For Lies and Liberty

"For Lies And Liberty" is a short story by E.C. Meyers published in the anthology Folk & Fairy Tales of Azeroth. It is illustrated by Zoltan Boros. The story tells of some freshly risen or newly liberated undead being inducted into Forsaken society in Undercity.

Summary
Two Forsaken veterans, Conor Greystone and Bronwen Polaron, meet with six newly risen undead. Among them is Jeremiah Pall and a man named Abel.

They go around the circle asking for their names. To help them get used to their undeath, they ask each to tell how they got there, how they died, to help cope with their new fate and the trauma of their death. For most of the group, including Jeremiah, they had been drafted and forced into service. Abel, however, enlisted in order to be a hero like Captain Whitney.

Abel recalls the story his father, Roland, told him, of Captain Whitney the Fearless Flyer, who launched himself on a catapult into an orc camp to lead a surprise attack. Jeremiah expresses familiarity with Whitney, and knows that it is a lie. Bronwen reveals that Whitney is also Forsaken, and so Jeremiah and Abel go to see him.

Whitney, Jeremiah, and Abel sit together at the pub, toasting with empty mugs and mimicking drinking ale. Abel tells the story again, but Whitney interrupts to exaggerate more, to Jeremiah's increasing frustration. More people gather around them, many of whom Jeremiah recognizes as former comrades.

Jeremiah recalls the truth of that battle and his former commander. Whitney was ill-tempered and abusive, starving his soldiers, locking him in a dark box for days for insubordination, and Jeremiah suspected Whitney killed his friend who spoke out against him. Once Whitney leaves, Jeremiah tells Abel the truth: Whitney was drunk that night and got tangled in the ropes of the catapult, accidentally launched into the camp, many died trying to rescue him, and they found him hiding like a coward.

Jeremiah reveals that Abel's father confronted Whitney, threatening to expose him, and Whitney slit his throat. Abel doesn't believe him at first, until Jeremiah mentions his father always spoke of his son that built a toy boat.

They plan retaliation. They lure Whitney to a reconstructed catapult, and ask him to tell the story yet again. During the retelling, they tie him up in ropes. Abel convinces Jeremiah to give him a chance to tell the truth, but Whitney doubles down in his lies.

Locations

 * Undercity