So, I've been revising my nine extra profiles that haven't seen the forum yet and I just have to ask. How -young- are death knights allowed to be? Like, when could they have been created. I don't recall any lore on Arthas making any, they only speak of Death Knights from a -LONG- time ago that were made in mass amounts and that were dormant. Yet, we have Blood Elf and Dranei Death Knights. While arguably Blood Elf Death Knights could just be High Elf Death Knights, what about the Dranei?
Well, the Death Knights we're allowed to play as now, otherwise known as the "3rd Gen" were mass-produced, using mostly any corpses the Scourge could get their hands on. Now, this was before Wrath, when the Death Knights were introduced.
Draenei were introduced at the beginning of Burning Crusade, and by the time of Wrath, some of them had died on the field of battle, which is entirely likely. Now, the 3rd Generation Death Knights weren't properly trained as the 2nd Generation ones had been. They were given a sword, some armour, a few lessons in runic magic, and then sent off to fight at Light's Hope. This would've taken less than a month, even, which leaves about 11 months for Draenei to fall victim to the Scourge and be resurrected, assuming the difference between BC's and Wrath's opening was a year.
So, even though it IS possible for Draenei to be Death Knights, their numbers would be somewhat limited, and they'd often live in seclusion, considering the drastic change in lifestyles, and the thought that they could NEVER again gain retribution in the eyes of their people.
EDIT: Regarding the Blood Elven Death Knights, it's basically the same principle as the Draenei, except the Blood Elves were introduced BEFORE Arthas fused with Ner'zhul to form the Lich King. (Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne)
As for age, just consult general age guidelines. IE: No non-adults.
Hrm, thinking over my story I'm not sure if it's allowed anyways. See, wanted to make the father of my Blood Elf, Shinn, a death knight. Shinn's father dies in the battle of Silvermoon, thuse he would've died a high elf. Would it be wrong to use that as a basis for his Death Knight? :<
Death Knights are incapable of fathering/mothering offspring, like all Undead. Although, Death Knights aren't necessarily undead/etc.
Unless you mean differently regarding HOW he became a Death Knight. Could you please explain further?
EDIT: For his father to become a Death Knight around the Battle of Silvermoon (Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos), his corpse would've decayed long before the 3rd Generation Death Knights were first risen.
His father probably would've become nothing more than a Ghoul or a skeletal warrior if he were risen after the Battle for Silvermoon.
He dies in the battle of Silvermoon, when the scourge first attacks. He had a family before then, would that be against the rules seeing as he would technically be a High Elf if he died back then and became a Death Knight sometime after the attack?
It wouldn't be against the rules, considering that Blood Elves become adults at 100 or so years of age, and no new PLAYABLE Blood Elves would've been born. All playable Blood Elves WERE High Elves in the past.
Well, I guess if you can manage to find a way to explain how he doesn't completely rot to nothingness, you can have him as a Death Knight some years after the battle for Silvermoon.
Preservation with the help of his Son who became a warlock. :3 Honoring the dead and later on losing the body having to flee from Kal'dorei.
Well, that would more than likely work.
Although, Warlocks delve more into Demonic magics rather than Death magics. I don't see how it isn't plausible however.
All you'd need to do is explain how the corpse managed to find itself in Scourge territory. (Not hard since plenty of Scourge surround Silvermoon/Ghostlands/etc.)