The Light does care though. The Forsaken were aptly named ‘The Forsaken’ because The Light forsook them. The Light does care what you are, and it’s because they are Undead that The Light hurts them when they use it.
Considering he’s a puppet with no control over his body or actions beyond pleading with his potential victims to run, he’s actually an argument against the idea. He did not function as an undead paladin. He functioned as a puppet for an external power to mock the idea.
The only way an Undead Paladin functions is if some external entity forces them to. Not to mention Zeliek was a Paladin first, undead second, and even then, his faith was so stupidly powerful, the Light remained with him even in undeath. Not even Mograine, one of the most powerful paladins in the lore, with both the rank of Highlord and the original Ashbringer could say that.
Zeliek is notable as a crazy stupid exception to basically all the metaphysical laws established around both the light and undeath. He is a tragic saint figure, a perverse miracle. Zeliek is a guy getting eaten by sharks because a meteor smashed his shark cage - making a paladin based off that is like mandating all shark cages be meteor proof.
Besides, a single insane and unique instance of a thing does not a viable, common class unto the masses make. He was not an undead made into a paladin, he was a paladin made undead. To make a paladin class available to the undead you have to prove 1) it is possible to take an undead and gift them the powers of a paladin without sentencing them to burn in unyielding holy fire for every second of their existence, and 2) this is a process that can be sustainably replicated across however many undead paladins the playerbase would make.
Sir Zeliek is neither of these.
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As was true for all Forsaken until they broke free. And for all Death Knights. Hell, the shattering of the Helm of Domination could easily be the catalyst that allows the light back into many Forsaken/Undead who were previously cut off from it.
These aren’t reasonable expectations at all. Undead paladins could easily be explained as paladins later raised as undead. Zeliek was a paladin in life and a paladin in undeath. Nathanos was a ranger in life and in death as well. There is every indication that when raised one keeps at least some of their skills from life.
Second, the sheer number of paladins that this could happen to isn’t relevant. The player character is one of the strongest beings on Azeroth. Further, the canonical quantity of Void Elves is incredibly small. It’s a small sect of a an already heavily depopulated group. Yet there are thousands of them running around everywhere.
Just as the player character is the Highlord, leader of forces in Draenor, Speaker for the Horde, and now Mawwalker, a player undead paladin could very well be the only one outside of Sir Zeliek and still make sense.
Priests channel the Light temporarily. Paladins embody it entirely. They are not the same thing
Yes, Undead can be Paladins, but it would be the most unimaginable and unbearable pain imaginable, to the point that it would make no sense that any would voluntarily do so. Zeliek is an exception to the rule, not proof of the opposite. He was raised and used entirely against his will, frankly the fact that he wasn’t screaming in agony during the entire encounter in Naxxramas was more amazing than anything else
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It’s kind of strange undead paladins are the one race/class combo a bunch of people take exception with but we already have a bunch of others that are just as, if not more than, absurd like goblin shamans, orc mages, void elf warlocks, lightforged deathknight and so on.
The Forsaken were named the Forsaken because Sylvanas needed to beat into their skulls the idea that everything but her wanted them dead into their heads 24/7.
They were not, in fact, forsaken by the light. If anything they were the ones doing the forsaking.
Whenever we get Vulpera druids.
This is a thing people keep saying, but there is no evidence of this outside of the case of human paladins.
And even then, it might not even apply to all human paladins.
Do you not know the lore?
When they give humans shaman.
I am well aware of the lore. I just quoted it to you.
Do you not know the lore?
I hate that Calia is a thing. If Anduin, Foal, and a Naa’ru poured all their light energy into Calia it should have just RESSURECTED her. “Holy Undead” is ridiculous.
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But how come you got troll paladins? If anything, undead have much more common with light than Trolls do imho.
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Troll Paladins have been mentioned in lore since Vanilla. Also, we’ve had troll Priests just as long as we’ve had undead Priests.
What makes you say they have more in common with the Light than trolls?
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No, you didn’t. You spouted some asinine nonsensical drivel about how you think the lore is, and your secondary notion of how The Forsaken are doing the forsaking? No. Many turned from their beliefs, yes, because they couldn’t adjust; And many there-after formulated their own, newer beliefs. Spending 14+ years “re-attuning” to The Light is not something any Undead just does.
Also: Yes, The Light did forsake The Forsaken. Priests and Paladins who were devout followers before their death, found themselves unable to use the slightest tinge of it after reanimation. It takes them many numerable years to be able to channel even a small degree of The Light again, and even then it comes at the cost of incredible pain to the caster.
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In the same way that Tauren Paladins, aka Sunwalkers, get their power through a “Light-adjacent” force in An’she, the solar parallel to the moon’s Elune, Troll Paladins get their power through the Loa of Kings. Though with him dead, it’s a wonder how they’re able to maintain said power…better get on instating Vol’jin for that role, Blizz!
In any case, there isn’t really any similar force to justify Undead receiving similar powers to a Paladin
While I too hate it, the only logic I can find is the fact our resurrection spells work on a soul that isn’t it’s time to pass on. Seeing as we’re part of a “legend” being told, us being alive and well has to be a thing. In this case I believe Calia was meant to die, however using that much power overruled the cycle and pulled her soul back despite it being her time and she is an undead because of it.
I guess I can see it from that angle. But still, it seems like Blizzard can never pin down what exactly The Light is supposed to be in any given expac. Kinda miss when the Light was just some nebulas force of creation, or when the Naa’ru did come into the picture, they were vague windchime things that no one could understand (rather than the manipulative gits they are now for some weird reason)
We know it is a rather powerful force as witnessed at the end of the Bridenbrad quest chain in Wrath. They take his soul to a paradise which is confirmed to be within their power as the Venthyr actually have an entire place where the Na’aru had touched down with such strength it’s almost as bright as a sun there.
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