New Desolate Council: Member Ideas

Lore Story
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Greetings, members of the World of Warcraft community!

With Sylvanas gone, the forsaken seem to be leaderless and in a state of disarray. I think this would be an opportune time to recreate the Desolate Council, a governing body that ruled Undercity while Sylvanas was away on Warchief matters. Now that Sylvanas is gone for a fair while now, a new council would likely be needed to keep the Forsaken stable and represent their needs. If you have ideas on who you think should make up this new council, post below! But this is what my vision of a new Desolate Council would look like, and non-member servants and allies.

Council Members:

Calia Menethil
Role: Civilian Speaker

Calia is, liked or not, the heir to Lordaeron. Even though it seems she renounced her claims, she later saw the Forsaken as a people, rather than tools or monsters and wished to be with them again. Even going as far to call Sylvanas a false queen. She cares deeply for her people, and listening to their voices when Sylvanas did not would make her a valuable asset to the Council.

Gunther Arcanus
Role: Magical Director

Gunther has been a part of this game since launch, even being referred to as a lich somehow. He may not look like one, but the lore of liches is that they are great spellcasters. Being both a powerful mage and necromancer, Gunther can oversee the governing of how the Forsaken are trained in magic for magi and warlocks, but also be a lead character in how to raise new Forsaken if the valā€™kyr also defected with Sylvanas.

Aelthalyste
Role: Forgotten Shadow Speaker

Aelthalyste has been a member of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow since the beginning of WoW, and she stepped up her role in Legion serving the High Priest of the Conclave themselves. This indicates that she has a high position in the Cult, and she can serve as the voice of the Cult in the Council. As a banshee, she can also represent the more spectral members of the Forsaken.

Darnell
Role: Deathguard Representative

Darnell was introduced in Cataclysm, and is the Forsaken version of Zuni. We saw him rise as a true deathguard, so perhaps heā€™s had a few more promotions over the years. He can serve as the commander of the new Deathguard and serve as a national security advisor for the Council and a trainer for new warriors.

Delaryn Summermoon
Role: Dark Ranger Captain

Delaryn was left hopeless and abandoned when Sylvanas abandoned the Horde, and thus the other Forsaken night elves. But Calia extended a hand of friendship to them and offered the undead night elves a new path that was not born of malice and hatred. She can serve as the new leader of the Dark Rangers and the voice of hunters in the Forsaken ranks.

The Black Bride
Role: Military Strategist

The Black Bride has been known as the Battlemaster for Arathi Basin for some time, and has served in countless battles against the Alliance in the region. As the leader of the Defilers, she has more experience in aggressive warfare while Darnell oversees the security of their homeland. In times of war, the Black Bride would be called to ensure battle ends in victory.

Master Apothecary Faranell
Role: Apothecary Society Govenor

Faranell has been at the heart of the work of the apothecaries for a very long time, as well as the creation of abominations. These practices will need representation in a new Desolate Council to ensure that they stay in line with any reform the Forsaken may undergo.

Allies:

Lillian Voss
Role: Ambassador and Spy

Lillian has had a prominent role as of late, helping serve as a moral representative of the Forsaken by helping Zelling overcome his despair of being rejected by his family when he became Forsaken, and by keeping an eye on Calia Menethil and bringing the undead Night Elves to her in their time of need. She can serve as a spy for the council in times of need, but also serve as an ambassador to the wider Horde.

Uthul
Role: Frostwolf Ambassador

Uthul was one of the first friends Thrall made when the Warchief-to-be first met the Frostwolf clan. Absent for many years, the Frostwolf clanā€™s relationship with the Forsaken were severely strained during the Cataclysm when ordered to work with the Forsaken, to which Drekā€™thar refused due to the Forsakenā€™s lack of regret for the crimes they have committed in contrast to Drekā€™tharā€™s remorse and regret over his own dark past as a former warlock. Uthul could be asked by Thrall personally to see the Frostwolf clan has some fixed fences with the Forsaken if they choose to become better.

Ambassador Sunsorrow
Role: Sinā€™dorei Ambassador

Sunsorrow has been the ambassador for Silvermoon to the Undercity for many years, and it is natural that he would carry on the role. With Sylvanas no longer leading the Forsaken, the blood elves may no longer feel as strong a bond to the undead, which Sunsorrow must maintain.

And those are who I believe should be part of a new Desolate Council and who their allies should be. Lets hear what you have to say about it!

4 Likes
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What, no role for Faol when even newcomer Calia gets one for the impressive feat of kinda caring for her people since something like a year ago? I mean, sure, he is not exactly Horde, but neither is she, and at least he qualifies as Forsaken, while the Light-raised freak does not.

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I considered Faol, but his loyalties seem to be with the Conclave while Calia is becoming more Forsaken aligned. Plus he is a Forsaken notable for not being aligned to the actual faction, of which there are few.

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Does she? The only thing that happened for now is that she agreed to care for newly raised Night Elves, who werenā€™t exactly an integrated part of Forsaken society, either. Indeed, they were enough of a problem for Lilian that she looked for help with them. Standing with the Horde, or a Horde race, means standing with it, when it faces the Alliance. For now Calia has stronger connections to Alliance characters than Horde ones. The only formal Forsaken we even saw her interact with was Lilian.

And no, Iā€™m not gonna take her placement in a scene in Shadowlands Alpha(!) as anything at all.

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I think itā€™s inevitable that she will be involved with the forsaken in some way, and people feared she would become THE leader of the forsaken. That is why a new Desolate Council would be a better choice. They all serve as leader, rather than just following one.

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We donā€™t get to make the choices. And if we did, we could just choose not to put her into the leadership at all. Thatā€™s neither an argument for why she should be there, nor why a council with her in it is likely. It fails at providing at something I would want as well as at providing something I see as a resonable prediction.

Also, I see any predictions concerning Calia that donā€™t include any involvement in a Light/Naaru-plot as obviously incomplete. The devs didnā€™t just make her a regular undead, when they easily could have, they made her a Naaru pawn as well. She might be meant for the Forsaken plot, but she certainly isnā€™t only meant for that.

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To me, it all boils down to this: Calia is going to have a role with the Forsaken, but the major flaw with the Forsaken writing is that it mainly focused on Sylvanas. There are very few individuals that actually have a notable presence outside of her and Nathanos when the word Forsaken is mentioned. I see this as a way to raise some old classic characters to the forefront while also allowing room for the new.

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It still sounds like you want a compromise between what you expect to happen, and what you want to happenā€¦ when we donā€™t get to decide at all. Am supposed to read this as a ā€œPlease, Blizzard, I know you want to force your new characters that no Forsaken player wants in there and I will tolerate that, but can you please focus on the old ones as well?ā€? because thatā€™s kinda what I am reading. And if thatā€™s the case Iā€™m not sure what the discussion questions for other players would be, since it would be a plea to Blizzard, not to us.

I mean, I can tell you itā€™s highly unlikely that they will focus on half a dozen characters, when they could just focus on one, but Iā€™m not sure if thatā€™s any closer to the point than what I wrote until now.

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In the end, this will go unnoticed. It is mainly an idea for fun. I would like this to be a time for a new Desolate Council to arise. If it did, this is who Iā€™d like to see make it up. Itā€™s just for fun. And indeed, it is a compromise in my mind. I do believe that Calia will become a prominent character in the Forsaken arc, and people have made that absurdly clear that not everyone likes that idea. Weā€™ll just have to see. I doubt this will gain any attention, but hey, itā€™s all fun and games like itā€™s meant to be.

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I certainly do not want Calia anywhere near the leadership of the forsaken.

Iā€™d even take Lilian Voss over her (I donā€™t like Lilian either)

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Just to throw some of thoughts into this, there are two fundamental problems i see with your alternatives:

  1. Calia doesnā€™t seem as the sort of character that would work in a kind of ā€œshared powerā€ situation. Regardless of how naive she is still shown to be, both her background and her mindset, do not allow for the sort of ruling system that has her sharing the spotlight as one amongst equals. Sheā€™d probably lean more towards what would feel natural for someone in her position: be the one and only queen.
    She already sees the Forsaken as ā€œhersā€.
  1. Most of the ideas youā€™ve exposed wouldā€™ve been nice for the Council if Blizzard had actually bothered distancing the Forsaken society from Sylvanas as a character. They have not.
    It would be weird to have Sylvanas or Nathanos exiting the scene, to then have a ā€œliteā€ version of them taking up the mantle as soon as they get out the door.
    Faranell, was one of the chief minds behind the New Plague, and was the one that wanted it deployed against Gilneas. Both the Deathguard and the Deathstalkers have routinely carried out all sort of operations under either Sylvanas or even Varimathras, that would probably have them tagged as ā€œevilā€ as Nathanos or Sylvanas currently are.
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I can agree there with some parts. I donā€™t see Calia as a tyrant, at least not yet. If she wants to be accepted by her people, sheā€™ll need to adjust to conform to their ways to a degree. I believe the Desolate Council was a very welcomed group by the Forsaken, so if she sees it as a way welcomed by the Forsaken to govern, I believe she would accept it. Plus if she ever went bad, the other council members would be able to make up for it.

Faranell, I was a bit conflicted to add him. I added Darnell because of Commander Belmonteā€™s rather aggressive attitude, plus we havenā€™t seen Darnell since Cata. But I chose Faranell because he had shown in Legion that he is willing to work with the Uncrowned, and thus the Alliance, in times of world-threatening strife. Plus the Apothecaries do need some voice on a Council. And as a side note, the Alliance did kill Putress who wrecked his position.

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I like your idea! I think youā€™re missing someone though: Dark Ranger Velonara! The most iconic dark ranger after Sylvanas. ā€œI refuse to be a slave to this tormentā€ and she remained loyal to the Horde!

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I remembered her. If it isnā€™t Delaryn on the council, it would be her! Or maybe Delaryn would be the main leader, and Velonara would be the second in command.

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Faranell, Belmot, Executor Mortuus, Voss and Velonara would be the names I would pick for a new council.

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Why not both, to represent the ā€œoldā€ and ā€œnewā€ generation of dark rangers?

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Yeas, lets give some ruler roles to the Night Elves in the Hordeā€¦

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Not a fan of this either. Delaryn has been shown as having great trouble to cope with her new ā€œconditionā€, pushing her into a leadership role in Forsaken society makes no sense to me.
Tbh I was still hoping the dead Nelves would return to their own people after their therapy sessions with Calia, but apparently everyone is a proper Forsaken now ( even Derek, according to the novel, which makes even less sense. )

Apart from that Iā€™m definitely in favour of a new Desolate Council and would also like to see Velonara as spokesperson for the Dark Rangers.

As for Calia herself, Iā€™d prefer not to have her anywhere near the Forsaken at all, but it seems that ship has sailed. I guess I could at most accept her in a representative role with no real political power. Smiling and waving at public events and the like.

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a random ghoul or abomination would be better choice then Calia

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The maggots crawling in the ground below us are a better choice than Calia.