Sign inArthas Menethil
Arthas Menethil was the crown prince of Lordaeron, a paladin of the Knights of the Silver Hand who took up the cursed runeblade Frostmourne, murdered his father, and destroyed his own kingdom. By the time of World of Warcraft he has merged with the spirit of the original Lich King and sits on the Frozen Throne in Northrend as the master of The Scourge. He never appears in Classic, but nearly everything in the northern Eastern Kingdoms, from the Undercity to the Eastern Plaguelands, is the aftermath of what he did.
Biography
The prince
Arthas was the only son of King Terenas Menethil II of Lordaeron. He trained as a paladin under Uther the Lightbringer and was raised into the Knights of the Silver Hand as a young man. He had a romance with the young sorceress Jaina Proudmoore.
The Third War
When a plague began turning the people of northern Lordaeron into undead, Arthas and Jaina investigated it. They traced it to the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned, and Arthas killed Kel'Thuzad at Andorhal. The plague had already spread through the grain supply. At Stratholme, Arthas ordered the city's people killed before they could turn. Uther and Jaina refused to take part, and the event became known as the Culling of Stratholme.
Arthas pursued the dreadlord Mal'Ganis to Northrend. Desperate to win, he burned his own ships to keep his men from leaving and claimed the runeblade Frostmourne, which took his soul. He killed Mal'Ganis, returned to Lordaeron as a death knight, and murdered his father on his throne. The Scourge overran the kingdom.
He went on to kill Uther, lead the Scourge through Quel'Thalas, kill the ranger-general Sylvanas Windrunner and raise her as a banshee, and use the Sunwell to resurrect Kel'Thuzad as a lich. In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, he returned to Northrend, defeated Illidan Stormrage, and put on the Helm of Domination, merging with Ner'zhul to become the Lich King.
In World of Warcraft
Arthas has no NPC in Classic, but his legacy is everywhere.
The Undercity. The Forsaken capital lies beneath the ruins of Lordaeron's capital in Tirisfal Glades. The ruined throne room where Arthas killed Terenas still stands in the ruins above the city. During Children's Week, an orc orphan asks to be taken there in Lordaeron Throne Room and tells the story of "how the evil Arthas took his own father's life".
The Forsaken. Sylvanas Windrunner broke free of his control and leads the Forsaken against both the Scourge and the living. The Forsaken starting quests in Tirisfal, beginning with Rude Awakening, describe the undead who have escaped the Lich King's will.
The Plaguelands. The Scourge holds most of Western and Eastern Plaguelands, ruled for the Lich King by Kel'Thuzad from Naxxramas and by Baron Rivendare in Stratholme. In Scholomance, the quest Menethil's Gift retells how Ras Frostwhisper pledged his soul to the Lich King.
Uther's Tomb. Uther's resting place in Western Plaguelands is visited during the Harvest Festival, where Alliance players honor him in Honoring a Hero.
Names in the world. Herbalists gather [Arthas' Tears] in the Plaguelands, and alchemists brew [Gift of Arthas]. In Classic Naxxramas, Kel'Thuzad drops a two-handed mace called [[forever:item:22798]].
Later history
Arthas is the central villain of Wrath of the Lich King (November 2008), which took players to Northrend. His story ends in Icecrown Citadel (patch 3.3, December 2009), where Tirion Fordring shatters Frostmourne and the Lich King is defeated. As Arthas dies, the helm passes to Bolvar Fordragon, who becomes the new Lich King to keep the Scourge in check.
Arthas's life is told in Christie Golden's novel Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (2009).
Trivia
- Arthas is the main character of the human and undead campaigns of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002).
- In Warcraft III, the inscription where Arthas finds Frostmourne warns that whoever takes up the blade will wield power eternal, but that the power will scar the spirit.
Sources
Categories: Characters
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