Warcraft The Horde The Forsaken / Characters

Warcraft Main Character Index
Adventurers
The Alliance: Stormwind (Humans) - Lordaeron (Humans) - Gilneas (Humans/Worgen) - Kul Tiras (Humans) (Jaina Proudmoore) - Other Human Kingdoms - Ironforge (Dwarven Clans) - Gnomeregan (Gnomes) - Quel'Thalas/Telogrus Rift (High Elves and Void Elves) - Darnassus (Night Elves) - The Exodar (Draenei) - Vindicaar (Lightforged Draenei) - Mechagon (Mechagnomes)
The Horde: Orgrimmar (Orcs) - The Darkspear Tribe (Trolls) - Thunder Bluff (Tauren) - The Forsaken (Undead) - Quel'Thalas (Blood Elves) - Bilgewater Cartel (Goblins) - Thunder Totem (Highmountain Tauren) - Suramar (Nightborne) - Zandalari Empire (Zandalar Trolls) - Voldunai (Vulpera) - Other (non-playable races)
Other factions: The Old Horde/Iron Horde | The Scourge (Arthas Menethil) | Sylvanas and her followers (Sylvanas Windrunner) | Knights of the Ebon Blade | Illidan and his followers | Garrosh's Horde | Pandaria | Other mortals | The Void (The Old Gods) | The Light | Eternals | Shadowlands (Death) | The Titans (Arcane) | The Burning Legion (Fel) | The Dragonflights | Wild Gods |
Individual media: Warcraft I And II Units | Warcraft III Units | Warcraft III Heroes | Film characters | Hearthstone characters | Warcraft characters in Heroes of the Storm (Assassins - Warriors - Support)

A character subpage for the WarCraft universe, including World of Warcraft. For the main character page, see here. For the Horde character page, see here.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/forsakencrest_1887.jpg

The Icon of Torment

"Our goal... Our sole purpose was to destroy the Lich King. We threw our lot in with the Horde and began our journey towards redemption. Now the Lich King is dead and we have returned. The people who called this land their home in life, do so in death as well. But the Alliance does not recognize our rights. They claim this land as their own while attempting to invalidate the claims of the founders of this kingdom. I will never allow it... Never! Lordaeron belongs to the Forsaken — always and forever."

— Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken

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 into conflict with various humans who were dedicated to taking back their homeland, the most extreme of which was the Scarlet Crusade. 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.

open/close all folders

General Tropes

Aborted Arc: Legion raises the idea that the Forsaken's bodies are rotting, as corpses do, and this will continue until all of them have rotted away entirely. Sylvanas has a potential solution in the form of a Val'kyr ritual, but lacks the numbers of Val'kyr to implement it beyond for a few chosen elites. Her actions during the expansion are an attempt to secure a steady supply of Val'kyr, she is foiled by Genn Graymane and... the plotline is completely abandoned with no further mention of the Forsaken's issue with decaying.
Arch-Enemy: Initially the Scourge. Sylvanas and the Forsaken's initial goal was to destroy the Lich King to get revenge for their deaths and enslavement in undeath by him. After the defeat of the Lich King they got a particularly vicious and savage enemy in the worgen after their invasion of Gilneas and the death of prince Liam Greymane at Sylvanas' hands.
Balance Between Good and Evil: Forsaken Priests believe that dark forces are just as fundamental as holy ones, and strive to maintain a stable, moderate equilibrium between the two in the interests of preserving reality as we know it ("the Shadow").
Broken Pedestal: Every admiration they had for Sylvanas seems to vanish when she admits to not care about the Horde.
Came Back Wrong: Word of God states that the state of undeath is an imperfect chain of dark magic holding the soul to its rotting corpse. As a result, it becomes near-impossible for them to feel positive emotions, which often leads to them becoming emotionally detached and cruel.
Carnivorous Healing Factor: All Forsaken have the "Cannibalize" racial ability, which allows them to replenish their health by feeding on humanoid and undead corpses. Note that unlike classic zombies, they don't need to do this to feed, it's just one way they can do it; It has been shown both in the lore and gameplay-wise that they can still subsist on regular food. Amusingly, it also works on incorporeal undead spirits such as ghosts. Vampiric Draining may be involved in this.
Cult of Personality: Has a major one around Sylvanas, all the way up to pasting a part of her face on their icon. Actively enforced by the Banshee Queen, who pushes the narrative that she's the only one to care for the Forsaken and all those still living only want to see them destroyed. This ends up taking a hit when Sylvanas let it slip that she doesn't even care about them.
Damaged Soul: As noted in Came Back Wrong, their curse imperfectly binds their soul to their body with dark magic, bringing out and amplifying their darker sides.
Dark Is Not Evil: Although leaders can vary from being morally ambiguous to being downright villainous, most of the race seem like decent people who do what it takes to survive.
Deadly Gas: The Forsaken Blight, their signature weapon. Garrosh banned its use during his reign, but that didn't stop Sylvanas from plaguing Gilneas and Southshore anyway. The Blight was also the weapon used at the Wrathgate betrayal, but it was by a traitorous group of Forsaken, and is the reason why the Blight is subject to in-universe Nuclear Weapons Taboo.
Doomed Hometown: As of Battle for Azeroth the Undercity is conquered by the Alliance along with most of their holdings in the Eastern Kingdoms. In an attempt to take out the Alliance forces in the area, Sylvanas has the entire city contaminated with Blight, which rendered it uninhabitable for even the Forsaken themselves.
- Subverted as of the end of Shadowlands where the Forsaken have begun retaking the ruins above the Undercity and continued in Dragonflight where they're shown having taken up residence in the ruins of Lordaeron, though parts of the former capitol seemingly remains irradiated by Blight.
Due to the Dead: While they don't care about, and in some cases despise the living, they have a great respect for the spirits of the dead. The Forsaken were originally planning to occupy an abandoned Dwarf fortress in Hillsbrad, but when they saw it was filled with lingering Dwarf spirits, they decided to leave them in peace. They also see their raising corpses into undeath not as enslaving them or inflicting torment upon them, but giving them a second chance at life. In the Starting Zone they even tell the newly raised Forsaken that they are free to leave if they don't want to join Sylvanas (but don't hesitate to kill them if they are insane or try to turn against them).
Dying Race: Since the Forsaken are walking and rotting corpses, they will eventually die out unless they have necromancers like the Val'kyr to create more of them, but they are in short supply.
Egopolis: Their faction symbol, which is on their tabards, their flags, et cetera, is Sylvanas' face and three arrows (See the crest).
Everyone Has Standards:
- While Forsaken are willing to raise humans as undead in order to procreate, against their will if necessary, it seems to be essential for them that the resulting undead have sentience. One questline involves a Forsaken Mad Scientist named Stillwater experimenting on humans and Forsaken alike in order to find an alternative to the Val'kyr, which resulted in mindless zombies. The emissary of Sylvanas sent to check on him is disgusted and has Stillwater slain with the player's assistance. Of course, considering the Apothecary Quarters in Undercity are full of slaves and prisoners from Alliance being lethally experimented on, it is dubious whether the emissary was disgusted, did not know of the Apothecary experiments, or was simply removing a potential threat to the unity of the Forsaken.
- Despite having no qualms about looting graves and battlefields en masse to bolster their armies, the Forsaken are insistent that the resulting undead serve voluntarily or not at all. If a freshly raised undead is unable to come to terms with their undeath, the Forsaken will allow them to flee rather than force them into service. This is likely a reaction against their former enslavement by the Lich King.
- When Sylvanas dismisses the Horde as meaning "nothing" to her, the flag-bearer next to her looks over with visible shock even on her masked face, and when Sylvanas kills Saurfang and abandons the Horde and Forsaken both, they stop hostilities immediately. As it turns out, despite Sylvanas cultivating an almost cult-like reliance, they had genuinely come to find kinship and comfort within the Horde — greater even than their reverence for Sylvanas, and only the most loyal of her loyalists go seeking her out after she's fled while the rest are content to remain with the Horde, even if their current future is unknown.
Femme Fatalons: Unarmed Forsaken uses their nails as melee attack.
Flanderization: Showing up after Wrath of the Lich King. The Forsaken's leaders have lost some of their nuance and a lot of their actions became increasingly evil for the sake of evil, instead of doing what they needed to do to survive.
Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: Most forsaken’s eyes glow with an inner light, such as white, blue, red, green, purple, or yellow. Other times the eyes have no glow at all, and instead the eyes are a dull dead grey, or the sockets are simply empty.
Heel–Race Turn: When Sylvanas demonstrates her true nature, most Forsaken who were loyal to Sylvanas decide to end the conflict and accept their former companions of the Horde.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: A lot of their more minor acts are Played for Laughs. Like when a Forsaken in Northrend confesses to punching a penguin in the face just to see the look on the priestess' face.
Heroic Willpower: Together with the Lich King's weakening after Illidan's stunt with the Eye of Sargeras, this is said to be how they broke free of the Lich King's control when Arthas left for Northrend, and persists in their racial ability Will of the Forsaken, which removes any fears, mind controls, or sleeps upon use.
Hero with Bad Publicity: After of the betrayal of Putress, everyone, even their Horde brothers and sisters, look upon them with suspicion.
Hidden Depths:
- Several quests show there's more to them then revenge and hate. More than that, some are shown to care for their Horde comrades, and even choose to live in Orgrimmar with the other Horde races rather than the Undercity with their own undead kind. While the soldiers in the Forsaken military often have mindsets similar to Sylvanas, others and even some in the military reveal softer sides.
- Starting with the Cataclysm (and the retooling of many old quest areas), there's been an increasing interest among Forsaken to develop their own culture now that their old fixation of killing Arthas is done. Many towns in Tirisfal Glades, for example, were remade in the new uniquely Forsaken style they started using in Northrend. One quest giver advises young Forsaken to take pride in how they're no longer hiding in the rotten remains of their old lives and making something new for themselves when sending them to visit the town of Brill.
Horrifying Hero: In Legion, where the player characters are treated like the greatest heroes to ever walk the face of Azeroth, Forsaken player characters qualify as this.
I Am a Humanitarian: All Forsaken have the "Cannibalize" racial ability, which allows them to replenish their health by feeding on humanoid and undead corpses. Note that unlike classic zombies, they don't need to do this to feed, it's just one way they can do it; It has been shown both in the lore and gameplay-wise that they can still subsist on regular food. Amusingly, it also works on incorporeal undead spirits such as ghosts. Vampiric Draining may be involved in this.
The Kindness of Strangers: How they joined the Horde. Hamuul Runetotem saw in them the potential for redemption and convinced Thrall to allow them into the Horde. This is why the Forsaken also reside in the Pools of Vision beneath Thunder Bluff, supposedly working with the Tauren to research a cure for Undeath.
Mad Scientist: Their apothecaries are usually depicted that way, always eager to come up with new ideas of poisons and Deadly Gas to use against their enemies, often derived from enslaved human farmers and experimented on captive Alliance personnel.
Moral Myopia: They don't really acknowledge that other people might have a problem with their friends and family being raised into twisted undead to bolster Forsaken forces, seeing it as solely a concern of the undead themselves. Naturally, their complete lack of respect to the fallen doesn't endear them to other races.
Odd Friendship: Of all the other races in the Horde, the one the Forsaken get along with the best are the Blood Elves, who are the only non-monstrous members, use a light motif, and had their kingdom devastated by Undead by the past. This actually makes sense when you realize both were in the end victims of the Scourge with a personal vendetta against the Lich King and Sylvanas used to be a High Elf, making her still concerned with the safety of Quel'thalas, but if you aren't aware about these details, the way they easily cooperate (including having an entire region where they cohabit peacefully) can seem surprising.
Our Elves Are Different: Initially, only Sylvanas and the banshees are representatives of undead high elves among the Forsaken. As of Wrath of the Lich King, few undead high elf NPCs start appearing in the Undercity and some Forsaken-aligned towns and, well, let's just say they're better-looking than regular Forsaken characters as they're basically dark-skinned and red-eyed high elves instead of rotting living corpses. Just like Sylvanas, they're all Dark Rangers and presumably retain their good-looking elven forms in similar way to hers. At first, they're all female. As of Legion, male high elf Dark Rangers start appearing as well. As of Battle for Azeroth, they include undead night elves, too.
Revive Kills Zombie: Downplayed; healing Forsaken with the Light works perfectly fine, but it is incredibly painful for them since they're undead, with the pain being described by Word of God as if their entire bodies are being consumed in righteous fire.
Rogue Drone: The first Forsaken were all former members of the Scourge Hive Mind who were able to regain their free will and escape the Lich King's control due to the waning of his power in Warcraft III.
Rotten Rock & Roll: The dance animation of the male Forsaken is head-banging and playing an air guitar. While they are not completely evil, they are more sinister than the rest of the Horde, and they are literally rotten corpses. The lead guitar in the Elite Tauren Chieftain band is a forsaken named Bergrisst.}, who plays a legendary guitar named the Arcanite Ripper.
The Scapegoat: As stated in the opening cinematic for Forsaken players, most of the Horde have a hard time trusting them due to their former affiliation with the Lich King. This mistrust is not entirely baseless.
Strange Salute: The Undead salute is to stand at attention and cross your arms over your chest, your fists to your shoulders, as if you were being lain in a coffin.
Super Not-Drowning Skills: Being already dead, Forsaken don't really need to breathe the way the living do, meaning they can go underwater for extended periods of time without any fear of drowning.
Token Evil Teammate:
- Compared to the rest of the Horde, many Forsaken's leaders usually play this role.
- Varimathras and his subordinates were this to Forsaken, until they finally betrayed them.
The Undead: Most of the Forsaken are Revenant Zombies, as they retain the memories of their previous lives and are still themselves, albeit with their negative emotions in greater influence. Not all of the Forsaken are zombies, though, there are also Banshees and Abominations.
Vampiric Draining: Their racial ability "Touch of the grave" allows them to sometimes drain life force from their enemies and use it to repair their own bodies.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Particularly following the defeat of the Lich King, many Forsaken consider themselves this, chiefly in regard to preserving dominion over Lordaeron. This has a lot to do with the fact that Forsaken remember who they are and the lives they led before being turned and yet are in conflict with still-living humans who seek to reclaim the land from them.
Worldof Snark: Almost every Forsaken has at least one sarcastic remark or dry pun, especially Nathanos.

The Desolate Council

The newly formed governing body of the Forsaken, created after the Fourth War, Sylvanas being ousted as Warchief and the reclamation of the Undercity. The council consists of several high ranking Forsaken: Deathstalker Commander Belmont, Dark Ranger Velonara, and Grand Apothecary Faranell, whilst also including some newcomers: Lillian Voss, and former Lordaeronian princess Calia Menethil. The sworn goal of the council is to safekeep the Forsaken and secure them a brighter future.

Brotherhood of Evil: Subverted; the Desolate Council doesn’t have the most promising of names, and consists of undead humans (and an elf), several of whom have partaken in war crimes, but the council ultimately works to secure their peoples’ position on Azeroth as well as improve relations with other factions after the Fourth War ended.
Fire-Forged Friends: The newest version of the council is formed after the members took down an alchemical monstrosity that was the by-product of the soon-to-be council’s attempt to cleanse the Undercity of the plague left behind from The "Battle of The Undercity".
Legacy Team: Not the first Desolate Council in the setting. The original council was a stand-in for Sylvanas when her warchief duties kept her from governing the Forsaken directly, but the new one is the direct and permanent leadership of the Forsaken. Sylvanas had the original Council killed off for simply existing (and thus subverting her authority by making decisions on her behalf) when she got the chance.
Rank Up: Happens to the entire Council, originally most members only governed parts of Forsaken Society: Belmont led the Deathstalkers, Faranell commanded the Apothecaries, whilst Velonara was a highranking Dark Ranger. Lillian Voss served as a voice on the larger Horde council, but only temporarily, during which Calia was her advisor. Now, all five members are permanent leaders of the Forsaken, holding equal rank.
Redeeming Replacement: To Sylvanas, whose tyrannical rule led the Forsaken, and the Horde, down a horrifying path which included a genocidal war, human experimentation, and frequent use of biological warfare and friendly fire. The council doesn’t want a repetition, and some even want to improve relations with the Alliance by withdrawing forces from Gilneas.

Sylvanas Windrunner

See the her page

Nathanos Blightcaller

See the Sylvanas and followers character page

Lilian Voss

Class: Rogue

Voiced by: Cree Summer (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hs_lilian_voss.png

Trained from a young age to be a living weapon against the Scourge, Lilian Voss was eventually killed under unknown circumstances and raised as an undead by the Forsaken. In denial of her own state, she rejected their offer to join them and set out to reunite with her father in the Scarlet Crusade. She was captured and ordered executed, but was freed by adventurers. After this, she sought out revenge against her father and the Scarlet Crusade.

Sometime after, the player reunited with her, in disguise, at the Scarlet Monastery. The player retrieved the Blades of the Anointed, plunging them in Whitemane's body before Lilian claimed the swords for herself. She later appeared in Scholomance, hunting down the professors and students seeking to learn necromancy and their undead monstrosities.

During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, Lilian became a member of the Uncrowned, a secret order of Azeroth's greatest rogues. Following Sylvanas Windrunner's desertion, Lilian agreed to be the acting leader of the Forsaken until a suitable replacement could be found. When no single replacement was agreed upon, she joined as part of the Desolate Council.

An Offer You Can't Refuse: If the player asks why she's working for the Forsaken, Lilian replies that they made a "request" of her that she couldn't turn down.
Bodyguarding a Badass: The player is sent to "assist" her in her revenge against the crusade. But she doesn't actually need help.
Came Back Strong: Lilian was already a skilled killer when she was alive, but her powers increased when she was revived as forsaken.
Casting a Shadow: She's skilled in the use of shadow magic, often leaving behind corpses bathed in shadowy flames in her wake.
Cool Sword: The players help her recover two holy swords, known as the Blades of the Anointed, to permanently kill Whitemane. Being soaked in Whitemane's blood, they change shape into the dark runeblades that she continues to wield.
The Creon: In Battle for Azeroth, she serves as the Forsaken's interim leader after Sylvanas betrays the Horde, but is willing to step down once a true leader is found. She herself is implied to be training Calia Menethil for the position.
Dark Is Not Evil: She utilizes shadow magic and is clad in dark clothes, but for the most part she's out to punish necromancers and zealots.
Dual Wielding: Wields the Blades of the Anointed, a pair of runeblades.
Et Tu, Brute?: She takes it really badly when her father orders her to be killed after she's become undead.
Everyone Has Standards: Lilian is positively disgusted by the execution of Thomas Zeiling, even if he was a traitor, and the imprisonment of Baine. She’s also not on board with Sylvanas planning to deprive Derek Proudmoore of his free will after he was raised from the dead.
Facial Horror: Voss’ face literally looks like another face has been stitched on top of it.
Freak Out: She is understandably well out of it after being raised as an undead.
Gone Horribly Right: Her father raised her to be a unstoppable killer. Unfortunately for him, he was successful.
Good Is Not Nice: She is understandably bitter and kind of a jerk toward the Player character, but her intentions are overall good.
Grave Robbing: Voss aids Nathanos in digging up a specific body (Marshal M. Valentine) from a Kul Tiran graveyard so they can raise him and through him get vital information for the war effort.
Hunter of His Own Kind: She spends her life hunting both overzealous Crusaders who seek to purge all innocent undead from the world, and hunting necromancers and remnants of the Cult of the Damned, to prevent them from raising more unwilling into undeath.
Magic Knight: She's trained in both sorcery and swordplay, mixing both to deadly effect. She fits as a paragon to the Subtlety Rogue specialization.
Pet the Dog: Lilian goes out of her way to assure that Thomas Zellings’ family is taken care of after his death, making sure that they have enough for a new home.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Goes on a huge rampage against the Scarlet Crusade after her father orders her to be killed.
True Companions: In Battle For Azeroth, she claims the Horde and the Forsaken have become this to her, being the only people that will accept her for what she has become.
Tyke-Bomb: Trained by her father to be the ultimate undead killing machine.
Unexplained Recovery: In Mists of Pandaria, she's seemingly fatally injured trying to take down Darkmaster Gandling, who mind controls her into fighting the players. After the fight, Lilian asks the player to "leave her to die", yet she turns up unharmed as a possible garrison questgiver in Warlords of Draenor.
You Are in Command Now: Played with. Following Sylvanas's abandonment of the Horde, Voss steps in to represent the Forsaken on the Horde Council essentially becoming their leader. However she feels that she shouldn't be the one guiding them and it's heavily implied that she intends to give leadership to Calia Menethil when the time is right.

Calia Menethil

Princess Calia Menethil

The Pale Lady

Class: Priest

The eldest child of King Terenas. Calia, due to being born a woman, was to be married to the charismatic Lord Daval Prestor as part of a marriage alliance, but it was called off as Lord Prestor disappeared. She vanished during the Third War after the destruction of Lordaeron and was not heard from for years. She finally appeared in game during the Legion expansion as a priest and a companion to Alonsus Faol.

Arranged Marriage: As part of Deathwing's schemes to become king of Alterac in the guise of Daval Prestor, he manipulated Terenas into offering him the hand of his daughter, securing a marriage alliance and his place on throne. It was however called off when Lord Prestor mysteriously vanished.
Back from the Dead: Sylvanas killed her during the Gathering to remove her as a potential rival. However, Anduin and Alonsus Faol were able to revive her with the Light.
The Bus Came Back: She makes her return in the Legion expansion.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Her father wanted her to marry a powerful noble in order to strengthen Lordaeron. However, she fell in love with one of his low-ranking soldiers and secretly married him and had a daughter.
Fallen Princess: While she is technically the heir to Lordaeron, she has no interest in reclaiming the throne and has declared the Forsaken to be the inheritors of the kingdom.
Heir Club for Men: Despite being two years older than him, Arthas was first in line for the throne of Lordaeron.
I Will Find You: She is currently searching for her missing husband and daughter.
Missing Mom: Inverted. Calia had a daughter with a commoner soldier, and their plan was for her husband to raise her daughter away of Lordaeron, ignorant of her royal status, until Arthas had married and produced an heir, at which point she would publicly acknowledge them both as her family. The scheme went awry thanks to Arthas destroying Lordaeron, and now it's the dad and kid who've gone missing while the mom is accounted for.
Rebellious Princess: She defied her father by marrying one of his footmen and she waited until she was pregnant before telling her mother.
Rightful Queen Returns: Played with. After Sylvanas had abandoned her people, Lilian Voss stepped up to lead Forsaken. However after Calia joined the Horde she serves as a counselor to Voss, who is implied to be training her for the Forsaken leadership.
Parental Neglect: Something that she used to her advantage. Her father was so caught up with preparing Arthas to succeed him that Calia was able to marry one of his soldiers and give birth to a daughter right under his nose.
Spanner in the Works:
- In-Universe, this is what Sylvanas fears Calia will become for the Forsaken in Before the Storm. Calia is the last remaining member of the royal family, with the majority of the Forsaken being Lordaeron citizens who while hating Arthas, wish to have the city returned to how it used to be. Thus to Sylvanas, Calia could rally the Forsaken to rebel against her and thus she moves to eliminate her in the novel.
- In Before the Storm, she was approached by a number of Forsaken who wanted to defect from the Horde and wanted to use the Gathering as their chance. Her decision to support them nearly ignited an open war between the Horde and the Alliance.
Ship Tease: With the Undead Derek Proudmoore. In the followup to the end of the war campaign, both factions check in Derek and discover that the two of them seem to have grown close, with both find stability in the others' presence, even holding hands in a way usually done by lovers.
True Companions: Appears to be this with the Horde as Thrall brings her along, with Baine Bloodhoof, to represent the Horde at his meeting with the Night Elven leadership.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Her original claim to fame was her complete disappearance from the lore after the destruction of Lordaeron, with no mention of what happened to her until Legion, fifteen years after she was introduced.

Derek Proudmoore

Captain Derek Proudmoore

The eldest child of Daelin and Katherine and the older sibling to Jaina and Tandred, Derek Proudmoore commanded a Kul Tiran destroyer of the Third Fleet during the Second War, accompanying his father into battle during their conflicts with the Orcish navy. Near Crestfall, Derek's fleet was suddenly attacked by red dragons under the control of the Black Tooth Grin clan, and despite his attempt to warn his father of the danger, Derek was incinerated atop the crow's nest. His death had a large impact on his father, inspiring hatred for the orcs that murdered his child and eventually driving him to attempt to exterminate the orcs in Durotar, leading to his death.

Action Bomb: When Jaina saw him again, she believed he was either full of Blight, or another Mana bomb like the one that destroyed Theramore. Fortunately, Baine and Derek dispelled her fears.
Brainwashed and Crazy: After his resurrection, Sylvanas intends to brainwash and torture Derek into being a sleeper agent, with the intent of being brought back to Jaina and her family, only to kill them in their sleep. Baine, disgusted by this plan, frees him before she can complete the process, spiriting him away to Jaina, explaining Sylvanas' plans. It is, however, currently unknown if Baine had foiled Sylvanas' plan, or played right into her hands.
Came Back Wrong: Averted. Horde players find his body under the sea and Sylvanas revives him to use him as a weapon against his family. However, this plan requires that his mind be bent to serve her after his resurrection and Horde players intervene before this can occur, leaving him undead but still largely the same person he was when alive.
The Captain: Captain of his own ship during the Second War.
The Champion: Following the Forsaken reclaiming the Undercity, Derek has gained the title of Champion of the Pallid Lady, Calia Menethil.
Dead Guy on Display: Before his resurrection, Nathanos hangs up Derek’s corpse in Plunder Harbor, thus angering the attacking Kul Tiran forces. Sylvanas keeps this going when she later has him resurrected in Dazar’alor.
Dramatic Irony: He joined the Horde that his own father died trying to vehemently wipe out.
Going Down with the Ship: Played with, Derek didn’t get a choice when his ship was engulfed by dragon fire during a naval battle off of the island of Crestfall, which sent the entire crew down with the ship.
I Choose to Stay: As a member of the Proudmoore Admiralty, who didn't have any personal suffering to the Scourge to drive personal vendettas, Derek probably could have had a fairly normal unlife if he rejoined his remaining family who still loved him, but instead he chose to go with Calia to become an official member of the Forsaken to serve as another leadership figure to rally behind in the wake of Sylvanas' betrayal of the Horde and the Forsaken falling into a leadership crisis.
Killed Mid-Sentence: Was killed while he was atop the crow's nest, trying to warn his father of the danger.
Posthumous Character: Was incinerated by Horde-controlled red dragons during the battle of Crestfall.
Ship Tease: With the Lightforged Undead Calia Menethil. In the followup to the end of the war campaign, both factions check in on him and discover that the two of them seem to have grown close, with both find stability in the others' presence, even holding hands in a way usually done by lovers.
Something Only They Would Say: When returned to Jaina by Baine before Sylvanas had her way with him, he admits that Sylvanas intended to use him as a weapon against the Proudmoores. But he claims that thanks to Baine, he is still her brother, "for as long as stars do shine." Using the phrase from the old song their father sang to Jaina seems to convince her of his words.

Putress

Grand Apothecary Putress

Class: Apothecary

Voiced by: David Lodge (English), Peter Ivashchenko (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/putress_border_2740.png

"Now, all can see... This is the hour of the Forsaken."

The former leader of the Royal Apothecary Society, Putress made his debut in the pre-Wrath of the Lich King event, lending his aid to stop the zombie invasion. Sylvanas dispensed him to Northrend, where he weaponized the newly-finalized Forsaken Blight and showed his true colors in particularly spectacular fashion, laying waste to the Scourge, the Horde, and the Alliance all at once at the Wrathgate.

He betrayed Sylvanas and took up arms with Varimathras, though he was promptly killed by the Alliance at the Battle for the Undercity.

Though not a huge character by any stretch, his style, chilling line delivery and lasting impact on the plot have given him quite a fan following.

Affably Evil: Faux Affably Evil At first. Then he reveals his plans...
Badass Boast: Most fans agree that his chilling Wham Line delivery at the Wrathgate was pretty amazing. Some of his one-liners at the Undercity were pretty good, too, though this will always be the crown jewel:
Putress: Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? Behold, now, the terrible vengeance of the Forsaken! Death to the Scourge! And death to the living! ... Now, all can see... This is the hour of the Forsaken.
Big Bad Duumvirate: With Varimathras.
Evil Is Hammy: The above quote really sells it.
Evil Laugh: He's evil and has a matching laugh.
Evil Versus Evil: He betrayed the Forsaken to the Burning Legion, but he still despises the Scourge.
The Faceless: We never see his face due to his hood and mask.
Face–Heel Turn: Not that it came as much of a surprise; his betrayal at the Wrathgate was datamined long before he made an appearance in-game.
Flunky Boss: Fights with failed experiments.
High Collar of Doom: Despite wearing a hood.
Hopeless Boss Fight: In the Undercity, he would kill the player character almost instantly (even with the major regen buffs) if he so much as looked in your direction. Only Varian could soak up his damage.
In the Hood: The player never gets to see his face
Omnicidal Maniac: Given he tried to kill anything that wasn't forsaken, this is kinda a given.
Plague Doctor: His appearance is meant to resemble the plague doctors, but with what looks like a horse skull instead of a beak-shaped mask. He did help creating a cure against the Scourge's plague too, though this isn't the main reason he's remembered.
Run the Gauntlet: He turns the Undercity into a veritable gauntlet, and throws all sorts of creations and abominations at you.
Small Role, Big Impact: He appears in only a handful of quests, most of them now defunct, but he was the one to reignite the Alliance-Horde war back into open war.
This Cannot Be!: Midway through the battle with him.
Villainous Breakdown: Has a massive one as the Alliance forces whittle away his HP.
We Hardly Knew Ye: While introduced a little earlier, he makes his grand entrance with the Wrathgate cinematic, but doesn't last long after that, leaving little time to actually learn about him.

Varimathras

See the Burning Legion character page, here.

Galen Trollbane

Prince Galen Trollbane

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal (English), Yuri Menshagin (Russian)

Son of Thoras Trollbane and prince of Stromgarde, Galen Trollbane led the defense of his kingdom after his father's assassination, but did not crown himself king. While the kingdom fell, Galen and his troops held out in a section of the city, guarding his father's tomb and the ancient family sword Trol'kalar. He was eventually slain by Horde adventurers sent by Zengu, who was seeking Trol'kalar to use against the followers of Hakkar in Zul'gurub.

Zengu did not get far: Galen's followers slew the troll and took back the sword. Galen himself however, was raised into undeath by the Forsaken by the time of Cataclysm. His allegiance having changed to Sylvanas, he instructs Horde adventurers to once again obtain Trol'kalar from his father's tomb. In Legion he is revealed to have been using the Forsaken for his own gain, and reclaims Stromgarde as an undead lord for himself.

Ancestral Weapon: His family's ancestral sword Trol'kalar has been with them since the time of Ignaeus Trollbane, a warlord serving Thoradin, the founder of the first human nation.
Antagonistic Offspring: After Thoras is brought back by the Ebon Blade, he reveals that Galen was his killer.
Bullying a Dragon: He knows full well that the Player Character and Thassarian were sent by the Lich King and are some of his strongest Death Knights around. He still decides to betray them and attempt to have them killed.
Came Back Wrong: He seems unusually loyal to Sylvanas and the Forsaken considering he was slain by Horde adventurers. Revealed to just be a front while he waited for his chance to turn on them.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrayed his father, Stromgarde when he was killed, the Forsaken, and then the Ebon Blade during the Four Horsemen revival event.
Cool Sword: Thanks to the player's efforts, he eventually obtains the legendary sword Trol'kalar from his father's tomb.
Face–Heel Turn: He initially fought for his fallen kingdom against both Syndicate and Horde, but after being raised as undead he has turned his efforts against his former people.
Fallen Hero: He appears to have been a heroic figure in life, valiantly keeping up a doomed fight to reclaim his city and kingdom from the Syndicate and the ogres. Appears is the key-word, as he is later revealed to have killed his own father for unknown reasons.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Together with his sword, Galen used a black shield featuring a silver sword down the middle surrounded by two silver fists on either side of the sword, matching Stromgarde's icon.
Named Weapons: The name of his family's ancient sword Trol'kalar means "troll slayer", referencing its particular effectiveness against trollkind.
The Necrocracy: Briefly turned Stromgarde into this after he cut ties from the Forsaken and occupied Stromgarde for himself with his own undead citizens and soldiers of Stromgarde. And no, he had no intention to rejoin the Alliance, either.
Robbing the Dead: After the Horde had already killed him before to rob his father's tomb, Galen asks them to do it again to obtain Trol'kalar.
Small Name, Big Ego: He's a bit player at best, who's only managed to reclaim his kingdom and split from the Forsaken because Sylvanas has more important things to do than slap him down. He still tries to hype himself as a force to be reckoned with.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It's very likely that him killing his warrior-king father severely weakened Stromgarde, allowing it to be vulnerable against several attacks by the Syndicate and Boulderfist ogres until its eventual downfall.
Warrior Prince: Fitting Stromgarde's warrior culture, its prince is also a capable warrior.

Thomas Zelling

Class: Tidesage (Mage/Shaman)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zelling_4.jpg

"Revered Tides, carry us swiftly and silently to our quarry."

A Kul Tiran tidesage who fell deathly ill and made a pact with the Horde — in exchange for willingly being raised as a Forsaken and serving the Horde's war effort, his family would be kept safe and away from the fighting. He assists the Horde in acquiring the Abyssal Scepter, an artifact that can control the seas, and in finding the wreck of the Kul Tiran Third Fleet and the body of Derek Proudmoore.

All-Powerful Bystander: Despite being a powerful tidesage, when Alliance players raid the ship he's aboard he does nothing to stop them beyond creating an impenetrable barrier to protect one of the ship's cabins.
Ambiguous Situation: Why did he lash out with his magic when his wife and children called him a monster and rejected him? It could be, as his wife claims, that his resurrection has made him a monster, or it could be a moment of extreme emotion resulting from his life revolving around his family and them denouncing him as an abomination. It could also be a little of both — freshly-raised Forsaken are known to be prone to emotional outbursts and fits of rage.
Came Back Wrong: Not per se any more than any other Forsaken, but his wife regards him as an abomination and sends him away in disgust after he is raised from the dead.
Defector from Decadence: In addition to his illness, he left the Tidesage order because they had given themselves over to Azshara and thereby the Old Gods.
Family Man: Even in undeath, he says his family is everything to him. He only made his pact so they would be kept safe.
Heel Realization: He questions his loyalty to the Forsaken and the Horde after Derek Proudmoore is raised from the dead.
Derek Proudmoore didn't ask for such a fate. He died a hero to all Kul Tirans, and he has earned his rest beneath the tides. To think I had a hand in this... this...
Killed Off for Real: Nathanatos Blightcaller executes him on Sylvanas' orders at the conclusion of the 8.1.5. war campaign.
Making a Splash: He used to be a Kul Tiran Tidesage, which makes him an undead shaman.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: While the rest of the Forsaken in Battle for Azeroth are Flanderized into Card-Carrying Villains (sometimes instantly turning evil and loyal to Sylvanas upon being raised for the dead), Zelling's nobility sticks out like a sore thumb. Needless to say, he's killed.
Sacrificial Lamb: His execution at Nathanos' hands when Baine is arrested becomes the moment all of the Horde leaders (Except Geyerah) begin to show subversive thoughts towards their warchief, and leads to Baine's rescue and Saurfang's rebellion gaining support.

Faranell

Master Apothecary Faranell

Class: Warlock

The successor of Grand Apothecary Putress in Cataclysm. Started out as a researcher and questgiver in classic where he sent adventurers to fetch ingredients for his and the other apothecaries’ experiments. By the time of Cataclysm, Faranell have become the leader of the Royal Apothecary Society, where he oversees their research and experiments. Following the events of the Shadowlands, Faranell has become part of the Desolate Council who is the ruling body of the Forsaken.

Added Alliterative Appeal: Specifically, the titles he introduces himself with: “Patriarch of Potions”, “Artist of Alchemy”, and “Maestro of Mixtures”.
Admiring the Abomination: An almost literal example, as he laments the loss of his “beautiful construct” when it succumbs to the blight in Tirisfal Glades, as it was trying to absorb it. Said construct was a +20 foot tall monster made of stitched together corpses.
Affably Evil: For a person who loves to create plagues and poisons to use on the living, Faranell isn’t that bad a guy to deal with on a social level. During quests pre-cataclysm, Faranell calls one of his colleagues as a “good chap”, he never insults the player, and in fact he’d even praise them upon quest completion for a job well done (collecting ingredients for a new plague). He still retains shades of this in the present day.
Alchemy Is Magic: Faranell uses his alchemical knowledge to not only make a new plague, but also combat potions and create life in the form of undead monstrosities.
All There in the Manual: The game manual reads that Faranell was a renowned alchemist in life and studied in Dalaran, creating different serums and cures for ailments. Post death by undead plague, his great curiosity and love of experiments was turned towards making toxins, plagues, and undead monsters.
Casting a Shadow: One of the abilities Faranell has shown in combat, specifically during the Battle for Darkshore, is to cast the warlock spell Shadow Bolt.
Creating Life: As a member of the Apothecaries, he is implied to create abominations and improve upon their design for to the Forsakens’ benefit, but he has specifically also created more advanced types of creatures with special abilities, like Plague Eaters that can absorb the blight that has irradiated the Undercity.
In the Hood: His new model includes a hood.
Mad Scientist: As if the head of the apothecary society could be anything else but the Mad Chemist/biologist type. Faranell happily makes poisons, potions and plagues, while also dabbling in creating life, all for being used against the enemies of the Forsaken (and sometimes allies). This theme carries over to his outfit, where he has small vials of green liquid hanging from his shoulders and belt.
Monster Mouth: Faranell lacks his entire jaw, leaving his green tongue to hang out loosely. Yet he can still talk.
Plague Master: Somewhat downplayed, as even though he utterly loves his job, Faranell doesn’t create plagues for the simple joy of it, he’s always done it because it was his job.
Rank Up: After the Siege of the Undercity and the outing of Grand Apothecary Putress, Faranall was promoted to the head of the Royal Apothecary Society in Cataclysm. Prior to this he mainly examined the properties of different ingredients to find out if they could help spread the apothecaries’ new plague.
Why Didn't I Think of That?: He has a few of these moments, either about making his Plague Eaters into huge monstrosities upon eating enough blight (he reasons it makes it easier to kill), or his colleagues’ solutions to problems with ingredients.

Velonara

Dark Ranger Velonara

Class: Dark Ranger

Originally one of the rangers of Quel’thalas, Velonara died fighting Arthas and has since become one of the Dark Rangers serving Sylvanas. Raised by the Banshee Queen, Velonara has been on several missions for the Dark lady, including the Scarlet Monastery, the garrison on past Draenor and the Hunters’ order hall on the Broken Isles.

Ascended Extra: Velonara starts out as a questgiver in the Scarlet Monastery dungeon in Cataclysm, but steadily rises in prominence over the course of a few expansions, going to the Time displaced Draenor, the Broken Isles, and Battle For Azeroth. It culminates when she becomes a member of the Desolate Council, the ruling body of the Forsaken.
Attractive Zombie: An in-universe example, some view Velonara as this, describing her as “a dream”. Velonare doesn’t’ share this perspective, and instead views her body as a “dead, rotting thing”.
Find the Cure!: One questline Velonara is in charge of in alternate Draenor is all about finding a member of the Shattered Hand clan who poisoned a Horde member to make a cure. Upon success Velonara joined the Garrison as a follower.
Flowers of Romance: When Velonara receives a bouquet of black roses from an admirer she’s not impressed and rebuffs the advances, though she does decide to keep a single one.
Ididnt Mean To Turn You On: During the events of Legion, Velonara stays at the Trueshot Lodge with the other hunters of the world, and finds herself repeatedly being gawked at by a nearby fanboy Death Hunter Moorgorth. Despite considering him an imbecile and being repulsed by the fact that he considers her attractive (she suspects he wants it to be carnal love), she still urges the adventurer to let him down easy, to spare him pain later.
In the Hood: Nowadays wears a hood, but in her early career she used to let her long blonde hair out.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Just prior to the Forsaken attempting to retake the Ruins of Lordaeron, Velonara, unlike Belmont, isn’t hostile to accept help from Calia Menethil, despite her not being the same type of undead as the Forsaken, and is open to let the former princess prove her worth.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted, like other Dark Rangers, Velonara has bright red eyes, but isn’t malicious towards others nor have a volatile temper.
The Resenter: Unlike many other Forsaken, Velonara wasn’t brought back by the Scourge, but by Sylvanas herself, and Velonara is far from happy with it, as she thinks Sylvanas has damned her soul by doing so. It doesn’t stop her from serving the Forsaken and Horde loyally though, both during Legion, on alternate Draenor or during the Blood War.
Unrequited Tragic Maiden: When she was alive, Velonara was betrothed to “the nobleman of her dreams”, but dying and being raised into undeath put a stop to any wedding plans.

Characters / Warcraft The Horde The Forsaken