Lyle Brooks

Lyle leading the Black Mass. (Credit Lynnora 8525)

Lyle Brooks is a Forsaken Shadow Priest and one of the leaders of the organization known as the Hand of Lordaeron. As Mortarch of Shadows he heads the Black Mass, a religious sect within the Hand that seeks to guide young Forsaken toward a higher purpose.

## Introduction

The maggot scars are probably the first thing you’ll notice about Lyle. Dozens of holes of varying sizes dot his face, concentrated around his eyes with a few on his neck, which always seem to be itchy. Once in a while, you might notice a worm crawling under his skin. Who knows how many tunnels the little monsters have carved through his slowly decaying body?

Lyle still has all of his hair, which was straw blond in life and has started to turn a dingier color. A jagged beard covers his chin and angular jawline. His smile is usually charming and pleasant from a distance. Once you get close you notice several teeth are missing while the rest are rotten yellow brown. Herbs and cigarettes mostly cover the stench, sometimes overpowered by the smell of rum or stout. His nose was broken more than once.

He seems like an easy going undead on the outside. Most of the time you’ll find him leaning against a wall or slouched over with his hands on his hips and a hazy look in his glowing eyes. Even during tense situations he manages to look sleepy. Be wary should his eyes squint too sharply. The straightening of his back may be all the warning you receive before his undead flesh bleeds forth shadowy flames that obscure and whisper from the Void.

When the shadows fade, he’s back to his charming smile. Most of the time.

## Personality

Lyle is gregarious in contrast to most undead. Thanks to his wits and charm he's capable of finding common ground with virtually any other race, even those that typically shun the undead. His openness to interact with the living Horde has led him to call Tauren Shu'halo and find belief in the troll loa Dambala. Nevertheless, Lyle's heart belongs to the Forsaken. He is proud to guide his people and is a constant advocate for their right to exist. Some believe he's merely playing both sides.

He has a reputation for drinking heavily, his favorites being Southshore Stout and Rumsy Rum Black Label. He always carries a flask. If asked how he's able to become intoxicated in spite of being undead he would reply that he prefers not to think about it.

## History

### Before the Scourge

If you lived in Tirisfal or the Capital City of Lordaeron before the plague, you might remember Lyle. You're not sure if his family lived in the city - you never met them and he never spoke of them - but you may have seen him walking the church grounds when he was alive. Or maybe you knew him from the seedy bar in Brill, where he wasted his teenage years gambling and bruising his knuckles until he found the Light's salvation. He seemed like an ordinary priest in those days, if a bit secretive.

That is not to say Lyle was ever without friends. He was highly gregarious and enjoyed the company of a variety of people from different walks of life, with few exceptions. You're not sure you ever saw him with a woman.

When the plague struck Lyle and several other priests were dispatched to the surrounding towns and villages to investigate and heal the sick. While tending to the ill Lyle and his friends heard screams of horror coming from outside the make-shift hospital. Seeing the chaos outside the priests desperately tried to barracade the doors and windows. In moments the living dead burst through, claws and teeth glistening with bile and freshly spilled blood, and ravaged the hospital. Unable to save his friends, Lyle escaped through a second story window and fled in terror.

Of Lyle's group only he returned to Lordaeron alive, bloodied and shaken to his core, one of the first unfortunate souls who beared witness to the plague's true nature. He never ventured beyond the city walls again... at least, not in life.

### A New Purpose

Lyle perished when the Scourge seiged Lordaeron. A dreadblade pierced his chest, where a scar still remains. In the following days his maggot infested body was dragged from the mass grave in which it had been carelessly thrown, infused with necromancy, and sent to toil in the mines of Deathknell.

Perhaps this was divine punishment.

As the Lich King's power waned Lyle returned to his senses in Deathknell. Now shunned by the Light and riddled with flesh eating maggots, he wandered Tirisfal in a daze, seeking anything to distract him from his miserable new existance. Service to the Dark Lady seemed the only logical choice. Lordaeron was his home, after all. Who else but the undead would tolerate his presense now?

While traveling through Silverpine he learned of an organization called the Hand of Lordaeron, whose Forsaken members sought to defend and reclaim their homeland from thieving Alliance and relentless Scourge alike. Intrigued, he joined their cause.

### The Black Mass

At first the Hand was merely a place to meet new friends and rest his feet. As time passed the Hand blessed him with purpose and renewed vigor. He made a home for himself among the Black Mass, who preached a doctrine similar to the Cult of the Forgotten Shadows.

Lyle's spiritual study of the Shadow led him to believe that the Forsaken served a higher purpose. As beings forged in Shadow it was their sacred duty to serve as the Light's undying adversaries, a necessary opposition preserving the cosmic balance between the two forces. His beliefs would proliferate through the Black Mass after his ascension to Mortarch.

## Trivia

* Lyle is more skilled in melee and unarmed combat than the average priest.
* When wielding holy spells Lyle claims to call upon 'Spite' rather than Light.
* Although Lyle enjoys cooking he can only smell and taste a few specific scents and flavors. His dishes have an emphasis on texture and are seasoned according to the recipe or his guest's desire.
	+ His favorite is blood sausage made from human flesh.
* He began learning alchemy in the hopes of one day eradicating his maggot infestation. In spite of becoming a master alchemist, he still has not succeeded completely.

## Artwork

* Dancing with his lover, Gabriel Ross. By NoelleRGB.
* Watercolor by Avers.
* Harnessing the Shadow. By Harrow.
* Drinking in Brill with Nessima and friends. By NoelleRGB.
* Brooding by Zena.
* Comforted by Gabriel. By Gabriellross.
* Coping by Pourrire.
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