Following the events of the cinematic, Arthas’s words came to pass. Lordaeron fell to the Scourge almost entirely. Players rejoin Arthas, now a Death Knight, as he is summoned by a Dreadlord whom Arthas mistakes for Mal’Ganis, but quickly learns is Tichondrius. Tichondrius, like Mal’Ganis is a servant of the Dark Lord of Death; only Tichondrius gives this Dark Lord a proper name — The Lich King. He sheds more light on the curse that Muradin spoke of in Frostmourne’s chamber: Frostmourne is a runeblade that was forged and empowered by the Lich King to steal souls, and Arthas’s was the first it consumed. This provides an extra layer of context to everything the fallen prince has done since taking up the blade. Following this revelation, Arthas reflects on how his actions have damned all that he once stood to protect. Yet he acknowledges that he feels no remorse or pity — a sign to players that the brash yet empathetic prince is gone completely; despite Arthas’s story continuing, this will not be a redemption story.
In a twist of dark irony, Tichondrius sends Arthas to Andorhal to recover the remains of Kel’Thuzad, so he can be resurrected. Arthas successfully claims the remains but needs to recover a special urn to keep them safe on the journey to Quel’Thalas —the home of the high elves. Come to find out that the urn is a relic of great importance to the paladins of the Silver Hand, and it is currently being guarded by Arthas’s former teacher and master, Uther. After learning of Arthas’s goal, Uther, beside himself with rage, finally looses the most emotional condemnation a paladin of his composure and stature could allow, “The urn holds your father’s ashes, Arthas! What, were you hoping to piss on them one last time before you left his kingdom to rot?”
Arthas is completely unfazed by Uther’s words, and this may have been alarming had players not witnessed the prince’s deeds up to this point. Yet it still does much to illustrate just how detached the death knight has become from all he once fought for and loved. Uther is subdued and shares words with Arthas one final time, condemning him to rot in hell. Arthas arrogantly proclaims that he aims to live forever, kills Uther, then collects the urn and moves out — presumably dumping his father’s ashes unceremoniously to the ground. Players may have expected the death of Uther to carry more weight or be given greater focus, yet the lack of importance placed on the scene is reflective of how little Arthas thinks of the deed. Uther is an obstacle like any other and Arthas feels no sentimentality towards him—he feels nothing at all.
As Arthas and his forces arrive in the elven lands of Quel’Thalas, which themselves are situated to the north of Lordaeron, they learn that the lands are protected both naturally and magically—dense forests provide natural fortification against any troop movements, and magically reinforced elfgates bar the main roads. As Arthas fights his way north into the heart of elven territory, he and his forces are harried by Sylvanas Windrunner, the Ranger General of Silvermoon City—the elven capital—and her farstriders, elite elven archers tasked with the defense of Quel’Thalas.
Making quick work of Quel’Thalas’s defenses, both natural and elf-made, Arthas carves a scar of devastation up the main road and through the forests, his siege weapons shearing massive pathways through the forests, he and his necromancers raising every fallen elf into an undead servant, and his army razing every elven structure in its path. His actions this day would blight the land forever, and the hideous blemish left behind on the golden land of Quel’Thalas would go on to be known as The Dead Scar. Finally, Arthas and his soldiers break down the last elfgate and invade Silvermoon City proper. As Arthas reaches the heart of Silvermoon, he finally gets the better of Sylvanas, but to repay her for the annoyance, instead of killing her, he rips her soul from her body and turns her into a banshee enslaved to his will.
The same fate befell many of her farstriders, as they now marched with Arthas and the Scourge. Arthas’s ultimate goal in Quel’Thalas was a font of great magical power—a point where many of the magical leylines of the world converged—The Sunwell. The Sunwell was the elves’ greatest treasure, and it was the source of their boundless magical power. It’s energies would be powerful enough to resurrect Kel’Thuzad. With Silvermoon conquered and the Ranger General dead and raised into his service, there was no one left to stop him. His forces continued to raze the city, killing, consuming, and raising those who hadn’t yet perished. As the elven kingdom collapsed all around him, Arthas used the Sunwell to resurrect Kel’Thuzad, corrupting it in the process. Not only was the elven population ravaged and their homeland all but destroyed, but their greatest treasure and font of power was also corrupted completely by Arthas.
Kel’Thuzad’s resurrection transformed him into a being known as a lich—an undead with immense and potent magical power. Arthas now learned that Kel’Thuzad was key to the Lich King’s plans because his ultimate goal was to herald the coming of the Burning Legion—a colossal army of demons that travel from world to world, consuming and destroying them completely. The Dreadlords are demons working in service of a demon lord, and this demon lord created the Lich King with the task of preparing this world for his coming—softening it, destroying any organized forces that could stand against him; the humans of Lordaeron or the elves of Quel’Thalas, for instance.
Before Kel’Thuzad herald this demonic invasion, the lich had to commune with the demon lord, Archimonde, to learn where to find the needed incantations. They reside in the spellbook of Medivh, the Last Guardian, a human mage whose history is deeply entwined with the Burning Legion. His spell book is in the possession of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran, so Kel’Thuzad and Arthas set out for Dalaran. There, Arthas ultimately kills Antonidas, and they retrieve the tome. Arthas and Kel’Thuzad set up the summoning ritual just outside of Dalaran and Kel’Thuzad summons Archimonde into their world.
While he does not officially commence the Burning Legion’s invasion, he does state that the Lich King has served his purpose and transfers command of the Scourge to the Dreadlords. As the members of the Legion depart, Arthas and Kel’Thuzad are left behind. Arthas angrily questions Kel’Thuzad about their fate now that the demons have no need of them, yet Kel’Thuzad reassures Arthas that the Lich King has accounted for this as well and that there may yet be more for them to do as his agents. That is all players and Arthas are told for now, as the narrative of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos moves on to follow the events of the Burning Legion’s invasion.
Warcraft 3’s expansion, The Frozen Throne, follows a number of characters and plot threads left open at the conclusion of Reign of Chaos, but there is one angle in particular that is relevant to the history of Arthas Menethil; the conflict between Illidan Stormrage and Arthas who both serve as proxies in the conflict between their masters the Burning Legion and the Lich King. Illidan is first approached by the Burning Legion and asked to destroy The Frozen Throne, the Lich King’s seat of power, using a demonic artifact known as The Eye of Sargeras. Using this artifact, Illidan weaves a spell that sends tremors throughout the earth all the way to Northrend, where he intends to destroy the very land that The Frozen Throne is built upon. He is thwarted by his brother, Malfurion, however and soon flees to the shattered world of Outland.
During this time Arthas, Kel’Thuzad, and Sylvanas are working to regain control of the Scourge and the ruins of Lordaeron from the Dreadlords left in control of it, Detheroc, Varimathras, and Balnazzar. Arthas begins having random seizures, during which he also has visions of the Lich King speaking to him. The Lich King speaks of danger, of enemies approaching, and of time running out. Arthas and Kel’Thuzad struggle to make sense of the visions, but Arthas can feel his powers beginning to fade. As they work to undermine the Dreadlords the visions become more frequent, and the Lich King’s warnings become more urgent. Eventually he warns Arthas that agents of the Burning Legion are making for the Frozen Throne to destroy him once and for all, and he beckons Arthas back to defend him.
By this point, Arthas’s power has all but waned and he isn’t even able to control his own troops anymore. This is in part from a weakening of the Frozen Throne thanks to Illidan’s earlier attacks with the Eye of Sargeras. The Dreadlords see this as a key opportunity to kill Arthas and so they set a trap for him near the coast as he rushes to return to Northrend. He is separated from Kel’Thuzad but is able to escape with the help of a few of Sylvanas’s banshees. They lead him into the forest where they can regroup when suddenly an arrow flies out of the tree line and hits Arthas. A paralytic poison sets in immediately, and Sylvanas reveals herself. She and her banshees broke free of his control long ago but were biding their time so that they could lay the perfect trap, and strike when the fallen prince was at his weakest. Right as they are about to finish him off, however, Kel’Thuzad arrives and drives them off.
With his aid, Arthas escapes the mainland and makes for Northrend. Once there, Arthas learns that the agents of the Legion are Illidan Stormrage and two of his chief lieutenants, Lady Vashj of the Naga, and Prince Kael’Thas Sunstrider of the blood elves of Quel’Thalas. With the help of a Nerubian Underking, Anub’Arak, Arthas uses a subterranean tunnel system built by the Nerubians to arrive at the Frozen Throne in time. Once there, he fights Illidan, eventually overcoming him, and enters the Throne Chamber. He ascends the frozen spire to the top where the Lich King, a spirit trapped in a set of armor and frozen in a pillar of ice, awaits.
This and what follows it are depicted, once again, in a cinematic. Please watch it as well before reading on.
–Nico De Paolis