Actually that is incorrect and I have explained what it actually is and provided actual lore references to back it up but to clear this up once and for all I will provide some lore for clarity.
Forsaken - is actually something that is both a Race and a Faction. It is important to understand timelines and what transpired over the warcraft lore timelines; as it initially started as a Race and then later it was then also used for a Faction. However, it never stopped being a race and it remains as one even now. The term Forsaken was initially used as means by various Humans to identify and differentiate those Undead who clearly were very different to those from the Scourge as they clearly remembered who they were before becoming undead. Additionally it was also very clear that these Undead had a level of self identity and free will which is something that the Scourge clearly didn’t have . Hence, the basis that originally the term Forsaken started as a Race.
It only later became a Faction through the events that lead up to the creation/formation of Undercity which became a beacon that meant that it became a home to a variety of undead racial types due to the foundations that was laid out as part of the formation of Undercity it became a safe haven for not just those Undead Humans from Tirisfal Glade but others for all over Azeroth.
Okay clearly you acknowledge that Forsaken is a Faction in World of Warcraft. However, it seems that it’s the point that it is actually also a Race as well, I posted this in another thread but as it’s relevant I will reiterate it to resolve this and make it very clear that Forsaken is both actually a Race and a Faction in World of Warcraft so here is two examples that provide the evidence that Forsaken is a Race:
- In chapter 10 of the Warcraft Novel Stormrage it has passages that refer directly to a race of undead called the Forsaken - Note this book clearly states Race called Forsaken
- In the World of Warcraft: Ultimate Visual Guide which is an official Warcraft timeline book of events, locations, and characters that have made up the game since its release making this book a solid LORE reference point. On page 17 of this book they have the Warcraft Race known as Forsaken Undead depicted and it’s captioned as this directly. - So once again we have the a lore book saying Forsaken is a Race.
San’layn is as you mentioned actually a Sect that even has identifiable ranks much like any military group and it does have as you mentioned a variety of races both living and undead within its ranks.
However while San’layn isn’t a race the same ins’t true for Darkfallen as this is actually a term that was initially used as a racial identifier in much the same way that the term Forsaken was used. It initially was used as a racial label for a group of specific Undead Blood Elves however, in much of the same way that Forsaken evolved to become a faction as well, it is clear that Darkfallen is evolving as well so that while it is a race it is becoming a faction as well as undead elves from other elven races begin to identify themselves as part of this new elven faction.
We have seen this situation like this happen previously for elves and it even has an almost identical background in how it initially was a race that over time evolved to become a faction as well and this is the Nightfallen. Just like Darkfallen was used to initially indentify a specific group of Undead Blood Elves. So we have a race established in lore called the Nightfallen who outcast nightborne elves that have been cut off from the nourishment of the Nightwell due to being exiled from Suramar City and have begun to wither into a state of withdrawal. Additionally we have seen the establishment of a faction called NightFallen as the the common name used for the Dusk Lily Rebels.
What I am pointing out here is that we do have actual lore that backups this concept that these actually start out initially as a term used to identify a specific racial group that are different and unique so much so that they essentially are a different race to others.
So just to summarize each of the following are both a Race and a Faction and it outlined as such in the lore of Warcraft.
- Forsaken
- Darkfallen
- Nightfallen
Hopefully that clears this up once and for all for everyone as it’s the LORE