Noratul @ Ravenholdt made an excellent discovery.  A twist in the Defias Brotherhood equation that many fans had missed.  I have been leveling up a Draenei Paladin, getting ready for Wrath of the Lich King. I have a lvl 70 Blood Elf Paladin, and a lvl 70 Undead Priest for the horde side of lore in Northrend.  I want the Draenei to hit 70 so that once Wrath of the Lich King comes up I have access to the Alliance side of lore in Northrend.

Back on topic, at level 37 this Draenei Paladin has not done the Defias questline.  So I adventured to go through the whole chain of quests from scratch to verify Noratul’s assumption.  I finished the whole questline. There are a few interesting things I found out that some of you may have forgotten.  We know the Defias was involved in the kidnapping of King Varian Wrynn (Missing Diplomat quest).  And that Onyxia and the Naga seems to be knee deep into the whereabouts of the King’s kidnapping … a mysterious alliance trio.  Yet there is a fourth and fifth organizations involved in the Defias Brotherhood conspiracy hinted during the quest chain.

Tyrion the gnome spy by the Stormwind Library’s garden said the following:

I’ve been watching Lescovar for a couple of weeks now.  Trias has never trusted him, but we didn’t suspect he was involved in anything to do with the Defias Brotherhood.  We were following leads that tied him with the Twilight’s Hammer.  Either way, he’s become more dangerous that this city can deal with.”

… hmm Lescovar is dealing with the Defias and the Twilight Hammer?  This quest sends you to the Stormwind Library’s garden where Tyrion asks you to overhear Lescovar and a Defias agent in the garden.  Indeed Lescovar is serving Edwin Van Cleef and his Defias from within Stormwind.

Before I was sent to kill Van Cleef, I retrieved a letter from a Defias messenger.  Letter that was signed by Van Cleef.  Look who Edwin Van Cleef – Lord of the Defias Brotherhood – kept contact with …

 

Blacknails …

The Sea await us. We need your supplies from the North. Strip everything: every railroad pike, every waterbucket. We need metal. A shipment is due from BB but long overdue. Come through for me, Blacknails. Send your supplies directly to the “Barn” this time. No time to squander.

… Van Cleef

BB?  Booty Bay?  The Blackwater Raiders are involved in the King’s kidnapping? Seems not. According to a fan, he reports sighting of a letter item that drops from a Bloodsail Buccaneer (BB) which hints an association or business between the Bloodsail and the Defias Brotherhood.

This Blacknails could be Nefarian. He is in the North. He is a black dragon taking the form of a human. It was never explained in the quests why Nefarian is in human form, under the name Lord Nefarious, or who was he in contact with to fool in his disguise.

Nefarian isn’t the only one that fits the description.  Elling Trias in Stormwind jokes after you tell him the Defias conspiracy, and says “The Defias Brotherhood, you say? … Well, you are certainly the bearer of wonderful news, aren’t you?  Next you are going to tell me that Deathwing is still alive, and attacking the city.”—a joke, or a hint from Blizzard?

Blacknails could be Onyxia, since she is Lady Katrana Prestor, standing next to King Anduin Wrynn at Stormwind Keep.  Three black dragons fans have heard often.

Blacknails could be the Dark Iron Dwarves King Thaurissan. There are Twilight Hammer emmisaries in Blackrock Depths … and Lescovar has been in contact with Twilight’s Hammer. Thaurissan has supported Thermaplugg in Gnomeregan. Wouldn’t be too far-fetched to consider Thaurissan may be aiding the Defias with … metal supplies.

Blacknails could be someone in the Syndicate or the Argus Wake. Whoever this Blacknails is, it has become an interesting twist of events among the mysterious associations behind the Defias Brotherhood conspiracy.

Someone in the Warcraft lore could probably fit the nickname Blacknails too:  Garona.