Ah, Ariel. I expected more from you.
tldr
"I've spent my life facing prejudice and depression. The Forsaken from Cataclysm onward force those onto others. Thus I cannot enjoy them, though I bear no ill will to those who do."10/27/2018 03:35 AMPosted by Piouspelicañtldr
There you go.
2 Likes
Thank you for sharing. As a person who suffers depression and severe anxiety I can relate to the forsaken in more ways than one. However not all of them want to inflict pain and suffering, some of them actually just wanted to be accepted for the new them that they become whether by choice or not but their families rejected them. You can see it in stories written, you can see it even in-game some quests like the one in stormsong valley.
It is because I can relate to their pain that I always want the best for others. Whatever illness I have I would never wish it on another person. And as hard as it is for some to admit, I accept this me and I like this me, doesn't mean I don't better myself. I am Forsaken.
It is because I can relate to their pain that I always want the best for others. Whatever illness I have I would never wish it on another person. And as hard as it is for some to admit, I accept this me and I like this me, doesn't mean I don't better myself. I am Forsaken.
1 Like
10/27/2018 03:40 AMPosted by Kharinak"I've spent my life facing prejudice and depression. The Forsaken from Cataclysm onward force those onto others. Thus I cannot enjoy them, though I bear no ill will to those who do."10/27/2018 03:35 AMPosted by Piouspelicañtldr
There you go.
I like you.
1 Like
I, too, have finally slogged my way through the whole thread. Specifics aside, I enjoyed the OP. It's always fascinating to me to find out why a particular person thinks a certain way, or enjoys a certain thing. I may try to condense down some of my own background thinking and experience, as they pertain to the Forsaken.
I was raised by my devoutly Christian grandmother. A bit of a determinist, death was never hidden or sugarcoated for me. I knew well from a young age that I was born with an expiration date, at which time, I'd move on. I learned much the same from my mother, and her Wiccan teachings about the cyclicity of Life and Death. So even from my earliest forays into WoW, the Forsaken made me uncomfortable. They were unnatural, ripped away from the Cycle, and forced into an artificial, cursed existence, a mocking parody of Life. But, they were pitiable, even sympathetic. It didn't go anywhere, but I was intrigued by whatever Hamuul had planned for them. They didn't ask for their fate. In fact, the driving point of their story was vengeance on the monster that made them, and while I didn't agree with all of their methods, if they were to succeed, it would stop their fate from being forced onto others.
Then Cata came. As I admitted in the Baine thread, I'm gay. I know what it is to feel ostracized, an outsider, something other. But I've seen horrible changes among my... compatriots, too. People who refuse to associate with straights. People who respond with hate, and vitriol, and venom to every percieved or imagined slight. People poised and ready to scream "Discrimination!" and ruin someone's livelihood for accidentally looking at them wrong. In short, I watched people become the monster they hated most. And so too, in general terms, had the Forsaken.When you clicked on Sylvanas, she still said things like "What joy is there in this curse?" and "What are we, if not slaves to this torment?", while simultaneously spreading the same "curse" and "torment". I had Horde characters I RPed at the time, including a Forsaken. At that point, I self-exiled him to Orgrimmar, and divorced him entirely from the Forsaken story. To my mind, and his, he had not just fought the Scourge from one end of Northrend to the other, to turn around and ally with its remnants, to become the Scourge in all but scale.
Then came the day I gave up on the Horde entirely, and it was because of Sylvanas. I fully embrace my Southern culture and heritage, as well as fully embracing and celebrating my Scottish, Irish, and Welsh heritage and ancestry. And let me tell you, there's nobody who does a family feud like the Celts, or the old Southern families. Even my tiny, doddering grandmother, usually so content to smile and turn the other cheek, became a tiny ball of righteous fury if you so much as misplaced a hair on one of my family member's heads. I say this because of a particular thing that always stuck with me when researching Night Elves, that flavors my RP, and pervades my perception of the story (I fully admit to, and own that bias on my end). They see each other as an extended family. Even unrelated Elves are referred to as Brother, or Sister. In my RP circle, like 95% main a Night Elf, and RP-wise, they are my brothers and sisters. Even the generic NPCs are my brothers and sisters. Ferryn was my brother. Astaari was my sister. Delaryn was my sister.*
I'm not sure what, if anything, can make me play Horde again. But I know that for me, personally, it's going to take alot more Zellings and Elsies, and alot less Sylvanases and Nathanoses.
*And before it gets said, yes, I know they're fictional, I know I'm not a Night Elf, and I know they're not my family. It's just a quirk of Night Elven society that adds extra weight, gravitas, and investment to both their canonical story, and the internal RP group stories.
I was raised by my devoutly Christian grandmother. A bit of a determinist, death was never hidden or sugarcoated for me. I knew well from a young age that I was born with an expiration date, at which time, I'd move on. I learned much the same from my mother, and her Wiccan teachings about the cyclicity of Life and Death. So even from my earliest forays into WoW, the Forsaken made me uncomfortable. They were unnatural, ripped away from the Cycle, and forced into an artificial, cursed existence, a mocking parody of Life. But, they were pitiable, even sympathetic. It didn't go anywhere, but I was intrigued by whatever Hamuul had planned for them. They didn't ask for their fate. In fact, the driving point of their story was vengeance on the monster that made them, and while I didn't agree with all of their methods, if they were to succeed, it would stop their fate from being forced onto others.
Then Cata came. As I admitted in the Baine thread, I'm gay. I know what it is to feel ostracized, an outsider, something other. But I've seen horrible changes among my... compatriots, too. People who refuse to associate with straights. People who respond with hate, and vitriol, and venom to every percieved or imagined slight. People poised and ready to scream "Discrimination!" and ruin someone's livelihood for accidentally looking at them wrong. In short, I watched people become the monster they hated most. And so too, in general terms, had the Forsaken.When you clicked on Sylvanas, she still said things like "What joy is there in this curse?" and "What are we, if not slaves to this torment?", while simultaneously spreading the same "curse" and "torment". I had Horde characters I RPed at the time, including a Forsaken. At that point, I self-exiled him to Orgrimmar, and divorced him entirely from the Forsaken story. To my mind, and his, he had not just fought the Scourge from one end of Northrend to the other, to turn around and ally with its remnants, to become the Scourge in all but scale.
Then came the day I gave up on the Horde entirely, and it was because of Sylvanas. I fully embrace my Southern culture and heritage, as well as fully embracing and celebrating my Scottish, Irish, and Welsh heritage and ancestry. And let me tell you, there's nobody who does a family feud like the Celts, or the old Southern families. Even my tiny, doddering grandmother, usually so content to smile and turn the other cheek, became a tiny ball of righteous fury if you so much as misplaced a hair on one of my family member's heads. I say this because of a particular thing that always stuck with me when researching Night Elves, that flavors my RP, and pervades my perception of the story (I fully admit to, and own that bias on my end). They see each other as an extended family. Even unrelated Elves are referred to as Brother, or Sister. In my RP circle, like 95% main a Night Elf, and RP-wise, they are my brothers and sisters. Even the generic NPCs are my brothers and sisters. Ferryn was my brother. Astaari was my sister. Delaryn was my sister.*
I'm not sure what, if anything, can make me play Horde again. But I know that for me, personally, it's going to take alot more Zellings and Elsies, and alot less Sylvanases and Nathanoses.
*And before it gets said, yes, I know they're fictional, I know I'm not a Night Elf, and I know they're not my family. It's just a quirk of Night Elven society that adds extra weight, gravitas, and investment to both their canonical story, and the internal RP group stories.
1 Like
10/27/2018 03:40 AMPosted by Kharinak"I've spent my life facing prejudice and depression. The Forsaken from Cataclysm onward force those onto others. Thus I cannot enjoy them, though I bear no ill will to those who do."10/27/2018 03:35 AMPosted by Piouspelicañtldr
There you go.
thanks for tanking it for me
10/27/2018 03:40 AMPosted by Kharinak"I've spent my life facing prejudice and depression. The Forsaken from Cataclysm onward force those onto others. Thus I cannot enjoy them, though I bear no ill will to those who do."10/27/2018 03:35 AMPosted by Piouspelicañtldr
There you go.
Dang, that's even shorter than the version I made for Hahahahahaha. Good job! Now I don't know which one to quote for people next time they come in saying they haven't read the first post, though.
10/27/2018 03:43 AMPosted by LayaThank you for sharing. As a person who suffers depression and severe anxiety I can relate to the forsaken in more ways than one. However not all of them want to inflict pain and suffering, some of them actually just wanted to be accepted for the new them that they become whether by choice or not but their families rejected them. You can see it in stories written, you can see it even in-game some quests like the one in stormsong valley.
It is because I can relate to their pain that I always want the best for others. Whatever illness I have I would never wish it on another person. And as hard as it is for some to admit, I accept this me and I like this me, doesn't mean I don't better myself. I am Forsaken.
I can definitely appreciate being a fan of the Forsaken for this. Thomas Zelling is certainly a deeply touching story, and seeing his family reject him when all he wanted was to care for them and be with them when his body wouldn't otherwise have let him in life was heartbreaking. I look forward to seeing more of his story.
10/27/2018 04:03 AMPosted by GalenornI was raised by my devoutly Christian grandmother. A bit of a determinist, death was never hidden or sugarcoated for me. I knew well from a young age that I was born with an expiration date, at which time, I'd move on. I learned much the same from my mother, and her Wiccan teachings about the cyclicity of Life and Death. So even from my earliest forays into WoW, the Forsaken made me uncomfortable. They were unnatural, ripped away from the Cycle, and forced into an artificial, cursed existence, a mocking parody of Life. But, they were pitiable, even sympathetic. It didn't go anywhere, but I was intrigued by whatever Hamuul had planned for them. They didn't ask for their fate. In fact, the driving point of their story was vengeance on the monster that made them, and while I didn't agree with all of their methods, if they were to succeed, it would stop their fate from being forced onto others.
Then Cata came. As I admitted in the Baine thread, I'm gay. I know what it is to feel ostracized, an outsider, something other. But I've seen horrible changes among my... compatriots, too. People who refuse to associate with straights. People who respond with hate, and vitriol, and venom to every percieved or imagined slight. People poised and ready to scream "Discrimination!" and ruin someone's livelihood for accidentally looking at them wrong. In short, I watched people become the monster they hated most. And so too, in general terms, had the Forsaken.When you clicked on Sylvanas, she still said things like "What joy is there in this curse?" and "What are we, if not slaves to this torment?", while simultaneously spreading the same "curse" and "torment". I had Horde characters I RPed at the time, including a Forsaken. At that point, I self-exiled him to Orgrimmar, and divorced him entirely from the Forsaken story. To my mind, and his, he had not just fought the Scourge from one end of Northrend to the other, to turn around and ally with its remnants, to become the Scourge in all but scale.
Then came the day I gave up on the Horde entirely, and it was because of Sylvanas. I fully embrace my Southern culture and heritage, as well as fully embracing and celebrating my Scottish, Irish, and Welsh heritage and ancestry. And let me tell you, there's nobody who does a family feud like the Celts, or the old Southern families. Even my tiny, doddering grandmother, usually so content to smile and turn the other cheek, became a tiny ball of righteous fury if you so much as misplaced a hair on one of my family member's heads. I say this because of a particular thing that always stuck with me when researching Night Elves, that flavors my RP, and pervades my perception of the story (I fully admit to, and own that bias on my end). They see each other as an extended family. Even unrelated Elves are referred to as Brother, or Sister. In my RP circle, like 95% main a Night Elf, and RP-wise, they are my brothers and sisters. Even the generic NPCs are my brothers and sisters. Ferryn was my brother. Astaari was my sister. Delaryn was my sister.*
I'm not sure what, if anything, can make me play Horde again. But I know that for me, personally, it's going to take alot more Zellings and Elsies, and alot less Sylvanases and Nathanoses.
*And before it gets said, yes, I know they're fictional, I know I'm not a Night Elf, and I know they're not my family. It's just a quirk of Night Elven society that adds extra weight, gravitas, and investment to both their canonical story, and the internal RP group stories.
Thank you for sharing Galenorn. You parallel Darethy much more closely than I do, in terms of identifying your culture with a playable race in WoW. You bring to the conversation something that I cannot, and I thank you for it.
And though your reason for moving away from the Forsaken is based on a different foundation than mine, I think you presented why the Forsaken spreading their suffering was becoming the monsters they hated far better than I did, so thank you for that as well.
At the same time, I think it also highlights the separation between Cata Forsaken and Vanilla Forsaken as well. The moment that they stopped hating what they were was the moment they actually began to grow in my eyes. There are few phrases I hate more in this world then 'What Joy is there in this Curse?'
It's just so....childish.
It's how kids think, that their lives have to be defined by pain because there's something different about them. To my eyes the Forsaken in their early stage were children, moping about their existence, their pain, without realizing in undeath they could actually live a life that was as...if not more...fulfilling then what they had.
It's just so....childish.
It's how kids think, that their lives have to be defined by pain because there's something different about them. To my eyes the Forsaken in their early stage were children, moping about their existence, their pain, without realizing in undeath they could actually live a life that was as...if not more...fulfilling then what they had.
10/27/2018 06:14 AMPosted by DarethyAt the same time, I think it also highlights the separation between Cata Forsaken and Vanilla Forsaken as well. The moment that they stopped hating what they were was the moment they actually began to grow in my eyes.
Cataclysm went beyond no longer hating what they were, though, and went to becoming who they hated. But you've touched upon this with your discussions of Sylvanas subsuming their narrative and causing this, as well.
10/27/2018 06:14 AMPosted by DarethyThere are few phrases I hate more in this world then 'What Joy is there in this Curse?'
It's just so....childish.
It's how kids think, that their lives have to be defined by pain because there's something different about them. To my eyes the Forsaken in their early stage were children, moping about their existence, their pain, without realizing in undeath they could actually live a life that was as...if not more...fulfilling then what they had.
This, given my history of childishly shutting down and my success after having struggled over that, I all agree with.
I hate them because they force my Alliance characters to care about their problems. I'm not much of a Lordaeron fan, and the story doesn't paint my humans as Lordaeron citizens. I don't care if the Forsaken live there. I care when they attack Humans. I care when they chase Gilneans from their homes.
Then, when I get angry and want to fight back, can't, because I have to go after Garrosh, or some world threat. Then I get told that most of humanity hates the Forsaken because they're undead, and not their actions. Which okay, I get, but Blizzard failed to show that from anyone that's not a Scarlet. Now I'm forced to sympathize with them and put the blame on Sylvanas, despite their cult-like worship of her.
I shouldn't have to wrestle between hating and feeling sorry for the Forsaken in an expansion devoted to war.
Then, when I get angry and want to fight back, can't, because I have to go after Garrosh, or some world threat. Then I get told that most of humanity hates the Forsaken because they're undead, and not their actions. Which okay, I get, but Blizzard failed to show that from anyone that's not a Scarlet. Now I'm forced to sympathize with them and put the blame on Sylvanas, despite their cult-like worship of her.
I shouldn't have to wrestle between hating and feeling sorry for the Forsaken in an expansion devoted to war.
1 Like
This is going to sound awful, there's no real way it doesn't. But even though Gilneas, within the rules of warfare and even basic morality was an unjustified attack, I don't really see it as anything beyond an extension of what I loved about the Forsaken in vanilla. Their pride, their desire for vengeance, though the Gilneans had not personally slew them, standing aside while all that happened was just awful on multiple levels.
Why should the Forsaken care about humanity? What Lordaeron learned from the scourge was that when you stand for what's right, you stand alone, they will not stand there by your side. All that was good and noble about humanity in the Warcraft universe died with WC3, and if it had any capacity to live on, it was probably through the Forsaken. even if it came at the expense of everyone around them.
Is it any wonder why they are like this? They gave everything they could, there were no heroes left in man. That the Forsaken still did things like stand up to Garrosh is a testament to the fact something good in the spirit of humanity remains within them. I'v come to hate both the new Alliance, and the Horde, Azeroth is a planet of fools and butchers, at least the Forsaken have a certain honesty about what they've become.
The only hard choice when it comes to the Forsaken and their views of the other races is likely this: Drag them out of the burning building one more time, throw more fire on it, or simply sit aside and watch everyone roast.
The most fascinating thing about the Forsaken and their new life is i'm not yet sure which one they will pick, and after all that's happened i'm not sure which I would if i'm honest with myself.
Why should the Forsaken care about humanity? What Lordaeron learned from the scourge was that when you stand for what's right, you stand alone, they will not stand there by your side. All that was good and noble about humanity in the Warcraft universe died with WC3, and if it had any capacity to live on, it was probably through the Forsaken. even if it came at the expense of everyone around them.
Is it any wonder why they are like this? They gave everything they could, there were no heroes left in man. That the Forsaken still did things like stand up to Garrosh is a testament to the fact something good in the spirit of humanity remains within them. I'v come to hate both the new Alliance, and the Horde, Azeroth is a planet of fools and butchers, at least the Forsaken have a certain honesty about what they've become.
The only hard choice when it comes to the Forsaken and their views of the other races is likely this: Drag them out of the burning building one more time, throw more fire on it, or simply sit aside and watch everyone roast.
The most fascinating thing about the Forsaken and their new life is i'm not yet sure which one they will pick, and after all that's happened i'm not sure which I would if i'm honest with myself.
10/27/2018 06:31 AMPosted by ArlifrexI'm not much of a Lordaeron fan, and the story doesn't paint my humans as Lordaeron citizens. I don't care if the Forsaken live there.
I definitely agree with this, as that was my view until Cataclysm. Some Forsaken did horrible things, but every race had evil people in it, so the Forsaken were not actually a notch above everyone else in being despicable then. And, really, the game did a very poor showing of presenting living Lordaeron Humans, and still does. The Scarlets alone felt were like a religious cult, and that would be like considering the members of the Inquisition to work as a stand-in for the entire population of late fifteenth century Spain. Even worse is that the game and material until Before the Storm and Thomas Zelling basically never actually showed any living humans rejecting the Forsaken in order for their self-imposed name to work. Until Cataclysm, the Forsaken weren't bothing anyone any more than most anyone else was, and I had no desire to take Lordaeron from them. Hell, I still don't.
10/27/2018 06:31 AMPosted by ArlifrexI care when they attack Humans. I care when they chase Gilneans from their homes.
I also agree with this, and everything changed with Cataclysm. Gilneas, Silverpine, Southshore, Andorhal, these completely changed the Forsaken. They started out to just stay on Garrosh' good side, but it was quickly painted as being expansionist, and when their narrative became entirely about making more Forsaken for Sylvanas, that was the reason to care about what the Forsaken were doing. It also was appalling, how they were so steadfast in not wanting to lose their home, but how quickly the reveled in displacing others from their homes. And that was before Darkshore.
10/27/2018 06:31 AMPosted by ArlifrexThen, when I get angry and want to fight back, can't, because I have to go after Garrosh, or some world threat. Then I get told that most of humanity hates the Forsaken because they're undead, and not their actions. Which okay, I get, but Blizzard failed to show that from anyone that's not a Scarlet. Now I'm forced to sympathize with them and put the blame on Sylvanas, despite their cult-like worship of her.
I shouldn't have to wrestle between hating and feeling sorry for the Forsaken in an expansion devoted to war.
This has also always been a problem for me. We could never take the fight back to the Forsaken. Alliance never got to play Silverpine again. We never got to play Hillsbrad again. The Alliance forces were there, but the Alliance players were not. But maybe that was a blessing, since the Alliance wasn't going to be able to push the Forsaken back, and when the Alliance got routed out of Andorhal, that probably felt even worse than not having gotten to participate at all.
But that's also all we got. The level 80 to 85 content for Cataclysm suddenly saw a complete drop of the faction war story, and even when we got back to it in Mists of Pandaria the Forsaken were never addressed, just Garrosh. And even after Siege of Orgrimmar, where Varian said we'd have to focus on containing Sylvanas' expansionism, we got Draenor instead, where nothing happened. It was very tiring that Sylvanas simply was given a free pass for so long.
OP, your overall post & real-life testimony in conjunction towards WoW has truly gave me a lump in my throat. I too was an immigrant that went to a similar phase upon arriving in Canada at 10.
While I can agree with most valid points youâve subjectively pointed towards the Forsaken thereâs the parallel that convinced me otherwise towards condemning them all to be âwhollyâ evil.
While I lack the credibility & know regarding Forsaken lore & its abnormal customs, we need to bear in mind that some still retained a strong will that are not in total agreement towardâs Sylvanaâs policies, norms & government system & should they dare to defy either of them (no matter how justified or small) youâre automatically granted the âtrue deathâ, thus this is why most are either forcibly following their leader, perhaps accepted their new date & decided to languish it upon the living, or simply has no other choice. Attempt to go exile who in Azeroth would be willing to welcome? Hardly ever anyone...especially since Azerothians bears a strong resentment towards the scourge and its horrible history.
I am glad to have seen some Forsaken go exile & finally be understood by a few alliance leaders....they just happened to be victims of a cruel fate that they never had bargained for.
As an Alliance player however, I still remain wary and hostile towards Horde as itâs policies and way of âhonourâ seems very contradicting & hypocritical. Theyâre even in the risk of being split apart due to certain issues going about within its members internally. How can you remain loyal to a faction when thereâs constant vendettas and clash of cultures from within?
While I can agree with most valid points youâve subjectively pointed towards the Forsaken thereâs the parallel that convinced me otherwise towards condemning them all to be âwhollyâ evil.
While I lack the credibility & know regarding Forsaken lore & its abnormal customs, we need to bear in mind that some still retained a strong will that are not in total agreement towardâs Sylvanaâs policies, norms & government system & should they dare to defy either of them (no matter how justified or small) youâre automatically granted the âtrue deathâ, thus this is why most are either forcibly following their leader, perhaps accepted their new date & decided to languish it upon the living, or simply has no other choice. Attempt to go exile who in Azeroth would be willing to welcome? Hardly ever anyone...especially since Azerothians bears a strong resentment towards the scourge and its horrible history.
I am glad to have seen some Forsaken go exile & finally be understood by a few alliance leaders....they just happened to be victims of a cruel fate that they never had bargained for.
As an Alliance player however, I still remain wary and hostile towards Horde as itâs policies and way of âhonourâ seems very contradicting & hypocritical. Theyâre even in the risk of being split apart due to certain issues going about within its members internally. How can you remain loyal to a faction when thereâs constant vendettas and clash of cultures from within?
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10/27/2018 06:42 AMPosted by DarethyThis is going to sound awful, there's no real way it doesn't. But even though Gilneas, within the rules of warfare and even basic morality was an unjustified attack, I don't really see it as anything beyond an extension of what I loved about the Forsaken in vanilla.
Once again, I do not begrudge this being what you loved about the Forsaken. Simply - and in this particular case the addition of their narrative of wanting to keep their homes but happy taking other people's homes from them - it's also what I hate about the Forsaken in Cataclysm. It's not awful. It's just different perspectives.
Amadis and Yersynia, (et al.) thank you both for your well thought viewpoints and courage to share them. While I donât have any substance to contribute, I wanted to chime in that these are very fascinating for me to read.
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10/27/2018 07:00 AMPosted by SilveneishWhile I lack the credibility & know regarding Forsaken lore & its abnormal customs, we need to bear in mind that some still retained a strong will that are not in total agreement towardâs Sylvanaâs policies, norms & government system & should they dare to defy either of them (no matter how justified or small) youâre automatically granted the âtrue deathâ, thus this is why most are either forcibly following their leader, perhaps accepted their new date & decided to languish it upon the living, or simply has no other choice. Attempt to go exile who in Azeroth would be willing to welcome? Hardly ever anyone...especially since Azerothians bears a strong resentment towards the scourge and its horrible history.
I am glad to have seen some Forsaken go exile & finally be understood by a few alliance leaders....they just happened to be victims of a cruel fate that they never had bargained for.
There are a few notable exceptions to the usual presentation of Forsaken that are entirely loyal to Sylvanas. Argent Apothecary Judkins in the Eastern Plaguelands is one such example. I certainly think the game needs more Undead of this kind, and I do think the game needs to show us how they would make their lives away from greater Forsaken society, as the game has already presented enough of those that are loyal to Sylvanas.
10/27/2018 07:02 AMPosted by Amadis10/27/2018 06:42 AMPosted by DarethyThis is going to sound awful, there's no real way it doesn't. But even though Gilneas, within the rules of warfare and even basic morality was an unjustified attack, I don't really see it as anything beyond an extension of what I loved about the Forsaken in vanilla.
Once again, I do not begrudge this being what you loved about the Forsaken. Simply - and in this particular case the addition of their narrative of wanting to keep their homes but happy taking other people's homes from them - it's also what I hate about the Forsaken in Cataclysm. It's not awful. It's just different perspectives.
I understand, and I don't think you're wrong. I think this is an evil act on the part of the Forsaken, even if from a karmic perspective a lot of the Gilneans had allowed them to suffer needlessly.
At the same time, one of the things I admire the most about humanity, and culturally what we value is that of personal sacrifice. That you must give of yourself to achieve order and justice, the Forsaken as the former residents of Lordaeron wound up sacrificing everything in part due to their unwillingness to commit an act of genocide.
They were noble, heroic, kind, thoughtful, they were the last bastion of what it meant to be human. It's a value that other races share in degrees, my hatred of Elves probably stems in part from the fact that they are the least likely to sacrifice themselves for anyone.
To me, the Forsaken are experiencing an identity crisis right now, and it has nothing to do with viewing their state as a curse, it has everything to do with whether they want to be the people of Lordaeron again. They had given everything and in death, they simply did whatever it took, whatever they thought, would continue their own existence and own culture. Given the rest of Azeroth why wouldn't they? that is why they are Forsaken, because the peoples of this planet showed them their absolute ugliest side.
That internal struggle is more compelling then anyone else in the setting. I would not blame them for turning inward, even if my more optimistic self would like to see them once more turn outward.