Necrolyte
Necrolytes are a type of necromancer who use shadow (as discovered by Natalie Seline)[1] or fel magic.[2] As such, they sometimes overlap with warlocks and shadow priests in their depiction.
Origins
There are necrolytes among the ranks of the Burning Legion. Sataiel was the first necrolyte with the strength to command the spirits of the living and the dead with fel magic, a feat that rivaled even Kil'jaeden's necromantic abilities.[2] She was the first necrolyte to walk on Azeroth.[3] She is also just described as the first necrolyte in general in other sources.[4][5]
Orc necrolytes
- See also: Necrolyte (Warcraft I)
With Kil'jaeden's help, Gul'dan formed a group of orc necrolytes during the Horde's war against the draenei in 6 BDP. They dedicated themselves to learning the necromantic arts, through which they could spread plagues to the draenei and raise the dead to fight for the Horde.[6][7] Although an interesting experiment, the necrolytes ultimately did not prove as effective in combat as Gul'dan had hoped.[8]
During the First War, the necrolytes' main purpose was to bolster the Horde's forces with armies of undead,[9] similar to the necromancers of the Scourge decades later. While necrolytes did possess other magical abilities, they were quite paltry when compared to those of the other orcish warlocks. Their spells included Shadow Spear, Raise Dead, Dark Vision, and Unholy Armor. They congregated in temples.[10]
Several necrolytes were among the handful of lesser warlocks that survived Orgrim Doomhammer's purge of the Shadow Council[11] in 4 ADP.[12] Rakmar Sharpfang was their unofficial leader.[13] After Gul'dan submitted to Orgrim by promising to create spellcasting warriors that could counter the human magi, he ordered the necrolytes to assist him, but they could only produce disappointing results—they could reanimate human corpses, but were unable to give them consciousness and could only direct them as puppets. Frustrated, Gul'dan decided to use the necrolytes for a different purpose. He and Cho'gall constructed an altar of ironwood and blackroot and summoned the necrolytes to participate in an incantation. While they were distracted and unable to flee on account of the ritual, Gul'dan and Cho'gall killed all of the necrolytes, cut out their hearts, and magically trapped their souls inside the organs before using the altar's energies to transform the hearts into jewels, which they then affixed into truncheons. Gul'dan and Cho'gall went on to create the death knights and gave each one a jeweled truncheon,[13][14] using the necrolytes' necromantic energies to reanimate the death knights' bodies[13][8] and empower them with magic.[14][15] The death knights inherited the Raise Dead spell, the "final legacy" of the necrolytes.[16]
Stormreaver necrolytes were among the forces of the Stormreaver clan who survived on the Broken Isles after the Third War. The unknown warlock coven in Durotar that attacked Morg Wolfsong and his fellow shaman included Stormreaver necrolytes in their ranks. The Bleeding Hollow fel orcs include necrolytes,[17] as does the Shadowmoon clan on the alternate Draenor (who use Void-based necromancy).[18]
Known necrolytes
Types
Stormreaver Necrolyte 
Scholomance Necrolyte - Scholomance 
Bleeding Hollow Necrolyte - Hellfire Peninsula 
- Orc Necrolyte - Karazhan
- Cultist Necrolyte - Borean Tundra
- Burning Depths Necrolyte - Dragonblight
Deathwhisper Necrolyte - Pit of Saron 
Kor'kron Necrolyte - Icecrown Citadel 
Death's Head Necrolyte - Razorfen Downs 
Shadowmoon Necrolyte - Shadowmoon Valley
Notes
- Warlocks in World of Warcraft have some necrolyte-themed passive abilities:
[Secrets of the Necrolyte], a removed Affliction talent, and 
[Necrolyte Teachings], a Soul Harvester hero talent. 
[Fractured Necrolyte Skull] is purchasable during Burning Crusade Timewalking.- The Wrath of the Lich King website described Teron Gorefiend as having been a necrolyte before his death.[19] Other sources consistently describe him only as a warlock.[13][20][21]
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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There are sometimes references to a necrolyte clan, though it may be a euphemism for a more formally named clan, such as the Shadowmoon clan, or perhaps merely referring to the necrolyte class as a group, not unique to any clan.
Gallery
Sataiel, the "first necrolyte".
Orc necrolyte icon in Warcraft I: Remastered.
Necrolyte sprite in Warcraft I: Remastered.
A vargul necrolyte in Hearthstone.
References
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Magazine Issue 4
- ^ a b Tome of Blighted Implements: Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester
- ^ Legion: Warlock Artifact Reveal
- ^
[10-45] The Tome of Blighted Implements
- ^ [45] The Grimoire of the First Necrolyte
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 78
- ^ Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, The History of Orcish Ascension, The Rise of the Shadow Council
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 149
- ^ Warcraft: Orcs & Humans manual, Unit Descriptions, Necrolyte
- ^ Warcraft: Orcs & Humans manual, Building Descriptions, Temple
- ^ Tides of Darkness, second prologue
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 138
- ^ a b c d Tides of Darkness, chapter 6
- ^ a b Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, The History of Orcish Ascension, The First War of Orcish Ascension
- ^ Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Ground Units of the Orcish Horde, Death Knight
- ^ Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Death Knight Spells, Raise Dead
- ^ Bleeding Hollow Necrolyte
- ^ Shadowmoon Necrolyte
- ^ Wrath of the Lich King Features: Death Knight Lore: "After experimenting at length with the souls of the recently slain council members, Gul'dan successfully instilled the spirit of the necrolyte Teron Gorefiend into the corpse of a fallen knight of Stormwind."
- ^ Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 17: "Gorefiend [...] had grown into a powerful, confident, clever warlock even before his death."
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 76