#15 - For Azeroth!: “Arthas’s Fall”
2/20/17
• Garrett • Jocelyn
Sponsors:
Intro: Welcome to For Azeroth!
What We’re Doing in WoW
- Lost a great friend last week, love and condolences to everyone in AIE
- Got my spooky moose mount and my fiery saber mount!
- 6/10 in Nighthold
- Timewalking through Cata
- Finally asked Blingtron 6000 where’s the party?
- Finally finished my Broken Isles Explorer quest. Dumb Hunter class hall.
- Managed to get a neck upgrade that actually has Haste!
- Apparently I’m tanking tomorrow night. Time to relearn a bunch of fights.
- First three, + Spellblade, Augur, & Krosus
Lore
Making a Lich King - Arthas Menethil
It’s Garrett gets to fanboy day!
Early Life
- Prince Arthas Menethil was born to King Terenas Menethil II and Queen Lianne Menethil, four years before the start of the First War
- As a young child, Arthas became best friends with Varian Wrynn
- Arthas was trained in combat by Muradin Bronzebeard, the brother of the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard, and became an adept swordsman
- He learned the ways of the Light under the tutelage of Uther the Lightbringer
- Arthas was inducted into the Knights of the Silver Hand, a ceremony that took place in Stormwind City, and was attended by Jaina Proudmoore, whom he hadn’t seen since childhood when she was passing through Lordaeron on her way to study in Dalaran
- They kept in contact this time, and over the years, grew to love one another. Arthas broke off the relationship in order to let Jaina concentrate on her studies
- While riding home from Durnholde Keep, he and his horse Invincible had an accident, leaving the horse mortally wounded. Arthas had to put his mount, who he had grown up riding, out of his misery, an act that haunted him for the rest of his life
The Plague of Undeath
- While Arthas and other members of the Alliance of Lordaeron were fighting against orcs who had been freed from the internment camps, a new threat was rising, the Plague of Undeath
- Arthas was joined by Jaina and Captain Falric to investigate the new Plague in the town of Brill
- They fought an undead army at a plague-infested granary before encountering the necromancer Kel'Thuzad. The trio pursued him to Andorhal.
- Kel'Thuzad had already infected the stored grain in Andorhal and shipped it out to outlying villages
- Before Arthas killed him, Kel'Thuzad spoke of Mal'Ganis, a Nathrezim demon who led the Scourge. Arthas and Jaina rode to Stratholme to confront Mal’Ganis
- Arthas and Jaina stopped at Hearthglen, hoping to rest, but they were attacked by an undead army
- Arthas sent Jaina to find Uther and ask for his help, while he stayed behind to defend Hearthglen
- To his horror, he realized that the plague not only killed people, but then raised them from the dead, adding to the army
- Uther and Jaina arrived with reinforcements just as Arthas was about to be overrun. The three set off for Stratholme
- While on their way to Stratholme, Arthas was approached by the prophet Medivh who warned Arthas not to continue on his path, but to head to Kalimdor to face an even greater threat. Arthas refused to abandon his people and continued to Stratholme
Culling of Stratholme
- When they arrived, Arthas, Jaina and Uther realized the plagued grain had already been distributed to the people
- Arthas knew that they would soon turn into undead, and ordered Uther and his men to purge all the residents of the town in order to attempt to stop the spread of the plague
- Uther refused, saying he would never follow an order like that, even if Arthas was king
- Calling this action treason, Arthas dissolved the Knights of the Silver Hand
- Several of his soldiers left with Uther — as did Jaina — while those that remained loyal to Arthas joined him in slaughtering the corrupted townsfolk
- As Arthas began to slay the citizens of Stratholme, he was met by Mal'Ganis himself, who was working to claim the souls of the townsfolk
- Arthas demanded a final showdown with the dreadlord. Mal'Ganis slipped away, however, vowing to meet him in Northrend
- Something snapped in Arthas that day, his inability to stop the plague sent him down a cold lonely path
Northrend
- Arthas followed Mal'Ganis with a detachment of his troops, arriving a month later in Daggercap Bay
- Arthas's men came under gunfire before being recognized by the dwarven explorers guild, led by Muradin Bronzebeard.
- At first, Muradin thought that Arthas was leading a rescue party sent to save his men, who had been besieged by the undead as they searched for the runeblade Frostmourne, but Arthas told him it was a coincidence
- With no signs of Mal’Ganis nearby, Muradin and Arthas went to search for Frostmourne
- An emissary from Lordaeron arrived in a zeppelin and spoke to the men after Arthas had departed. He bore orders from Uther and Terenas, instructing Arthas and his men to return home.
- When Arthas returned to his base, the men had abandoned their posts
- Arthas had no intention of leaving before Mal'Ganis was destroyed. With the help of some mercenaries, he managed to reach and burn his boats before his men
- When his men arrived, Arthas betrayed his mercenaries, accusing them of destroying the ships, and had them killed, much to the disgust of Muradin.
- Arthas told his men that they had no means of going home, and the only way they were leaving Northrend was through victory.
The Runeblade Frostmourne
- Arthas and his troops continued to press on to Drak'Tharon Keep in search of Frostmourne
- As he arrived, Mal'Ganis appeared to him, and foretold his death
- Arthas went to search for Frostmourne with Muradin, leaving his captain to defend the camp.
- Using an ancient waygate, Arthas, Muradin, and a small group of men traveled to the vicinity of the fabled runeblade.
- Arthas was soon confronted by the Guardian, who tried to keep him from Frostmourne, apparently for his own protection, but Arthas slew the Guardian and continued to the sword
- Muradin, reading an inscription, reported that the blade was cursed and pleaded with him to leave it alone and return home
- Arthas asked the spirits of the cavern for the sword to be released from its icy prison, proclaiming that he would "give anything or pay any price, if only you will let me save my people."
- When the weapon broke free, Muradin was struck by a rogue shard of ice
- Arthas discarded his holy warhammer, Light's Vengeance, then picked Frostmourne up and returned to his base, leaving Muradin for dead.
- With Frostmourne in hand, Arthas defeated Mal'Ganis' minions and finally confronted the demon.
- Mal'Ganis told him that the voice he was now hearing from Frostmourne was that of the Lich King. Arthas replied that voice was instructing him to destroy Mal'Ganis, much to the dreadlord's surprise.
- Slaying the dreadlord, Arthas fled into the frozen north, leaving his troops to fend for themselves. Arthas soon lost the last remnants of sanity.
Betrayal
- By claiming Frostmourne, betraying one of his oldest friends, and slaying many of his men, Arthas became the first of the Lich King’s Death Knights, and his most powerful servant
- Many of those men were raised to become Death Knights themselves in service to Arthas
- Arthas returned to Lordaeron months later, and the kingdom rejoiced at the return of its champion
- Arthas entered the Imperial chamber and knelt before the throne, flanked by his Death Knights Falric and Marwyn
- After telling his father that he no longer needed to bear the weight of his crown, Arthas walked up to Terenas and ran Frostmourne through his heart
- Arthas then unleashed the Scourge upon the Capital City
- Leaving Falric and Marwyn to oversee his forces in the city, Arthas ran to the Balnir Farmstead. There he used his necromantic powers to raise his faithful steed Invincible into undeath, allowing it to serve as his mount once again
Links
Emails
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Gurdrid, Paladin. Aerie Peak
Garrett,
Other than re-skinning Acherus, which would have been nice, you shouldn't really complain. You just got your class hall 8 years early :p
Also, the paladin and warlock class mounts were removed with the Cata revamp.
Love the show!! (All the Joce love)
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