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Emyi
04-05-2011, 08:14 AM
Some new tid-bits of lore for shadow priests. This comes from the latest World of Warcraft magazine Issue #4.




The Teachings of Bishop Natalie Seline
-After the first war, a bishop from Lordaeron began to delve into workings of the orc necrolytes who had poured through the Dark Portal and desecrated their hallowed dead. While at first this was done in order to provide Azeroth with the knowledge it needed to fight against such dark magic, the bishop's studies over the years became increasingly obsessed with finding out why such dark energies existed at all, and why she began to see the ebb and flow of such energies in the world around her. She began preaching about the necessity of balance between dark and light, but after her death, her books were locked away in the Kirin Tor's vaults in Dalaran.

What's the Deal with Shadow Priests?
-While many priests draw on powers such as the Holy Light or the goddess Elune, shadow priests turn to dark energies to accomplish their goals.

The Cult of the Forgotten Shadow, a group considered heretical by most, believes that dark energy practitioners are just as vital to the survival of life and reality (which they call "the Shadow") as wielders of the Light. The cult preaches balance, mandating that shadow priests must never forget the dangers of falling too deep into the dark energies they manipulate, for it is often too hard to find one's way back to the Shadow from the deep reaches of the darkness.

The cult was created through the (re)discovery of the teachings of Bishop Natalie Seline by Forsaken priests in Lordaeron after the capture and refurbishing of the Undercity. Shadow priests generally do not practice openly, and not all members are Forsaken, although they formed the cult. Within the last few years, the number of non-Forsaken (and non-Horde) members within the cult has grown sharply.

This is a copy paste from the magazine via Red Shirt Guy.

http://www.scrollsoflore.com/forums/showpost.php?p=272557&postcount=35

It is quite interesting though, Shadow Priests are fairly recent creations. And the bit about the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow is intriguing. Non-Forsaken and non-Horde members in the Cult? Could be some very nice RP fodder.

Mortica
04-05-2011, 08:47 AM
They are from the RPG game and while not new, it would be cool if they became more active in the online game. I did some research into them back in BC when Villayna was dabbling in dark stuff.

http://www.wowpedia.org/Cult_of_Forgotten_Shadow

Pyrisath
04-05-2011, 08:54 AM
I had based Pyrisath's character around being a Shadow Ascendant in the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow. Really interesting stuff, even before when it was only Forsaken members. I guess Blizzard finally realized, "Hey, we have a huge amount of unexplored material here." Watch as the Cult gets rolled in with the Twilight Cult, or becomes its own evil cult, and I have to retcon my character. Ugh.

Duroxas
04-05-2011, 09:57 AM
Huh, well what do you know! Thanks for digging this up, it gives me something to work with for my neglected shadow priest ^^.

Emyi
04-05-2011, 10:17 AM
They are from the RPG game and while not new, it would be cool if they became more active in the online game. I did some research into them back in BC when Villayna was dabbling in dark stuff.

http://www.wowpedia.org/Cult_of_Forgotten_Shadow

True, the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow has been around since the RPG books, but I don't think it has ever been anything beyond the Forsaken. The fact it mentions it has spread beyond the Forsaken and even to Alliance races is interesting. As is the origin of Shadow priests.

Appears someone already updated the wiki page to include the stuff from the magazine. :D

Mortica
04-05-2011, 11:22 AM
Yes, the fact that it isn't forsaken-only anymore is *very* cool. I'm not sure I have any characters that would be interested in such things anymore....but it is nice that I can consider it for more than forsaken now.

Necroxis
04-05-2011, 12:35 PM
Interessssting. I agree, they should do more with them, make them (If not an actual faction), then a semi-faction that at least has some activity somewhere in the world.

Emenyuu
04-05-2011, 04:16 PM
This is useful. I'll need to read more into the wowpedia article, but it seems that the cult rejects the Light as the absolute force and function of good in the universe and instead replaces it with this notion of 'balance' between the Light and its opposite.

Techpriest Jadoko
04-11-2011, 06:44 PM
Saruron has always been all about believing that a balance between Light and Shadow should be in place, and believed that only the strongest of Priests could master both.

Never thought it was part of any actual lore or story, though. D: Pretty cool, imo.

Urivial
04-15-2011, 11:49 AM
That's rather cool, means all spriests regardless of race or faction are part of a unified group O.O

opalexian
04-15-2011, 02:35 PM
It says 'not all shadow priests are a member of this cult' *smacks XCarlosX*

Deckenpuppel
05-18-2011, 08:20 AM
Actually I am not very fond of this text.

It is true that Orc necrolytes were originally presented as "priests" of the orcish religion, but as we all know that was changed quite a while ago when the orcs were transformed from bloodthirsty, evil monsters to corrupted but noble, shamanistic savages. Recent books like Rise of the Horde did not talk about the necrolytes but focused on the warlocks and since necromancy is now part of arcane or fel magic, I always found it quite reasonable to assume that the necrolytes were also arcanists, not practitioners of divine shadow magic.

Why then this should intrigue a Bishop of the Holy Light that much is beyond me. Trying to find a way to fight this is alright, but since it was arcane magic, something the church was never to fond of to begin with, I don't get why encountering this magic should trouble a priest that much, even more so since humanity has encountered divine shadow magic numerous times, like in the Trollwars, even before the church of the Holy Light was formed.

Also, why would it be the Kirin Tor who lock those teachings away and not the church itself, I thought we were talking about faith and divine magic?

So no, not my favourite kind of text.

Raziel
05-19-2011, 03:48 PM
Necrolytes were members of the Shadow Council, and as such were all Warlocks. They sacrificed themselves to possess the dead bodies of Paladins to become Death Knights.

Deckenpuppel
05-19-2011, 06:14 PM
They were rather sacrificed by Gul'dan to enchance the powers of the old members of the shadow council that were slain by Doomhammer and whose spirits were put into the bodies of dead Knights of Stormwind/Azeroth, but yeah, like I said. They are arcane spellcasters, not divine ones.