Syndicate The Syndicate is mostly a human criminal organization which originates from the former kingdom of Alterac . It is based in Strahnbrad and operates primarily in the Arathi Highlands and the Alterac Mountains , although a few small encampments are scattered in the Hillsbrad Foothills . These humans are enemies of the Alliance , especially for humans in the areas the Syndicate threatens , like the Trollbane family . They also hate the Horde with a passion , as these orcs severed ties right when the Syndicate needed them . The Syndicate is also the rival of another rogue faction , the guild of Ravenholdt . All who encounter these rogue vagabonds should be prepared for battle . Created and formerly lead by Alterac ' s former king , Aiden Perenolde , they currently have one known leader : Lord Falconcrest who directs Syndicate actions in Arathi Highlands from the semi - abandoned fortress of Stromgarde . Perhaps Lady Beve Perenolde , daughter of Aiden Perenolde , plays an important role too . Aiden ' s son Lord Aliden Perenolde , used to direct the Syndicate ' s actions in the Alterac Mountains from Strahnbrad . It is unknown who , if anyone took up the leadership after he died . History . The Syndicate ' s roots lie in the kingdom of Alterac , one of the human nations that was part of the Alliance of Lordaeron . During the Second War , the Horde attempted to conscript some Alliance nobles to help them . Lord Aiden Perenolde , ruler of Alterac , and other nobles from the kingdom thought the Alliance would lose the war , and collaborated with the Horde . Yet the Alliance won , and Alterac ' s treachery was uncovered . Alterac was crushed by the other nations and Perenolde , along with other nobles and many of their allies , were sentenced to exile by Uther Lightbringer . 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 by stealing from towns and villages and never staying in one area for long . 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 reclaiming 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 . Later when Aiden Perenolde was captured and ousted , Lord Aliden Perenolde , Aiden ’ s son , took over the Syndicate . His father later died in prison . 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 . 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 . Military . The Syndicate has no standing army . All adult members are expected to be able to pull their weight in a fight , although since returning to a landed state , the higher echelons participate less and less . With several thousand potential soldiers one might think that the Syndicate would be able to raise a sizeable army . However , the lack of strong leadership makes assembling a force of significant size nearly impossible . The noble households ( gangs of criminals , really ) hold only nominal loyalty to Perenolde or each other , and thus forces of greater than 50 individuals are rare . Since returning to Alterac the Syndicate has become less cohesive . Each noble claims a territory ( usually , but not always , their original lands ) , and his or her household “ works ” that land , stealing from the communities within it and the travelers who pass through . If a village proves stubborn or a common threat enters the area ( such as Scourge forces ) , multiple households may band together to deal with the threat to their collective sovereignty . However , the households just as often work at cross - purposes , squabbling over territory . Most members of the Syndicate lack training in any productive occupation and receive no encouragement to learn . Instead , the households survive by “ appropriation of resources , ” which is just a fancy way of saying “ stealing . ” In most cases a noble sends his goons to a village and tells the inhabitants that they are now under the “ protection ” of his household . They then tax the village — taking food , supplies , and whatever else catches their fancy . A village that refuses meets with violent retribution , until it either submits or is destroyed . These “ taxes ” are often more than the noble ’ s household needs or the village can afford . Woe betides the village that finds itself between two competing households . The Syndicate is also infamous for “ taxing ” travelers through their lands . Members of the Syndicate are almost exclusively warriors or rogues ( or both ) . Other classes are rare : The Syndicate has only a handful of magi and warlocks , and no healers . Many of the founding members also have levels in aristocrat . Because of the prevalence of rogues and the lack of healers , the Syndicate favors ambush tactics . The ideal combat is one in which they can surprise their opponents , get what they want quickly , and leave without being followed . They know they can ’ t win a battle of attrition , and avoid extended combat . Given that the Syndicate ’ s primary targets are travelers and small villages , most raids go according to plan . If a target turns out to be more powerful than expected — if , for example , the travelers are in fact adventurers — the gang retreats . Often it returns at a more advantageous time with reinforcements , but sometimes it doesn ’ t return at all . Some of the nobles would rather let spoils go than be forced to share them with another household . 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 . Command structure . The leadership of the Syndicate is fractured , and much of a noble household ’ s energy goes towards jockeying for position within the unspoken hierarchy . The corrupt nobles send their best rogues and assassins not against their enemies but against their peers . Current Status . 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 , but they were captured in Durnholde Keep and Gol ' dir was brought to Strahnbrad , only Krusk managed to flee and now tries to free them . Thrall as well ordered 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 . 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 worshipers , 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 the assassination of Magistrate Henry Maleb ' s forerunner 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 , perhaps both . 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 Aedelas 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 Mountains 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 . Syndicate Presence : Arathi Highlands . The Syndicate rules over small pockets everywhere in the Arathi Highlands , like Northfold Manor . But most important , the Syndicate has the domination over a big part of the land´s ruined capital , Stromgarde Keep . This city is held by one of the highest - ranking leaders of the Syndicate , Lord Falconcrest , and his elite brigade . With this big base of operations , the Syndicate´s power in this area is still unbroken , but the Alliance and the Horde are trying to break their control over Stromgarde and , with it , Arathi . 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 faction . All Ravenholdt - affiliated NPCs give 5 Syndicate reputation points , with the exception of Myrokos Silentform , who gives 25 . 0 / 3000 Neutral status is the highest you can reach with the Syndicate . With all players starting at 32000 / 36000 Hated with the faction , this would require 10 , 000 reputation , or 2 , 000 dead Ravenholdt NPCs . Unfortunately , at the moment there are no rewards from increasing Syndicate reputation , and none of the Ravenholdt NPCs drop loot . Most classes cannot raise Syndicate reputation without lowering Ravenholdt reputation . Rogues can achieve 0 / 3000 Neutral with the Syndicate while being friendly with Ravenholdt thanks to , which is only available while Neutral with Ravenholdt . Turn in a Syndicate Emblem to gain 250 Ravenholdt reputation . Ten Ravenholdt NPCs may now be killed for a net gain of 50 Syndicate reputation . Therefore , at least 200 emblems must be pickpocketed to gain the 10 , 000 rep with the Syndicate . Note , however , that if you intend to become exalted with Ravenholdt , this would be a complete waste of time . A Player should not try to gain reputation with the Syndicate until level 70 / 80 were the player can kill the Ravenholdt guards quickly and easily . You will not receive any rewards for being with the Syndicate or Ravenholdt ( Depending on class ) . However , being neutral with the Syndicate will make it very easy for you to run into their territory without having to kill low level mobs and waste time . In Cataclysm . The Syndicate have lost Durnholde Keep and have been replaced with a group of elite mobs . They have also lost the hills overlooking Hillsbrad Foothills to Stormpike troops .