If nothing else, the Forsaken are the only major Horde race that actually kept some of their conquered territory. The Hillsbrad Foothills and the ruins of Andorhal in the Western Plaguelands remain in the Banshee Queen's grip. Gilneas was lost, but is of little consequence. The Forsaken broke the Gilnean armies. Though the land has been re-occupied by its natives, it is a haunted shell of its former self.
Yet this does not change the fact that the Forsaken are fewer in number than they were at the start of the war. Corpses culled from Gilneas and Lordaeron's paltry human holdouts replenished some losses, but not enough. Now corralled by the peace treaty, the Forsaken face an uncertain future as a race.
The failure of the Fourth War forced most Horde races to re-examine themselves. Little of this occurred within Lordaeron. Sylvanas spent years cultivating bitterness and resentment among the Forsaken, and most undead firmly believe that the war was justified, that the world hates them and wants them gone. The Alliance's reactions to Gilneas and Southshore—both done as protective measures—are proof that the Forsaken are fighting for their right to exist. Few challenge the narrative.
Those who do tend to disappear.
Many Forsaken remain apathetic. The miasma of undeath stifles positive emotion. Instead, they lose themselves in busywork or memory, shuffling through the sepulchral halls of Undercity and other settlements. Though Sylvanas now proclaims her realm to be Lordaeron, she has directed her abominations to tear down most remnants of the old kingdom, replacing the steeples and citadels with skull-topped manses. If Lordaeron exists, it will be on her terms only.
The strands of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow have been woven together into the Church of Shadow, a dogma that serves Sylvanas. The priests remind the Forsaken that the living are cruel and that kindness may only be found among the dead. Many Forsaken now congregate in profaned churches to weep and rend their garments. The priests are to affirm and validate this sadness, and remind them that Sylvanas is the only one who will give them the chance to overcome their pain. Yet even some of these new priests wonder if they are truly helping their parishioners, or making them more miserable.
Sylvanas has consolidated her rule. The Deathguard, the Royal Apothecary Society, and the Church of Shadow pledge her allegiance to her and her alone. They are judged more by loyalty than by results. Many of the First Generation Forsaken in these roles are dead—often from battle, but sometimes by purges—and the more pliable Second Generation now fill their ranks. There is conflict between the two generations. The First Generation understands that necromancy is necessary to sustain their race, but they have not forgotten the horrors they suffered under the Scourge, and cannot easily reconcile themselves to their liberator turning herself into a slaver. Reminders of how cruel the living can be tend to keep them loyal, but there is less enthusiasm in this group.
Venomspite is the last Forsaken holding in Northrend. A number of disenchanted First Generation undead now live here, seeking to liberate what few Scourge drones they can find. Though they still serve the Banshee Queen, they want to make sure that the Forsaken never completely forget the strength of their own wills.
Forsaken Expatriates
The tyranny of Sylvanas has forced dissidents to leave or to stay quiet. Those who chose the former option can be found in a number of places. Some of them continue to profess loyalty to the Horde and Sylvanas, but others are independent or even in opposition to their former master.
The majority of expatriates live in the Kalimdor Horde. These Forsaken often left prior to the Fourth War. Many identify with the cultures of the Kalimdor Horde and have become respected (though not necessarily popular) warriors and scouts. They typically remain loyal to the warchief and prefer to spend their time with the living.
A handful of researchers and apothecaries seek shelter in Quel'thalas. Some of them secretly work on a cure for undeath. This is a dangerous endeavor. Sylvanas is a member of a Great House, and Quel'thalas will take her side in any serious dispute. Other Forsaken have found sanctuary in Dalaran, and have renounced the Horde in order to gain the Kirin Tor's protection.
Those Forsaken who still follow the Light may join the Argent Crusade. Those who do are considered enemies of the state, and they are proud to count themselves as such. Other pious Forsaken have fled all the way to Shattrath, where they have formed a small religious community in the Lower City. Sylvanas is indifferent to the Shattrath Forsaken.
The anarchic early days of the Forsaken gave rise to a number of undead artists and intellectuals who enjoyed the free-wheeling atmosphere. Frustrated by the increasingly totalitarian nature of Sylvanas's rule, these undead have resettled in Booty Bay and Gadetzan. Most of them still consider themselves to be nominal members of the Horde but their loyalties are questionable at best. However, Sylvanas realizes that their hedonistic nature means they are unlikely to be a serious threat. She keeps an eye on them. She does not worry about them.
No one knows how many disguised Forsaken live incognito throughout the Alliance. Some are spies. Others do this to pretend that they are still alive.
Quel'thalas
Quel'thalas escaped the Fourth War and Legionfall largely unscathed. Though the purge of Dalaran was frustrating, it proved little more than a minor setback. The Sin'dorei kingdom is now a beacon of peace, order, and prosperity within the weakened Horde.
This, in turn, has forced the Sin'dorei to re-think their own position within the Horde. The alliance with the orcs and trolls never sat particularly well with the Great Houses of Silvermoon. Though Lady Windrunner will always be respected, none of the blood elves can deny that she is a troubling figure to have as warchief. The Sin'dorei have never stopped talking to their Quel'dorei cousins. Many of them share bloodlines, or serve the same Great Houses. Elven families have existed for millennia—the Horde and Alliance are mere blinks of the eye in comparison.
The government has been restructured to prevent any future monarch from single-handedly bringing Quel'thalas to the brink of ruin. Lor'themar must consult with Great House representatives and the heads of powerful institutions before he makes a decision. Several new houses have been elevated to Great House status, both to reward performance and to fill in the gap left by those Great Houses annihilated in the Third War. It's an unprecedented move, but this is an unprecedented time.
The inclusion of Suramar seemed to fulfill an impossible dream. Houses splintered by the Sundering could renew their bonds after millennia of separation. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be far more complicated. The Sin'dorei pride themselves on tradition, but encountering Suramar forced them to acknowledge just how far they had strayed from the old Highborne ways... and that their straying was often for the better.
Suramar
Ensorcelled for ten-thousand years, the spires of Suramar once seemed to exist outside of time. Indeed the notion of time—with its implication of change—has long been anathema to the Nightborne, who'd believed their once-beloved grand magistrix had forever removed their city from its vagaries.
Now revealed to the world, the Nightborne must accept that the permanence they had so enjoyed was never more than a myth. Until Legionfall, Suramar had been a bit of the old Kaldorei Empire preserved in amber. There, noble houses curried for the favor of Grand Magistrix Elisande. Their own caprice reflected her own, the lives of subordinates treated as bargaining chips or destroyed on a whim. The Nightborne lived lives of constant terror, knowing that a minor sartorial error or misspoken word might condemn them to an eternity of scorn. It is little wonder that so many chose suicide.
Many of the Great Houses collapsed with Elisande's reign. Cadet branches and lesser houses now scramble to fill the power vacuum, citing ancient bloodlines as justification. The chaos of the final years are keenly remembered, but even through that the old ways offer a perverse comfort.
The Sin'dorei do what they can to shepherd the Nightborne into a more stable system. Many of the Nightborne are shocked at the obligations that the Sin'dorei Great Houses place upon themselves to aid and assist their subordinates and retainers—it seems nearly blasphemous that those closest to long-lamented Azshara should be in any way beholden to those lesser than them.
Yet the results are harder to deny. Quel'thalas knows how to survive, and Suramar must learn.
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