Karthys Sorrowsong

Karthys Sorrowsong
Race	Undead (Lich)
Age	49
Height	5'7"
Affiliations	Blackbriar Consortium Councilor

Childhood

Karthys was born as the youngest child of 3 to the Sorrowsongs, Karin and Thomas, a traveling pair of bards that frequented Silvermoon (when still allies), Lordaeron, Gilneas and Stormwind. After his parents were killed in a troll raid outside of Silvermoon's protective reach, he was found and set to an orphanage with his siblings back in Stormwind. He fled the orphanage and grew up in the slums, gaining an affinity for the harsh life, staying on the edge of starvation. There was a darkness within him that could not be denied. The young child clung to the shadows and shunned the company of others. He snuck into the funerals of strangers, and spoke to their tombstones in the cemetery. He sought out corpses of animals to preserve and memorialize them, creating a grim collection of morbid art. Karthys volunteered to tend to the sick and dying, though his intentions were not to help, but to closely witness the passing of those who were beyond help.

Young Adulthood

Once he was of age, He took a job within the city to tend to the graveyard, war was bringing many corpses and no gravediggers were able to handle that much death. The church saw his 'passion and care' of the dead as a sign for more in the congregation, but chose to not anoint him due to his obvious antisocial state. He would dress the dead, dig the graves and bury them when it was time. Ultimately, he went so far as to elaborately stage his death, and he secretly observed his own funeral with intense fascination. When others discovered what Karthys had done, they were so shocked and disturbed that, in a way, he became truly dead to them. Karthys found himself fully rejected by the living.His isolation only served to fuel his obsession. Karthys delved further into his exploration of death, and became fascinated by the Scourge of Lordaeron. There, it was said, the specters of the deceased continued on in unlife everlasting. He Traveled to Dalaran and Rummaged through old tomes, and a few newer ones that he acquired from a like-minded mage of the Kirin Tor, Kel'Thuzad. Learning all he could about necromancy, he decided it would be time to broaden his knowledge on the workings of the soul. While out in the countryside, he was approached by a old man who revealed himself to be a Dreadlord that wanted Karthys to take care of an old thorn, promising power in return.

Eager Karthys was, and he followed the Dreadlord through a portal to Shadowmoon valley 'Kill Grommok, take his trinket... it will reveal a spell to you that will give you what you seek~' Those words from the Dreadlord echoed in Karthys' ears as he traveled towards some caves on the western border, near the burial grounds with a small runestone in his left hand "a keystone to get back home then... why is such a strange being helping me...". One cave called out to Karthys as he got near, inside, a weathered Orc sat against the wall and muttered something incomprehensible to him before closing his eyes. Karthys wondered why there was no struggle from the old one before he stabbed the Orc in the heart. The Orc grunted from the sudden thrust and looked up to Karthys with a look in his eyes that almost seemed to say 'thanks' with tears of joy streaming down his cheeks. Confusion took over Karthys before the Dreadlord's words came again 'take his trinket~ learn the spell~ become greater...' But this time the words were louder as if the demon was behind Karthys, though he knew he was alone now. He took the small container off the chain hanging around the Orc's neck and saw a small peace of paper inside it "this must be it, time to head home then, and prepare for what may come..."

Upon returning to Lordaeron though the keystone's magic, he was immediately pulled into the bushes by the old man/Dreadlord "you've returned, unharmed I see.. good, now hand me the runestone and I'll be on my way~ We shall meet again.." Karthys handed the stone over to the old man who vanished in a puff of smoke the formed into dozens of tiny bats flying away. He set up camp nearby atop some hills, not worried about roaming Scourge attacking him before he would open the small canister to look at the paper. Though the bloody ink wrote out words that Karthys couldn't read, the spell would begin to reveal itself to him, and what was needed for it. "Interesting... a spiritual bond with previous incarnations of the spells caster in a new, nearly immortal body similar to the Liches in Kel's book..." He set up the site and went deep into the night preparing himself for what was about to happen.

How exactly the ritual went, he'll never tell, but he died then, and in the few moments he saw his body below him, and the scourge advancing now to investigate, he felt the tug back to his body and arose. His skin was a bit paler than normal and his eyes were a bright yellow from the new surge of power within him, but he knew he was no longer human. He had always chased the elusive purity of the moment of death, when life passed and in a single instant achieved meaning. Karthys saw that undeath was like that moment, preserved in dread stillness forever.

Scourge Years

((coming soon~))

After Release

After years into the Lich King's service until he came upon his future apprentice. In her, he saw the potential for a great Harvester, so he ignored Arthas' orders to continue through Silvermoon and took her alive, dragging her screaming body until she passed out to Scholomance. There, his minions and associates spent weeks torturing and breaking her until only a shell remained. only then was she ready. The next few years were spent under the command of the Dark Lady Sylvanas, carrying out numerous harvests to produce more undead for her. He and his apprentice Khalessandra left Undercity to pursue more harvests for power, not under Sylvanas' watch.

Since his departure from Undercity, Karthys traveled Azeroth, Outland, and various demon controlled worlds in search of artifacts of power, bit of knowledge, and points of interest to give his apprentice experience. He took up a new apprentice: Serenity soon after returning to SIlvermoon and trained her until she was ready to flee the nest. Through the years after his ascension, Karthys has killed many being, and with each one, he grew strong as he took their souls into him, His voice would slowly become deeper and deeper as the voices of those he claimed resounded within him, becoming a hive of souls. With each kill however, he began to feel something with him in, feelings long since forgotten since he was a child.

He would begin to feel regret and sorrow for those he needlessly murdered, either as a scourge agent or of his own choice afterwards. Time with his apprentices and his newfound 'family' in Blackbriar has made him see the part of his soul that he thought buried within the countless others inside him. Love, compassion, friendship, things he never knew in the Scourge found him and made him start to appreciate life. Demons now are his main targets, though if needed to, he'll still take a mortal life from this plane of existence.