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- This article is about the race referred to as "undead" in published materials. For information on the living dead in general, see undead. For information on the Lich King's faction, see Scourge.
- For the playable race of Undead and their faction Undercity see Forsaken of Undercity.
Template:Racebox The Forsaken Undead (aka undead ForsakenTemplate:Cite, or simply Forsaken or UndeadTemplate:Cite) are a race and faction of 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. They are currently allied with the Horde, but in an alliance of convenience only. 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. Undercity is the faction for the playable Forsaken in-game.
Introduction
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 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.Template:Cite
The Forsaken are humanoids transformed into the undead, with all the powers associated with the Scourge. They serve the Banshee Queen, Sylvanas, looking to her as their savior for delivering them from the Lich King’s mental dominance. The Forsaken dwell within the bowels of the ruins of Lordaeron’s capital city, which they have taken to calling the Undercity. Dedicated to seek vengeance upon the Scourge for damning them to their condition, they strive to undermine the Scourge’s control of Lordaeron. The Forsaken have been limited in their ability to reinforce their numbers, having no necromancers among their kind. Instead, these fearless undead warriors are comprised mostly of fighters and warlocks dedicated to building a culture of their own amidst a world that hates and fears them.Template:Cite Only recently has Sylvanas recruited and trained necromancers into the Forsaken ranks.Template:Cite
History
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.
Forsaken apothecary
With Arthas's 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.
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. To ensure their survival, the Forsaken have forged an alliance of convenience with the Horde, which has some sympathy for the Forsaken's condition. The orcs, having been enthralled to demon masters for a generation, felt an obligation to help similarly liberated people. Among the tauren the Forsaken found a champion in Magatha Grimtotem, who argued in favor of the alliance between the two peoples and who continues to work closely with them. Magatha claims she merely wants 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. While the Horde does not fully trust the Forsaken and vice versa, it is a start.
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 those are not true Forsaken.Template:Cite
Present day Forsaken
Reports say Sylvanas moves to and from Northrend; it’s unknown if she is scouting for a possible attack on the Lich King, or if she has darker plans. There are rumors that Lady Sylvanas Windrunner is setting up a Forsaken city up there somewhere.Template:Cite
It seems now with the threat of the Lich King's shadow looming greater than ever before, that Sylvanas has built up her forces sufficiently for a direct attack on Northrend. It appears that Sylvanas' Plague is now fully ready for testing on the Scourge. With her fleet now apparently on the Shores of Northrend, the Forsaken have begun setting up a stronghold from which they can now launch their own unique plague onto the hateful Scourge.
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 Light has turned its back on the Forsaken, and they are unable to channel it. In this, the truth of their name becomes apparent.
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.Template:Cite "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."Template:Cite
Although most of the race is evil,Template:Cite Template:Cite 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,Template:Cite 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.
Faith
Even as they have been abandoned by their faith, so have the Forsaken abandoned the faiths of their living days. Very few 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 faiths of their own creation. The official religion of the Forsaken is the Forgotten Shadow, but some forsaken follow the Echo of Life or other philosophies, and 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.Template:Cite
The Cult of the Forgotten Shadow is largely based out of the church in Deathknell and the warrior quarter in Undercity. It is a religion that worships and uses the Shadow, and not the [Holy Light]. The members of the cult are evil and/or chaotic,Template:Cite and are taught to eradicate anything having to do with the Holy Light — and life in general. It is also a religion of divine humanism. In an early form of the religion, a forsaken priest in Deathknell points out that the light and the shadow have both rejected the Forsaken, and power must be earned by themselves — according to a quest in WoW[1] (however, they have since learned how to tap into the shadow).
While they can no longer use the Holy Light (positive energy in fact hurts them while negative energy, such as from a death coil spell, heals the Forsaken).Template:Cite) and have since learned how to use the Shadow; the priests teach that there must be a balance between Light and Shadow, and members must learn the Light as well but to never forget they were born from the Shadow. However, it seems that they learn about the Light in order to better combat members who practice it, and defend against its undead damaging power.Template:Cite[2] 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.Template:Cite
Though some have apparently been able to learn how to use the light.[1], [2] [3]
Relations
Undercity is the Forsaken’s home. They have also taken over Tirisfal Glades and have several towns in that cursed wood. 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.Template:Cite The only other Horde Faction they even have a semblance of trust with is Silvermoon City and the blood elves (Forsaken and blood elves start as Friendly to each other, unlike the other Horde Factions). This is probably due to the fact that 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.
Languages
Forsaken speak Gutterspeak and Common. Forsaken learn the languages of their enemies and their allies (who may become their enemies).Template:Cite In-game, they speak Orcish, the common language of the Horde, and Gutterspeak.
- See Gutterspeak
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 her name, she 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.Template:Cite
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. There is one case of a sentient undead (High Inquisitor Fairbanks) being restored to life, albeit by unrelated reasons.
Forsaken without an undead soul, are not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect Forsaken. These spells return a destroyed Forsaken to his or her undead life; the Scourge’s curse makes it virtually impossible to bring a Forsaken back to life as the creature he or she was before he or she died. Only a wish or a miracle can accomplish that.Template:Cite
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.Template:Cite 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.Template:Cite
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 — then they smile all the time). Necromantic magic keeps them somewhat preserved, but natural decay still proceeds, just slower than normal.Template:Cite
See also
Forsaken speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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Resurrected forsaken?
Restored humans or high elves, brought back with a wish or miracle, may not be as welcome among their loved ones as they were before death, even though they are entirely alive. Then again its most likely that the spells that returned them to life were cast by their loved ones.
References
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