Forsaken

The Forsaken are a race and faction of intelligent undead who broke away from the Scourge and took control of much of the kingdom of Lordaeron, destroyed during the Third War by the death knight Arthas. The Forsaken are led by their Banshee Queen, Sylvanas Windrunner, the former Ranger-General of Quel'Thalas. Their capital is the Undercity, in the royal catacombs beneath the ruins of the City of Lordaeron. When the Lich King's grasp on his vast armies faltered after the Third War, a contingent of undead broke free of their master's iron will. Although this freedom seemed to be a blessing at first, these former humans were soon tormented by memories of the unspeakable horrors that they had committed as mindless Scourge agents. Those who did not descend into madness were faced with a chilling realization: the entirety of Azeroth sought their destruction.

In their darkest hour, the renegade undead were rallied together by the former ranger-general of Quel'Thalas, Sylvanas Windrunner. Defeated during an attack on her kingdom and transformed into a powerful Scourge banshee, Sylvanas had also regained her freedom from the Lich King. Under their new queen's guidance, the independent undead – known as Forsaken – established the Undercity beneath the ruins of Lordaeron's capital. While some Forsaken feared Sylvanas, others valued the security she provided. Many of the free-willed undead, however, found a purpose to their cursed existence through the banshee queen's burning desire to destroy the Lich King. Despite not being affiliated with the Scourge, the Forsaken came under threat from humans who were dedicated to eradicating all Forsaken. As a means to further her own goals and protect her budding nation, Sylvanas sent emissaries to various factions in search of allies. The kind-hearted tauren of Thunder Bluff proved to be the most promising contact. Specifically, Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem saw the potential for redemption in Sylvanas' people, even though he was fully aware of the Forsaken’s sinister nature. Thus, the tauren convinced Warchief Thrall, despite his misgivings, to forge an alliance of convenience between the Forsaken and the Horde. In the end, the Forsaken's chances of victory against the Lich King were bolstered, while the Horde gained an invaluable foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms.

As the hour of the Forsaken's vengeance drew ever closer, an uprising within their ranks led by Grand Apothecary Putress resulted in the huge losses at the Wrathgate. The true Forsaken temporarily lost their Undercity, though with their allies' assistance they were able to take it back and put the traitors to death. However, the ramifications of this event has all but evaporated the Forsaken's trustworthiness in the eyes of their allies. Now, along with being mistrusted by her own allies, Sylvanas recognizes that many of Azeroth's other inhabitants still see her people as a threat, even after the Lich King's eventual defeat. As their numbers dwindle by the day, the Forsaken have begun fortifying their holdings around the Undercity, working to prove their loyalty to the Horde's cause even as they ready themselves for any future attacks.

To this day, the Forsaken are led by their queen and founder, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner.

Introduction


When the Lich King’s grasp on his vast armies faltered after the Third War, a contingent of undead broke free of their master’s iron will. Although this freedom seemed to be a blessing at first, these former humans were soon tormented by memories of the unspeakable horrors that they had committed as mindless Scourge agents. Those who did not descend into madness were faced with a chilling realization: the entirety of Azeroth sought their destruction.

Undead humans and elves freed from the Lich King's control, the Forsaken are a strange and dark force. Hailing from the twisted, skittering darkness of Undercity, the Forsaken are nominally allied with the Horde but serve only themselves. Their objectives are twofold: eliminate the Scourge, and establish a place for themselves on Azeroth. Four years ago, the high elven Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner fell in combat against the Scourge. Prince Arthas raised her as a banshee and compelled her to follow his command. When the Lich King's power waned in the incidents surrounding the Frozen Throne, Sylvanas harnessed her fury and tore herself free from his skeletal grasp. She freed many other undead as well, and recruited powerful allies from the Burning Legion and the surrounding ogre clans. Sylvanas dubbed her new force the Forsaken, and the undead established their capital in the labyrinthine crypts beneath Lordaeron's capital city. Their sprawling, subterranean realm is called Undercity. The Forsaken made allies of the Horde out of necessity and convenience. They have no love for orcs, tauren or any other living creature, but they need time to strike against the Scourge and allies to help them do it. The Forsaken claim that they joined the Horde to prove their desire to leave their evil ways behind, but no one really believes this. The Horde accepts the Forsaken's help, as they do indeed have a common enemy: the Scourge.

The Horde is leery of the Forsaken's tactics, however, and keeps watchful eyes on them. This caution is justified. Forsaken culture is strange, a perverse combination of the lives they once knew as mortals and the mindless slavery they experienced in the Scourge, colored by white-hot rage toward the Lich King and an almost equally intense devotion to their queen. Never sleeping, eating or falling ill, abandoned by those they once loved, the Forsaken have a brutal set of priorities. A great portion of their efforts focus on dark alchemy, and the Royal Apothecary Society commands great power in Undercity's oily tunnels. The apothecaries constantly send Forsaken on missions to gather odd materials for their twisted experiments. Rumors tell that the undead creatures are working to create a plague that will exterminate the Scourge and every living being on Azeroth. Are the Forsaken evil? At times it can be difficult to tell. Some Forsaken attempt to reclaim their humanity by acting in kind and helpful ways. Others allow hatred to fester into cruelty and rage. All that can be said is that the Forsaken follow their own agendas, and the rest of the world be damned; and if they have their way, it will be. Not all Forsaken are evil, but many are, and other races definitely view them as such. A non-evil Forsaken must work hard to prove his or her neutral (or perhaps, good) intentions. Few good Forsaken exist, but many evil ones do, and their leadership is definitely up to nefarious ends. Most Forsaken are pretty despicable, and their motivations as a race are evil and destructive.

Third War and Aftermath
During the Third War, the once-glorious capital of Lordaeron, Capital City, was decimated by a Scourge army under the command of Prince Arthas Menethil. Death offered no escape for the scores of humans killed during the Lich King's campaign to scour the living from Lordaeron. Instead, the kingdom’s fallen were risen into undeath as Scourge minions and forced to wage an unholy war against everything and everyone that they once held dear.

In the wake of Illidan's failed attempt to melt the icy continent of Northrend, the powerful energies possessed by the Lich King inside his Frozen Throne slowly began to decay. Inexorably this resulted in a partial loss of control of the more distant Scourge forces. The result was that many undead under the Lich King's mental domination had their conscious will restored. Their spirits and memories were somehow returned to their undead bodies. Even the Lich King's champion, Arthas, began to weaken as the Lich King's power waned. Arthas the death knight and his lieutenant Kel'Thuzad the lich were suddenly thrust into an undead civil war. Still fanatically loyal to the Lich King, Arthas heeded the call of his master and returned to Northrend as Illidan launched his second attempt to destroy the Lich King directly. Arthas left Kel'Thuzad in command of his forces when he departed. With Arthas' departure from Lordaeron, the three Dreadlords Balnazzar, Varimathras, and Detheroc attempted to regain control over the undead forces in Lordaeron using their formidable mental powers. The former high elf Sylvanas Windrunner rallied many of the newly freed undead to counter the Dreadlords' efforts. Sylvanas was amazingly successful and not only crushed the Dreadlords' forces, but also utterly destroyed the last major contingent of human forces in Lordaeron. She forced Varimathras into her service in exchange for sparing his life and took control of the ruined capital of Lordaeron as her own. Within the sewer system of the ruined city Arthas had constructed his throne room; but with Arthas now gone, Sylvanas claimed this Undercity as her capital and set out to expand her ranks by freeing even more undead.



Alliance with the Horde
Dubbing her band of free-willed undead the Forsaken, Sylvanas worked to ensure that the damned such as herself would have a home free from threats by the living. As a means to further her own goals and protect her budding nation, Sylvanas sent emissaries to various factions in search of allies. The kind-hearted tauren of Thunder Bluff proved to be the most promising contact. Specifically, Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem saw the potential for redemption in Sylvanas’ people, even though he was fully aware of the Forsaken’s sinister nature. Thus, the tauren convinced Warchief Thrall, despite his misgivings, to forge an alliance of convenience between the Forsaken and the Horde. In the end, the Forsaken’s chances of victory against the Lich King were bolstered, while the Horde gained an invaluable foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Among the tauren the Forsaken found a champion in Magatha Grimtotem, who argued in favor of the alliance between the two peoples and who continued to work closely with them. Magatha claimed she merely wanted to aid the Forsaken in their quest to redeem themselves, although there are many who believe her true motives to be something very different and much less innocent. The Darkspear trolls are not particularly fond of the Forsaken because of their shamanistic beliefs, but tolerate them and have learned to trust them in times of war.

The Burning Crusade
The blood elves allowed Sylvanas to station Forsaken soldiers in their lands, most prominently in the village of Tranquillien. The two races now use Tranquillien as their base of operations from which they launch attacks aimed at retaking the Ghostlands. The Forsaken played a large part in convincing Thrall to accept the blood elves into the Horde.The blood elves trust them more than the other members of the Horde, and the trust is seemingly mutual, as Sylvanas was a major component of the elves joining the Horde.

War Against the Lich King


In order to prepare for the War against the Lich King, scouted Northrend and set up Forsaken outpots in the continent. During the second Scourge Invasion, Apothecary Putress researched the zombie infestation from an apothecary camp in Shattrath City and found a cure for the Scourge Plague. Under orders from Sylvanas,The Royal Apothecary Society started creating a New Plague that could attack both the living and the Scourge.

With the threat of the Lich King's shadow looming greater than ever before, Sylvanas built up her forces sufficiently for a direct attack on Northrend. Sylvanas' plague was then fully ready for testing on the Scourge. With her navy on the shores of Northrend, the Forsaken begun setting up a stronghold from which they could launch their own unique plague onto the hateful Scourge.

In Wrath of the Lich King a number of Forsaken under broke away from the Horde at the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate. While the Horde and Alliance battled the Lich King, Putress triumphantly launched a surprise attack against both factions. At the same time, working in concert with the traitorous Putress, successfully pushed the Dark Lady out of the Undercity. However, the Horde and the Alliance quickly launched a counterattack to the Undercity, and destroyed Varimathras, his demon brothers, and the rebel forsaken in the Battle for the Undercity.

Ultimately, the Forsaken assisted the Horde with a massive offensive against the Lich King's power base in Northrend and exacted vengeance upon their hated enemy.

The second generation Forsaken
Now, along with being mistrusted by her own allies, Sylvanas recognizes that many of Azeroth’s other inhabitants still see her people as a threat, even after the Lich King’s defeat. As their numbers dwindle by the day, the Forsaken have begun fortifying their holdings around the Undercity, working to prove their loyalty to the Horde’s cause even as they ready themselves for any future attacks.

After the Lich King's death, a number of the more intelligent former Scourge members were accepted into the Forsaken's ranks by Queen Sylvanas. Some of them, the Val'kyr, have brought with them a new age for the Forsaken: the ability to "procreate" via their necromantic abilities, bolstering their numbers. The second generation Forsaken are individuals who were raised into undeath by these Val'kyr.

The risen dead of the new Forsaken generation are given a choice of what to do after they are reborn. Some of them, such as, accept their fate, and seem keen to make themselves useful and serve the Forsaken in death. The resurrected Prince seems resigned to the fate that befell him and while not particularly enthusiastic about killing his former allies, he personally gives the quests to slay them for the good of the Forsaken.

On the other hand, others do not react so positively. reacts in horror to what she had become, and, not happy with his fate, attacks Deathknell after the transition. Some of the new Forsaken simply kill themselves on the spot. is perhaps the most extreme case of how the process can strip away rational thought and intelligence.

After the Cataclysm, the Forsaken launched an offensive against Gilneas, after being ordered by Garrosh Hellscream to do so. The Forsaken appear to be taking on a more offensive stance regarding the war with the Alliance, and with their new ability to bolster their ranks, their stranglehold on Lordaeron has become tighter than ever. The Forsaken have also began to fortify their own territories, stepping up from their previous preferences of run down human-esque buildings in favour of their own architecture, seen briefly in Northrend.

Culture
Before the time of the Scourge, many of those that would become Forsaken were devout priests of the Light. It would seem, however, that the Forsaken have abandoned the light, though some are still able to channel it. "The figure wore the robes of a priest of the Holy Light - not uncommon among the Forsaken, who mocked the order by wearing their garments and allowing the sacred robes to be soiled and tainted by their bloody work. Somehow, Andarin sensed, this figure was different; the robes seemed to be in almost tolerable condition, even if the body wearing them was not. 'You wear the robes of a priest, Trevor. Why do you not channel the Light in battle, if you seek redemption?' The priest seemed to wince at that. 'While I refuse to wield the shadow, the Light has refused me, or so it seems. And so, I am truly a broken man; I learned to wield spears of Light like Uther's knights did in the Second. Without the Light, I am unarmed and unarmored -- but not entirely helpless, as you see.' Andarin couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the fallen priest, if his story was true. Perhaps a man, no matter how virtuous, could not channel holy power while in such a form.'"



Balance
Forsaken culture reflects its people; just as the Forsaken stand on the line between life and death, their culture balances between the beliefs each Forsaken held in life and each one's quest for a place in the present. Former healers find this transition more difficult than most Forsaken find it. Priests of the Holy Light in particular struggle to reconcile the philosophy that guided their life with their unfortunate new condition. Some balance their own beliefs with their new forms, but most follow one of two paths." (It goes on to give very brief descriptions of the Forgotten Shadow and the Echo of Life.)

Perhaps the greatest element of Forsaken culture, and their culture’s only universal element, is their reverence of death. Every Forsaken respects the dead, and damns those who do not. General society coddles new Forsaken like children, while venerating those who are losing themselves to the Scourge, giving them the greatest comforts before they are put out of their misery. Forsaken treat each other with a measure of respect, as it takes a strong soul to rise, and a stronger soul to not fall to mindless undeath (more on this later). Arthas earns their greatest ire, as the Lich King shows no respect for the living or dead. While Forsaken create undead, they do so with respect to the souls and bodies they use. Life and death is a balance. The Lich King, however, enslaves the dead, stripping their free will. His path is an abomination to the Forsaken.

Alignment
Although most of the race is evil, the Forsaken cannot be thought of in purely dualistic terms entirely. Although undead, the Forsaken are still inherently human, the majority of whom were victims of the plague spread by Kel'Thuzad. Thus some of the Forsaken are still good beings, if no longer living. As the above suggests, some individuals among them are capable of a tragic form of nobility, in that they do not allow their inability to obtain redemption to prevent them from trying.

Those that try often leave the Forsaken, seeing its flaws, and join other causes. These Forsaken rebel against their race, seeking a better way to end the Lich King's reign or search for a way to reclaim their lost humanity, while others work to reform it from within, such as Roberick Dartfall.

Leonid Barthalomew the Revered of the Argent Dawn is probably the greatest example of this. (Trevor in fact aspires to leave and join Leonid.) Others that have left include Kegan Darkmar.

It is arguable that such nobility is the only truly genuine form that exists, in that it comes not from duty, religion, or custom, but from a decision born purely of free will.

True death
True death is the name given to the final and harshest punishment exercised in Forsaken law - in essence, an execution. It appears to be reserved for criminals who have committed high treason against the Forsaken's leadership, proved themselves a threat to the Forsaken's way of life, or taken up arms in rebellion against the Forsaken.

Faith
Even as they believe they have been abandoned by their faith, so have the Forsaken abandoned the faiths of their living days. Some still adhere to their old faiths, such as the Holy Light. Many no longer cling to any religion, placing their faith in their queen and their dark science. Most, however, have embraced new philosophies of their own creation: the Forgotten Shadow, the Echo of Life, or the simple value of knowledge. Some have even turned to the Burning Legion as a source of power, believing that only it is potent enough to defeat the Lich King.

The Cult of Forgotten Shadow is largely based out of Deathknell and the warrior quarter in Undercity. Priests of the Forgotten Shadow believe that the faiths they held in life have failed them, and so they instead rely on the power and teachings of the Shadow. The members of the Cult vary between lawful and chaotic, evil and neutral, and are taught to eradicate anything having to do with the Holy Light — and life in general. It is also a philosophy of divine humanism.

Priests of the Forgotten Shadow teach that there must be a balance between Light and Shadow, and while they should never forget that they are from the Shadow, members of the cult must learn the Light as well. Being intelligent undead, the Forsaken fully understand the limitations and vulnerabilities associated with unlife. One of these disadvantages is that they can be turned, rebuked or even commanded by powerful positive or negative energy forces. Naturally, the Forsaken are always on the lookout for ways to limit or negate this vulnerability.

Some Forsaken priests continue to wield the Light. Recent information provided by the Blizzard Creative Development team says that, while it is possible for Forsaken with intensely strong willpower to use the Holy Light, it is very painful for them to do so. Holy Light spells can still heal the Forsaken but they must suffer nobly.

Relations
Undercity is the home of the Forsaken. They also have control of Tirisfal Glades and have several towns in the region. Forsaken patrols have tried to secure Silverpine Forest for the past couple years, but they are unable to do so. Though the Forsaken do not trust anyone and no one trusts them, they are members of the Horde and, for now, do their best to help their allies and placate their ambassadors. Forsaken have even less love for the Alliance, particularly because they clash constantly with the human organization called the Scarlet Crusade. The only other Horde faction they even have a semblance of trust with is Silvermoon City and the blood elves. This is probably because Sylvanas was a high elf ranger in life and finds trust in her former companions. The Forsaken and blood elves even took control of the village of Tranquillien in the Ghostlands to fight the Scourge in the area together.

Relations with the Horde
Though initially the Forsaken alliance with the Horde was one of pure convenience, in recent times it appears that their position in the faction has begun to solidify and many, though not all, of the Forsaken appear to be more or less loyal to the Horde now. Though the events at the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate may seem to contradict this, in the following quests it is revealed that Grand Apothecary Putress's actions were not very well received among most of the city's denizens. This seems to suggest that the Forsaken consider themselves part of the Horde now, or are at least upset by the new limitations his failure has placed on them.

Languages
Forsaken speak Gutterspeak and Common. Forsaken learn the languages of their enemies and their allies (who may become their enemies).

Names
Like their Dark Lady, Forsaken keep the names they had when they were alive. As most Forsaken are human, these tend to be human names. If a Forsaken cannot remember their name, they may make up a suitable name or read one from a headstone. Some invent surnames that imply their desire to eradicate the Scourge.
 * Male names: Roberick, Magan, Danforth, Lansire.
 * Female names: Yellen, Limmy, Sarias, Mierelle.
 * Family names: Dartfall, Blacksling, Ghoulhunter, Blastlich.

A cure for undeath?
Many of the other races (mainly the tauren) pity the Forsaken and a number of Horde healers all over Azeroth, such as Mani Winterhoof, work tirelessly in the hopes of creating a cure for undeath. Some of the Forsaken feel that their undeath is an illness or curse and long for a cure, but many think it is impossible to attain one.

Forsaken with an undead soul can be brought back with raise dead and reincarnate. The spells work normally on them. Resurrection, true resurrection and similar effects restore them to their undead life rather than to the being they were before they became undead. A Forsaken's body of this type is undead… and so is its soul, corrupted and changed to such a degree that it belongs to its new body now, rather than its old one. Forsaken priests have the power to restore those foolishly slain in battle, though only to unlife. Nothing short of a miracle can return true life.

Necromancy
The Dark Lady, Sylvanas Windrunner, realized how valuable necromancy was to their cause. Though Forsaken heal naturally, many go to the priests of the Forgotten Shadow for "repairs". Necromancers can also free enslaved, mindless undead and research powerful spells that might one day return the Forsaken to life. Sylvanas knew she needed necromancers to heal, strengthen and replace her people, and she set about wooing necromancers away from the Scourge, mainly by force.

Necromancers
There were only two known Necromancers who joined the forsaken Helcular the Former Apprentice to Kel'Thuzad and Gunther Arcanus it is unknown if there other Necromancers besides these two joined the forsaken.

Val'kyr
in Cataclysm After the death of the Lich King, many val'kyr became "unemployed", and have been conscripted into the Forsaken ranks. In order to bolster the Forsaken's numbers. it seems the val'kyr can only raise humans into undeath.

Death knights
The Forsaken have also brought death knights in their ranks. The Death Knight Koltira Deathweaver is referred to as "her majesty's top death knight".

Other members
The Forsaken include numerous other races. Notably, at least three Leper Gnomes are seen existing within the Forsaken empire. The level of trust such beings receive is dubious, though one is referred to as having "bent the knee" to the Dark Lady, thus making him "one of us."

Appearance
"Forsaken, unsurprisingly, look like dead people. Their skin is gray and rotting, showing bone and flesh in places. Their pupil-less eyes glow with dim, white ghostlight. Their muscles are withered, making them scrawny. Their movements are slow but jagged. Forsaken hardly ever smile (unless their lips have rotted away - in which case they can appear to be smiling all the time). Necromantic magic keeps them somewhat preserved, but natural decay still proceeds, just slower than normal."

Glowing Blue Eyes
Interestingly, there are some forsaken that players encounter that have glowing blue eyes instead of the more frequent glowing yellow, similar to the eyes of Death knights. Non-death knights with these eyes are Lilian Voss, Lord Godfrey and Master Forteski. Some of the Forsaken deathguards during the Battle for Andorhal also display blue eyes.

Race
Forsaken are a wild hodgepodge of different ideals and beliefs. No two Forsaken are alike, even more so than any other race. Even referring to them as a race is misleading, as they exist more as a state of being than a race.

All members of the Forsaken race are either humans or of elven descent (high elves and half-elves). However they also control a few abominations as well. The Royal Apothecary Society has independently accepted in a few undead dwarves, leper gnomes, even some orcs, and trolls have joined the society, as apothecaries, but these are not considered true Forsaken.

It is not clear why most of the Forsaken are human. Even the Forsaken don't understand the process by which they are created. The leading theory involves the power of humans' spirits. Humans are perhaps the most stubborn race on Azeroth, and fear nothing. Some scholars agree that this will to live extends even into the grave, thus explaining why most ghosts and wraiths are former humans. The unique nature of the Plaguelands, combined with human resolve, created the Forsaken.

Mind Control?
During the Cataclysm beta, the free will aspect of the Forsaken is still present, as evident by the choice given to each individual. On at least one occasion this has been compromised somewhat, as during the Battle for Andorhal, 's negligence caused Sylvanas to step in and turn the battle around, forcing the rebelling farmers into obedience to this end. It appeared unclear whether or not mind control was used again. In the live (ergo, canon) version, however, the charm aspect was removed from the quest and mind control is given no reference.