User:Joshmaul/Deathsworn Heralds

This article is fan fiction.
The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official Warcraft lore or history. The characters and events listed are of an independent nature and are applied for roleplaying purposes only.

“There are some discussions about a joining of forces, groups from both sides fighting formally under a single banner. The two of you are the first people I thought of. You both have considerable followings, and have worked together in the past. A single force, under one banner.”

— Esheregos/Archmage Eregesh Silvergale

Deathsworn Heralds
Main leader	Dame Catherine Hildreth Zulimbasha the Collector
Race(s)	All who uphold honor
Capital	Stormwind City The Necropolis, Nazmir
Theater of operations	Azeroth (and beyond, as circumstances dictate)
Language(s)	Common, Darnassian, Draconic, Draenei, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Goblin, Gutterspeak, Orcish, Pandaren, Taur-ahe, Thalassian, Vulpera, Zandali
Affiliation	The Alliance The Horde

The Deathsworn Heralds are a union of two groups from opposite sides of the political spectrum brought together by the efforts of Archmage Eregesh Silvergale, better known as the blue dragon Esheregos, during the conflict in the Dragon Isles. The new designation honors the Lordaeron Deathsworn, an Alliance force of veterans and explorers led by the worgen-cursed Stormwind knight Sir Eran Heskin, and the Heralds of de Other Side, also known as the Atal'Limbashi - the devotees and allies of Zulimbasha the Collector, high priest of Bwonsamdi, the troll Loa of death and supreme patron of the Zandalari Empire.

While both factions retain their allegiances, they are a group that has devoted itself to working together with their onetime enemies, and indeed several on both sides have already done so, even during the bloodiest parts of the Fourth War - a conflict both Heskin and Zulimbasha condemned Sylvanas Windrunner for, even as they opposed one another during it, particularly during the siege of Dazar'alor. They first met during the hunt for Sylvanas in the Shadowlands; though the knight was sworn to Bastion and the priest to Ardenweald, they found they had similar goals beyond a desire to punish Sylvanas and preserve the cycle of life and death from the machinations of the Jailer. Heskin's son, Taran, who had been revealed as a cultist of the Jailer during the early invasions from the Shadowlands, had been reborn as a powerful Mawsworn known as the Stoker of Hate, and Zulimbasha and other allies within the Horde offered their aid to defeat the hate-filled creature in Zereth Mortis. Both had taken full advantage of the years of peace that had followed the Jailer's defeat.

When the Dragonscale Expedition rallied champions of the Alliance and the Horde to travel to the Dragon Isles at the behest of the Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, Heskin and Zulimbasha were among the first to volunteer, along with a number of their elites. They were also each accompanied by a dracthyr evoker, from a race of dragon-people created by Deathwing eons in the past, until elemental upheaval caused by a group known as the Primalists awakened many of them from their prisons. Eregesh, who had revealed his identity as a dragon during the peace, offered his aid to them both, along with his niece, Rianagosa. Following the death of Raszageth the Storm-Eater and the release of the "Primal Incarnates" from their vault in Thaldraszus, Eregesh approached both men and convinced them to unite under a common banner for the remainder of the conflict - and, perhaps, for any future conflicts to come. Though hesitant, knowing how there were some on both sides who held a grudge, Zulimbasha convinced Heskin that neither of them allowed warmongers and murderers in their ranks, and had worked well together in the past. Impressed by the Zandalari priest's reasoning, Heskin finally agreed. Theirs would be a joint leadership - Heskin, the veteran warrior, would be the chief military commander, while Zulimbasha would be the spiritual leader.

Lordaeron Deathsworn

Sigil of the Deathsworn

“Think of what Lordaeron was. The spirit of amity that King Terenas inspired, bringing the seven human kingdoms together for the first time since the fall of Arathor, laying the foundation stone for the Alliance of today. That is what it was, and what it still is to those of us who knew it well. Not all the cathedrals, chapels, hamlets and hovels... plague and fire took them all, and Lordaeron lives on. Because Lordaeron is no longer just a land, a fallen kingdom... Lordaeron is a belief that we hold in our hearts. By blood and honor, we serve. By blood and ash, we remember.”

— Sir Eran Heskin

The Deathsworn were originally formed during the war against the Lich King by the human paladin Saavedro of Stratholme. Initially founded with the intent of rallying support to retake the fallen Kingdom of Lordaeron from the Forsaken, it became Saavedro's personal guard during his conflicts with his two chief nemeses - the orc warlock Urgan the Corruptor, a veteran of the old Shadow Council, and Sekhesmet of Stratholme, a powerful Forsaken shadow priest and apothecary who had been Saavedro's mentor in life. Its symbol is an inversion of the double-headed eagle tabard worn by the soldiers of Lordaeron - rather than blue on a white field, it is instead red on black, symbolizing the blood spilled and the ashes that remain of the kingdom that once birthed the Alliance. This symbol had been chosen by Saavedro in the original inception of the Deathsworn. Following his apparent demise, he was replaced by Sir Oren Tanis, a brave and reckless warrior who had risen to the rank of field marshal following the Cataclysm. The Deathsworn more or less disintegrated following Tanis' death in Andorhal at the hands of Sekhesmet. Saavedro himself would eventually fall and become Forsaken, taking the name Shankolin Blightpath, before meeting his own fate in Nazjatar during the Fourth War.

The Deathsworn were reformed following the war for the Shadowlands by Stormwind knight Sir Eran Heskin, albeit with a different purpose. Recognizing that Lordaeron would not be reclaimed by conquest, Sir Eran elected instead to offer "quiet support" to ensuring that the inhabitants of the land could move on after the downfall of their treacherous "Dark Lady". Having seen his share of "pointless conflict" - including the entirety of the Fourth War, in his opinion - Sir Eran believed that the Forsaken were more or less there to stay, and deserved a chance to remake themselves beyond what Sylvanas had intended for them. He is well aware that the kind of people he had rallied - and the alteration of the cause - would not have met with Saavedro's approval, but given what had become of him, Sir Eran was less concerned with that than with ensuring another war did not start over an "idiotic land-grab". His motivation behind this new Deathsworn is to uphold the memory of the fallen kingdom, and to honor the spirit of amity that led to the unification of the seven human nations - Lordaeron, Stormwind, Kul Tiras, Gilneas, Stromgarde, Alterac, and Dalaran - under a common banner for the first time since the fall of Arathor.

Name	Role	Home
Dame Catherine Hildreth	Warmaster of the Deathsworn	Stormwind City
Captain Englebert Blunderwitz <G.E.A.R.>	Special forces operative, chief engineer	New Tinkertown, Dun Morogh
Chaiya Greenacre-Puretide	Chief tailor and enchanter	Dalaran
Embervina Doomlight <Tyr's Guard>	Paladin of the Tyr's Guard	Shadowforge City
Emelie Danjou <The Witch of the Grizzly Hills>	"Dabbler in the dark arts"	Amberpine Lodge, Grizzly Hills
Jenit Ratchetrouter	Rustbolt Resistance veteran	Mechagon City
Lorewalker Ord'taeril Ketiron	Chief historian and jewelcrafter	Temple of Five Dawns, Wandering Isle
Khorag <Fist of the First Ones>	Ebon Blade veteran	Acherus: The Ebon Hold
Torcall Macphearsome <Sons of Lothar>	Ebon Blade gryphon rider	Acherus: The Ebon Hold
Marrim Snowmane	Elementalist	Ironforge
Archmage Caedus Netherfist <The Kirin Tor>	Last survivor of the original Deathsworn	Dalaran
Captain Elizabeth Pellerin <The Pearl Queen>	Captain of the Pearl Queen	Boralus
Po'gaenus the Exalted <Scion of the Stars>	Ancient draenei priest	Nomadic
Serys	Draconic healer	Stormwind City
Huntmaster Taelinkayn	Daughter of Velenkayn, an ally of Saavedro	The Exodar
Peacekeeper Tasaera	Sister of Jaeden'laek, an ally of Saavedro	Shattrath City
Archdruid Tekolin Wintershade	Veteran of the War of the Ancients	Bel'ameth, Amirdrassil
Inquisitor Gabriel Underwood <Order of Embers>	Witch-hunting Thornspeaker	Arom's Stand, Drustvar
Lady Eirena Valmy <Greyguard>	Huntress of the Greyguard	Stormwind City

Heralds of de Other Side

Sigil of the Heralds of de Other Side

“I have worked with ya all in some form or another since da war in Zandalar, and am proud ta call ya friends. I only ask dat ya swear da souls of dem ya kill ta Bwonsamdi, and dat ya uphold honor in all t'ings. Protect da innocent, and uphold da balance of life and death. Bring healin' to those who yet live, and bring mercy ta any who be hearin' da call of da Shadowlands. And for dem who seek to bar our way... Bwonsamdi be a Loa of death! Remind dem what dat means!”

— Zulimbasha the Collector, just before departure for the Dragon Isles

Zulimbasha's circle of allies dates back to the Fourth War for a number of them, and others picked up in the years since. Most follow him out of a mutual sense of respect. Some, like his apprentice Silna, are drawn to him by their mutual allegiance to Bwonsamdi. Others, like the dark ranger Kirenna Summerlight and the dracthyr evoker Lengua, look to him as a guide. All in the Collector's circle adhere to his creed - to act with honor, to heal who they can, and to convey those they can't to the Other Side. It is a code that Zulimbasha has reinterpreted for himself a number of times in the years since swearing his allegiance to the Loa of death; once very closed-minded about any kind of association with "corrupted forces" - particularly the Forsaken, dark rangers, and death knights - he has begun to look more to the individual than the group, and expects the same for those who follow him.

Zulimbasha became known as the "Herald of the Other Side" during the war for the Shadowlands, when he actually travelled to the Other Side and met Bwonsamdi in person in his own realm. He had experienced a crisis of faith upon arriving in the Shadowlands to find that Bwonsamdi was considered "insignificant", rather than being lord of all the Shadowlands as he had previously believed. But Bwonsamdi assured him that, for all that the Other Side was tucked into a corner of the realm of Ardenweald, it was far from insignificant: The spirits of King Rastakhan and all those Zandalari who had fallen during the Fourth War had been kept from the grasp of the Maw by Bwonsamdi's power, so that the souls destined for Bwonsamdi's realm would not suffer the torments of the Jailer.

On the eve of departing for the Dragon Isles to answer the call of the Dragonqueen Alexstrasza, Zulimbasha gathered those allies he had made over the years in Bilgewater Harbor and asked them to be Heralds of the Other Side along with him, to protect the cycle of balance and to send the souls of their kills to Bwonsamdi for judgment. Without hesitation, they agreed.

Name	Role	Home
Zulimbasha the Collector <Voice of Death>	High Priest of Bwonsamdi, leader of the Heralds	The Necropolis, Nazmir
Baroness Ceraxia Bloodwake <Magistrix of Quel'Thalas>	Pyromancer and historian	Silvermoon City
Ublaz Deathspear	Fallen protector of Mulgore	Northrend
Baron Kieran Devaneaux	Ex-Scarlet Crusader and Titan scholar	Ruins of Lordaeron, Tirisfal Glades
Eldex the Foxwolf	Veteran caravaneer and elementalist	Vol'dun
Fer'jai <Claw of the Darkspear>	Former ally of House Ketiron	Darkspear Hold, Echo Isles
Kirenna Summerlight	Penitent dark ranger	Brill, Tirisfal Glades
Kitrik the Assassin <Baron of Blades>	Mercenary engineer	Bilgewater Harbor, Azshara
Kodrak Thundersnow <Bladesworn to the Collector>	Frostwolf tracker and leather-crafter	Alterac Valley
Laneth Sorrowspear <Knights of the Ebon Blade>	Knight of the Ebon Blade	Acherus: The Ebon Hold
Lengua <Fury of the Other Side>	Draconic warrior and scholar	The Dragon Isles
Magra <Bladesworn to the Collector>	Veteran warrior	Orgrimmar
Countess Severine Melanius <Matriarch of House Melanius>	Arcanist of the Nighthold	Suramar City
Poquelin the Accursed <The Illidari>	Seeker of purpose	The Fel Hammer
Silna	Zulimbasha's apprentice	The Echo Isles
Soji	Zulimbasha's personal courier	The Echo Isles
Master Nor'taeron Sunblade <Tyr's Guard>	Blood Knight of the Tyr's Guard	Silvermoon City
Tenatsali Windspear	Survivalist-turned-healer	Thunder Totem
Urgan of the Mag'har	Warrior-seer	Orgrimmar
Master Euphrati Velade <Lorewalker of Lordaeron>	Penitent Forsaken monk	Temple of Five Dawns, Wandering Isle
Vilaya the Deathseeker <Hand of Zulimbasha>	Zulimbasha's personal assassin	Vol'dun