Release

Thassarian, my "Master."

Where are you, master? Did you fall in battle like poor Lurid, defending this wretched city for your precious Alliance taskmasters? Lurid fought as you commanded, like usual. Human, undead, beast, Lurid fights whatever master tells Lurid to fight. Endlessly fighting, over and over again...Master and Lurid, always.

After all, Lurid is master's loyal servant. Master's trusted bodyguard. Master's tireless companion.

Master's slave.

Lurid did not ask for this "life", master! Lurid fought for the Alliance, for Unit S, and Lurid died bravely. Lurid was sad he died, but Lurid did not regret his choices. Lurid fought for what he believed in. Lurid was content. Lurid was at peace, going to the Light.

But you, master! You wrenched and tugged Lurid back from beyond, jammed Lurid into this monstrous shell of bone and death. And why? To have a battle servant to fight at your side? Master subjected Lurid to this torment simply to have a little undead friend? Lurid tried to scream, to deny master's command, to beg master not to do this to Lurid. But Lurid was horrified to learn that the evil magic that brought Lurid back to life did not permit disobedience. All that came out of Lurid's gaping, grinning mouth was a simpering, wheedling "Yes, master" or "As you command, master." Lurid can still think, can still see and hear, but Lurid cannot do anything except what master decrees, nothing more than a soulless, mindless puppet. Luried forced to fight against Lurid's will, do whatever master asks, and Lurid is powerless to resist. It makes Lurid want to curl up in a little ball and cry, but Lurid cannot even do that.

Does master know how awful that is? To have no control or free will - to be simply someone's unthinking, unwilling instrument of destruction?

What a stupid question. Of course master does. Master suffered through this too. Lurid hears the same story every night - master feeling sorry for himself and endlessly moaning about what the dread Lich King did to him. Lurid is so tired of hearing how the Lich King killed master, twisted his soul into an evil minion, how the Lich King forced master to do all sorts of terrible things against master's will. Master hates him, so much, for what he did.

And yet, master is willing to do the exact same thing to Lurid? Lurid doesn't understand. Lurid did not want to become this abomination, to be risen as an undead slave. Lurid simply wanted to rest. Instead, master imprisoned Lurid in this skeletal frame, and doomed Lurid to a horrible fate worse than death.

Master knows what it is like to be a slave. To be a monster. And master went ahead and did it anyway. Why would master make someone else go through this hell? Why would master be so heartless, so cruel? What kind of person would even do that?

Master is the worst person Lurid has ever met.

"Follow me, Lurid," master says. "The Lich King has made us what we are."

No, master! The Lich King did not do this to Lurid. YOU did this to Lurid! You and you alone, all by yourself, following right in the your master's footsteps. Lurid hates you for it, master.

Lurid hate you so much.

Thanks to you, master, Lurid does not even remember who he used to be. Lurid remember being human...fighting in Unit S...but Lurid cannot remember anything else! Lurid cannot even recall his own name. Lurid's memories, thoughts, identity...all gone now. Gone forever. Lurid is simply Lurid, the "name" master gave me.

How many lives has Lurid taken at master's command? Lurid does not even know. Too many to count. Lurid's entire existence has become a dull cycle of death and hate. Nothing else left anymore.

And it seemed like it would never end. Lurid can still remember when, after what seemed like years of being forced to do master's bidding, Lurid thought his blissful end had come. Powerful undead foes overpowered Lurid, and Lurid fell, destroyed and broken into shards of bone and rusted metal. Lurid could have cried with joy. Finally Lurid could rest, and not have to serve cruel, sadistic master any longer.

But Lurid was wrong. Lurid watched in horror as master coldly used his evil magic to piece Lurid back together, and deny Lurid his release once again. Not only that, but master then scolded Lurid like some unruly child! Lurid wanted to spit in master's face, to cut master in half...instead, Lurid's soul withered up inside, as rotted, rattling teeth coughed out pathetic, untrue words of gratitude.

Those words were like daggers in Lurid's soul. Lurid was NOT thankful! Lurid wanted master to die, to just stop torturing Lurid. But master's dark sorcery would not let Lurid even utter the words.

Master, why can't you just let Lurid rest in peace? Lurid has fought and killed for you, Lurid has done everything you have ever commanded. Please master...no more. Every day, as Lurid swing his axe and kill for master, all Lurid wants is to die. Just let Lurid die. Lurid pray for this every day, to any god or presence that might be listening.

However, Lurid may have gotten his wish. Does Lurid dare hope? Is this the end of Lurid's long torment?

Master brought Lurid to some ragged town, lots of fighting, undead, gargoyles, abominations. Lurid so tired inside, but of course master not let Lurid rest, oh no. Lurid thrown into battle again and again. But this time, master not fight alongside Lurid, instead run off. Lurid forced to fight alongside farmers and peasants. Lurid could tell they were as scared of Lurid as they were of the howling undead we fight. Lurid cannot blame them. Lurid's enemies are undead monsters...but so is Lurid.

Many of them fall. Lurid hopes master does not raise them as undead as well. Lurid would not wish this fate upon anyone.

Sadly, Lurid watches as the dead farmers ARE raised as undead. But not to help Lurid - they join Lurid's enemies! There too many for Lurid to kill alone, and they start to overwhelm Lurid. For the first time in years, Lurid feel a tinge of excitement in his empty ribcage. Lurid try to simply stop fighting, to let himself be killed, but wretched master's unholy hold would not allow it.

It didn't matter, though. Lurid was cut down and shattered, splintered on the cold ground. Lurid's foes moved on, leaving Lurid behind to stare up at the murky sky, rain dripping down into Lurid's empty eyesockets. No fighting, no pain. Just emptiness.

Lurid wait long hours for master to return...for master to put Lurid back together like a grotesque child's puzzle, again, as master has done so many times. But long time passes, and Lurid slowly start to wonder if master will be coming after all.

Master, are you dead? Is Lurid finally free of your grasp? Lurid did not expect to still be here, lying immobile in the mud. Lurid thought his soul would have left Lurid's broken body behind by now. Lurid cannot even move...but this is still better than being your slave.

Master, I hope so much that you are dead. Or that you have forgotten about Lurid. Please, Thassarian, please do not come back and enslave Lurid again. Lurid is so tired of fighting, of killing. Go get your revenge, master. Go fight your endless wars. Just leave Lurid out of it.

Let Lurid rest.

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Show/Hide Letter Notes
A while back, someone suggested Lurid as a potential Letter candidate. I'd read the Death Knight manga, so I knew who Lurid was, and I knew you also find him dead in Cataclysm after the Andorhol quests, so I started wondering what Lurid would want to say, and to who.

It occurred to me with some unease that Thassarian's relationship with Lurid is actually pretty awful. I mean, Lurid is clearly sentient. He's capable of thinking and speaking, and following orders. And he always seems so adorably gung-ho when you meet up with him in quests, which makes a lot of players really like him, like he's some cute little dog or something.

But when you think about it? Lurid is actually the dead spirit of a fallen soldier, who Thassarian forcibly rose from the dead. And Thassarian forces Lurid to fight for him, and even when Lurid falls in battle, Thassarian simply raises him again.

What a TERRIBLE existence!

And really, is this not exactly what the Lich King was doing? Sure, Lurid seems all cheery and happy and pleasant. But is he really? He's an undead servant, who didn't have any choice about his fate. I doubt he's ACTUALLY pleased. More likely, it's the Scourge magic keeping him obedient and docile, just as it continues to animate his bones. Just like the Lich King's hold over his servants.

I know this probably isn't what my friend had in mind when they suggested Lurid for a Letter. But I think poor Lurid is just as sad a story as his master, if not more so. And no one ever talks about him. They just talk about poor, unfortunate, tragic Thassarian, whose story is oh so terrible and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, poor, loyal Lurid continues to serve (and suffer) in silence, with no one to tell his tale...to tell what he REALLY thinks of his situation.

Don't worry, Lurid. I got your back. (What's left of it...)