Lightslayer A shadow in the night , the lightslayer moves with the sound of a whisper to extinguish light wherever they find it — specifically , they extinguish the followers of the Holy Light . The lightslayer embraces the teachings of the Forgotten Shadow and develops their personal power by slaying enemies who stand in the light . Some consider lightslayers the dark mirror of the Scarlet Crusade , but in truth the two organizations have little in common . The Scarlet Crusade possesses a firm hierarchy ; their fanaticism is orderly and focused . Lightslayers , on the other hand , usually work alone . They make use of stealth , hit - and - run tactics , and the element of surprise . The only strong similarity between the two groups is the dedicated zeal with which both orders pursue their goals . A branch of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow , led by a former soldier , trained the first lightslayers to combat Scarlet Crusade raids . Originally , the cult envisioned lightslayers as dark knight s who would ride into battle against the agents of the Holy Light . To the cult ' s dismay , the Crusade ' s organized tactics ran roughshod over the newly trained dark knight s . Another branch of the cult , this one led by a charismatic and pragmatic Forsaken named Ilius , liked the concept of lightslayers , yet disagreed with their implementation . Ilius had been a human scout in life , but before that he had made a living as a sneak thief and burglar . He recalled those skills now to train a few faithful cultists and sent them on solitary missions against the Scarlet Crusade . These lightslayers proved much more effective , and their use has spread to many branches of the Forgotten Shadow . The disorganized cult naturally has many different theories on how best to train and utilize lightslayers , but all agents possess basic similarities . The disorganized structure of the cult means that sometimes two or more lightslayers from different branches might embark on identical missions . More than once an assassination has failed when two lightslayers targeted the same mark on the same night and disrupted each other ' s plans . Ilius has made efforts to consolidate the lightslayers and their superiors into an organized network , but the different branches of the cult remain suspicious of each other . Each branch insists that it alone knows the true doctrine of the Forgotten Shadow and should therefore take control of a united lightslayer organization . It seems unlikely that Ilius will succeed in his unification attempt . To be a lightslayer requires devotion to the cult , a measure of grace and skill , a willingness to learn and a fierce hatred for the Church of the Holy Light . Training emphasizes stealth and melee combat , and trainees also receive religious instruction . A potential lightslayer trains for a month with the cult , alternating classroom lesses on the history of the cult and the Church of the Holy Light with battlefield practice . The cult constructs special training facilities where trainees practice climbing , sneaking and lockpicking . The cult places little emphasis on finding and disarming traps ; lightslayers are not common burglars . Trainees only learn how to open locks for those assassination missions that require them to enter bedchambers at night . Once indoctrinated , a lightslayer receives missions to combat the Holy Light , particularly the Scarlet Crusade ( though Knights of the Silver Hand and ordinary priests and parishioners are also fair game ) . These missions range from ambush to outright assassination . A lightslayer is as likely to lead a troop of knights into a forest trap as they are to sneak into a lone knight ' s bedchamber and behead him . Lightslayers also accept missions to thwart the Church of the Holy Light in other ways . These missions often require the aid of others ; sometimes the cult recruits help , other times the lightslayer calls in favors . These missions include sabotaging caravans destined for Holy Light churches , disrupting important ceremonies , desecrating locations sacred to the Holy Light and seeking out lost relics to destroy . A lightslayer spends months learning the teachings of the Forgotten Shadow and studying the beliefs of their enemies . The lightslayer ’ s devotion to the Forgotten Shadow protects them against the destructive power of the Holy Light . A skilled lightslayer ’ s experience in the field grants a lightslayer firsthand knowledge of how best to hurt their enemies . The highly skilled lightslayer ’ s faith grows strong enough to protect them against the spellcasting abilities of their enemies . They gain spell resistance against divine spells cast by paladins and priests of the Holy Light . Lightslayers in the world . Lightslayers work alone and in the dark , and are loners by nature . They gravitate to the blackest places of the world , such as underground lairs and ruined towns overrun by the greedy and heartless . Despite - or perhaps because of - their bitter and cruel natures , lightslayers seem drawn to people with upbeat outlooks . Lightslayers remain aloof and withdrawn for the most part , but seem to crave the company of enthusiastic , happy individuals . Perhaps companions who have found peace with their lives inspire a lightslayer to make peace with their own rage and bitterness . Each lightslayer has a home base , the town or city where the Cult of Forgotten Shadow trained them . The cult branch they associate with sends them on missions and provides them with training and sometimes with financing , so a lightslayer usually stays close to home . Most lightslayers have a single regular contact from the cult who acts as a liaison between the branch and the lightslayer . Such contacts try to remain aloof and emotionally distant from the lightslayer ; they may guide several agents , and have undoubtedly lost many friends to dangerous missions . The Cult of Forgotten Shadow keeps a close eye on the lightslayers and so far has been careful to destroy any evidence of their activities . Lightslayers are often dispatched to clean up botched missions . Due to the delicacy of lightslayer operations and the amount of coordination necessary to undertake one , lightslayers receive weeks or months of downtime between missions . During this time they sometimes research the movements of the Scarlet Crusade , but usually a lightslayer pursues their own agenda instead . They may travel with companions , track down powerful items they want to own or simply rest from their exertions . Lightslayers often possessed a bent toward larceny and stealth in life . Many lightslayers once worked as thieves , brigands or assassins . Other lightslayers were penitents or even priest s of the Holy Light in their old lives . They serve the Forgotten Shadow with a caustic zeal , loathing all reminders of the Light they once cared so much for . Such individuals train as rogue s solely to enter the lightslayer ranks . Their predilection for stealth means that lightslayers favor light , quiet weapons , such as daggers , rapiers , short swords and hand crossbows . Even when not on a mission , lightslayers dress in dark colors and move with deliberate stealth . Other Horde race s distrust lightslayers on principle . No one with any sense trusts the Forsaken , and lightslayers are Forsaken who devote their lives to stealth , deception and murder . They are the least trustworthy of an untrustworthy lot . Orc s and tauren who follow shamanistic traditions sometimes feel a deep sadness for the lightslayer ' s lot . They see the lightslayers as individuals so consumed with hatred and despair that their only path is one of darkness and death . A kindhearted orc or tauren might attempt to befriend a lightslayer ; should that prove impossible , he might try to at least be a calming influence and a compassionate ear for his companion . Many lightslayers secretly crave such understanding , though outwardly they rail at any sign of pity . The Alliance and the Church of the Holy Light suspects the existence of the lightslayers , but have not gathered solid proof yet . The Scarlet Crusade is convinced that the Forsaken muster organized resistance against them , but their claims remain unsupported ( and in fact are mere supposition at this point ; while the Forsaken certainly resist the Crusade , their organization leaves much to be desired ) .