Death Knight

A Death knight is a mighty warrior animated as an undead creature by powerful evil entities. They are most commonly created from evil humanoids who in life had been incredible warriors, generally fighters or paladins fallen from grace.

Culture

Death knights are warriors turned undead by greater powers, whose heart was corrupted. They commited the most horrible crimes, and cannot redeem themselves, fleeing from the claw of death, from the judgment that awaits them, they turn to undeath.
Death knight may also be unwillingly turned into such creature by powerful archlich, vampires, or other such evil entities.
Death knights usually ride nightmares.

Characteristics

Physical features

Most death knights resemble their living selves, through pale and with an unholy light that illuminates their eyes. A death knight's body continues to age and decay yet they cannot die, and Death knights that were formerly Human may look like skeletons after some time. The voice of a death knight is chilling, seeming to echo from deep within.
Some death knights can enjoy alcohol and be affected by its inebriating effects. They are also capable of sleeping though it is not necessary on a biological level.
Death Knight are undead, and as such, they do not age, nor do they need to breathe, eat, drink or sleep to survive.

Mental traits

After being raised as death knights, and regardless of their past life, almost all death knights embraced the honor of their new status. However, there were the rare few that were reanimated and retained emotion and memory, and in some cases, fear.
All death knights are inflicted with an "addiction" of sorts; referred to as the "eternal hunger". A death knight will feel immeasurable pain and agony if it is not inflicting suffering and/or death on a regular basis. The pain is so great that failure to sate the hunger could result in the death knight becoming lost in a blood-seeking, murderous frenzy.
Despite their previously evil and currently somewhat amoral natures, some death knights remained true to a code of honor even during undeath — or, at least, to a semblance of order and discipline.
Death knights can feel positive emotions for a brief time and rarely. Bad emotions like remorse and pity they feel deeply. Despite all the psychological conditioning and trauma they went through, some knights are able to act mostly like they were before their death.

Abilities

The death knight retains the ability to cast divine spells. However, no death knight can use its magic to heal. A death knight also attracts and commands lesser undead.

History

The first record of death knight are of Gul'dan, using the dark art to replace the slaughtered orcs. Assembled from the corpses of the Orrin Empire knights slain in previous battles, these abominations were then instilled with the dark Magic necessary to raise them in a state of eternal undeath and servitude for the horde.
It was later revealed, that death knight could be created more easily by corrupting the soul of the living, paladins persecuted by the general populace, succumbing to bitter hatred and killing the innocent were corrupted, their souls tainted by evil, and they could easily be turned to death knights, or even turn on their own upon death.
Maldazzar Rivendare is the oldest recorded death knight raised from a corrupted champion. He was once a mighty paladin, who sacrificed his soul in a desperate bid to fight for what he believed to be right.