Cataclysm Spoiler: Sylvanas' plans no one saw coming
by Mathew McCurley 
Jun 30th 2010 at 10:30PM
Want to know what the Forsaken Queen is up to in Cataclysm, and why this expansion is going to rock the Horde and the Alliance even moreso?
Again, we are warning you: there are spoilers here that are quite huge in the world of lore. The big part of the spoiler is in red. After the break.The quest begins in Brill early on in the leveling experience of a new forsaken. Eventually, your travels lead you to Silverpine Forest, and the quest "Warchief's Command: Silverpine Forest," where Garrosh and friends arrive to meet with Sylvanas and her new allies in the fight against and invasion of Gilneas. Below is a transcription of the events that take place.
Warchief's Command: Silverpine Forest!
Objective: Report to Grand Executor Mortuus at Forsaken High Command in Silverpine Forest
All able bodied members of the Horde are hereby ordered to report to Grand Executor Mortuus at Forsaken High Command in Silverpine Forest. Now, more than ever, your help is needed in routing the enemy infestation of the region and conquering the port of Gilneas!
To reach Forsaken High Command you must travel south through Tirisfal Glades and enter Silverpine Forest. From there, follow the road south until you reach Forsaken High Command.
Onward, sister! Destiny calls!
Upon Completion: Most excellent! A new recruit has arrived. There is much to do... much to do I say.
The Warchief Cometh
You're just in time, *******. It is ******, right?
<Grand Executor Mortuus looks at a sheet of paper.>
Yes, that's what the paperwork says: "*****"
<Grand Executor Mortuus points to your name on the sheet of paper.>
Where was I? Oh yes, you're just in time! The Warchief should be arriving at any moment to meet our leader and savior, the Dark Lady herself. Just stand by and be at your best behavior. I expect that when this demonstration is over we will all receive commendations!
Quest Objectives: Stand by for Warchief Garrosh Hellscream's arrival.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Where is that Orge headed buffoon?
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner Ah, speak of the devil ...
*Portals from Ogrimmar arrive with Hellscream, Hellscream's elite, and High Warlord Cromush*
*Hellscream jumps from the portal down to Sylvanas*
Garrosh Hellscream: This better be important, Sylvanas. You know how I detest this place and its foul stench. Why have you called for me?
Garrosh Hellscream: And more importantly, what are those Scourge fiends doing here?
*Garrosh makes a gesture at the Val'kyr*
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Warchief, so glad you could make it.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: With the death of the Lich King, many of the more intelligent Scourge became...unemployed. Those 'friends,' as you so delicately put it, are called val'kyr. They are under my command now...
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: ...and they are part of the reason that I asked to see you.
Garrosh Hellscream: Get on with it Sylvanas.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Very well, Warchief. I have solved the plight of the Forsaken!
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: As a race, we Forsaken are unable to procreate.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Warchief, without these new Forsaken my people would die out ... Our hold upon Gilneas and northern Lordaeron would crumble.
Garrosh Hellscream: Have you given any thought to what this means, Sylvanas.
Garrosh Hellscream: What difference is there between you and the Lich King now?
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Isn't it obvious, Warchief? I serve the Horde. (She does the Female Blood Elf emote /salute, which is downright hysterical because it's such a condescending salute to begin with.)
Garrosh Hellscream: Watch your clever mouth, *@*!*. (Yes he really called her a *@*!*)
Garrosh Hellscream: Cromush, you stay behind and make sure the Banshee Queen is well "guarded." I will be expecting a full report when next we meet.
High Warlord Cromush: As you command, Warchief!
Garrosh Hellscream: Remember, Sylvanas, eventually we all have to stand before our maker and face judgment. Your day may come sooner than others...
The Warchief Cometh: Well that was unexpected. I am not one to doubt our Warchief, but...
Nevermind! We have work to do. I'm sure the Dark Lady and the Warchief will get this all worked out.
Objective: Report to Grand Executor Mortuus at Forsaken High Command in Silverpine Forest
All able bodied members of the Horde are hereby ordered to report to Grand Executor Mortuus at Forsaken High Command in Silverpine Forest. Now, more than ever, your help is needed in routing the enemy infestation of the region and conquering the port of Gilneas!
To reach Forsaken High Command you must travel south through Tirisfal Glades and enter Silverpine Forest. From there, follow the road south until you reach Forsaken High Command.
Onward, sister! Destiny calls!
Upon Completion: Most excellent! A new recruit has arrived. There is much to do... much to do I say.
The Warchief Cometh
You're just in time, *******. It is ******, right?
<Grand Executor Mortuus looks at a sheet of paper.>
Yes, that's what the paperwork says: "*****"
<Grand Executor Mortuus points to your name on the sheet of paper.>
Where was I? Oh yes, you're just in time! The Warchief should be arriving at any moment to meet our leader and savior, the Dark Lady herself. Just stand by and be at your best behavior. I expect that when this demonstration is over we will all receive commendations!
Quest Objectives: Stand by for Warchief Garrosh Hellscream's arrival.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Where is that Orge headed buffoon?
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner Ah, speak of the devil ...
*Portals from Ogrimmar arrive with Hellscream, Hellscream's elite, and High Warlord Cromush*
*Hellscream jumps from the portal down to Sylvanas*
Garrosh Hellscream: This better be important, Sylvanas. You know how I detest this place and its foul stench. Why have you called for me?
Garrosh Hellscream: And more importantly, what are those Scourge fiends doing here?
*Garrosh makes a gesture at the Val'kyr*
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Warchief, so glad you could make it.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: With the death of the Lich King, many of the more intelligent Scourge became...unemployed. Those 'friends,' as you so delicately put it, are called val'kyr. They are under my command now...
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: ...and they are part of the reason that I asked to see you.
Garrosh Hellscream: Get on with it Sylvanas.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Very well, Warchief. I have solved the plight of the Forsaken!
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: As a race, we Forsaken are unable to procreate.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: With the aid of the val'kyr, we are now able to take the corpses of the fallen and create new Forsaken.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Agatha, show the Warchief!
*The Val'kyr Agatha proceeds to resurrect fallen corpses as Undead*
High Warlord Cromush: ABERRATION!
Garrosh Hellscream: What you have done here, Sylvanas... it goes against the laws of nature. Disgusting is the only word I have to describe it.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Agatha, show the Warchief!
*The Val'kyr Agatha proceeds to resurrect fallen corpses as Undead*
High Warlord Cromush: ABERRATION!
Garrosh Hellscream: What you have done here, Sylvanas... it goes against the laws of nature. Disgusting is the only word I have to describe it.
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Warchief, without these new Forsaken my people would die out ... Our hold upon Gilneas and northern Lordaeron would crumble.
Garrosh Hellscream: Have you given any thought to what this means, Sylvanas.
Garrosh Hellscream: What difference is there between you and the Lich King now?
Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Isn't it obvious, Warchief? I serve the Horde. (She does the Female Blood Elf emote /salute, which is downright hysterical because it's such a condescending salute to begin with.)
Garrosh Hellscream: Watch your clever mouth, *@*!*. (Yes he really called her a *@*!*)
Garrosh Hellscream: Cromush, you stay behind and make sure the Banshee Queen is well "guarded." I will be expecting a full report when next we meet.
High Warlord Cromush: As you command, Warchief!
Garrosh Hellscream: Remember, Sylvanas, eventually we all have to stand before our maker and face judgment. Your day may come sooner than others...
The Warchief Cometh: Well that was unexpected. I am not one to doubt our Warchief, but...
Nevermind! We have work to do. I'm sure the Dark Lady and the Warchief will get this all worked out.
So what have we learned? Sylvanas, seizing another opportunity to bolster her ranks by taking command of some of the Lich King's most powerful allies, much like she originally did when she was released from his influence, has solved the plight of the Forsaken. By bringing people back from the dead.
Things just got very, very interesting for the Horde, for the undead and for the future of this alliance.
Thanks to Emeraude on the Cataclysm closed-beta forums for this excellent, awesome, awe-inspiriting lore moment.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)
Lissanna Jun 30th 2010 10:31PM
She goes a little bit... bat crazy....
TR Jun 30th 2010 10:46PM
A "little"? Hell, considering we know she was aware of Putress' New Plague (and likely endorsed it) she not only has another method of bringing "Death to the living" now, but increasing her ranks at the same time. Garrosh should be less worried about the morality of it and more about being overwhelmed by Forsaken. After all, his Kor'kron Overseers are still essentially an (unwelcome) occupying force in Undercity. Oh, and he called her a *@*!* too. No woman I know takes that from any man let alone an ass like Garrosh!
Qot Jun 30th 2010 11:32PM
Little bit crazy is "Do you hear the music? I think I shall dance for a while."
Sylvanas is full-on "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die" crazy.
murabayashi.harukaze Jul 1st 2010 12:17AM
::Grins::
Sylvanas, I salute you. I love being Forsaken.
Dreyja Jul 1st 2010 12:36AM
So something I would expect of this psycho witch. /shudder. With every choice she makes, she becomes more and more like the monster that made her.
Yeah, admirable. /eye-roll
cielago Jul 1st 2010 2:52AM
at TR she was not only aware of the new plague, she endorsed it and we horde adventurers help in the R&D of it, what was not endorsed was the use of it in the wrath gate, that was high treason and dealt with acordingly, althogh allowing the dark lady to practice such necromantic practices would seem unconventional at first, the rest of the horde and alliance are not far behind, (DK with ghouls, perma ghouls and talks of pet gheist thru gliphs), also it was an orc art of yore (warcraft 1), the Dark Lady and the forsaken have proven their loyalty already, they secured the loyalty of a new ally in the form of sin'doeri, on northrend leading our asault on the fjord and from the forge of souls to the halls of reflection, so i wouldn't mind the forsaken increasing their number in such ways.
Beside the point that it is a necesity to keep the forsaken as a fighting part of the horde, otherwise they won't be able to produce more soldiers, should our hippie shamans, druids, or other light or spirit thingy worship find a way for forsaken to reproduce i'm quite sure they would cut back on such necromantic tendencies.
Also the ko'kron are neither unwanted nor ocupying, they are a wellcome help with security in UC, the high treason of putress and varimithras left a huge gap in the defences there and that will help with the new forsaken who might try to betray the horde, alas traitors abound on all races.
besides it opens the posibility for a new class "NECROMANCER" in the expansion after cata for both factions =D.
Fizzl Jul 1st 2010 6:47AM
I'm expecting as part of this Garrosh business being resolved an agreement to cap the numbers of active forsaken, Sylvanas is doing this because she does not trust Garrosh and wants to protect her people.
In a future expansion they will be pushed further to the dark side then at the last moment their experiments will pay off in some way that humanises them more. Forsaken then get a similar mechanic to the Worgen where they have human or zombie form and at that point Lordaron will start to be rebuilt and in some sense they will have redemption.
Jack Miles Jul 1st 2010 7:20AM
Damn right she's crazy! That *@*!* destroyed Southshore! She must be fucking suicidal, given what I'm gonna do when I get to her.
Cure4Living Jul 1st 2010 8:23AM
Actually the original purpose of the new plague was two fold, kill the living (and the dead) and second raise them as forsaken. The events of the wrathgate was premature since it only kills everything. It makes sense that the Horde won't trust the forsaken anywhere near a chemistry set so she need to get a new means of performing the later.
Of course with Sylvanas trying to become the new Lich King I wonder what the current Lich King things about all this especially since she is sourcing some of his labor (some self titled jailer of the damned seems more like the doorman of the damned).
snowleopard233 Jul 1st 2010 11:53AM
She must be crazy because nothing about this makes a lick of sense. Why would she ever think that presenting this to the warcheif would go down well? Did she really need to drag Garrosh all the way to Lordearon to show him something she could have kept in secret? And what is with the use of all the exclamation marks in dialogue? It’s just so tacky. I’m sorry, but this sloppy writing that doesn’t make much sense. It’s like the writing team has forgone exposition completely and just gone straight to shocking examples of show and tell.
kasapina Jul 1st 2010 12:28PM
Sylvanas, unlike the LK, does not enslave the undead. Thus, what she does is actually give every member of the Horde a second life, even if it is a life in an unpleasant body.
So I wouldn't like it if Blizzard takes this as an excuse to make her a killable villain.
Siddaru Jul 1st 2010 4:12PM
@Cure4Living
No, it was the opposite. The new plague liquefied the corpses of its victims to keep them from being raised by the Scourge. It's been stated in the past that one of the weaknesses of the Forsaken was their lack of necromancers to raise reinforcements, limiting them to liberated Scourge, but they've never shown an active plan to fix that problem before now.
Derick Jul 11th 2010 11:10PM
Fizzl, I hope you're right. I've always played an undead as my main and many of my alts followed suit. This storyline seems to be going in either the direction you described or the Undead are going to defect from the Horde and become a new "Forsaken" faction. Perhaps they'd take a few races from either faction with them. Goblins sure don't seem to mesh with Tauren very well. Worgen really don't really seem to fit in with the alliance. To even it up, maybe Draenei are tired of looking so weird.
I'm just speculating wildly right now, but I'm not entirely disliking it. I'd much rather keep my ties to humanity.
I AM FORSAKEN.
josh.d.mendenhall Jul 17th 2010 4:16PM
One more reason to secretly love sylvanas mwahahaha! This means alot for the horde first the polorization between the eastern kindoms horde and horde of kalimdore is more solidified than ever but i cant say im disapointed as a blood elf (my main) id gladly betray thralls "replacment" for lack of a more profane discription for the banshee quene! also stratigecly speaking i think the horde has at this point basically won? I mean unless the argent crusade decides what shes doing is wrong and sides with the allience but even then thier chances are slimm to none! any way what ever happens sylvanas is a total bad ass and i know if the horde does break apart (a very real possibility at this point) ill be on her side mwahahaha! Also she's probably about the best tacishion and stratagist of any character in the game (just saying that cant hurt her chances). so i guess you could say its been long in comeing and i think its about time! But so long as it remains in tact this means only one thing to me FOR THE HORDE!!!!
Asgaroth Jul 24th 2010 5:52PM
As if it wasn't enough cause for going batty than being tortured by your enemy, then resurrected as a twisted monster, subservient to that same enemy wasn't enough! Honestly, after reading that bit, I felt really sorry for Sylvanas! She was never "evil". I honestly feel that she is way misunderstood! She has an awesome amount of envy and disdain for the living!
As they say, misery loves company!
prenden2 Jun 30th 2010 10:32PM
Oh you Horde...
Fight->Make-up->Fight->Make-up->Create ungodly hybrids->Fight.
NielsdeJONG Jul 20th 2010 2:03PM
Lol THIS!
Though i'm still waiting to see what kind of excuse they are going to come up with for the genocide of Hillsbrad and Gilneas!
Sheez :( I usually don't agree with Garrosh, but he was right to call her a @*%#!!
Xiona Jun 30th 2010 10:35PM
Lol, Mortuus. Obviously homage to Oxhorn :D
jerdthewarlock Jun 30th 2010 10:42PM
If he was the real Mortuus then he would say "Lol", "Oh-muh-guh", "Wuh-tah-guh", "BBtheQ" and "Dairy Queen" much more often.
Mystur Jul 1st 2010 12:35AM
@jerdthewarlock
You forgot my personal favorite: Feh Teh Wheh!