[Lore] Legion Shadow Priests are morally below Warlocks

[Soulwind]

I'd like to point out that the OP is dead wrong. Shadow Priests are not "morally below" Warlocks. They use completely different frameworks for morality. Warlocks are often betrayers of their worlds and are essentially whores for demonic power. Shadow Priests delve into the madness and power of the Shadow cast by the Light. It just so happens that Azeroth has a history of the Old Gods, who happen to embody the power of the Void which Shadow Priests tap into. Warlocks, might I remind you, are the ones who inevitably lead worlds to be destroyed by the Burning Legion.

Old Gods 'happen' to be the source of shadow magic just like the Burning Legion 'happens' to be the army warlocks get their soldiers from. Both forces want to control and destroy the mortal world players are defending, and dealing with them is equally questionable.

Enslaving a demon to use its fel magic is bad enough, but allowing an Old God into your mind to the point of dying is just senseless.

Weren't warlocks hidden from people because they were considered evil?
Didn't DKs get shit thrown at them because they used to be evil?
How is anyone supposed to trust a shadow priest to protect them when they could become the enemy at any moment?

The difference is (playable) warlocks are sensible and remain in control and death knights fight for redemption while shadow priests will outright kill themselves by delving into what no mortal should.

And again, it's not just because of the Old God theme, it's because the class fantasy Blizzard is creating presents the player as someone who goes insane and even dies from this power. That's not 'edgy', that's just weak.

If they don't dare making the player powerful or smart enough to control that kind of power, then they should choose a different theme entirely.

[Yvaelle]

Just to clear some things up in no specific order:

The Light and the Void (which is also the Shadow, the font of all Shadow Magic) were the first forces (entities?) in the universe. It's literally the first line in the WoW Genesis myth:

"It is said that in the beginning there was Light and there was Void and in a time long ago, the two collided in the abyss of the Great Dark. As a result, infinite worlds spiraled out into the newly forming cosmos"

All the gods, all the worlds, come after the collision of the Light and the Void, within the Great Dark Beyond. The Great Dark Beyond is therefore space itself, and the consistency of it existing before the collision is unclear - however the Void is older than the Old Gods, therefore they did not create it. Shadowpriests and Old Gods alike use Shadow/Void magic - we draw from the same font of power - but we do not draw from Old Gods themselves as a source of power.

This means we do not worship the Old Gods, but - perhaps - we at this point worship The Void itself. In the same way that Holy Paladins worship The Light.

Priests, distinct from Holy Paladins (who denounce and deny the Void), acknowledge both Light and Shadow(Void) - but while Holy Priests specialize in mastery of the Light, Shadowpriests specialize in mastery of the Void.

In WoW, it's important to note that Priests are all Psychic - we all have psychic power - and are the only class with any psychic ability. Shadowpriests in particular have many Mind-altering and Psychic spells than other priests: this suggests that connection to the Void may be related to Psychic power in WoW Lore.

This hypothesis is further supported by the association of all other Psychic lifeforms in WoW: namely, Old Gods, servants of Old Gods, Naaru, Forgotten Ones, and some shadow-related species like Mindbenders (ex. Throne of the Tides Mindbender boss). All psychic creatures in WoW also wield Shadow magic in addition to their psychic power: this cannot be coincidence. Therefore, The Void is a psychic medium through which Shadow-attuned beings can communicate.

This means that all Shadowpriests can communicate psychically with one another - as we do on this forum It also means that we share a psychic medium with some very powerful psychic entities. Old Gods. We chat.

We share a connection with the Old Gods, not one of master/slave as the Twilight Hammer experience, but as colleagues - sharing our mutual interest in The Void.

It stands to reason that prolonged exposure to the true nature of reality is beyond any sane comprehension - that it is our connection to The Void, not the Old Gods, that is slowly driving us insane. It then stands to reason that the Old Gods themselves were not always insane either - it is their connection to The Void that drove them all insane.

That we Shadowpriests can touch madness - harness it for our own empowerment - and then return from that insanity unscathed when combat ends suggests that we are retaining control over our own insanity somehow: lest it would never leave us - we can begin an Apotheosis into purely void-form, beyond even our shadow-form - and then return.

Consider not the questionable choice to fondle that dangerous power, but question for a moment - that Shadowpriests alone can return from that place. Not only can we step into the Shadows, but we can come out the other side. 46 and 2. Just ahead of me

Obligatory Tool:


In semi-related news, an interesting side-note to the talk of the Void / Great Dark Beyond / Old Gods, is Elune.

In Night Elven mythology, Elune (Azeroth's largest moon) is a literal god who created the world (Azeroth) with the aid of two other, never identified gods. Apparently in Suramar - which we will finally see in the Legion expansion - this is portrayed in murals on the walls: our oldest temple to Elune, and perhaps the oldest structure in Azeroth.

The Twilight's Hammer has a similar belief - that the Old Gods created Azeroth - and that the Titans were space invaders who later arrived at the already created and inhabited Azeroth. I had always assumed the Titans contested this belief, but in The Sundering (book), the titans actually acknowledge that Three Old Gods pre-dated their arrival at Azeroth.

I know a lot of Nelf fans who were terrified they were going to retcon Elune into a crystalline entity (Naaru) - but instead it seems perhaps Elune is an Old God? That'd be a weird twist.

[KrakHed]

*Words*

Well, we already knew that delving too deep into the Void was dangerous. I don't think it's because the Old Gods are the source of the Void, but simply because they are a part of it. They are an aspect of what the Void encompasses and represents, and I wouldn't be too surprised if they were directly related or identical to the unrecognizable beings Sylvanas encountered in the "infinite void"(Actual description) of the dark afterlife.

It's my opinion that there are different areas and levels of the Void, and some are deeper than others. In those deeper sections, the Void grows more concentrated and potent in nature. It's been said that where the Light encompasses the "heart, the Void tends more towards survival instinct and the mind. Things like fear and such are the domain of the Void. I don't think fear is evil when it's kept in proper balance, in fact I would say that it's quite a necessary trait when it comes to any sort of life, but it's likely that all of the "survival instincts" are way too concentrated and out of balance in the deeper sections of the Void.

Look at all of the Old God whispers we've seen before. The element of paranoia is usually laid on rather thick. And what is paranoia but caution and suspicion taken too far?

Psychic contact with the Old Gods is probably so maddening because of this. It pushes your survival instincts into overdrive. I kind of got this from the Old God derived Sha as well. They all represent emotions that serve a valid function in moderation, something openly pointed out with Pride, but there's just no counterbalance to keep them in check.

The feeling I get from the new Shadow Priest lore is that we're supposed to understand this. We stare straight into the tentacles horrors of the Void, only instead of seeing an unnatural, incomprehensible, blasphemous abomination we see something that is a perfectly natural faucet of existence which should be understood and studied so as to best control it and put it to good use. Something that isn't so much alien and bizarre as it is a reflection of the darkness which exists within us all.

At times we may be briefly overwhelmed, but we still ultimately retain a grip on our actions and are able to resurface from it all. This is what I believe matters. Where others reject the Void or try to avert their gaze when the Void stares back, we meet it head on and try to understand it the best we can. Maybe invite it home for a polite chat over tea.

As for Elune? It's my suspicion that she and her ilk are the Light counterparts to the Old Gods, the opposite end of that particular balancing scale.

[Deleted]

I mean, sure, but if you consider that the new resource is called "Insanity" they really don't know when to stop or when enough is enough. Has nothing to do with Shadow anymore, Orbs are gone. You're literally borrowing power from old gods now and paying the price at the same time. Morally under Warlocks whom only tempt fate by enslavement, generally getting full of themselves in the process.



"and then you die."

Excution talent, you won't die in execute range with proper talents and mastery gear.

- - - Updated - - -

Just to clear some things up in no specific order:

The Light and the Void (which is also the Shadow, the font of all Shadow Magic) were the first forces (entities?) in the universe. It's literally the first line in the WoW Genesis myth:

"It is said that in the beginning there was Light and there was Void and in a time long ago, the two collided in the abyss of the Great Dark. As a result, infinite worlds spiraled out into the newly forming cosmos"

All the gods, all the worlds, come after the collision of the Light and the Void, within the Great Dark Beyond. The Great Dark Beyond is therefore space itself, and the consistency of it existing before the collision is unclear - however the Void is older than the Old Gods, therefore they did not create it. Shadowpriests and Old Gods alike use Shadow/Void magic - we draw from the same font of power - but we do not draw from Old Gods themselves as a source of power.

This means we do not worship the Old Gods, but - perhaps - we at this point worship The Void itself. In the same way that Holy Paladins worship The Light.

Priests, distinct from Holy Paladins (who denounce and deny the Void), acknowledge both Light and Shadow(Void) - but while Holy Priests specialize in mastery of the Light, Shadowpriests specialize in mastery of the Void.

In WoW, it's important to note that Priests are all Psychic - we all have psychic power - and are the only class with any psychic ability. Shadowpriests in particular have many Mind-altering and Psychic spells than other priests: this suggests that connection to the Void may be related to Psychic power in WoW Lore.

This hypothesis is further supported by the association of all other Psychic lifeforms in WoW: namely, Old Gods, servants of Old Gods, Naaru, Forgotten Ones, and some shadow-related species like Mindbenders (ex. Throne of the Tides Mindbender boss). All psychic creatures in WoW also wield Shadow magic in addition to their psychic power: this cannot be coincidence. Therefore, The Void is a psychic medium through which Shadow-attuned beings can communicate.

This means that all Shadowpriests can communicate psychically with one another - as we do on this forum It also means that we share a psychic medium with some very powerful psychic entities. Old Gods. We chat.

We share a connection with the Old Gods, not one of master/slave as the Twilight Hammer experience, but as colleagues - sharing our mutual interest in The Void.

It stands to reason that prolonged exposure to the true nature of reality is beyond any sane comprehension - that it is our connection to The Void, not the Old Gods, that is slowly driving us insane. It then stands to reason that the Old Gods themselves were not always insane either - it is their connection to The Void that drove them all insane.

That we Shadowpriests can touch madness - harness it for our own empowerment - and then return from that insanity unscathed when combat ends suggests that we are retaining control over our own insanity somehow: lest it would never leave us - we can begin an Apotheosis into purely void-form, beyond even our shadow-form - and then return.

Consider not the questionable choice to fondle that dangerous power, but question for a moment - that Shadowpriests alone can return from that place. Not only can we step into the Shadows, but we can come out the other side. 46 and 2. Just ahead of me

Obligatory Tool:


In semi-related news, an interesting side-note to the talk of the Void / Great Dark Beyond / Old Gods, is Elune.

In Night Elven mythology, Elune (Azeroth's largest moon) is a literal god who created the world (Azeroth) with the aid of two other, never identified gods. Apparently in Suramar - which we will finally see in the Legion expansion - this is portrayed in murals on the walls: our oldest temple to Elune, and perhaps the oldest structure in Azeroth.

The Twilight's Hammer has a similar belief - that the Old Gods created Azeroth - and that the Titans were space invaders who later arrived at the already created and inhabited Azeroth. I had always assumed the Titans contested this belief, but in The Sundering (book), the titans actually acknowledge that Three Old Gods pre-dated their arrival at Azeroth.

I know a lot of Nelf fans who were terrified they were going to retcon Elune into a crystalline entity (Naaru) - but instead it seems perhaps Elune is an Old God? That'd be a weird twist.

Where there's darkness there's light. Elune being an old god could make sense, maybe it's similar to the naaru and titans, which started of with the purest intentions, but went bad, though Elune is the only one of them left that's still good, or maybe she isn't but she portrays herself to be.

[Soulwind]

Just to clear some things up

While I appreciate the time you've taken to think about this and come up with a better way to look at this theme, you must realise Blizzard doesn't really think these things through, like when they suddenly turned 180º on the alternate universe plot and made the Legion interdimensional and timeless. Players found dozens of inconsistencies in a matter of minutes, yet Metzen/Kosak did not before making it official (now they're considering getting rid of that plot). They just wanted the Burning Legion to sound scarier, that's all they needed.

They are going to base our abilities and powers on Old God lore, and they're going to place our character among the Twilight Hammer fanatics. Sure, they'll probably say we're one of the most powerful cultists out there, maybe Cho'gall level, but they're still going to make us pray to the Old Gods for power, and be harmed by it.

Why? Because it's there, they don't have to come up with new lore about the Void or an official explaination about psychic abilities and the origins of the Warcraft universe, they just pull from existing storylines about Old Gods and their mysterious powers.

As for Elune being an Old God, I'd consider the possibility of a different kind of Old God, one that's not part of the Void, but the Light. Something more pure and, perhaps, less conscious than a Naaru, something that could be dangerous if approached the wrong way, but that mortals could find a bit more reliable than the Void.

After all, doesn't the Light aid whoever needs it, no matter their intentions (Scarlet Crusade)? What hides behind the Light? And why didn't the Titans imprison it? Maybe they didn't even know it was there? Maybe it's a lot more inconspicuous than the Old Gods from the Void? How much should mortals trust this source of power?

It'd be an interesting concept, but again one that we, players, speculate about and Blizzard writers don't.

[Yvaelle]

I know better than most how little the Blizzard writers are willing to enrich their own lore, unfortunately. It was for that reason that I started ~writing the unofficial Priest lore years ago - something I've been doing since TBC

I write some stuff, the community sometimes latches onto it - it becomes the zeitgeist - then Blizzard reinterprets us. I pull out my hair for a bit, quit wow for a month, then come back - crack my fingers - and try to make it all cool again.

I feel partially to blame for the current Insanity stuff too, I wrote some stuff about our willpower being the font of our power, how priests contemplated the fundamental nature of reality, and that this lead to a higher - incomprehensible truth that only priests could approach (On The Nature of Power Words). That this same pursuit was perhaps what drove the Old Gods insane. They ditched the willpower bit - but kept the Insanity... as a source of power (rather than something against which we wield our power to overcome).... /facepalm

What Blizzard says matters less though than what the community decides to believe. They get to design the game, they get to write the canon - but ultimately we're the ones who play it - it's their game - but it's our experience. We interpret it, and that gives us the power to collectively perceive it as being better than they make it

In this way, MMO's are an interactive and creative medium - so I encourage everyone to make the game better - if not in design, then in lore

[Soulwind]

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

Fair enough:

- Blizzard's shadow priests are weak-minded cultists who risk their lives and the ones of those they protect by going too far into something they don't understand.
- Yvaelle's shadow priests are pragmatic psychics who study the basis of reality and are wise enough to use that power without permanent consequences.

Everyone, make your choice.

[Deleted]

I can recall the lore behind the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow and their twisted virtues as "antithesis" of the Holy Light ones.
The path of the Shadow is a path to Power and Transcendence, the moral implications are in the same level as Warlock's and Demon Hunter's.
The Shadow is the road to an objective, not the objective itself. This, of course, has the implication that the Shadow users (or cultists) are self centered meanwhile Light worshipers are "universal" centered.

In the issue of their relationship with Old Gods, we can see some patterns: The madness of Yogg-Saron or the "bad emotions" of Yshaarj.
The Shadow Priest "good guys" (our characters and related npcs) want to control and manipulate this powers, if the old gods are "chaotic" the Shadow Priests are pretty lawful. They build and maintain Order through the Void, they are a needed part of the Balance.

This theory can applies to any culture who worship the Holy Light (Humans, High/Blood Elves, Dwarves).
In the case of Night Elves, we can talk about a "Dark Side" of Elune, her Vengeance and the power Maiev and the Wardens use at WC3.
Meanwhile, the trolls... well, they have a bunch of "dark" Loa here and there... Hakkar or Bwonsamdi for example.

[morreant]

How is anyone supposed to trust a shadow priest to protect them when they could become the enemy at any moment?

It's a cultural thing? Trolls and Forsaken seem right at home and as a society welcoming to Shadow Priests. Gnomes and Worgen appear to likely tolerate them.

[Soulwind]

It's a cultural thing? Trolls and Forsaken seem right at home and as a society welcoming to Shadow Priests. Gnomes and Worgen appear to likely tolerate them.

There's a difference between being shady and using "forbidden" magic and being just a step away from becoming mind controlled. Nobody wants an ally whose power could turn them against you at any moment.

[mkultra55]

Well if we want to use Lovecraftian concepts then the Old Gods aren't really evil. They're forces of Chaos which is why the Titans (as forces of Order) oppose them. Neither Order or Chaos is Good or Evil but they can drive lesser minds to actions that could be considered Good or Evil.

[KrakHed]

They are going to base our abilities and powers on Old God lore, and they're going to place our character among the Twilight Hammer fanatics. Sure, they'll probably say we're one of the most powerful cultists out there, maybe Cho'gall level, but they're still going to make us pray to the Old Gods for power, and be harmed by it.

Why? Because it's there, they don't have to come up with new lore about the Void or an official explaination about psychic abilities and the origins of the Warcraft universe, they just pull from existing storylines about Old Gods and their mysterious powers.

As for Elune being an Old God, I'd consider the possibility of a different kind of Old God, one that's not part of the Void, but the Light. Something more pure and, perhaps, less conscious than a Naaru, something that could be dangerous if approached the wrong way, but that mortals could find a bit more reliable than the Void.

After all, doesn't the Light aid whoever needs it, no matter their intentions (Scarlet Crusade)? What hides behind the Light? And why didn't the Titans imprison it? Maybe they didn't even know it was there? Maybe it's a lot more inconspicuous than the Old Gods from the Void? How much should mortals trust this source of power?

It'd be an interesting concept, but again one that we, players, speculate about and Blizzard writers don't.

I don't think we're going to be Twilight Cultists, considering that the quest we get to obtain Xal'atath (who I hope is a pretty cool guy willing to whisper some eldritch lore into my mind) requires us to stop an attempt to resurrect the thing that killed Tyr. If I recall correctly, we actually use the dagger to make sure that abomination stays dead, so he won't just revive at some later date.

In short, we're using our knowledge of the Old Gods to properly manage them in ways no one else can. Even Warriors and Paladins have artifact quests to kill the C'thraxxi General, but it's Shadow Priests who make sure it stays dead.

Shadow Priests are the ones who actually take the time to properly study the Void and learn to manage it effectively, even if some weird shit leaks in and starts making us talk with funny words.

As for the Light, I think it's inhabitants are likely a little more passive and less varied than the chaotic Void, but there should be some sort of balance between the two. As Old Gods and Void Gods are two distinct things, there should be more within the Light than the Naaru.

I reject your reality and substitute my own.

Fair enough:

- Blizzard's shadow priests are weak-minded cultists who risk their lives and the ones of those they protect by going too far into something they don't understand.
- Yvaelle's shadow priests are pragmatic psychics who study the basis of reality and are wise enough to use that power without permanent consequences.

Everyone, make your choice.

There are no permanent consequences that we've seen with Blizzard's Shadow Priests, nor does anything suggest we worship any Gods. As I pointed out, we get our artifact by turning it against one of the Old Gods' very own minions.

Sure, we might be taking risks by toeing the line way too closely, but our "insanity" never leads us to attacking our allies, and I'm pretty sure it starts draining away from us the moment we go into Voidform. In short, it seems us Shadow Priests have safeguards in place to rid our minds of the accumulated madness right when we're at the edge. We've got it weaponized and turned into a tool that serves us, presumably because we've got some insight into its nature that others don't.

[JTHMRulez1]

- Blizzard's shadow priests are weak-minded cultists who risk their lives and the ones of those they protect by going too far into something they don't understand.

This is. By all means. Not true and just and intent of putting your idea of Shadow Priests into our head. Blizzard's Shadow Priests are individuals who worship the Void. And in the way used it in all of its forms in order to serve a greater good. They may not be a heroic figure but they are far from be weak-minded cultists. They are probably the only mortal who comprehend the Void so deeply that are capable of take a step inside the realm of madness and return. That's not a pushover that Worship the Old Gods in secret. It's probably one of the class with most Willpower of all who is capable of using such an ancient power in the serve of Azeroth.

And again, this fantasy don't clash in anyway with our loyalties. Our shadow priests are still people with some sanity that are willing to defend Azeroth to all costs. In the same way as a Demon Hunter. An elf who has literally sell any piece of humanity he have in order to become himself a real demon and battle them with their own powers. But again, i don't see you open threads about how Demon Hunters are dangerous or are weak minded.

[Thelxi]

I'm not a fan of the new spriest fantasy. To me my spriest was always a priest that used shadow magic to mess with people's heads, not a cultist that turns insane rotationally.

[KrakHed]

I'm not a fan of the new spriest fantasy. To me my spriest was always a priest that used shadow magic to mess with people's heads, not a cultist that turns insane rotationally.

Shadow Priests have been trying to attain the power of gods since the RPG. I don't see anything wrong with us doing just that. It's not exactly a goal that can be reached by those too timid to do anything more than brush the surface of the divine powers.

[Deleted]

Shadow Priests have been trying to attain the power of gods since the RPG. I don't see anything wrong with us doing just that. It's not exactly a goal that can be reached by those too timid to do anything more than brush the surface of the divine powers.

Agreed with this. People say they don't like the new fantasy of the class. That's fine. However I want to embrace the madness. You can still mess with people's minds.

All the cultist stuff whining is just because of the dagger. Let me elaborate, we are not cultist members, it said it was USED by cultist members for rituals and has been hidden away. Bold Text below to what the dagger actually does:

Practitioners in the ways of shadow will truly covet Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire as a part of their arsenal. The Shadow Priests who wield this Void-honed blade will truly terrify their enemies and bend minds to their will < What the Dagger actually does


This terrifying dagger was made from the claw of an Old God eons ago, and dark priests used it for ritual sacrifices during the height of the Black Empire It was USED for sacrifice, however this does not mean we are Cultists. After the fall of the Old Gods, Xal'atath was hidden away by cults. It has surfaced from time to time over the course of history, inevitably associated with some horrific ritual or disaster. The blade has a will of its own: it uses powerful Void energies and mind magics to warp everything around it for some nefarious purpose.

[KrakHed]

Agreed with this. People say they don't like the new fantasy of the class. That's fine. However I want to embrace the madness. You can still mess with people's minds.

All the cultist stuff whining is just because of the dagger. Let me elaborate, we are not cultist members, it said it was USED by cultist members for rituals and has been hidden away. Bold Text below to what the dagger actually does:

Practitioners in the ways of shadow will truly covet Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire as a part of their arsenal. The Shadow Priests who wield this Void-honed blade will truly terrify their enemies and bend minds to their will < What the Dagger actually does


This terrifying dagger was made from the claw of an Old God eons ago, and dark priests used it for ritual sacrifices during the height of the Black Empire It was USED for sacrifice, however this does not mean we are Cultists. After the fall of the Old Gods, Xal'atath was hidden away by cults. It has surfaced from time to time over the course of history, inevitably associated with some horrific ritual or disaster. The blade has a will of its own: it uses powerful Void energies and mind magics to warp everything around it for some nefarious purpose.

That's not even mentioning how the first thing we even do with the Blade is use it to make sure that an Old God minion stays dead.


On another note, it appears the theories that the Cult of Forgotten Shadow were based on were actually provided in part by the Blade.

"Written by Natalie Seline, this book contains dark secrets given to her by the Blade and other sources."

http://legion.wowhead.com/item=13395...ts-of-the-void

Oddly enough, Natalie Seline received dark secrets from an Old God artifact all along, yet instead of trying to bring about the apocalypse she actually preached about how both light and Void must remain in balance so as to properly preserve all of reality. So, all of the ideas about the balance between Light and Void as natural forces of which all reality was composed were made with full knowledge of the existence of the Old Gods and took them into account.

As Shadow Priests we know there's a lot of nasty horrors residing in the Void, but we also understand what they are and their role in things better than most.

I don't think we're like Demon Hunters who make use of the Legion's own Fel magics to combat demons. Shadow Priests aren't there to fight the Void by turning its own powers against itself, though we're perfectly capable of doing so. Shadow Priests are there to try and understand it, so it can be better managed and controlled in the ways we'd prefer. Sometimes this means going past the point most mortal minds can handle, but it's fine so long as we still remain in control and can lift ourselves out.

EDIT: Of course, people would probably stop worrying about using "Insanity" as a resource if it were renamed something like "Insight", even if it amounted to the exact same thing.

[CthulhuFhtagn]

Of course, people would probably stop worrying about using "Insanity" as a resource if it were renamed something like "Insight", even if it amounted to the exact same thing.

The name "Insanity" is just a tribute to Lovecraft whose Great Old Ones served as an inspiration for the Old Gods. Insanity due to exposure to forbidden knowledge is a reccuring theme in his works:

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Shadow priests have the strongest minds of any class, they are basically like psionics from the D&D universe. They are the only ones whose minds are strong enough to harness this "insanity" without succumbing to it. Surrender to Madness is just a gameplay mechanic.

[KrakHed]

The name "Insanity" is just a tribute to Lovecraft whose Great Old Ones served as an inspiration for the Old Gods. Insanity due to exposure to forbidden knowledge is a reccuring theme in his works:

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Shadow priests have the strongest minds of any class, they are basically like psionics from the D&D universe. They are the only ones whose minds are strong enough to harness this "insanity" without succumbing to it. Surrender to Madness is just a gameplay mechanic.

Oh yes, I'm quite familiar with that sort of thing. The way I see it, we're just reaching pretty deep into the Void and finding some stuff there. I guess we do apparently start speaking Shath'yar while in Void Form, but it's not everyone that can learn a new language so easily. I sort of get the feeling that's a small side effect to whatever we can perceive and understand in that state.

It's like suddenly speaking the language of Angels, only in the kind of opposite direction.

[Deleted]

On another note, it appears the theories that the Cult of Forgotten Shadow were based on were actually provided in part by the Blade.

"Written by Natalie Seline, this book contains dark secrets given to her by the Blade and other sources."

http://legion.wowhead.com/item=13395...ts-of-the-void

THIS is very, very interesting. There is a direct connection between the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow and the Blade itself.
Black Empire faction lead by Forsaken for WoW2! jk