The Forsaken's next leader

[Atticon]

Voss will arrange a meeting between Forsaken civil representatives and Calia, Derek and Faol. Calia will be accepted as the new queen on the condition that she will share power with a new Desolate Council, of which Derek, Faol and Voss will be members.
Calia will serve as a bridge between the Alliance and the Horde going forward.

Remember Uther's Tomb update for no apparent reason? It will feature in the unlock scenario for the new Allied Race, and will be the starting location for newly created lightbound undead. Uther's spirit will be involved in the process, but it'll likely be like was implies in the Lightforged Draenei scenario: the transformation carries risks, and can only be completed succesully by those with strong enough conviction, so not all Forsaken will readily take this "cure".

Tirisifal and Lordaeron Capital are blighted, but a rebuilt Andorhal in a revamped Western Plaguelands would do the trick as a new home, again with a bridge to the Alliance Lordaeron survivors, and Uther's Tomb is right south of it.

[Wangming]

They could changed their name to the Foamsated.

Foamsoaken.

[Vasaru]

None of them. Forsaken are still with the Horde and Calia is closer with the Alliance.

[Terongor]

Were is master apothecary faranel?
Technically he politically most powerful forsaken individual and if sylvanas hadn't returned in edge of night he would have being the leader and he leads royal apothecary society already.

Belmont is a joke and most only alliance player wants calia as their leader and I have heard no forsaken wanting calia to lead them and with most of her dev coming from alliance story telling side makes it even less of chance to be racial leader of the horde race.

[Darknessvamp]

Foamsoaken.

Even better. "Embrace the Suds and may the Keg Master watch over you." - Newly wasted member of the Foamsoaken

[Super Dickmann]

I do empathize with your distaste towards the possibility. Though I'd contest your argument on her lack of appeal with this very poll (despite being a very small sample).
I think the stories have to move on and progress. There's been many developments to the story that people weren't personally happy about, or that they felt diminished their fantasy, but it still had to happen one way or another. The story can't be stuck in time like classic.

Someone like Calia might actually properly progress the forsaken story from point A to B, instead of staying at A. They were lordaeronians, they were slaughtered and raised, and then ostracized and "forsaken". They have been at that stage since Warcraft 3. That they have been once again "forsaken" and cast aside by their own savior and venerated leader, which should constitute a crisis of faith and identity.
The forsaken identity was fundamentally tied with their cult of personality, their utmost idolatry of Sylvanas. That she inflicted upon them the harm that defined their namesake, should propel them towards redefinition.
And who else could help them but someone who never forsake them?

I agree with the rest of your point reasoning out the maneuvering Blizzard have done to put Calia in this position. That said, I disagree heavily with your post, simply because of your relative lack of contact and/or engagement with the prior Forsaken narrative.

The bit about them having been static for fifteen years is markedly wrong. There's a big difference between the Vanilla Forsaken, who identify themselves as 'former' people of Lordaeron who view undeath as a curse and a negative universally and have the primary goal of seeking to take out Arthas while defending themselves from the living as a side-thing vs. the Cataclysm Forsaken. A big part of the latter questing in Cataclysm pertains refers to their change in policy - from viewing themselves as former to being still current people of Lordaeron, reclaiming their identity and wishing to propagate their existence. There's a marked push away from viewing themselves as a temporary fixture to being permanent elements of the world, hence also them drifting out of their ruins and setting aside their victim mentality up to a point (see the quests about the new Brill where the Forsaken reflect upon their Vanilla selves as being somewhat pathetic for living in dilapidated buildings).

The entire bit about Sylvanas imposing these limits upon themselves is an invention of the book, which is in no way evident prior. In Cataclysm, it's Sylvanas who carries the torch for their Lordaeronian identity, most prominently in a quest literally called Lordaeron - theirs being Forsaken is not a cruel political ploy she imposes upon them for her purposes, but a factual reality, with humanity having a kill on sight view of them. Their expansionist agenda in Cataclysm is a reassertion of that identity of theirs, that they're still the people of Lordaeron and deserve to hold that land. Given that the Forsaken are fairly twisted of course, a lot of that is pretty grisly, but they remain the protagonists of their own story instead of props in Anduin or Calia's.

Leading into Calia, yes, she hasn't forsaken them now, but that's only because she had no involvement with them up to this point. Calia does not have their background - she was not shunned by the Alliance, her family or humanity, she was not rejected by her faith, she did not have her emotions and being twisted by undeath. She did not have to join with the Horde and build the complicated relationship they had with it. She spent the last fifteen years of her life before deciding she was to be their savior from their retconned dystopia in BTS hiding and involved in her own life, including in a town the Forsaken themselves destroyed, which seems to have no effect on her. She's spent all of BFA hiding out and establishing a bond with Derek personally after being raised by choice and suffering none of the drawbacks of undeath. For her, having had no engagement with their lives at any point and no frame of reference to swoop in and become their savior is flat out insulting, even if it weren't such a horrible contrivance, simply because there's no comparability between her and them. She is anathema to them thematically and aesthetically. Does she fit for what the Forsaken will go on to be, which is to say humans of Lordaeron with a largely cosmetic condition, consigned to permanent victim status? Yes, definitely. But those aren't the Forsaken anyone currently playing them rolled to play. They might appeal to a new demographic and I hope if you are part of them you enjoy them since god knows I hope someone is getting something out of this that isn't schadenfreude, but they lack any appeal to their prior demographic.

[Wangming]

Even better. "Embrace the Suds and may the Keg Master watch over you." - Newly wasted member of the Foamsoaken

"May the dark liquid wash over you"

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

bannerbae!

tink tink

[Syegfryed]

i would rather the desolate council, some sort of 3 people leading like the dwarves, they could have 3 different major personalizes that could represent the forsaken, like chill and warlike, and a middle term.

if they are not option, maybe the leader of the apothecary Society, the Faranell guy

Personally, i would like Alexi Barov, apparently he was a noble in the old Lordaeron system, i always though the citizens of lordaeron should lead themselves.

Belmot seems fine to me if they give him enough focus, i don't like much the idea of Voss, but i guess she could be ok after how she treated other forsaken in BfA, but between those Faranell seems better.

I hope is Calia just to people get pissed off.

[Nephys]

Calia is an Alliance character, saying that she would be the Forsaken leader would be the same as saying that Malfurion will be the leader of the Blood Elves. If Calia is to be leading anything it will be an undead allied race for the alliance.

As for the Forsaken leader, it will most likely be the same as for the trolls, no leader, its weird but there are a lot of important things for players, such as capital cities and racial leaders that they just don't care about. In the off chance that they start caring about racial leaders Belmont is the obvious choice

[bison91]

I dont see anyone as a leader here, not a single forsaken and not any close character to sylvanas or advisor. Lilian Voss didnt have some kind of leading roles, Only Calia has some "rights" on lordaeron and who knows where will the friendship between horde and alliance will lead to.

[Deventh]

Sylvanas is the leader of the Forsaken and will always be. We don't need a new leader, you traitorous scum.

When Thrall went on his exile in Draenor, nobody said there should be a new orc leader, hmm? Now all of a sudden you want a new leader for the Forsaken. That's not how it works. Sylvanas is not dead or gone permanently. She is the true and only leader of the Forsaken.

Forsaken's banners represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's dialogue represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's existence represent Sylvanas

If there is no Sylvanas as a leader there is no Forsaken as a race.

[derpkitteh]

It looks like they're trying to set up Calia, with the conversation she has with Derek, but it also looked like they wanted to set up Holydan before Rejection of the Gift. Voss said something about having to act quickly afterwards. A lot depends on if they want to break the faction barrier somehow, and have Voss leading the Horde undead and Calia the Alliance. We know that a number of Forsaken are willing to follow Calia, but I'm sure that many won't want ties to the Alliance that rejected them.

idk if i'm the only one that got this vibe, but calia's tone and behavior, coupled with the music that plays there, it all felt VERY ominous.

it brings me back to the "rejection of the gift" cinematic, even before she goes full rape mode, x'era's speech is ominous. the whole tone of the cinematic is ominous up until illidan blasts her.

i feel like calia's roll could have been incredibly misjudged by everyone. it could be intended for her to be one of the light villains we have in the future.

[Jastall]

I think that (sadly) it's going to be Calia. If I had to choose I'd pick Lillian Voss, who has a more interesting character that is more in-line with the Forsaken identity while still breaking away from the overbearing influence of Sylvanas.

It's just going to be super weird to have the Forsaken go from "death to the living" mode to "sad dead people who just need a hug".

[matrix123mko]

The only race they hate more than Forsaken is Night Elves, because at least we had fifteen years of being in character before our chosen race had its identity completely dismantled. Meanwhile they've dicked night elves over expansion after expansion, patch after patch picking them apart as they went, dangling the idea of reclaiming their identity with 8.1 before yanking it away for world peace.

Poor dwarves didn't even get separate identity.

[DrIvoRobotnik]

I'm pretty sure they would gather as one and literally devour anyone with the last name Menethil tries taking the throne or leading them.

[matrix123mko]

A council consisting of Hecular, Belmont, Gunther, Lydon, Farnell, and maybe the black bride or another dark ranger.

A council would be just fine.

Or give them Kelthuzad even he is better than Calia.

I am sure he is more likely to ally with Sylvanas and "hungering darkness" than the Horde.

- - - Updated - - -

Sylvanas is the leader of the Forsaken and will always be. We don't need a new leader, you traitorous scum.

When Thrall went on his exile in Draenor, nobody said there should be a new orc leader, hmm? Now all of a sudden you want a new leader for the Forsaken. That's not how it works. Sylvanas is not dead or gone permanently. She is the true and only leader of the Forsaken.

Forsaken's banners represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's dialogue represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's existence represent Sylvanas

If there is no Sylvanas as a leader there is no Forsaken as a race.

Well, while I agree that Forsaken are 100% about Sylvanas, I think they can exist without her alive. However, she has to remain their revered saint. Just like AU Draenei follow Velen's teachings under Yrel, Forsaken can still exist as Sylvanas followers with different leader. The thing is that said leader has to be connected to Sylvanas, like Nathanos.

[Villager720]

I think it's a toss up right now. Calia and Voss both seem to be vying from what has been shown in game.
We know how Calia felt about the former citizens of Lordaeron in Before the Storm and now she is talking about helping "others" find their way post-Sylvanas. And then there's Voss' reaction to that conversation. "Well, that is interesting...I must act quickly."

Not sure where this is heading, but it seems be setting up a rivalry for Forsaken hearts and minds.
Also, I'm still not sure Nathanos won't come back into the fold before this is all over.

[derpkitteh]

I think it's a toss up right now. Calia and Voss are vying from what has been shown in game.
We know how Calia felt about the former citizens of Lordaeron in Before the Storm and now she is talking about helping "others" find their way post-Sylvanas. And then there's Voss' reaction to that conversation. "Well, that is interesting...I must act quickly."

Not sure where this is heading, but it seems be setting up a rivalry for Forsaken hearts and minds.
Also, I'm still not sure Nathanos won't come back into the fold before this is all over.

we don't know that voss is vying for leadership.

her running off after saying she has to hurry could mean anything. i'm assuming it's because derek actually IS brainwashed, or maybe filled with whatever energy sylvanas has been given by her master and it's going to explode or something(this would make sense, since nobody can sense this specific energy).

[Aucald]

Sylvanas is the leader of the Forsaken and will always be. We don't need a new leader, you traitorous scum.

When Thrall went on his exile in Draenor, nobody said there should be a new orc leader, hmm? Now all of a sudden you want a new leader for the Forsaken. That's not how it works. Sylvanas is not dead or gone permanently. She is the true and only leader of the Forsaken.

Forsaken's banners represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's dialogue represent Sylvanas
Forsaken's existence represent Sylvanas

If there is no Sylvanas as a leader there is no Forsaken as a race.

That's not really how leadership works - a people are manifestly greater than their leader, and will continue to exist long after a given leader is dead and gone in almost any circumstance or context. Power vacuums get filled, usually quite quickly, for better or worse. Justified or not, Sylvanas abandoned her former people to their fate - they'll continue to exist despite her absence, and one from among them or one who they choose will rise as their new leader in the fullness of time.