Tainted Men



Tainted Men, also sometimes referred to as Zombies, are Humans who have been exposed to Limryn's Taint. Although Humans did not arrive on the shores of Haven until midway through the War of Ages, Tainted Men had become a staple in Limryn’s Horde by its conclusion, consisting of over 50% of the total army. This happened for a few reasons.

Firstly, when compared to the races native to Haven, Humans were extremely susceptible to the taint. Limryn, or one of his subordinates, could expose 50 men to the taint with the same amount of energy that it would take to change one Night Elf.

Also, unlike many of the other Races native to Haven, when exposed to the taint, Humans loose all capacity to think on their own, becoming completely subservient to their master. This makes them model soldiers, removing any ability to attempt to overthrow or rebel against their lords. It does however make Tainted Men unable to adapt to new situations with the fluidity of sapient races, and therefore skilled warriors often find these soldiers easy to dispatch.

The third reason Men became such a readily available source of "enlistees" for Limryn's army is because of their battle tactics. While the other races relied on strike and flight tactics to wage war on Limryn's far larger horde, the already battle hardened Humans raised large armies to fight the horde head on. Such close proximity between tainted and pure allowed Limryn and his subordinates to induce the taint on many more individuals than in guerrilla warfare. However, these human battle tactics did prove quite effective in countering Limryn’s raids.

Tainted men were known to have voracious appetites, in fact, the only action Tainted Men were capable of performing without being explicitly ordered to do so by their master was to find food. The Tainted Men fed on flesh of any kind, anything from rodents to other Humans to, in times of desperation, each other. It should be noted however that the saliva of Tainted Men was mixed and mingling with their blood, and therefore contains the Taint. If one were to be bitten by a Tainted Man and survive, they too would likely succumb to the taint as well.

Abilities
Compared to their Human counterparts, Tainted Men are considerably stronger; able to tear through Steel, Gray Iron, and bone without much difficulty. They are also slightly faster than the average pure man, but they have infinitely more stamina. Tainted Men have been known to march at great speeds for days on end without need of rest, and they can fight in battle for days without fatigue. This makes them especially good foot soldiers, as an army able to march across Haven with extreme haste and still arrive at their destination battle ready. Physically, this increased stamina may explain their unappeasable hunger, for a body would need a constant supply of energy to continue to perform metabolic reactions without sleep or rest.

This increase in strength, speed, and stamina does not come without a price however. The critical loss of intelligence that a Human goes through as he is exposed to the taint removes any ability for him to control his thoughts, body, speech, or destiny. Tainted Men are subservient first to their master, and second to their hunger. This denies them the ability to wield weapons, don armor, or adhere to any specific battle plan.

However, although they cannot wield conventional weapons, Tainted Men come equipped with a set of “natural weapons.” Their primary attack weapon is their elongated, magically hardened and sharpened fingernails, which, combined with their extraordinary strength, allows them to tear through enemies and obstacles without hindrance. Their secondary weapons are their teeth, which they use constantly even in battle to devour their targets, dead or alive.

Appearance
Tainted Men keep the general anatomy of their former selves, but their features change dramatically. The skin becomes gray in color, and semi translucent. Hair elongates and becomes black and untamed, as it does often when Humans die. Various sores and ulcers appear on the body on the Tainted Man, most notably in the shoulder, face, and oral cavity, causing trickles of tainted blood to leave the body periodically. The retina of the eye turns to a sickly yellow color, which glows in darkness and allows vision at night. The fingernails and teeth elongate and harden, and often times not long after the final transformation has occurred and the Tainted Man experiences his hunger for the first time, he gnaws uncontrollably at himself, often biting off and consuming the lips. This results in the teeth being constantly exposed, and the Tainted Man looks as if he is ever smiling.