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Sympathy for the Forsaken: A Warcraft-AU CK2 Quest

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[X] Plan: Slow and Steady
-[X]Secure Silverpine
-[X]Blightcaller's Steel
-[X]When Zombies Fly
-[X]Brill-iant Heart
-[X]Homecoming
-[X]Daiodachi Liches
-[X]Murc-y Diplomacy
-[X]Those in the Shadows
-[X]Rangers of the Banshee
-[X]Checking the Books
-[X]Spreading the Shadow - Brill
-[X]Among the Living


Reasoning:

Secure Silverpine
- I think we need to get stronger before trying to push against the Scourge directly. We've got a pass between us and them, let's hold it there until we've built up more.

Blightcaller's Steel
- Population growth is minimal for the Forsaken, so better to husband our people and try to grow the economy. We've already shown that we can work with humans, so who's to say mercenaries and adventurers can't be hired in the future to supplement our forces?

When Zombies Fly
- The commando strike via bats was key in the fall of the Scarlet Monastery. I think we should get these into general service ASAP, and start building a doctrine for their use.

Brill-iant Heart
- Build the economy, and give a new, less intimidating place than Undercity for more open commerce and mixing with non-undead.

Homecoming
- Let's nip issues between Humans and Forsaken ASAP. This is the big opportunity show the world the Forsaken are reasonable beings who just want the same things as living beings do.

Daiodachi Liches
- More information on our enemies, and an actual chance of success.

Murc-y Diplomacy
- Peace is cheaper than war. Plus we might be able to get amphibious auxiliaries.

Those in the Shadows
- What? More actions? Yes please!

Rangers of the Banshee
- A good synergy with setting up an intelligence agency. Get the rangers integrated from the beginning, same with the bats.

Checking the Books
- Let's secure our rare gains before any of them have a chance to walk off.

Spreading the Shadow - Brill
- Let's see how a small expansion onto the surface works out, before going whole hog into Solliden or the Monastery.

Among the Living
- We've got positive relations with the living, plus they suffered a lot of casualties in the recent siege. Let's solidify a good relationship and open up a communications channel for gossip and concerns.
 
[X] Plan: No harm asking

It has both murloc diplomacy and Shadow Monastery, which are my main wants this update.
 
[X]Plan: We are not the Scourge

I'm honestly not too sold on yet on making a monastery instead of a fortress. Shadow is a practical divinity, making something practical is up its valley, not grand useless gestures. Also it's nice to not have to count every coin for a while.

I also think we might want to start talking to liches pretty soon. 1) we want that to set them against one another 2) we'll never find a usefull necromancer if we don't start looking for one.

@mcclay do you think you can give us another map with our current borders?
 
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Not gonna lie, part of me reasoning for why I want a Shadow Monastery over a Fortress is because I feel like it would really annoy Sally and Mograine.

It would probably even be enough to get the former out of hiding if the latter wasn't there to stop her.
 
Vandermar might be filled with scourge, are we sure we want to go for that right away? Maybe we should wait until the next turn when our infantry are filled up again. I also think we should get the flying units up and running since it's an expedition, they would make fantastic scouts.

[X]Plan: We are the Forsaken
-[X]Secure Silverpine
-[X]Blightcaller's Steel
-[X]When Zombies Fly
-[X]Homecoming
-[X]Murc-y Diplomacy
-[X]Those in the Shadows
-[X]Priests of the Shadow
-[X]Among the Living
 
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@mcclay what is Forsaken's cultural & religious and phylosophical view on using abominashions as troops? About blight? Generally want to get a feeling for how nasty we can be before our own people start despising us.
 
[X] Plan: Slow and Steady

Save our strength and the ability to show diplomatic skills.
 
Inserted tally
Adhoc vote count started by Valkur on May 8, 2020 at 7:20 AM, finished with 30 posts and 17 votes.
  • [X]Plan: We are not the Scourge
    -[X]Secure Silverpine
    -[X]Blightcaller's Steel
    -[X]Vandermar Expedition
    -[X]Homecoming
    -[X]Murc-y Diplomacy
    -[X]Those in the Shadows
    -[X]Priests of the Shadow
    -[X]Among the Living
    [X] Plan: No harm asking
    -[X]Secure Silverpine: The lands to the south, dominated by the Silverpine Forest, have long been under the control of Lordaeron. It is said that many of the smaller villages and hamlets deep in the wild wood remain untouched by the Scourge. The thickforest seems to swallow up what few scouts the Forsaken send into them, coming back with tales of villages populated by ghouls, vast pits of rotting but still alive flesh and the constant howling of wolves. Fenris Isle will be the main jumping off point
    -[X]Blightcaller's Steel: Nathanos Blightcaller is well known for for his preference towards smaller, elite formations. His proposal calls for standing down all but one unit of militia, sending the rest home to their farms and shops. In exchange he will take best soldiers from the militia and use them to not only refill the ranks of the already existent Infantry, but expand it even further by a single regiment. Cost: 400 Gold Time: 1 Turn CoS: 100% Reward: 2 Units of Militia disbanded, all infantry Units raised to full strength, 1 Infantry Unit raised INCOMPATIBLE WITH IMITATING THE GREEKS
    -[X]Vandermar Expedition: The valley of Vandermar is one of the most far flung edges of Lordaeron, nestled deep in the otherwise uninhabitable Whispering Forest. A strange and untraveled place, it would be unremarkable were it not for its excellent defensive position and the vast vein of gold it lies on top of. Its mineral wealth was never fully exploited by the fallen kingdom due to its inaccessible nature, but such mortal concerns are below the Forsaken. With the road through Solliden secure, it is not possible to send out a expeditionary force to secure the town and its gold. Time: 1 Turn Cost: 50 Gold CoS: 65% Reward: Vandermar Secured
    -[X]Homecoming: With the reuniting of the living and dead population of Lordaeron there has been much rejoicing. There has also been a great deal of arguments and issues arising over land ownership, housing and inheritance. There are too many individual deals and cases to count, and with no judicial system they all go directly to Varimathras. In an effort to avoid a future headache the dreadlord has started to try and cut through the legal nightmare before it becomes too much of an issue. Cost: 500 Gold Time: 2 Turns CoS: 55%/25% Reward: Human-Forsaken tensions diffused, Varimathras wants to die a little less, ???
    -[X]Murc-y Diplomacy: The Murlocs of Azeroth have long been a maligned and distrusted people, viewed as little more than pests and animals to be pushed away from the edges of civilization. But, well, the same could be said for the Forsaken. There is a shared plight there, a string of empathy that even the cold numbness of undeath cannot truly push away. If the Forsaken treat the Murlocs like the same beasts that they themselves are often treated as, well, are they any different from the self righteous paladins who they fight against? The Murloc language is near incomprehensible to most, but the mages of Undercity say they can translate it. A hand offered in friendship may gain more than the sword. Time: 1 Turn Cost: 50 Gold CoS: 40% Reward: Murlocs make pact with the Forsaken, North Coast taken under joint ownership, further integration possible.
    -[X]Those in the Shadows: The ancient Lodges of the Ravenholdt were utterly destroyed during the Scourge's invasion; but thankfully for Undercity many former members regained their free will as the Forsaken were rising. Sylvanas has need of a capable group of undead who can reliably take on missions of espionage and intrigue, and Belmont seeks to deliver. CoS: 60% Time: 1 Turn Cost: 100 Gold Upkeep: 50 Gold Reward: Dedicated Forsaken intelligence agency, +1 Intrigue Action
    -[X]Shadow Monastery: The Scarlet Monastery is a place of immense import for all religious beings in Loraderon, and that includes those not of the Light. The holy significance of the Monastery makes it a great place for the Cult of Forgotten Shadows to move its headquarters to. This would grand the Cult more legitmacy and allow it to begin looking into the creation of monks and the study of deeper mysteries. Cost: 1000 Gold Time: 4 Turns CoS: 10%/90% Reward: Scarlet Monastery Turned into Shadow Monastery, Cult of Forgotten Shadows Gains formal Headquarters
    -[X]Among the Living: Shannon Hornsby and Mayor Solliden are the newest additions to the notables of Forsaken Society. Sylvanas knows very little about either of them, something that is of slight worry to the Banshee Queen. It would be a good idea to stop into Solliden, meet her living subjects and sit down to have a chat with these two. So what if Syvalans hasn't had a pleasant conversation with a living human for a few decades now. Surely it would be OK. CoS: 55% Time: 1 Turn Reward: +Realtionship with Shannon Hornsby and Mayor Solliden, Sylvanas has Living Contact
    [X] Plan: Slow and Steady
    -[X]Secure Silverpine
    -[X]Blightcaller's Steel
    -[X]When Zombies Fly
    -[X]Brill-iant Heart
    -[X]Homecoming
    -[X]Daiodachi Liches
    -[X]Murc-y Diplomacy
    -[X]Those in the Shadows
    -[X]Rangers of the Banshee
    -[X]Checking the Books
    -[X]Spreading the Shadow - Brill
    -[X]Among the Living
    [x]Secure Silverpine
    [X]Blightcaller's Steel we don't have the population so have to make what we have count
    [X]Removing the Vile Fin
    [X]Port Solliden
    [X]Beyond the Wall If we're going south then it only makes sense
    [X]End of the Rope Getting info on what the scourge is doing in a way that doesn't risk reminding them we exist too much seems prudent
    [X]Sanctifying Solliden
    [X]Among the Living
    [X]Plan: We are not the Scourge, but we want to know them.
    -[X]Secure Silverpine
    -[X]Blightcaller's Steel
    -[X]Vandermar Expedition
    -[X]Homecoming
    -[X]Daiodachi Liches
    -[X]Those in the Shadows
    -[X]Priests of the Shadow
    -[X]Among the Living
    [X]Plan: We are the Forsaken
    -[X]Secure Silverpine
    -[X]Blightcaller's Steel
    -[X]When Zombies Fly
    -[X]Homecoming
    -[X]Murc-y Diplomacy
    -[X]Those in the Shadows
    -[X]Priests of the Shadow
    -[X]Among the Living
Click to expand...
 
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Turn 8 Results
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    ​
    Some say that the celebration in Stormwind following the Second War was the greatest outpouring of joy the world has ever seen. Reports from the time claim that the parade stretched for miles and miles as Stormwindish and Lordaeronian troops marched into the former orcish stronghold. The parties and open celebrations in the street that started when Varian was crowned king are said to have lasted for weeks; with enough beer to fill Loch Modan being handed out freely by the joyous soldiers. The city is said to have glimmered with the light of a thousand torches and fireworks, looking like it hadn't been touched by orcish hand, a shimmering dream that lit up the night for miles around.

    The celebrations that break out across Undercity are not quite on that level, but for Sylvanas, they'd do just fine.

    The Forsaken are not a people prone to emotional outbreaks, but strong feelings bubble up in even the most dead of hearts. As the militia, bloodied but proud, march into the city, cheers rock the tunnels. The line of undead troops does not stretch beyond the horizon, the celebrations only last a few nights at most and think mushroom wine is hardly a substitute for gallons upon gallons of ale; but the Forsaken do not care. Toasts are raised to the heroes of the Siege and Queen Windrunner throughout the night as undead and human bond over their shared victory. And while the defeat of the Crusade is the main event of the night, those meetings are a great victory in themselves. Friends, neighbors and family are finally reunited in tearful embraces and firm handshakes all across the Undercity. Solliden had held people from all over Tirisfal, and many among the living and the Forsaken had thought that their loved ones had been slain. Instead stitched up fathers embrace fully grown daughters, Forsaken soldiers explain in great detail to living friends how they lost this or that limb and lovers both young and old discuss in hushed tones how the apothecaries of Undercity have crafted well made stitches and perfumes to hold off the smell of decay.

    Deep within the Undercity, ensconced at its lowest used point behind thick doors and loyal guards, Sylvanas groans in her throne. It was not known until today that the dead could get hangovers, for the Forsaken had little reason to drink deeply before now. The Banshee Queen was, to her frustration, of medical interest as a terrible headache banged around in her skull.

    Much of the Council looked little better. Nathanos was similarly hungover, and wearing a pair of pants that were clearly not his own. Varimathras refused to meet the eyes of his peers, as news of a drunken dreadlord serenading the bats of Undercity had become common gossip. Putress seemed put off by the excitement in general, though it was hard to say given his general demeanor. Belmont had taken a bet that he could ride a undead horse bareback from the Nightmare brothers and had a new lower leg to show for his trouble. Only Vellcinda and Aelthalyste seemed unaffected, with the former beaming happily after a fun few nights of partying and the latter shimmering a bit in the afterglow of some event that she seemed unwilling to speak of beyond vague, smug statements.

    Nathanos, reading the general grumpy mood of the room, sighed, pushed off his hangover, and spoke first. "Minus all the property damage and draining of our wine stockpiles, Undercity is in a good place right now. Our militia units were brutalized and the Footmen similarly hurt, but theres a silver lining in all of that." He nods at the various well armored warriors watching the door. "They call themselves the Dreadguard. The veterans and best soldiers from our army. During the partying they found a cache of masterwork armor the Scourge had hidden away and repatriated it for our use."

    Varimathras speaks next. "On top of that our coffers are full to bursting. Theres been a massive windfall of donations to the state, totaling around 2000 gold. Public opinion is at an all time high and the people are fully behind you."

    Sylvanas nods at Aelthalyste, who summons a map of Loraderon with the snap of her finger. "Excellent, let us discuss our options then. We can expand either to the south, into Silverpine and then the lands beyond, or east, into the lands of the Scourge and the former heart of the kingdom."


    Objective:
    [x]Secure Silverpine: The lands to the south, dominated by the Silverpine Forest, have long been under the control of Lordaeron. It is said that many of the smaller villages and hamlets deep in the wild wood remain untouched by the Scourge. The thickforest seems to swallow up what few scouts the Forsaken send into them, coming back with tales of villages populated by ghouls, vast pits of rotting but still alive flesh and the constant howling of wolves. Fenris Isle will be the main jumping off point



    Martial (Choose 2) - Nathanos Blightcaller is Champion of the Banshee Queen and Ranger General of her armies. Under his watchful eyes he seeks to bring up the status of the Forsaken military from a ragtag group of walking corpses in rags and tatters to something resembling a professional army. Blightcaller is a master of using special forces and highly trained individual units to accomplish objectives. This elven approach to war makes him focus less on the mainline units of the Forsaken army.




    [x]Blightcaller's Steel: Nathanos Blightcaller is well known for for his preference towards smaller, elite formations. His proposal calls for standing down all but one unit of militia, sending the rest home to their farms and shops. In exchange he will take best soldiers from the militia and use them to not only refill the ranks of the already existent Infantry, but expand it even further by a single regiment. Cost: 400 Gold Time: 1 Turn CoS: 100% Reward: 2 Units of Militia disbanded, all infantry Units raised to full strength, 1 Infantry Unit raised INCOMPATIBLE WITH IMITATING THE GREEKS

    79 + 22 (Sylvanas Martial) = 101 vs 01 = Great Success

    With the Blightcaller are the helm, the decision to stand down most of the militia not needed for the defense of Undercity was an easy one to make. Nathanos had long been annoyed by the vast amount of chaff that filled up the Army of Undercity. With the new, volunteer Dreadguard paving the way for a more elite, if smaller military Nathanos finally had his excuse. Not all the undead from the disbanded militia were told to return to their homes and farms though. Some had fought bravely and with great skill at the Siege of the Scarlet Monastery, and would be thusly rewarded. When he was finished Nathanos looked out over a field of, if not shining, then proudly polished steel. Ranks of foot men, armed with sword or shield and spear, looked up at his command.

    Reward: 2 Units of Militia Disbanded, All Infantry Units at Full strength, 1 Infantry Unit Raised, PROFESSIONAL ARMY PATH CHOSEN


    [x]Vandermar Expedition: The valley of Vandermar is one of the most far flung edges of Lordaeron, nestled deep in the otherwise uninhabitable Whispering Forest. A strange and untraveled place, it would be unremarkable were it not for its excellent defensive position and the vast vein of gold it lies on top of. Its mineral wealth was never fully exploited by the fallen kingdom due to its inaccessible nature, but such mortal concerns are below the Forsaken. With the road through Solliden secure, it is not possible to send out a expeditionary force to secure the town and its gold. Time: 1 Turn Cost: 50 Gold CoS: 65% Reward: Vandermar Secured

    10 + 22 (Sylvanas Marital) = 32 vs 35 = Bare failure

    They had been told it was going to be an easy job. They'd raise their weapons once or twice to put down an errant Scourge or lurking Crusader and then guard the village of Vandermar until help arrived.

    Gil Gallowcry thought this as he slumped against a wall, panting and gasping for a breath he didn't need. From outside of the ruined farm house he could hear his commander screaming hoarsely for more men to hold the bloody line. Gil couldn't even raise his voice to answer back, let alone pick up his bruised and beaten body to help in the defense. The constant snarling of the Scourge, the howling of their ghouls and the steady clack of an unending horde of bones advancing on them quickly swallowed everything. He sees one of his comrades stumble back through a door, clutching at a nasty bite on his stomach and then Gil Gallowcry, Footman of Undercity, sees no more.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The troops have nicknamed the Vandermar Valley 'Deathknell', and the name is an apat one. What had been assumed to be some small, roving packs of mindless undead had turned out to be an entire horde of the screaming terrors. The expeditionary force sent to hold the valley fought its way through to the small village before setting up barricades for a desperate defense against the massive, screaming packs of ghouls and mobs of skeletons that call the valley home. For three weeks they held on, slowly whittled away by the hungry dead and ambush attacks from maddened Scarlet deserters. When they were relieved the unit had suffered 75% casualties. But they had held the village and scouted out the mines. Vandermar, like Brill, had been built upon a mass grave site that had over time given up more and more Scourge, infesting the Valley. The southern half of the town is under Scourge control and the Forsaken are stuck in the north, centered around an old church. Even worse ,the only main mine of the village is infested by strange, gaint spiders that make exploiting its mineral wealth impossible. More men will be needed to fully take the valley.

    Reward: Vandermar partially secured: 50% Forsaken control, 30% Scourge control, 15% Scarlet Remeants Contorl, 5% Spider control




    Stewardship (Choose 1) - Varimathras is a Dreadlord, one of the great demon commanders of the Burning Legion. Forced into Sylvanas's service during the Third War he now is the Majordomo of Undercity and in charge of the running of the Forsaken as a whole. While not widely liked or trusted by the undead, Varimathras has managed to gain a measure of grudging respect for making sure that the Forsaken have food, shelter and the semblance of an economy. He is quick to note that you are running quite the deficit and the treasure you looted from the Lordareon Royal Vault will not last for much longer.


    [x]Homecoming: With the reuniting of the living and dead population of Lordaeron there has been much rejoicing. There has also been a great deal of arguments and issues arising over land ownership, housing and inheritance. There are too many individual deals and cases to count, and with no judicial system they all go directly to Varimathras. In an effort to avoid a future headache the dreadlord has started to try and cut through the legal nightmare before it becomes too much of an issue. Cost: 500 Gold Time: 2 Turns CoS: 55%/25% Reward: Human-Forsaken tensions diffused, Varimathras wants to die a little less, ???


    96 + 15 = 111 vs 45/75 = Crit Success, time cut down by a turn


    In the end the vast majority of arguments are solved just by actually listening and getting the two parties sat down to talk in a neutral zone. Many of the human residents of Lordaeron who are upset about Forsaken taking over their properties while they were away are quick to accept compensation or to simple live alongside their new countrymen. Inheritance issues are not as easy but among the Solliden refugees it turns out there is an old judge from the former kingdom. Who is more than happy to help Varimathras deal with the legal issues. And train up new judges. By the end process not only are the living and dead populations of Lordaeron living together happily, but the young kingdom has a small judicial system set up to help administrate its territories.

    Reward: Human-Forsaken tensions diffused, Varimathras wants to die a lot less, Forsaken Judical system set up



    Diplomacy (Pick 1): Vellcinda Benton, a former scullery maid, was one of the first zombies to regain their minds in Tirisfal. A symbol of hope and freedom she gathered together a mass following and became incredibly popular among the average Forsaken citizen. In another life she might have been the Forsaken's Dark Lady, but instead she serves you a liaison to the people and the other powers of Azeroth. Such that there are.




    [x]Murc-y Diplomacy: The Murlocs of Azeroth have long been a maligned and distrusted people, viewed as little more than pests and animals to be pushed away from the edges of civilization. But, well, the same could be said for the Forsaken. There is a shared plight there, a string of empathy that even the cold numbness of undeath cannot truly push away. If the Forsaken treat the Murlocs like the same beasts that they themselves are often treated as, well, are they any different from the self righteous paladins who they fight against? The Murloc language is near incomprehensible to most, but the mages of Undercity say they can translate it. A hand offered in friendship may gain more than the sword. Time: 1 Turn Cost: 50 Gold CoS: 40% Reward: Murlocs make pact with the Forsaken, North Coast taken under joint ownership, further integration possible.





    4 + 12 = 96 vs 80 = Success


    It takes some doing, and a lot of awkward pantomime and charades, but Vellcinda is pretty sure that she has gotten a deal out of the Murlocs. In exchange for providing them with fresh fish and steel weaponry the Murlocs will allow the Forsaken to build and control the North Coast. This agreement opens up Undercity to actually pursuing naval expansion, along with maybe sending out some boats to see what is going on in the world outside of Lordaeron. Furthermore Vellcinda has started up a small codex dedicated to the deciphering and translating of the Murloc language. Nerglish has, as far as the Forsaken know, never been fully translated into Common and many scholars consider it little more than animal babble. But Vellcinda thinks its worth a shot.

    Reward: Murlocks make a pact with the Forsaken, North Coast taken under joint administration, Diplomacy Options Unlocked.




    Intrigue (Choose 1) - Commander Belmont was a student of Ravenholdt Manor in life and death has only strengthened his love of all things shadowy and underhanded. A prime example of a Rogue he has quickly risen to the top of the local Thieves Guild, naming it the Undercity Lodge of the Ravenholdt and working to secure a home for his new people. A master of infiltration and information gathering, Belmont hopes to see the Forsaken dominate the information game in Lordaeron.



    [x]Those in the Shadows: The ancient Lodges of the Ravenholdt were utterly destroyed during the Scourge's invasion; but thankfully for Undercity many former members regained their free will as the Forsaken were rising. Sylvanas has need of a capable group of undead who can reliably take on missions of espionage and intrigue, and Belmont seeks to deliver. CoS: 60% Time: 1 Turn Cost: 100 Gold Upkeep: 50 Gold Reward: Dedicated Forsaken intelligence agency, +1 Intrigue Action


    51 + 14 +10 (Previous attempt) = 75 vs 40 = Success


    Belmont still has that list of promising applicants from before, and with it the man is able to actually get through the process without being stopped by little things like the marching of armies to war. In fact with the growth of Undercity and the inclusion of the Humans he is able to get even more talented people into the Undercity Lodge than before. Set up in the rather well named 'Rogue's Quarter', the Undercity lodge is a sprawling network of rooms and corridors accessed via the back of one of the city's more popular mushroom wine taverns. In this hidden space men and women dedicated to the protection of the Forsaken work to hunt down threats, compile dossiers and do other spy stuff

    Reward: Undercity Lodge Created, +1 Intrigue Action Per Turn




    Learning (Choose 0, 1 Locked) - No one really trusts Grand Apothecary Putress all too much. A former alchemist in service to the last king of Lordaeron, Putress fell victim to the Scourge during Arthas's butchering of Capital City. Before he died Putress has been part of the royal effort to understand and combat the Plague of Undeath and carries that knowledge with him into death. While most of his attention is focused on the Plague his alchemical genius can be put towards other efforts easily enough




    [x]Standard Testing: With the most basic facts of the Plague of Undeath revealed, Putress now feels confident enough to move forwards onto more intensive testing. If the Plague is to be either cured or reverse engineered the Forsaken must know how to both reverse it and how it was created. The tests to do so are expensive and ethically dubious, but the dungeons are bursting with captured Scarlet patrols and more treasure can always be taken from the enemies of the Banshee Queen. Cost: 200 Gold Time: 3 Turns Reward: Creation and Reversal of the Plague revealed. LOCKED FOR 1 MORE TURN




    Piety (Choose 1) - There is no formal head of the Cult of Forgotten Shadows, but Aelthalyste is the spirtual leader of the faith in all but title. Formerly a High Elf native of Stormwind, Aelthalyste fell into the company of the heretic Natalie Seline and was an eager disciple of the rogue bishop until her murder by the Church. Aelthalyste fled north to Lordaeron and hide some scraps of her works in the sewers of the Undercity. After being killed by Arthas during the sacking of Capital City she reemerged to spread the teachings of Seline and bring about the balance between Light and Dark.



    [x]Priests of the Shadow: While divine shadow magic has been established as possible, currently the number of priests who can use it can be counted on one hand. Aelthalyste seeks to go about training and expanding the newly created divine order, spreading its teachings throughout the clergy. This will both help profile of the Cult and give it more options in the future, but also has some very direct benefits for the Army of Undercity. Time: 1 Turn Cost: 400 Gold CoS: 70% Reward: Shadow Priest Casting Spared, Piety and Martial Options Unlocked


    74 + 11 = 85 vs 30 = Success


    It is an expensive process, helping set up an entire order of divine magic, but one well wroth it in the end. The use of Shadow magic among the clergy of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadows spreads like wildfire. The Forsaken seem to have an unnatural affinity with the Shadow, letting a large chunk of the higher ranking priests grasp the magic, along with a good amount of lay clergy as well. Soon the use of Shadow magic has become an almost ubqiuitous part of being in the Church, with the average Forsaken used to watching their local priest fuse the light and shadow to bless them or curse their foes. The order has grown enough that they can easily be inserted into the army, though there is still debate on how to do so.

    Reward: Shadow Priest Casting spread, Piety and Martial Options unlocked.




    Personal (Choose 1) - Sylvanas Winderunner, the Dark Lady of Undercity, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken. She fought against Arthas and at his side and was legendary even before her death as Ranger-General of Silvermoon and one of the Windrunner Triplets. It is through her force of personality that the Forsaken are brought together and by her will and desires that they work. She will not let her people be slaves again.




    [x]Among the Living: Shannon Hornsby and Mayor Solliden are the newest additions to the notables of Forsaken Society. Sylvanas knows very little about either of them, something that is of slight worry to the Banshee Queen. It would be a good idea to stop into Solliden, meet her living subjects and sit down to have a chat with these two. So what if Syvalans hasn't had a pleasant conversation with a living human for a few decades now. Surely it would be OK. CoS: 55% Time: 1 Turn Reward: +Relationship with Shannon Hornsby and Mayor Solliden, Sylvanas has Living Contact

    34 + 12 (Sylvanas Diplomacy) = 46 vs 45 = Success

    Sylvanas is please to see that Solliden was slowly starting to look better. With their integration into the Forsaken a great deal of the refugees have left, either returning to long abandoned homes, carving out a new life in the wilds of Tirisfal or going to Brill or the Undercity to enjoy a more urban lifestyle. The entire tent city in the middle of the town had been taken down, and a lot of the hastily constructed bunk houses were either mostly empty or entirely torn down. In general the place had less of a feel that it was a refugee camp under siege and now just felt like a slightly over crowded large town. And large town it would likely stay. What had once been a small village was now the third largest settlement in all of Tirisfal, and many people had chosen to stay. With talk of using the Whispering Shore as a new port, it was even more likely that it would grow off of sea trade and the smaller fishing settlements.

    Sylvanas turned her attention to a small stone building near the edge of the square. Clearly a blacksmith's shop, its only stand out features were the Icon of Torment flying from its top and the small group of guards stationed around it. This was the home of Mayor Solliden and the unofficial town hall. The guards snapped a tight salute as their Queen approached, one which Syvlanas waved off with a hand as she went in.

    Inside the shop a fire roared merrily in the hearth, casting the stone building in a comforting warm light. Mayor Solliden and Shannon Horsnby, the two heads of the town and the Forsaken's human population, idly chatted to each other. Hornsby was the first to catch sight of Sylvanas and hopped up to salute. Solliden took a few seconds to realize who had entered the shop before he too was bowing before the Banshee Queen. "Ah, Lady Sylvanas, we were not expecting you. Had I known I might have cleaned up the shop a little before hand." He looked rather awkwardly at the random blacksmith's tools and pieces of metal strewn about.

    "It is fine, no worse than the office's of any of my other advisors." Sylvanas was suddenly very aware of how ethereal and echoing her voice was compared to these two. Had it always been like that? Sudden embarrassment hit her and she simply sat down in a chair across from them.

    "Is there any reason you came by ma'am. Uh, M'Lady? Yer Majesty? The towns been doin fine recently. We're ready to set up at the Shore anytime you want." Shannon licked her lips nervously, clearly putting effort into not stuttering.

    Sylvanas also felt like she needed a moment. When she had last talked to these two it had been during the Siege, and the circumstances had done a lot to make the differences matter less then. But now she felt deader than she had in a while? A black rage welled up in her heart, rage that these pathetic mortals would dare to treat her any different, dare to not give her the respect she deserved. But she fights it down. She had seen that rage reflected in Renault's glare and in the maddened babbling of Whitemane....And in the black pits of Arthas's eyes. She was not those monsters. She would be better than them.

    "I simply came by the speak with my advisors. To get to know the two of you better. It is a poor ruler who does not do such a thing." The two of them nodded but didn't speak. The silence dragged on and on. Desperate Sylvanas looked around before landing on the single bracer Shannon wore. On it was a crudely drawn image of a black spire with the L of Lordaeron imposed over it in gold. "Ah, I recognize that symbol. You were down south, at Blackrock."

    The woman blinks a few times. "Oh? You recognize this? Uh, yeah, I was there during the Second War. Went off to fight Doomhammer outside the capital and was there at the Spire when Doomhammer killed Lothar and was killed by Young Tulyaron in turn. Every man who fought there marked something with the Spire and a symbol of their home, so we'd never forget. Thought nobody who didn't fight that day knew about it."

    Sylvanas nods. "My sister fight alongside Tulyaron at the Spire. She talked a little about what happened there when she briefly returned home for my brother's funeral," a twinge of pain shot through Sylvanas's body but she ignored it, "right before joining the group that went through the Dark Portal. She...died there, I think. We don't know what happened to them after it closed."

    Solliden nods. "Aye, I lost three of my children to the War. One when the orcs landed at Hillsbrade. One during the siege and one to the Portal."

    "I met and buried my wife to the war." Shannon's voice is so low Sylvanas has to strain to hear it. "She tired to talk me into going beyond the Portal with her. Wanted to make sure that the Orcs could never do something like that again. I disagreed, wanted to go home and settle down. We had an argument, it went bad. Then I never saw her again."

    There was silence again, but the awkwardness was gone. Instead a deep melancholy filled the room. How many lives had been lost during just the Second War? How many young men and women had been laid to rest in foreigren ground, or on the alien shores of another world? "A drink, to those we have lost, and to those we can yet still save." Solliden nodded and retrieved three mugs of ale from his store. And even if it tasted like ash in Sylvanas's mouth, she didn't care.

    For the rest of the evening they talked of lighter things, and the Banshee Queen found it easier and easier to just be Sylvanas Windrunner again among the living.



    Reward: +Relationship with Shannon Hornsby and Mayor Solliden, Sylvanas has Living Contact
     
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    • Aside from the bare failure of Vandermar (We got our foot in the door, and at least we know where some of those Scarlet went.) pretty good turn.

    It interesting to learn Shannon was a Second War vet, at Blackrock, and has a missing wife beyond the Dark Portal. (Cue reunion if we get that far.)

    Hey, hey, Arthas. Sylvanas an better ruler than you from this alone.

    Also, Shadow Priests. Finally nice to have those guys.

    And Murlocs! And sea access!
     
    I don't know why but I'm really excited by the prospect of allied murlocs.

    The things we could pull off between unbreathing undead and water-breathing fish people! The Kvaldir themselves will fear us!
     
    I hope next turn we can start researching a way to free more undead from the scourge.

    It would help us with our population crisis.

    On the economy front, I think that diversifying and trying to grab many industries will do us pretty good. Then we can start con consolidation and trade.
     
    So ethical question at large, but how do we resolve the population problem in the far off future? As I am pretty sure we don't have a handy way of simply toinking off the Scourge for more people to replenish the ranks.
     
    We could allow people to voluntarily become undead for one reason or another such as having a terminal illness.
     
    EyeOfSauron said:
    We could allow people to voluntarily become undead for one reason or another such as having a terminal illness.
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    Main problem there is we don't actually know how our Forsaken got their free will back, or how to prevent a necromancer from taking them back over.

    Going to be a lot of research before we even know how to deliberately liberate undead, nevermind raise free willed undead.
     
    RukinSteps said:
    So ethical question at large, but how do we resolve the population problem in the far off future? As I am pretty sure we don't have a handy way of simply toinking off the Scourge for more people to replenish the ranks.
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    If you could somehow rebuild Human society to have at least a minority accept the idea of trying out undeath after old age, terminal illness, or when sudden death on the battlefield strikes, then these forsaken are already on the right track to finding a solution to that; The devil is in the details of course, as undeath in WoW is very much a curse (lack of emotions, numb rage, etc).

    And of course, if this does all work out I'd imagine it be far from any utopia; You would probably have a weird situation after a few generations where you have a large population of humans with an upper "undead" caste that contains the most experienced.

    Tensions between Humans and Undead; Forsaken and other Human factions (ones that still traditionally and solely follow the Light in particular) would probably be something that they will always have to manage as long as the Forsaken exist as a faction.
     
    The problem with undeath, and thus immortality, is the accumulation of wealth. If we allow that during a long time, those who are alive will find themselves at a disadvantage.

    We either need to enforce a fictional second death for matters of inheritance or progressive income tax brackets.
     
    Tomcost said:
    The problem with undeath, and thus immortality, is the accumulation of wealth. If we allow that during a long time, those who are alive will find themselves at a disadvantage.

    We either need to enforce a fictional second death for matters of inheritance or progressive income tax brackets.
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    Is that something in-universe that they would even predict until it is entrenched though?

    But that is a major reason why I predict their society would trend into an sort of caste system over time; Consider how much social change happens in real life solely because the last entrenched generation eventually dies out: In this society that either would not happen or would take much longer depending if the undead are truly immortal or not.
     
    Moosemac said:
    Is that something in-universe that they would even predict until it is entrenched though?

    But that is a major reason why I predict their society would trend into an sort of caste system over time; Consider how much social change happens in real life solely because the last entrenched generation eventually dies out: In this society that either would not happen or would take much longer depending if the undead are truly immortal or not.
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    Either way it is terribly unfair to the alive ones. That makes it either mandatory to become undead later in life... or orchestrate a coup against the undead overlords.

    It exceeds the scope of the quest, but it is a cause of social unrest.
     
    Tomcost said:
    Either way it is terribly unfair to the alive ones. That makes it either mandatory to become undead later in life... or orchestrate a coup against the undead overlords.

    It exceeds the scope of the quest, but it is a cause of social unrest.
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    It does and it will in all likelihood; Regardless, it is something very interesting to speculate about.
     
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