Overview[]
The Deathborne are a culmination of knowledge of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow's Lightslayers and the elite guard and agents of the Forsaken's Banshee Queen, the Deathstalkers who also utilize a Scourge artifact to empower themselves. Often the two orders' objectives and even methods overlapped due to dealing with the Scarlet Crusade, and agents of the Church of the Holy Light within the Alliance. In fact several members of the Deathstalkers were former Lightslayers themselves. The Deathborne arose out of a need for an order of Forsaken to operate unknown to the Dark Lady Sylvanas Windrunner and the Horde, and thus free to operate to their full potential in the interest of the betterment of the Forsaken and by association the Horde.
History[]
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The Importance of Blood[]
By and large the Deathborne are composed of original Lordaeron Forsaken who hold a deep nationalistic pride for their people, the land, an unwavering belief that the old kingdom of Lordaeron belongs to the Forsaken, and specifically belonging to those of original Lordaeron blood. For you see, Deathborne hold fast to an old pre-Church of the Holy Light pagan belief that the very spiritual essence of a people is carried in the blood, and so believe it important that Lordaerons retain a pure heritage and control over their lands. They view non-lordaeron Forsaken as unpure members of their faction, but necessary for their kingdom's survival. Due to their zealotry for the their Lordaeron roots they seek ways to bolster the number of Forsaken of original Lordaeron bloodlines, and have discovered ways of doing this through dark tactics and taboo rituals.
Regular research into the bloodlines of Lordaeron in search for surviving descendants is conducted by Deathborne followed by missions to abduct these survivors in order to murder and then resurrect them as Forsaken. To ensure the the newly risen will not retaliate after their resurrection it is common practice for the Deathborne to make use of twisted methods to greatly suppress the memory of the victim's abduction, allowing them to fill in the missing gaps with a false version of how the victim became Forsaken.
Another more taboo method the Deathborne utilize to grow the ranks of Lordaeron Frosaken requires torturous activity. There are a handful of unfortunate souls who the Deathborne abduct but do not convert into Forsaken, rather electing to keep them alive to slowly bleed them, collecting and stockpiling the blood. The Deathborne normally reserve this "privilege" for those descending from noble Lordaeron blood. It is rumored there are several secret storage bunkers with these human cattle spread across Tirisfal Glades and outlaying areas where the humans are kept in tight restraints. Their sanguine fluid slowly dripping from fresh wounds regularly, and carefully so as not to kill them, administered by the caretakers so the liquid may gather in vats. This blood is collected for use in a ritual that is a dark fusion of necrotic and blood magics. For the other necessity of this ritual Deathborne agents steal away into human graveyards to dig up corpses, or sometimes spirit away the freshly fallen humans amidst the aftermath of a battlefield if not too badly disfigured. Regardless of how the bodies are acquired, they are always human. Using a source of power previously belonging solely to the Scourge, what has become known as the Blood Cauldron, Deathborn both infuse their coveted stockpiled Lordaeron blood into the confiscated corpses and raise them as undead to then claim the newly risen - reborn as Lordaeron Forsaken. An effect of this ritual upon the victim is a complete memory wipe of their living life. This provides Deathborne with a blank slate to recreate the identity, and instill their own values and beliefs into.
The very same Blood Cauldron used to "create" new Lordaeron Forsaken provides the Deathborn with another use. They have devised a way of manipulating the necrotic and blood magic of the cauldron to make use of it as a rejuvenation source. While this method can not return the undead to life it can recreate flesh, bone, tendons, and musculature. When having suffered damage due to rot, battle, or otherwise, Deathborne bath themselves in the blood in the cauldron for a time, allowing the taboo magics to work their rejuvenating effect on their undead bodies. Once, for experimentation, the Deathborne took a living human they had captured and threw them into the cauldron to observe the effects. The human erupted into a grotesque mound of blistered and bubbled flesh and bone. This provided them with the insight that the rejuvenating properties work only for the undead.
However, there are some side effects to prolonged use of the Blood Cauldron. Mutations may occur in those who consistently bath in it. One in particular is the most common form of mutation - that of the effected's tongue growing an inch long barb on the tip, the composition similar to chitin. The tongue itself grows more elastic and has been found to be reflexively propelled liken to that of a frog or toad, up to three to five feet. Among the Deathborne this mutated tongue has become something of a mark of honor, indicative of numerous missions for the cause and subsequent rewards of bathing in the Blood Cauldron. Often Deathborne who obtain this newly altered organ use it in the retrieval of blood as well as an alternative or last resort weapon.
Identification[]
Most secret societies have some way of identifying their members, and the Deathborne are no exception. With each new Deathborne's initiation they are gifted with an amulet bearing upon one side the emblem of fallen Lordaeron, and a skull upon the other. Not only does this trinket serve as the Deathborne's badge but it is also used in their occult practice of dowsing, a form of pendulum divination used for tracking persons, or objectives, which originated with Lightstalkers.
This method of magical tracking is rarely wholly accurate, but often enough can guide the practitioner close enough to what they seek. The way it is performed is the Deathborne uses their amulet as a pendulum, holding the chain between their fingers, allowing the weight of the amulet to hang freely, often over a map. As followers in the Cult of Forgotten Shadow, Lightslayers learn some minor use of shadow powers to empower this practice, and this too has been passed to the Deathborne. The pendulum amulet, sensitive to the magical energies of the dowser and what they seek will lean toward the general direction of their objective. In some rare cases it has been reported for exceptionally magical or powerful objects as the objective pendulums will point directly towards them, even defying gravity to swing towards the target. The Deathborn's amulet also has a hallow interior in which a "witness," or small sample of what they seek, may be placed in order to assist in the tracking.
Tactics[]
Deathborne have taken the stealth and infiltration procedures of the Lightslayer's and refined them. Calling upon the Shadow to grant them a psychic veil over their form, the Shadow's psychic cloak tricking enemy minds into thinking they are friendly members of their faction or simply not there at all; allowing them to walk past. However, this psychic veil is not completely secure. Should the Deathborne come too close to those who's minds are being affected by this method, often the disguise is discovered. Physical contact, rash or bizarre behavior almost assuredly break the disguise. Those strong of will or specifically trained to detect such tricks of the mind are more resistant to this power, while the weak of mind are easily fooled.
In addition, Deathborne have been known to make use of Black Propaganda combined with psychic warefare to stir their enemies into a frenzy to disorganized them. Black Propaganda is fabricated prophecy and omens orchestrated for political means meant to sway a populace in some fashion, and the Deathborne excel at this, most often utilizing these tactics against the Church of the Holy Light. Combining their Black Propaganda with the Shadow's psyche afflicting qualities Deathborne have been known to distribute propaganda declaring an ill omen, and then plaguing select targets with nightmares, by tapping into the powers of the Shadow, to reinforce the ideas proclaimed in their propaganda. This causes dissent and paranoia in their opponent's organization they can use to their advantage to cause further fear and strife to the point of building up a frenzy opening a window of lowered defenses for the Deathborne to strike.
Through their connections with the Cult of Forgotten Shadow the Deathborne have even made us of sleeper agents to carry out mission where they can not tread. Counted among the members of the Cult of the Forgotten shadow are some of the most powerful of Shadow Priest capable of powerful psychic manipulation. These expert Shadow Priest, if they are not Deathborne themselves, are sometimes called upon the order to hypnotize humans to subconsciously carry out orders, of anything from distributing the Deathborne's propaganda, intel gathering, to assassinations. These sleeper agents are the perfect infiltrator because not even they are aware they work for the Deathborne as they go about their normal lives until it is too late.