Lore of Warcraft: The Fall of Arthas

As the terrible war against the Lich King enters its final chapter, let us reflect on the man, once a great hero of the Alliance, who fell so far from grace.

As with all tragic heroes, Prince Arthas Menethil suffered a fatal flaw.  The most triumphant stories are about those who overcome, or succumb, to the Dark Side of their nature.  Our very own honored ancestor, Grom Hellscream, was one such hero.  His tale ended in glory and freedom.  But the story of Arthas, on the other hand, is how these tales usually end...


Through the magicks of the Bronze Dragonflight and the Caverns of Time, most of us have witnessed firsthand the Culling of Stratholme, and the terrible cost of the Human's desire to destroy the Undead Plague.  But what many do not know is the aftermath of this slaughter.  Driven by Anger and Vengeance, as well as a genuine desire to protect his kingdom, Arthas led his expedition into the frozen wastes of Northrend.  The events that unfolded are splendidly told in:

Using the original voice soundtracks from Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos, storyteller Andrew Egeskog masterfully recreates the events of the Lost Expedition.  The movie itself is close to 30 minutes long!  So make some popcorn, grab a drink, and bear witness to the Aftermath of the Culling of Stratholme!

At the time, the Lich King, Ner'zhul, commanded the Scourge from his icy prison atop the Frozen Throne.   A pawn of the Burning Legion, the Lich King sought not only domination of the Living, but freedom from his demonic masters.  But separated from his most powerful weapon, the Lich King needed a Champion, one who would be a terrible extension of his vast power.  Arthas, with his indomitable spirit, at once righteous and flawed, was the ideal candidate. This very spirit was what awakened the dark powers of the Lich King's favored weapon, Frostmourne!  It was also this spirit that was the first to be consumed by it!  Thus, he became the Champion of the Lich King, and the first of a new order of terrible Death Knights!


There is no account for the time Arthas spent wandering the frozen wastes.  What is known is that, many months later, Arthas returned to Lordaeron, and was welcomed as a Hero.  What happened next imprinted itself on the very walls of the once mighty city, and still haunts its halls to this day:

The Death Knight Arthas would go on to scour the living from his former home, and bring ruin to the surrounding kingdoms of Silvermoon and Dalaran.  Ner'zhul's demonic masters were well pleased.  Convinced that their Scourge would obliterate any resistance left in the Eastern Kingdoms, the Dreadlords began their invasion of Kalimdor.


But before the end of the Third War, the Lich King, through his champion, defied the Burning Legion.  The Death Knight Arthas severed the tie that bound them to their Fel Masters.  Enraged by this act of insolence, Kil'jaeden, the source of the Lich King's vast might, withdrew his powers from Ner'zhul.  The Dreadlord Tichodrius set about the task of finding their own Champion to slay the upstart Death Knight and destroy the Lich King.  At first there was no being powerful enough to meet the challenge.  

Then came Illidan.

The one called Betrayer was promised immeasurable power in exchange for this job.  Through ancient and arcane arts, he breached the Frozen Throne, as well as the icy prison of the Lich King itself!  The Death Knight Arthas succeeded in stopping the ritual that would have destroyed him, but the damage was done.  The Lich King was weakened, as was all his necromantic power and influence.  Leaving the weakened Death Knight to lick his wounds, Illidan marched upon Icecrown Citadel to finish with blade what magick could not.

But Illidan would find one last obstacle.  Having once again left his homeland and forces behind, the Death Knight Arthas stood alone against the Betrayer.  Their battle was legendary, and only through the combined power of Ner'zhul and the Death Knight himself was Illidan felled by the mighty Frostmourne.  

The cost of victory, however, was too much.  Having nearly expended the last of their dwindling power, the Lich King was dying, as was his Death Knight Champion.  There was only one hope; reunite the runeblade Frostmourne and the Lich King itself.  This would ensure enough power for a final act that would save the Lich King and his champion, but spell certain doom for the denizens of Azeroth for years to come:

In what can best be described as a state of hibernation, the Lich King survived.  Cut off from the Fel energies of the Burning Legion, he would search for a new source of necromantic power.  He would eventually succeed.  For far below the Frozen Throne, even below the ancient kingdom of Azjol'Nerub, something older, and darker, than Kil'Jaeden himself would awaken.  This Forgotten Evil would empower the Lich King's command over the undead more than ten-fold times greater than before!  5 years later, Arthas would return to the world of the living, and indeed shake the very foundations of the world!