Undeath

The state of Undeath is that when a living being that died is raised as a conscious or unconscious automaton without giving life back to its corpse. The difference between undeath and Ressurection is that while in ressurection life is restored to the body, undead beings are composed of dead corpses that are enchanted to have control over their movement and functions. Those who have been raised into undeath are known as "undead."

An entire school of magic was formed around the study and practice of raising the dead into undeath. Necromancy, as it is known, is forbidden by most cultures in the world of Azeroth.

The Cult of the Damned was founded in protest of such, spreading the Plague of Undeath upon the unsuspecting population of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The Undead Scourge rose as the combined organization of cultists and undead.