone goes missing. The penalty for attempting to leave is whipping and branding the lower back with an “S.” Bandits found the Syndicate a powerful organization that, while fraught with infighting, is still better to belong to than the smaller gangs they were leading. The Syndicate had greater plans than simply robbing the refugees fleeing Lordaeron. Land conquest was more than the bandits had ever dreamed, and they were eager to join. The Syndicate accepted their pledges of fealty, and thus stronger warriors and rogues brought their skills to the group. One of the smarter decisions Aiden Perenolde made for the Syndicate was to break up these bandit gangs among the noble families, giving the bandits new allegiances so the gangs couldn’t stay together to work against the nobles. This trick worked perfectly, and most bandits went along with it for the greater reward. Any member of the Horde wishing to join the Syndicate is slaughtered on sight.Template:Cite

Current Status

The Argus Wake

There is considerable evidence that the Syndicate is being manipulated by a higher group called the Argus Wake, who in turn serve the Shadow Council at Jaedenar. This would put the Argus Wake on a level with groups such as the Burning Blade and the Searing Blade. Precious little information exists about either the Argus Wake or their exact connection to the Syndicate, however. The Argus Wake does not appear to be present anywhere outside the Alterac Mountains, and their only minions there are the human Argus Shadow Mages in Strahnbrad. In Orgrimmar, Thrall warns that the Argus Wake is a group that serves the Shadow Council, just like the Burning Blade and Searing Blade; beyond this, the group receives little mention.

The Argus Wake would appear to have literally nothing to do with the lost Eredar homeworld of Argus, except the fact that the Shadow Council is a group of demons and demon worshippers, the Eredar themselves being demons hailing from Argus. Could be the Argus Wake named themselves that in honor of the great Eredar.

Assassination Policy

The Syndicate has worked hard to destabilize the regions it operates in and does not hesitate to resolve to subterfuge and covert operations. Baron Vardus, a high-ranking member of the Syndicate, was recently involved in a foiled attempt to assassinate Magistrate Henry Maleb in Southshore. Baron Vardus has since been assassinated, although it is still unclear whether this was done by an agent of the Alliance seeking to retaliate for the attempt on the Magistrate's life or by a representative of the Horde seeking to further check the expansion of the Shadow Council's agents.

Slavery

The Syndicate strongly believes in slave labor and is determined to return to the days of the internment camps for orcs. Aliden Perenolde in particular was determined to enslave the orcs again, thus following in the footsteps of his mentor Blackmoore.

Syndicate Presence: Hillsbrad Foothills

The presence of the Syndicate in the Hillsbrad Foothills is fairly low. Although a number of skirmishes with its agents have been reported, credible sources attest that the Syndicate forces there are poorly trained and equipped, and are no match for an experienced adventurer. In spite of this, the Syndicate has successfully held control over Durnholde Keep and continues to use it as its base of operations in the area. More significant Syndicate presence can be encountered further to the north and east, where the Syndicate controls extensive areas of the Alterac Mountains and Arathi Highlands, even succeeding in holding a part of the ruined city of Stromgarde, despite the best efforts by the Alliance to remove the Syndicate from the area.

Syndicate Presence: Alterac Mountains

Presently the domain of Aliden Perenolde, the Alterac Mountaints houses Strahnbrad - an abandoned town that has since been taken over by the Syndicate and transformed into a military installation where Syndicate agents practice their skills as well as keep some of their enslaved orcs. The Alterac Mountains are also the home of Dandred's Fold - the area where the mansion of the late Syndicate leader, Lord Perenolde, is located. The Syndicate presence in the area still remains strong, and its soldiers in the Alterac Mountains are well-trained and equipped, second perhaps only to the elite group that currently controls a part of Stromgarde in Arathi Highlands.

As a Faction

The Syndicate as a faction in World of Warcraft is very odd in comparison to most factions in that the killing of the factions members will not lower your standing with the faction. For most players who are not a rogue, the only way for the Syndicate to appear on their Reputation Menu is to complete the quest Junkboxes Needed, which is available to non-rogues. However, the quest requires Heavy Junkboxes...which only rogues can obtain by pick-pocketing NPCs above level fifty, and those can only be traded to you - making it difficult to arrange such a transaction.

How to Gain Reputation

Currently there is only one known option to increase a player’s reputation with the Syndicate, and that is by killing members of the Ravenholdt Manor faction. Unfortunately, at the moment little is known about the rewards of increasing Syndicate reputation as all Ravenholdt-affiliated NPCs only give 1 Syndicate Reputation Point, with the exception of Myrokos Silentform, who gives 5 (although the corresponding loss of reputation with Ravenholdt is also five times as great). With all players starting at 32000/36000 Hated with the faction, it would require killing 10,000 Ravenholdt NPCs to reach Neutral status with the faction; unfortunately, Neutral status is the highest you can reach with the Syndicate, and if not to deter players further, none of the Ravenholdt NPCs drop loot.

WARNING: If you do decide to kill Ravenholdt NPCs, know that there is currently no way to restore your standings with Ravenholdt, if you do go below Neutral. The reason for the problem is that none of the quests that give Ravenholdt Reputation points will be available because none of the members from Ravenholdt will speak to you. This would mean its a permanent change and you will never be able to interact with any of the NPC loyal to Ravenholdt ever again. Also note that players start at 0/3000 reputation with Ravenholdt, and killing even one of their NPCs at this reputation level will forever prevent you from raising your reputation with them again.

There is one possible way for rogues to become friendly with both the Syndicate and Ravenholdt, but it would very likely require hundreds of hours. Turning in Syndicate Emblems to Ravenholdt guards doesn't lower your reputation with the Syndicate. With this in mind, one could turn in one Emblem and gain 100 Ravenholdt reputation points and be able to kill four Ravenholdt members to gain four Syndicate Reputation points without going below Neutral with Ravenholdt. In other words you would need to pickpocket 3250 Syndicate Emblems and kill 13,000 Ravenholdt NPCs.

The Syndicate's [faction page on thottbot] features a discussion between some dedicated players, one of whom claims to have ground Syndicate reputation as far as it goes (to Neutral). Or at least he/she claims that at neutral the regular guards stop giving reputation when killed. However, it's not quite clear if Master Kang stops at neutral or if he continues to give reputation up to friendly. So it might be possible to hit friendly with the Syndicate after all, but it would seem that some of Syndicate leaders aren't in fact members of the faction and as such, one might not expect the greatest rewards. However, until someone actually attempts this, there's no way of knowing.

Ravenholdt NPC Reputation Value Chart

Name	Reputation Gained with Syndicate	Reputation Lost with Ravenholdt
Myrokos Silentform	5	125
Winstone Wolfe	1	25
Lord Jorach Ravenholdt	1	25
Fahrad	1	25
Zan Shivsproket	1	25
Smudge Thunderwood	1	25
Simone Cantrell	1	25
Master Kang	1	25
Carlo Aurelius	1	25
Ravenholdt Assassin	1	25
Ravenholdt Guard	1	25