The history of the whip. Chapter V: Return of the Burning Legion

11-01-2020Shaman Ner-Zul, King of the Lich
Orc clans have lived on Draenor for millennia, honoring their ancient gods and listening to the teachings of shamans. They knew neither meanness nor dishonor. However, the Burning Legion has long looked at these ferocious warriors, seeing them as potential bloodthirsty assassins - and their future indestructible army. The insidious demon Kil-Jaeden, the assistant commander of the Legion, decided to undermine the orc society from the inside.

Kil-Jaeden came to the most respected of the leaders of the orcs, the oldest shaman Ner-Zul, and announced that he could endow the orcs with tremendous power and power over the whole world. He even offered to transfer some secret knowledge to the shaman. The price to be paid was the agreement of Ner-Zul, along with his people, to stand under the banner of the Burning Legion. A calculating shaman, consumed by a thirst for power, accepted the demon's offer and entered into a Blood Pact with him - thereby dooming his unsuspecting people to slavery.

Over time, Kil-Jaeden discovered that Ner-Zul lacked either the will or the audacity to carry out his plans to turn the orcs into a bloodthirsty horde. The shaman, realizing at last that the deal he had made would lead the orcs to death, refused to further assist the demon. Furious with open disobedience, Kil-Jaeden vowed to punish Ner-Zul and get his way anyway. He found himself a new follower who would lead the orcs away from the old customs - he was Gul-dan, a disciple of the old shaman.

With the help of Kil-Jaeden, Gul-dan succeeded in what his master failed. Filled with anger and lust for power, he not only abolished the ancient shamanic cults, replacing them with the study of the dark magic of demons, but also united the clans of the orcs in the ever-troubled Horde, which was what Kil-Jaeden wanted. Ner-Zul, powerless to interfere with his former apprentice, could only watch how he skillfully turns the orcs into mindless instruments of death.

The years passed; Ner-Zul still indulged in gloomy reflections on the fate of the crimson world of Draenor and its people. He saw the beginning of the first orc invasion of Azeroth, heard of the Second War of the Horde and the Lordaeron Alliance. He witnessed the betrayal and meanness that ate his people from the inside. Although the leader of the Horde on the path to a dark future was Gul-dan, Ner-Zul knew that in fact he alone laid the foundation for what was happening, and the terrible fate of the orcs was on his conscience.

Shortly after the end of the Second War, word reached Draenor of the defeat of the Orcs. Ner-Zul understood that the Horde, having failed to conquer Azeroth, did not live up to the demons' expectations. Fearing that Kil-Jaeden, together with the Legion, would go to avenge those orcs who remained on Draenor, Ner-Zul decided to flee to escape their wrath and opened several magical portals to new worlds not defiled by demons. The old shaman gathered all the orc clans that remained on Draenor, and set out to lead them through one of the portals - towards a new destiny.

But before he had time to carry out his plan, an expeditionary force of the Alliance appeared on Draenor, sent to destroy the orcs once and for all. Clans loyal to Ner-Zulu held back the onslaught of the human army, giving the shaman the opportunity to open portals. But, having finished, Ner-Zul realized to his horror that the violent power contained in the portals was about to tear the fabric of Draenor itself to shreds.

Meanwhile, the Alliance forces pushed the orcs deep into their doomed homeland. Seeing that the fighters would never be able to reach the portals in time, the frightened shaman left them to their fate and fled along with his minions. They stepped into the portal, and Draenor exploded and shattered into pieces. The old shaman was glad that he had happily escaped death ... Ironically, he lived to see the hour when he bitterly regretted that he had not shared the fate of his unfortunate compatriots.

Keel-Jaeden's new deal
As soon as Ner-Zul and his followers found themselves in the Underworld, the space that connects all the worlds scattered in the Eternal Darkness, they were immediately captured by demons. Keel-Jaeden, vowing to punish Ner-Zul for disobedience, began to mercilessly torture him, slowly tearing his body apart. But the demon kept the spirit of the shaman alive and unharmed, so that he could more sharply feel the nightmarish torments of the dismembered body. No matter how Ner-Zul begged the demon to release his spirit and grant him death, Kil-Jaeden replied only that the Blood Pact concluded between them remained in force - and that he intended to finally use his rebellious pawn.

Due to the defeat of the Orcs on Azeroth, Kil-Jaeden had to assemble a new army to sow chaos and destruction in the lands of the Alliance. But in it there should not have been internal squabbles and strife that destroyed the Horde. This time, Keel-Jaeden had no room for error.

Continuing to torment the shaman's helpless spirit, Kil-Jaeden offered him a choice of either eternal torture or his last chance to serve the Legion. And he again rashly agreed to a deal with the demon. The spirit of Ner-Zul was placed in a block of special ice, hard as a diamond, collected in the far reaches of the Underworld. Enclosed in magic ice, the shaman felt how his consciousness expanded many thousands of times. Under the influence of the demonic forces of chaos, he turned into a ghost - but immensely powerful. At this point, an orc named Ner-Zul ceased to exist, and the Lich King appeared.

Death knights and sorcerers loyal to Ner-Zul also did not escape transformation. The forces of chaos tore the evil magicians apart and recreated them in the form of skeletons. According to the assurances of the demons, even in death, the followers of Ner-Zul will blindly obey him.

When everything was ready, Keel-Jaeden calmly explained why he, in fact, created the Lich King. Ner-Zul's mission was to spread death and horror across Azeroth - a magical plague that would destroy humanity forever and ever. All those who died from this plague will rise up as undead, and their souls will forever be subject to the will of Ner-Zul. Keel Jaeden even promised to provide the ill-fated Lich King with a new, healthy body if he successfully cope with his terrible mission.

Although Ner-Zul agreed to everything and seemed even glad to play his part, Keel-Jaeden still doubted the loyalty of his pawn. The icy prison and the absence of a body guaranteed his obedience for some time, but the demon perfectly understood that the former shaman needed an eye and an eye. Therefore, he assigned a guard from the elite guard of demon-vampires - the Lords of Terror to the Lich King, obliging them to vigilantly and vigilantly monitor Ner-Zul and the implementation of his terrible mission. Ticondrus, the most powerful and cunning of them, was delighted with all this - and especially with how deadly the plague is: its victims will be endless.

Icecrown and the Frozen Throne
So, Kil-Jaeden hurled Ner-Zul - already in a block of ice - back to the world of Azeroth. A meteor that traced the night sky, this ice crystal fell on the barren Arctic continent of Northrend, burrowing deep into the gloomy labyrinths of a glacier called Icecrown. The boulder itself, scratched and beaten during the fall, became like a throne - and inside this "throne" the spirit of Ner-Zul hungry for revenge.

Sitting in the Frozen Throne, Ner-Zul began to gradually expand the limits of his grandiose consciousness and touch the consciousness of the indigenous inhabitants of Northrend. He enslaved many local creatures with surprising ease, such as ice trolls and ferocious yeti. He discovered that his supernatural powers were almost limitless - and created a small army, sheltering them in the tangled labyrinths of Icecrown. Amassing an army under the watchful eye of the Dreadlords, he stumbled upon a secluded human settlement on the edge of the vast Dragon Land. The Lich King decided to test his strength and send a plague on unsuspecting people.

Thus, the plague, turning into undead, emanating from the depths of the Frozen Throne, crept across the icy desert. Directing the plague with only the power of thought, Ner-Zul drove it straight to the human village, and after three days there was not a single living person left there. But very little time passed, and the dead villagers began to rise - already in the form of zombies. Ner-Zul felt their souls and thoughts as his own, and this eerie cacophony in his mind seemed to give him even more strength, as if the souls were providing him with extremely necessary food. Controlling all the actions of the zombies turned out to be easy for the Lich King; it was in his power to lead them to any goal.

Over the following months, Ner-Zul continued to experiment with the sorcerous plague, infecting all the people of Northrend with it. His army of undead grew every day, and he felt that the time of real trials was approaching.

Spider war
Ten years have passed. All this time, Ner-Zul had been gathering an army and rebuilding a military base in Northrend, and a huge citadel now towered over Icecrown. The growing legions of the undead became her garrison. But while the Lich King's power spread farther and farther across the land, an ancient rebellious empire confronted him underground. Atsdzol-Nerub, a realm founded by the eerie race of spider-men, has sent its elite guard to attack Icecrown to end the Lich King and his insane lust for power. To the great displeasure of Ner-Zul, it turned out that the vile warriors of Nerub were not susceptible not only to the plague, but also to its telepathic effects. The spiders had a large army and an extensive network of underground tunnels that spanned nearly half of Northrend. Their pin-prick tactics over and over again nullified Ner-Zul's efforts to destroy them.

In the end, Ner-Zul won this war, literally overwhelming the enemy with numbers: the frantic Dreadlords and countless legions of undead soldiers broke into Atsdzol-Nerub and brought down the underground temples on the heads of their inhabitants, the spider lords. Although Nerub's warriors could not catch the plague, Ner-Zul was already such a powerful necromancer that he was able to raise the corpses of the spider warriors and subdue them to his will. In memory of the steadfastness and fearlessness of the spider people, Ner-Zul adopted their architectural style. From now on, fortresses and buildings in his lands began to resemble the buildings of spiders. Remaining the sole ruler in his kingdom, Ner-Zul has come to grips with the task for which
was sent to this world. Reaching out with his consciousness to human lands, the Lich King began to call - any dark soul that hears him ...

Kel-Tuzed and the Cult of the Damned
Several powerful magicians from this world heard the call of Ner-Zul. Of these, the most prominent was Archmage Kel-Tuzed of Dalaran. Kel-Tuzed, one of the senior members of the Kirin Tor, the ruling council of Dalaran, was considered a "black sheep" by his colleagues as he devoted many years to the hard study of forbidden magic - necromancy. He longed for a comprehensive knowledge of the magic of the ghost world and its wonders, and he was irritated by the outdated dogmas of his unimaginative fellows.

Hearing a powerful magical call from Northrend, the Archmage did his best to communicate with the mysterious voice. Firmly convinced that the Kirin Tor was too scrupulous to want to wield the power of black magic, he decided to accept knowledge from the hands of the immensely powerful Lich King. Having renounced both wealth, position in society, and the moral principles of the Kirin Tor, Kel-Tuzed left Dalaran forever.

In obedience to the pressing call in his head, he sold his vast lands, and then single-handedly went to the land of eternal ice. After long weeks of wandering by land and sea, the Archmage finally reached the rugged shores of Northrend. He wanted to get to Icecrown to enlist in the service of the Lich King, and his path lay through the ruins of a past war - what remained of Atsdzol-Nerub. For the first time, he was able to assess the scale of the power of Ner-Zul. And he began to understand that an alliance with the mysterious King of the Lich is not only a wise act, but, possibly, useful. After long months of traveling through the harsh icy desert, Kel-Tuzed finally reached his goal - a gloomy glacier.

Bravely approaching the gates of the dark citadel of Ner-Zul, he was shocked: the skeleton guard silently let him in, like a long-awaited guest. Kel-Tuzed went down to the deepest layers of the glacier. There, among the endless heaps of ice and shadows, he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his own soul to the Lich King.

Ner-Zul was pleased with his new recruit. He promised Kel-Tuzed immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience. The archmage, longing for dark knowledge and power, happily accepted the first task of Ner-Zul - to return to the human world and found a new religion there, according to which the Lich King would be worshiped as a god.

So that the Archmage could better cope with this task, Ner-Zul has left him human for now. The charming old magician had to, using his gift of persuasion and skill in creating illusions, win the trust of the poor and desperate, then plant in their minds the idea of \u200b\u200bthe possibility of creating a new society ... and a new king would rise at its head.

Kel-Tuzed returned to Lordaeron unrecognized and over the next three years, thanks to his mind and money, founded a secret brotherhood of like-minded people and called it the Cult of the Damned. It promised its novices social equality and eternal life in the vastness of Azeroth, if they become loyal servants of Ner-Zul.

Over time, the followers of the Cult became more and more - the destitute, exhausted by backbreaking work, the poor came to them. Oddly enough, it turned out to be very easy to convert faith in the Good Light into faith in the dark forces of Ner-Zul. The influence of the Cult of the Damned grew, its ranks expanded - and Kel-Tuzed made every effort to prevent the Lordaeron authorities from learning about the activities of the Cult.

Scourge Plexus
With Kel-Tuzed doing his job perfectly, the Lich King set about making final preparations for the destruction of humanity. After enclosing the magic of the plague in several small items, the so-called plague cauldrons, Ner-Zul ordered Kel-Tuzed to transport them to Lordaeron and hide them in various villages under the protection of the most reliable followers of the Cult. The cauldrons were supposed to send plague to unsuspecting villages and towns in northern Lordaeron.

Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos

After months of preparation, Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned finally struck the first blow, spreading the plague across Lordaeron. Uther and his fellow paladins have explored the tainted areas in hopes of finding a way to stop the plague. Despite their efforts, the plague continued to spread and threatened to tear the Alliance apart.

As soon as the ranks of the undead appeared throughout Lordaeron, Terenas' only son, Prince Artes, took up the fight against the Scourge. Arthas succeeded in killing Kel'Thuzad, but even after that, the ranks of the undead grew with each soldier who fell defending their land. Overwhelmed and cornered by an almost unstoppable enemy, Artes took more and more extreme measures to defeat him. Finally, Arthas' friends warned him that he was beginning to lose his human form.

Artes' fear and his methods, it turned out, served as his ultimate downfall. He traced the source of the plague back to Northrend, intending to end this threat forever. But instead, Prince Artes ultimately fell prey to the Lich King's immense power. Believing that this would save his people, Arthas raised the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne. The sword did grant him incomprehensible power, but at the same time it stole his soul and transformed him into the greatest of the Lich King's death knights. With a rejected soul and shattered sanity, Arthas led the Scourge against his own kingdom. Eventually, Arthas killed his own father, King Terenas, and crushed Lordaeron with the Lich King's iron heel.

Sunwell - Fall of Quel'Thalas

Although he had defeated all the humans he now regarded as enemies, Arthas was haunted by the ghost of Kel'Thuzad. The Ghost told Arthas that he must be resurrected for the next stage of the Lich King's plan. To restore it, Arthas had to bring the remains of Kel'Thuzad to the mystical Sunwell, hidden within the eternal high elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

Arthas and his Scourge have invaded Quel'Thalas and laid siege to the crumbling elf defenses. Sylvanas Windrunner, General of Silvermoon, put up a valiant fight, but Arthas ultimately destroyed the High Elven army and made his way to the Sunwell. In a brutal gesture of his superiority, he lifted the body of the fallen Sylvanas and resurrected in her a banshee ghost cursed to endless undead existence in the service of the conquerors of Quel'Thalas.

Ultimately, Arthas submerged the remains of Kel'Thuzad in the sacred waters of the Sunwell. The powerful waters of Eternity were corrupted by this action, but Kel'Thuzad was reborn as a powerful lich mage. Reborn as an even more powerful being, Kel'Thuzad explained the next stage of the Lich King's plan. After that, Artes and his army of undead moved south, not one living elf remained in Quel'Thalas. The glorious home of the high elves, which had stood for over nine thousand years, no longer existed.

Archimonde's Return and Flight to Kalimdor.

Once Kel'Thuzad was resurrected, Arthas led the Scourge south to Dalaran. There, the lich was to obtain Medivh's powerful spellbook and use it to summon Archimonde to the world of Azeroth. After that, Archimonde himself would begin the final stage of the Legion's invasion. Even the wizards of the Kirin Tor were unable to stop the forces of Arthas from stealing Medivh's book, and soon Kel'Thuzad had everything he needed to perform the rite. After ten thousand years, the powerful demon Archimonde and his hordes appeared in the world of Azeroth. Yet Dalaran was not their destination. As per Kil'jaeden's personal orders, Archimonde and his demons followed the Scourge to Kalimdor to destroy Nordrassil, the World Tree.

In the midst of this chaos, lonely, a mysterious prophet arose, guiding the mortal races. This prophet, it turns out, was none other than Medivh, the Last Guardian, miraculously brought back to life to atone for his past sins. Medivh told the Horde and the Alliance about the dangers they faced and urged them to unite. Exhausted by generations of mutual hatred, orcs and humans could not agree to this. Medivh was forced to deal with each race separately, using prophecy and cunning to guide him across the seas to the legendary land of Kalimdor. Orcs and humans very quickly encountered the secretive Kaldorei civilization.

The orcs, led by Thrall, endured a number of stops during their journey through the Barrens of Kalimdor. They befriended Cairne Bloodhoof and his powerful Tauren warriors, as many orcs once again began to succumb to the demonic bloodlust that had plagued them for generations. Thrall's greatest companion, Thunder Hellscream, even betrayed the Horde, indulging in his lower instincts. As they crossed the Ashenwald Forest, Hellscream and his loyal Warsong clan warriors encountered the ancient Night Elf Guardians. Confident that the Orcs had returned to their warlike traditions, the demigod Cenarius went out to exorcise Hellscrim and his orcs. Despite this, Hellscream and his orcs overcome with supernatural hatred and anger his army and kill Cenarius and desecrate the ancient forest lands. Hellscream regained his honor when he helped Thrall defeat Mannoroth, the demon lord who had cursed the entire orcish lineage in ancient times with his blood of hatred and anger. With the death of Mannoroth, the orc blood curse was ended.

While Medivh convinced the orcs and humans of the need for an alliance, the night elves fought the Legion in their own mysterious ways. Tyrande Whisperwind, the immortal High Priestess of the Night Elf Guardians, fought desperately to keep the demons and undead from taking the forests of Ashenval. Tyrande realized that she needed help, and so she decided to awaken the night elf druids from their thousand-year hibernation. Summoning her ancient love, Malfurion Stormrage, Tyrande succeeded in restoring defenses and driving the Legion out. With Malfurion's help, nature itself rose to battle with the Burning Legion and its ally the Scourge.

While searching for the sleeping druids, Malfurion found an ancient underground prison in which he bound his brother, Illidan. Convinced that Illidan would aid them in the battle against the Legion, Tyrande frees him. Illidan did help them for a while, but ultimately left them to pursue his own interests.

The night elves reassured themselves and continued to fight the Burning Legion with grim determination. The Legion never gave up its desire for the Well of Eternity, the source of power for the World Tree - the immediate heart of the night elf kingdom. If their planned assault on the Tree were successful, the demons would literally destroy the world.

Battle of Mount Hyjal

Influenced by Medivh, Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore - the leader of the human forces in Kalimdor - realized that they had to put their differences aside. The night elves, led by Malfurion and Tyrande, agreed that all three races must unite if they hope to protect the World Tree. United by a common goal, the races of Azeroth worked together to fortify the energy of the World Tree to the limit. Endowed with the very power of peace, Malfurion was able to unleash the fury of Nordrassil, completely destroying Archimonde and breaking the Burning Legion's connection to the Well of Eternity. The final battle rocked the continent of Kalimdor to its roots. Unable to feed on the Well's power, the Burning Legion was defeated by the combined power of the mortal armies.

The Rise of the Betrayer

Warcraft 3X: The Frozen Throne

During the Legion's invasion of Ashenval, Illidan was released from his underground prison after ten thousand years of captivity. Although eager to help his comrades, he quickly returned to his true form and harnessed the energy of a powerful arcane artifact known as the Skull of Gul'dan. In doing so, Illidan developed his demonic abilities and greatly increased his powers. He also received some of Gul'dan's memories - especially memories of the Tomb of Sargeras, an island dungeon rumored to contain the remains of the Dark Titan Sargeras.

Armed with the strength and freedom to roam the world again, Illidan set out to find his own place in the larger scheme of the world. However, Kil'jaeden appeared before Illidan and made him an offer that he could not refuse. Kil'jaeden was furious over Archimonde's defeat at Mount Hyjal, but he had more problems than just revenge. Sensing that his creation, the Lich King, was becoming too powerful to control, Kil'ljaeden ordered Illidan to destroy Ner'zhul and end the Scourge once and for all. In exchange, Illidan would gain untold power and his true place among the remaining lords of the Burning Legion.

Illidan agreed and immediately set out to destroy the Frozen Throne, the chunk of crystalline ice that housed the spirit of the Lich King. Illidan knew that he needed a powerful artifact to destroy the Frozen Throne. Using the knowledge he gained from Gul'dan's memories, Illidan decided to search for the Tomb of Sargeras and take possession of the remains of the Dark Titan. He called for some old debt of the Highborne and summoned the serpentine Naga from their dark underwater lair. Led by the cunning witch Lady Vashj, the nagas helped Illidan reach the Broken Isles, where the Tomb of Sargeras was rumored to be.

As soon as Illidan departed with the nagas, Guardian Maiev Shadowsong began hunting him. Maeve had been Illidan's jailer for ten thousand years and cherished the prospect of his return. However, Illidan outwitted Maeve and her Guardians and managed to get hold of the Eye of Sargeras despite their best efforts. With the powerful Eye in hand, Illidan came to the ruined wizard city of Dalaran. Empowered by the woven magic of the shattered city, Illidan used the Eye to cast a devastating spell against Icecrown, the Lich King's stronghold in distant Northrend. Illidan's attack shattered the Lich King's defenses, but tore the very roof of the world. At the last moment, Illidan's destructive sorcery was stopped when his brother Malfurion and Priestess Tyrande arrived to help Maeve.

Knowing that Kil'jaeden would not be pleased with his failure to destroy the Frozen Throne, Illidan fled to a barren dimension known as the Wasteland: the last remnants of Draenor, once home to the orcs. There, he planned to escape Kil'jaeden's anger and prepare his next steps. Having successfully stopped Illidan's magic, Malfurion and Tyrande returned home to Ashenval Forest to keep an eye on their people. Maeve, however, did not leave so easily, and followed Illidan into the Wasteland, determined to bring him to a fair trial.

Birth of the Blood Elves

During this time, the undead Scourge transformed Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas into the poisonous Plaguelands. There were only a few units of the remaining Alliance resistance forces. One such group, mostly high elves, was led by the last of the Sunstrider dynasty: Prince Kael'thas. Cal, himself an experienced mage, began to fear the defeat of the Alliance. The high elves grieved over their lost homeland and decided to name themselves the Blood Elves, after their fallen humans. But despite their efforts to keep the Scourge at bay, they suffered greatly, being cut off from the Sunwell that powered their powers. Desperate to find a remedy for the racial addiction of his people to magic, Kael did the incredible: he gathered all the remaining Highborne and joined Illidan and his naga in hopes of discovering a new magical source of power. The remaining Alliance commanders denounced the blood elves as traitors and banished them forever.

Illidan from her captivity. Located in the Wastes, Illidan rallied his forces for a second attempt to destroy Icecrown's fortress of the Lich King.

Plaguelands Civil War

Ner'zhul, the Lich King, knew his time was running out. Imprisoned inside the Frozen Throne, he suspected that Kil'jaeden would send his agents to destroy him. Illidan's spell damaged the Frozen Throne; thus, the Lich King began to lose his power every day. Desperate to save himself, he summoned his greatest mortal servant: the death knight Prince Artes.

Though his powers were drained by the Lich King's weakness, Arthas was involved in the civil war in Lordaeron. Half of the standing forces of the undead, led by the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, orchestrated a coup d'etat to control the undead empire. Artes, summoned by the Lich King, was forced to leave the Scourge under the command of his ally, Kel'Thuzad, as the war raged across the Plaguelands.

Eventually, Sylvanas and her rebellious undead, known as the Forsaken, captured the ruined capital of Lordaeron and made it their own capital. Building their own stronghold beneath the ruined city, the Forsaken have vowed to defeat the Scourge and drive Kel'Thuzad and his minions from their land.

Weakened, but determined to save his master, Arthas reached Northrend and faced Illidan's naga and blood elves waiting for him. He and his nerubian allies fought against Illidan's forces to be the first to reach Icecrown and defend the Frozen Throne.

Lich King's triumph

Even weakened, Arthas eventually surpassed Illidan and reached the Frozen Throne first. Using his runeblade Frostmorn, Arthas destroyed the Lich King's frozen prison and thus freed Ner'zhul's enchanted helmet and chestpiece. Arthas donned an incredibly powerful helmet on his head and became the new Lich King. Ner'zhul and the soul of Arthas fused into a powerful one being, as Ner'zhul had always planned. Illidan and his squads were forced to flee back to the Wasteland in disgrace, while Arthas became one of the most powerful beings the world has ever known.

Artes, the new and immortal Lich King, now dwells in Northrend; he is rumored to be rebuilding Icecrown Citadel. His most trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, commands the Scourge in the Plaguelands. Sylvanas and her rebellious Forsaken control only Tirisfal Glades, a small part of the war-ravaged kingdom.

Old Enemies - Colonizing Kalimdor

Although they were victorious, the mortal races found themselves in a world torn apart by war. The Scourge and the Burning Legion almost completely destroyed the civilizations of Lordaeron and almost finished their work in Kalimdor. It was necessary to heal the forests, bury old grievances and hatred and populate their homeland. The war deeply wounded each race, but they selflessly banded together to start over, starting with an uneasy truce between the Alliance and the Horde.

Thrall led the orcs to the center of Kalimdor, where they established a new homeland with the help of their new tauren brothers. Naming their New Land Durotar after Thrall's slain father, the orcs have settled there to rebuild their once glorious society. Now that the curse of the demons has ended, the Horde has come from a warlike ruthless force into a large free society, dedicated to survival and prosperity rather than conquest. With the help of the noble tauren and cunning Darkspear trolls, Thrall and his orcs eagerly awaited a new era of peace in their own land.

The remaining forces of the Alliance, led by Jaina Proudmoore, settled in southern Kalimdor. On the east coast of Dustwallow Marsh, they built the rugged port city of Theramore. Behind its walls, humans and their allies, the Dwarves, worked to survive on a land that would always be hostile to them. Although the defenders of Darothar and Theramore honored a truce with each other, the fragile colonial idyll did not last long.

Peace between the orcs and humans was disrupted by the arrival of the massive Alliance fleet in Kalimdor. A powerful fleet, under the command of Grand Admiral Dalin Proudmoore, Jaina's father, left Lordaeron before Arthas destroyed the kingdom. Traveling for long, grueling months, Admiral Proudmoore rallied the survivors of the Alliance he could find.

The Proudmoore Armada posed a serious threat to the stability of the region. how famous hero During the Second War, Jaina's father was a loyal enemy of the Horde, and he was determined to destroy Darothar before the orcs could finish building a stronghold that would become their foothold on earth.

The Grand Admiral forced Jaina to make a terrible decision: either to support him in the battle against the orcs and betray his newfound allies, or to fight his own father to maintain the fragile peace that the Alliance and Horde have finally reached. After a lengthy reappraisal of her values, Jaina chose the latter and helped Thrall defeat her crazy father. Unfortunately, Admiral Pradmoor died in battle before Jaina could convince him and prove that the orcs were no longer bloodthirsty monsters. For her loyalty, the orcs allowed Jaina's forces to return safely home to Theramore.

--------- (WarCraft 3: Frozen Throne)

An Old Feud: Colonizing Kalimdor

The Rise of the Betrayer

Rise of the Blood Elves

Plaguelands Civil War

Victorious Lich King

Scourge of Lordaeron

(Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos)

We never paid attention to the prophecies ...
Like fools we clung to old grudges
And fought like we've done for generations
Until the sky lit up with fiery rain and a new enemy appeared among us ...
And now we are on the verge of death ...
The Realm of Chaos has come ... at last.

The actions of Thrall and his orcs greatly stirred the nobility of Lordaeron. The liberated orcs freed other orcs throughout the camps in southern Lordaeron. There was a real threat of a chain reaction of this process. The camp guards were constantly on full alert and regularly sent news to the Capital.

Despite all the difficulties and troubles, the orcs sailed to the shores of Kalimdor. When Thrall landed, he gave the order to collect all the survivors of the storm, as well as food and supplies. While the orcs were doing this, they encountered tauren. As with the trolls, the meeting was peaceful, Thrall and the tauren chieftain (tauren), Cai rne Bloodhoof - Cairne Blood Hoof ), decided they had a lot in common. The orcs agreed to help the tauren, and the tauren agreed to help the orcs. The tauren were greatly annoyed by the centaurs and their raids on the settlements. Together, an attack on one of the tauren camps was repelled and a caravan of loaded kodo (kodo - kodo) was delivered with supplies to another. Keirn, for his part, told Thrall that an Oracle lived far to the north, who could help the orcs in determining their fate. Thrall needed to find the Oracle and talk to him at all costs. Their path lay across the prairies (Barens - Steppe) to the north.

For long days they traveled through the dull, sultry sun and parched land, until they reached the passes of the Stonetalon mountains, where they met Thunder of Hells and the orcs of the Varsong clan. There they also met people ... Hellscream told Thrall that the people took control of the nearest mountain pass and that he met them by chance, but when he did, he immediately entered the battle. Thrall ordered not to enter into battle with people anymore, to get to the workshop of the goblins, who were only interested in money and profit, and to buy 2 airships from them, which would have freely delivered Thrall to the Oracle. However, Grom violated his order and led his soldiers to the people. As a result, Thrall and the entire Horde were forced to fight until all the people were driven out of there. After that, they had a showdown with Grom. In the Thunder, the blood of the demon, which he himself drank a long time ago, along with other leaders of the old Horde, leaped up ... and he could not cope with himself. Thrall did not let him get away with this mistake: he sent Thunder and all the Varsong warriors to Ashenvale forest (Ashenvale forest) to harvest wood and build a camp.

In Ashenval, the Thunder Orcs felt uncomfortable: they began to believe that the forest was full of spirits ... And Thunder himself was not pleased. Harvesting of timber, however, began, but after a while the orcs, of course, encountered the original inhabitants of Ashenval, the night elves, who clearly did not like the fact that some outsiders were cutting down their native forest in which they grew up. Despite the fact that both sides suffered losses, all clashes ended in favor of the Orcs and the right amount of timber was harvested. Then the night elf demigod Cenarius was forced to intervene ...

Shortly before Lordaeron finally fell to the blows of the Scourge and the Burning Legion, a conversation took place between two powerful demons, Tichondrius (Tichondrius) and Mannoroth (Mannoroth), in which Tykondrius announced that there were no more orcs in Lordaeron. Mannoroth was furious at the news, as the blood pact that he concluded many years ago with all the leaders of the Horde except Durotan, the leader of the Frostwulfs and Thrall's father, was supposed to serve to enslave the orcs, and here the orcs showed such willfulness ... Mannoroch decided to go to Kalimdor personally and rectify the situation. Kalimdor had a very convenient excuse to apply it. Since the orcs angered Cenarius (Cenarius - Cenarius) and he had already openly attacked them, the orcs had practically no chance against him. But if you again give them demonic strength and bloodlust, then you could complete two tasks at once: weaken or kill the long-time enemy of the Burning Legion, Cenarius, and again subjugate the orcs, who temporarily escaped from the demonic dependence of the Burning Legion under the leadership of Thrall. It was only necessary to update the Blood Pact. All this Mannoroth did at the instigation of Tykondrius, who also in Kalimdor communicated with Mannoroth on the issue of orcs. Mannoroth stained a nearby source of drinking water with his blood. Everything turned out as planned. The battle began in Ashenval Forest of the night elves led by Cenarius and the orcs led by Thunder Hellscrim. The orcs began to suffer one defeat after another and could not withstand the power of Cenarius until news of some "unusual" source reached Thunder. Despite all the warnings of his clanmates, Thunder decided to drink water from the spoiled spring, and the first did it. After drinking the blood of Mannoroth, Thunder felt incredible power, the blood "boiled" in his veins, and his eyes filled with rage and a demonic red glow. He no longer belonged to himself ... Following him, all his fighters drank water from the spoiled spring. After that, the orcs gave a fierce battle to Cenarius, in which he died. Mannoroth was pleased.

Meanwhile, Thrall, where possible, bypassing the outposts of people, reached the entrance to the Oracle's cave. To his surprise, Keirn came to help him, who said that the Tauren owed a great debt to the orcs and this debt could only be redeemed with blood. However, even here, at the entrance, there was an outpost of people. Observant Thrall learned that nearby there were wyverns that were held captive by the harpies, and if you helped them, you could win the wyverns to your side. And so it happened: Thrall freed the wyverns, and they, in turn, joined his army and together they knocked out the people and calmly entered the cave. Having dealt with the local inhabitants of the cave, Thrall and Keirn saw something unusual: the people who in every possible way blocked the path of the orcs and their allies were also in this cave and were also looking for the Oracle. Finally they all found him together. It was none other than the Prophet who foreshadowed the death of Lordaeron by some and advised others to sail to Kalimdor to seek their fate. Jaina Proudmoore led the survivors. However, as soon as they all met together at the Prophet's, they almost fought, to which the Prophet was forced to intervene and calm everyone down. He made a number of serious statements, the main one of which was that the world is in mortal danger in the person of the Scourge and the Burning Legion, which have deployed their power in Azeroth and have already crushed two kingdoms: Lordaeron and Kael "Talas. But then the Prophet said that which no one expected: people in the name of achieving survival in the upcoming slaughter must unite with the Horde and forget all strife and disagreements. Both Thrall and Jaina were almost shocked by this news, but did not argue with the Prophet. Thrall was told by the Prophet separately, that the demons had once again enslaved his friend Thunder. ”Thrall was saddened by this event and vowed to free him from the demons at all costs.

Thrall and Keirn traveled to the outskirts of Ashenval to where Thunder was believed to be. Of course, it was guarded by the elite "cloaked" warriors of the Varsong clan, as well as demons. A helping hand to Thrall was extended by the noble Jaina, who, despite the fact that Thrall and his Horde were her former enemies, did not remain indifferent to the misfortune of others. The plan was as follows: Thrall breaks through to Thunder and encloses his soul in a special artifact (soul gem) prepared by Jaina, while everyone else provides cover and safe escape for Thrall; then the artifact with the soul is brought into a special circle and a ritual of purification is performed over the soul, thus clarifying Thunder's mind, his thoughts and actions. Jaina's forces covered one of the fel horde and the Burning Legion's assisting attacks, and assisted in the advance of Thrall's forces. As a result of heavy fighting, as well as the help of all allies, Thrall broke through to Thunder and heard from him that their new master was Lord Mannoroth. Also enlightening Thrall about how long ago in their homeland of Draenor, the leaders of the clans themselves willingly drank the blood of Mannoroth and incurred this curse. These words about the voluntary bringing of the Orc people to death only angered Thrall - he, without hesitation, imprisoned Thunder in the Artifact and carried him to the Magic Circle. Although the Burning Legion sent reinforcements and the skies lit up with fire golems flying, Thrall's, Keirn's, and Jaina's forces fought back and dragged Thunder to its destination. In the Circle, orcish shamans and elf priests jointly performed a rite of purification. Thunder's mind cleared up ... he deeply regretted what he had done. However, Thrall was in a hurry to say that time was running out and that Thunder must help save their people. Thunder offered to travel to the nearest canyon to meet with Mannoroth - Thrall supported this decision, and they went there together. There they met Mannoroth, who only mocked them. Whether the demon supposed or not that they had come to fight him, he came there alone, unaccompanied, as did Thrall and Thunder. After listening to mockery at himself, Thrall absorbed the energies into his hammer and launched it at Mannoroth ... The demon deftly dodged and covered himself with a wing ... the wing made a hole. In response, he made several swings with his "ax" and almost cut Thrall in half ... however, the demon missed and the ax hit the ground, but the shock wave threw Thrall directly onto the stones, after hitting which he injured his arm and barely breathed. .. Finally, Thunder rushed at Mannoroth and, in a split second, dodging Mannoroth's ax, in a dashing jump, stabbed the impudent demon with his ax right in the belly! That was where the demon's taunts ended ... as did his power ... and so did the demonic energy that flowed through the veins of Thunder and all the warriors who drank the blood of Mannoroth. Henceforth, the Pact of Blood was destroyed. But this victory was not without its price: having lost the energy that was so firmly rooted in the body of a mighty warrior, along with Mannoroth, Thunder parted with life. Thrall took the loss of his friend very hard. Later, by order of Thrall, a monument was erected to Thunder Hellscream.

Battle of Mount Hyjal

The Burning Legion and the Scourge have invaded Kalimdor. Not encountering much resistance, Arcimond and his assistants headed for the Ashenval Forest to reach the top of Mount Hyjal (Hyjal). Meanwhile, in Ashenvall, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind - High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind) oversaw those who killed Cenarius. After the unification of the orcs with the people under the pressure of the Prophet and the fall of the pit lord in battle (pit lord - lord of the underworld) Mannoroth, their combined army moved from the prairies (the barrens) north to the southern edge of Ashenval Forest to build a camp there and gain a foothold. The forces were commanded by the Duke Lionheart. To Tyrande, all mortal races were alike: she underestimated and disdained those who were not immortal Night Elves. Since the orcs had killed Cenarius, she didn't like them much. Her first order is to drive the orcs and humans out of the southern outskirts of Ashenval. Together with her sentinels, she did it. However, she did not even think about the fact that while she was spending time and energy on the destruction of small detachments of mortal races, thereby weakening them, the main enemy, the Burning Legion under the command of Arcimond himself and the Scourge under the command of Tykondrius, are already marching across Ashenval straight to the mountain Hyjal and World Tree Nordrassil - World Tree Nordrassil).

While Tyrande realized this, she nearly fell into the clutches of the enemy. But she managed to get out. From that moment on, the Priestess forgot to think about mortals: it was necessary to immediately mobilize all available forces against the real enemy. Making her way from the enemy rear to her own, Tyrande first of all decided to wake up Fyurion (Furion Stormrage - Furion Stormrage), the most powerful druid, under whose leadership the victory over the night elf queen Azshara (Azshara), who betrayed her people, was won. Fyurion had slept for thousands of years in a small retreat in the middle of a dense forest. Only Cenarius' horn could awaken him, but Cenarius was killed, so Tyrande had to do the work. This horn was in Moonglade (Moonglade), and it was guarded by 3 guards. Moreover, as soon as Tyrande arrived at the scene, she learned that the way to the horn was blocked not only by the guards of Cenarius, who, of course, did not allow anyone but the owner to approach the horn, but also by the orcs, who were entrenched in that area and built a camp ... However, this was not all: undead appeared in the conflict area, which was rapidly making its way to the monastery, but the densely growing forest interfered with it, so there was still time and hope to complete the plan. Tyrande with her elf archers forced all the obstacles, made her way through the orc camp, defeated three guards and finally reached the horn before the undead reached the monastery. A prolonged hum was heard over the entire area ... and Fyurion awoke from centuries of sleep. He did not like everything that he saw and felt. He himself made his way through the thicket of trees towards the undead and killed everyone in the area who cut down the forest and spoiled nature. His meeting with Tyrande was a joy to him.

Having received such a powerful and wise ally as Furyon, the elves cheered up. The next task was to awaken the raven druids from sleep. Also in the monastery and also in a dense forest thicket, which was full of enemies. While Tyrande and Fyurion made their way through the forest, destroying all who interfered, they noticed that humans and orcs were fighting with the undead and demons. Fyurion judiciously pointed out that these mortals could be allies in the fight against the undead, but Tyrande haughtily declared that she would be damned if the night elves unite with them. One way or another, they got to the monastery, killed the local satyrs (satyr - satyr) and awakened the raven druids. After that, it was necessary to awaken the druid bears. They slept in a cave near Mount Hyjal. Moving through the cave, everything was fine until the party stumbled upon an ancient gate. Furyon immediately remembered that these gates closed the entrance to the dungeon, where Illidan had been imprisoned for 10 thousand years. Tyrande noticed that he could become an ally in the fight against enemies. Fyurion categorically rejected this proposal and said that this evil should be in the cage, even though Illidan Stormrage (Illidan Stormrage - Illidan Stormrage) - his brother. Tyrande, however, continued to insist and eventually decided to go there on her own with a small detachment. Fyurion said that he forbade her to do this, but the elf replied sharply that only the goddess Ellune could forbid her to do something. On these words, they parted. Fyurion continued through the cave. When he reached the hibernation site of the Druid Bears, he saw that not everyone was asleep and that the bears were unnaturally aggressive and attacked even the night elves. Then Fyurion decided to sneak into the center of the "den" and blast the whole cave into Cenarius' horn, so that everyone could hear. And so it was done: the night elves made their way to the right place without killing any of the bears, and a prolonged rumble was heard throughout the cave. Immediately the sanity of all the druids cleared, and they all came to the call of the horn. In a short conversation, it turned out that the bear druids themselves did not know what had come over them, but also said that they felt corruption and decay from an external source even in their sleep. Meanwhile, Tyrande met with the prison guards. They told her that they would not even let her in. Then she did not disdain to arrange a bloody massacre even with her brothers, the night elves who guarded Illidan, and interrupted them all with her squad. Finally she reached the cage, and her voice was heard by Illidan himself ... he himself broke the cage grates and together they headed for the exit. At the exit they were met by Fyurion with his druids. After a short conversation, they all left the cave.

Illidan, after 10 thousand years in captivity, found it difficult to adapt to everyday life, but he was determined to help his people and prove that he is a worthy demon hunter ( demon hunter). Illidan went to Felwood Forest (Felwood - Fel Forest). When he got there, Arthas unexpectedly met on his way ... Illidan was not happy to meet, they even met him in hand-to-hand combat, but after a combat "warm-up" that ended in nothing, he still listened to what Arthas wanted. Arthas said that in this forest there is a magical artifact, the skull of Gul "Dan, which poisoned the local lands. When asked," Why do you need this? "Arthas replied that his current master would benefit from the defeat of the Burning Legion. “Why should I believe you?” - the answer was given: “my master sees everything, incl. and the fact that you have always strived for power, now it itself goes into your hands. ”Illidan ended up being seduced by power and took that very artifact, instead of destroying it. As soon as he took the cursed artifact and absorbed it strength, the demon hunter himself turned into a powerful demon, he had horns, hooves and wings behind his back. However, he did not forget about Tykondrius, who commanded the local enemy forces, gave him a strong fight together with a small army of night elves and killed him. one of the powerful demons of the Burning Legion ... after Mannoroth, by the way. When the battle ended, Fyurion and Tyrande arrived at the scene, they were saddened that their mutual acquaintance had turned into a demon. Fyurion forever banished Illidan from his homelands.

Archimond's army almost reached Hyjal. Time was running out. However, the night elves were not completely sure of their abilities, but they were sure of one thing: if necessary, they would give their lives not only for their land, but in general for the whole world, which was in great danger. On the eve of probable events, Furion had a dream in which he dreamed of the Prophet and indicated the place and time where Furion was to come. At the appointed time and place, Furion and Tyrande arrived ... after a while they were joined by Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore - it turned out that they were also invited, - Tyrande was not happy with them, and after a while, he came to the meeting himself The prophet who answered Tyrande that humans and orcs had come to help her people fight the Legion. Fyurion asked the Prophet who he was to make such claims of unification? The Prophet replied that he is the one whose mistake cost the world too dear, he is the one who opened the Portal of Darkness and let the orcs, and with them the demons into Azeroth, he is the one who was killed for his sins by those whom he loved most - people, and now he has come to rectify what he has done and unite all the intelligent and civilized races in the fight against the Burning Legion, which threatens all living things, he is the last of the Guardians (Last Guardian), he is Medivh (Medivh)! After such a speech, even Tyrande did not dare to comment on anything. All ambitions were put aside, and all had only one task - to win this decisive battle.

The next day, representatives of almost all races: humans, orcs, gnomes, trolls, tauren, dwarves, elves of Qel "Talas and finally the night elves - gathered together to give the last battle to the killers of all living things. Also gathered were their leaders: Thrall, Fyurion, Tyrande. ”After a while, Jaina arrived with the news, who reported that, according to intelligence, the army of the Burning Legion and the Scourge led by Arcimond was moving towards the mountain right towards them, and any minute the enemy would be here - we need to prepare for battle ! The defense plan was built as follows: the first, at the very foot of the mountain, the surviving warriors of the Alliance of Lordaeron (note: people, gnomes, dwarves, high elves) enter the battle with the enemy, the soldiers of the Thrall Horde (orcs, trolls and the tauren), and at the very top, not far from the World Tree, the night elves were stationed.The point of defense was not to lay down their heads to everyone in this final battle, but to delay the advance the life of Arcimond, while Fyurion on the top of the mountain prepares a "surprise" for him, accumulating the necessary energy in the World Tree. After discussing the last details, everyone went to their places.

Arkimond arrived with his army - the massacre began. Jaina's troops were the first to meet the enemy. As much as possible, they held back the advance. But in the end they were forced to retreat and surrender their positions. Jaina herself teleported to safety. Further, the attack was taken by the soldiers of the Horde. Having more time to properly prepare for the defense, the orcs, trolls and tauren fought a fierce battle and withstood several onslaught, however, as planned, they left their positions at the right time. Thrall retreated safely, but before that he managed to strike with lightning at Arcimond himself. There was a little time left to hold out. Finally, when the time came, the night elves also retreated and allowed Arcimond to break through to the World Tree. Intoxicated with "victory", he went to him alone, without even sending anyone ahead of him, as Furyon had hoped. Out of breath, Tyrande ran to him and asked if he had time to prepare everything. Fyurion calmly replied that he was in time.

Considering that victory is in his pocket and that the mortal races, like the night elves, are broken, the self-confident Arcimond set out to destroy the World Tree. After waiting for him to climb higher, Fyurion blew Cenarius' horn, summoning all the spirits of the forest to attack the enemy at once. Hundreds of small fireflies enveloped the entire Arcimond, began to torment him and hamper his movements - he was no longer able to climb anywhere further. Finally, at the climax, the energy of the World Tree, which Fyurion had so diligently accumulated with the help of special rituals, was released at once and with crushing force swept away everything around him, turning the area around him into ashes, and the demon Arcimond into dust! One of the Burning Legion's "senior officers" was thus killed. After that, the combined forces of the Alliance, Horde and night elves regrouped and dealt a devastating counterattack against the undead and demons - the enemies were driven back, scattered and eventually defeated. All this was observed by Medivh, who came to the conclusion that his mission in this world is over, the earth will heal its wounds, and this world no longer needs Guardians.

Scourge The Scourge is one of the three major undead factions on Azeroth (along with the Forsaken and the Knights of the Ebon Blade) and a major player seeking to take over this world. The Scourge was originally created as a weapon in the hands of the demons, however, after the failed invasion of the Burning Legion, the Scourge gained independence and a powerful empire was founded in Northrend under the leadership of the Lich King. The influence of this organization extended to the entire continent and beyond, to the north of Lordaeron and the south of Quel'Thalas. Even Kalimdor was slightly affected. A formidable and insidious enemy like the Scourge remains perhaps the most dangerous threat to Azeroth.

Story

The Scourge was and remains a huge army of the undead created by the Lich King, also known as the orc shaman Ner'zhul. Under the control of the Burning Legion, the Scourge's mission was to spread terror and destruction throughout the world, heralding an imminent Legion invasion. The Lich King created a terrible Plague, which he sent to the south. When the plague invaded the southern lands, countless people fell victim to the disease. Disease sucked their life out of them, and eventually they joined the ranks of the Scourge army.

Although Ner'zhul and his Undying Scourge were bound by the will of the Burning Legion, the Lich King continually sought to free himself and avenge the demons for cursing and dismembering him. Shortly before the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Ner'zhul prepared a plan to destroy the Legion, with the help of Arthas and the demon hunter Illidan. Illidan's attacks resulted in the death of Ticondrius, and subsequently the destruction of the great artifact - the Skull of Gul'dan, which greatly weakened the Legion and made it possible for the forces of the Alliance, Horde and Night Elves to eventually stop Archimonde. Ner'zhul was finally free. This act of the Lich King plunged Kil'jaeden into an indescribable rage, now, it was the turn of the demons to seek revenge. But, due to the defeat of the Legion, Kil'jaeden is deprived of the opportunity to quickly destroy his rebellious creation, and is forced to resort to more subtle methods.

After the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Kil'jaeden contacted Illidan and made a very tempting proposal: "If you kill the Lich King, I will grant you the incredible power of a Demon Lord." Gathering an army of Nagas together, Illidan traveled to the Tomb of Sargeras and began to cast a spell of horrific power aimed at the Frozen Throne. However, the spell was interrupted at the eleventh hour by Illidan's brother. Because of this spell, Ner'zhul weakened, and for a while he practically lost his strength to control the undead. At this point, a significant group of undead, led by Sylvanas, regained freedom and left the Scourge, forming a faction that is commonly called the Forsaken. Desperate, Ner'zhul contacted one of his most powerful Death Knights, Arthas, and ordered him to return to Icecrown Citadel. However, Kil'jaeden again failed to kill the Lich King. With growing anger at Illidan's mistakes, the Demon Lord ordered him to travel to Northrend with the Nagas and take out the Lich King personally. Arthas's army defeated Illidan's army, where Illidan himself was wounded. Arthas, victoriously marched to the throne of the Lich King, where he used the greatblade of Frostmourne to smash the Frozen Throne and free the spirit of the orc shaman. They merged into one and Arthas / Ner'zhul became one of the most powerful creatures ever to exist on earth.

Four years after his transformation into the Lich King, Arthas is still in Northrend, likely rebuilding Icecrown Citadel. Since the Scourge's position in the north is unknown, the undead in Lordaeron - under the command of Arthas' chief aide, Kel'Thuzad - continue to defend the Plaguelands from their Master's enemies. Most likely, Arthas's plans are to recapture all of Lordaeron along with the Forsaken, and in the future to take over the whole world.

Organization

There is no doubt that the leader of the faction is the Lich King, who issues orders from his Ice Fortress in Northrend. His direct subordinates are lychees, undead mages and necromancers with incredible strengthcapable of spreading the Plague and controlling undead armies. It is unknown how many lichs there are, but Arthas' right hand is the lich Kel'Thuzad, who rules Lordaeron, fighting the Scarlet Crusaders and the Forsaken, the undead that have escaped from the Lich King's control. The banshees who are under his command often lead scouting squads, while others, including necromancers, are responsible for raising and controlling undead. The Cult of the Damned, a group of mortals who admire the undead so much that they follow them, worship them, sometimes even imitate them, hoping to someday become the same. They do not notice immorality and evil, but admire power and eternal life.

Most undead first notify their leaders, necromancers or liches, who, in turn, relay all messages to Kel'Thuzad. He reports to Arthas, but he does not bother the Lord with all sorts of little things that happen on other continents. If they take over a city such as Stratholme, or enslave the Forsaken again, then that would be worthwhile information to convey to the Scourge Lord. The Forsaken is a contingency. Arthas lost a small portion of his power before becoming the Lich King, which allowed one of the most powerful banshees, Sylvanas, to escape the Master's will. She has freed many other undead and now leads the Forsaken from her complex beneath the ruins of Lordaeron. While the Forsaken are not part of the Scourge, they still do exactly what they did before becoming free - killing the living and spreading their influence throughout Azeroth. Arthas considers the Forsaken to be a lost sheep, so he will most likely enslave them again rather than destroy them. The Scourge Lord has big plans for the whole of Azeroth and he cannot focus only on Sylvanas, so it is not known when he will take her and her followers seriously. The trick is that the further the undead are from the necromancer or lich, the more disoriented they are. These undead have lost control of the Lich King, but in reality they have not become free. When the power of the necromancer leaves the living dead, the undead do not have any memories of their past life and they, devoid of intelligence, wander in this world, in search of a creature that can lead them. Only necromancers are capable of controlling undead.

There are several bases from where the Lich King controls his troops. The main base is the Ice Citadel in Northrend, then the city of Stratholme. Once it was a large and bustling city with a population of 25 thousand people, but now it is one of the main bases of the undead. The lord of the Scourge always keeps his finger on the pulse, and his gaze has penetrated into the farthest corners of Azeroth and Kalimdor. He has the strength to take over this world and, perhaps, he will accomplish his plan.

Membership

Scourge members are easy to identify or feel. And it doesn't take much to join them. All you need to do is love the Scourge or be undead by submitting to Arthas. Some of the early members of this faction were mortals who fell from the Plague. People suffered and died from this disease, only to rebel like zombies. Obviously, this tactic was not as effective as the Lich King wished, so he ordered the necromancers to raise the undead directly from the graveyards, thereby replenishing the army of the living dead. Most of the King's servants are undead, however, there are living beings who worship Arthas - this is the Cult of the Damned. Nobody knows why they do it and whether they do evil at all? Or maybe it's good? Whatever the reason, they are loyal to the Scourge, dress in dark robes and help spread the Plague.

The Scourge on Azeroth

The Scourge is mostly concentrated in the Plaguelands. Their center is in the ruined city of Stratholme, currently divided between the forces of Baron Rivendar and the Scarlet Crusaders. The Scourge has also been seen in Tirisfal Glades and Silverpine Forest, as well as on the path to Quel'Thalas, which runs from the Ghostlands through Silvermoon to Sunlight Plateau. There have also been reports that Scourge "ambassadors", as well as other powerful creatures, have fortified themselves in Kalimdor.

The Lich Kel'Thuzad, commander of the Lich King's forces, previously controlled the Scourge in Lordaeron, and then returned to Northrend to fight Dalaran's forces.

Good day. Today we are going to talk with you about one very extensive ... hmm .. faction, which is represented by the enemy of the players and, unfortunately, is not playable. Nevertheless, it has had a tremendous impact on the World of Warcraft and deserves a separate analysis. Today we are talking about the Scourge ...

Background.

The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating an army of undead, now better known as the Scourge, originated with one of the Burning Legion warlords when he was contemplating a second attack on Azeroth. Later, after carefully weighing and calculating everything, the plan for the formation of the Scourge began to be implemented. The undead had to crush the main defenses of Azeroth before the attack of the Burning Legion, thereby leaving no chance for the defenders. The creation of the whip was entrusted to the then Lich King NerZul, who did this. Unfortunately for them, the lords of the Legion could not control the Scourge, only the Lich King himself could do this, but they could command them. So, NerZul developed a plague that killed living beings and after death raised them in the form of undead, deaths, obedient only to his will ...
Later, with the help of the former magician, and now - the necromancer KelThuzad, the plague began to spread throughout the lands of the kingdom of Lordaeron, thereby increasing and replenishing the King's army. The Scourge's mission to shatter Azeroth's defenses was a success and its numbers grew. a fatal mistake made by the warlords of the Legion themselves, starting the invasion too early. They suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Azeroth, leaving the Scourge in full control of NerZul and the King himself as sole ruler.
Later, KelThuzad realized that there were too many feelings left in NerZul, and he found himself a new protégé - Prince Arthas. As a result of the cunning manipulations of one of the lords of the legion - Malganus, Arthas was lured from Azeroth to Northrend, where his thirst for vengeance and the demonic blade Frostmourne that he found drove him insane and made him one of the greatest warriors of the Scourge - a death knight. In the aftermath of the Legion's defeat, KelThuzad helped Arthas travel to the icy continent of Northrend, where the former prince fused with the mind of NerZhul, becoming the new Lich King, even more furious and vicious than before.
Five years later, the Lich King moved to take action to continue his takeover of Azeroth. The Scourge was activated on all continents and began massive raids on cities, the plague again raged in the streets. The combined forces of the Horde and the Alliance launched an invasion of Northrend in a desperate attempt to defeat Arthas / Nerzul and prevent the destruction of their peoples. For two years a warrior walked with the Scourge, too many soldiers fell on each side. But by titanic efforts, the Lich King was defeated. However, it turned out that without a ruler, the whip would get out of control and a wave of death would pass through the continents, destroying all living things. The Lich King was always meant to be. The new King is Bolvar Fordragon, a former paladin of Stormwind. Perhaps the Scourge will now leave the world of the living alone ... or not?

Facts

Scourge Banner - represents two crossed hammers with the symbols of the Lions of Azeroth, beaten and broken, partially covered with ice, horizontally crossed by a frozen spear, with skulls impaled on it, which symbolize the main striking force of the Scourge - the undead. Vertical in the foreground is Frostmourne Blade, a symbol of the Lich King's power, a powerful rune sword of terrifying power that can suck the souls of living things.

Number- according to various estimates, it ranges from 90,000 to 150,000 warriors of all stripes. These numbers are unconfirmed, but Stormwind scientists say the latter is the most accurate. In Lordaeron alone, the scourge has claimed more than 20,000 lives during its formation, and recent hostilities in Northrend have made it clear that the enemy's numbers have been greatly understated.

The affected area.

The continent is currently the most infected Northrend - Scourge footprints can be found in every corner of it. Places such as Sholozar Basin, Storm Peaks, Howling Fjord and Borrei Tundra can heal over time, although it will take many decades. The situation with the Dragonblight is worse, but the dragons are making every effort to restore it. Zul-Drak and Icecrown are completely lost for at least the entire foreseeable future - the plague of the undead has penetrated the soil itself, causing plant necrosis and flora mutations. Moreover, a huge number of deaths still remain in these places, which pose a serious threat. These territories are currently guarded by the Argent Crusade.

Slightly weaker affected Eastern Kingdoms. Plague and undead continue to plague the zones of former Lordaeron, although a process of purification has begun in the Eastern and Western Plaguelands. However, such strongholds of the Scourge as Stratholme, Sholemans, Trail of the Dead and others are no less dangerous and are a constant supplier of more and more soldiers in the Army of Corpses.

Kalimdor was affected indirectly. For example, some agents of the Lich King infiltrated the communities of various lower races, leading to their decay. A good example is the Quailskin race, into which one of the King's Lichai secretly wedged, thereby leading to civil war between the quilboars.

Outlandwas not affected.

Scourge types

Lychee - among the most powerful magicians and allies of the Ner "zul armies, they all have an evil character and great strength. Often they command armies as generals and deputies of Ner "zul when the Master is calm and does not consider it necessary to take matters into their own hands. Lychees wield powerful frost and ice spells along with their own considerable knowledge of necromancy. Lychees are not only former orc sorcerers of Ner “Zula, many magicians of other races have left their precarious mortal life to experience the beauty of death. As a rule, these personalities are powerful and vicious. Not only do they serve Ner "Zulu, they also plan subtle political maneuvers that will result in them being promoted by their master, so they seek to benefit from every death of their opponent.

Death Knight- Death knights are protected by dark armor that absorbs sunlight. These warriors can summon the dead, who will immediately join the battle on their side, while their allies provide support. Death, blood and wickedness are subject to these dark heroes. The cold makes their strikes more accurate, the blood protects their bodies, the wickedness allows their rage to rage in the heart of the battle. Thousands of atrocities are frozen in the eyes of every death knight, and anyone who stares into them for too long will feel the living warmth leave his body, replaced by the cold of steel.

Butcher - The mutilated bodies and limbs of many creatures combine into a separate twisted, hideous shape. With each step of the creature, blood drains from it and the smell of decay is released. Butchers are large golem creatures. These magically created automata are incredibly powerful, possessing the strength of a dozen people (and they are made up of parts of a dozen people). Their "construction" requires a great understanding of necromancy and anatomy in order to connect flesh and animate it. Difficult to create, but once made, they become fanatically loyal servants and extremely powerful warriors. These huge warriors love to carve the flesh of their enemies. They use large cleavers and sickles in combat. This is a blasphemous accumulation of souls that have become one soul. It is absolutely certain that the abomination does not remember anything from its previous lives, although bits of memory sometimes plague him from time to time with great tension and unusual pressure.

Gargoyle - although gargoyles, strictly speaking, are not undead, they nevertheless serve the Lich King to the best of their ability, and often, like hungry crows, circle over the battlefields, looking for their prey. These ice-colored predators take pleasure in killing, and their laughter sounds like the sound of ice breaking. Gargoyles are powerful, ferocious, bloodthirsty - and simply frighteningly destructive.

Banshee - were once beautiful women who were brutally slain by demons and undead. Their restless spirit remained in this world to wander around in silent, tortured complaints. The first banshees were the night elves, who died during the first coming of the Legion, a lot of banshees also appeared from the high elves after the fall of Quel "Talas. These spirits became jealous of the existence of the living and deeply hate all living things. When Ner" Zul, the King of the Lich, learned about them, he gathered them and promised to give them the opportunity to take revenge on the living. Ner "Zul gave them terrible voices so that the living would finally hear their endless torment and die in the agony of these screams.

Nerubians Are large, mummified creatures that look like a cross between humans and insects. Four lower arachnids the limbs hold their bodies, the other two upper ones are used as arms. Some races refer to them as "crawling spiders", others refer to them as "walking horrors", but nerubians don't really care what others call them.

Ghosts - the spectral essence of people who died due to the plague or due to some incredibly traumatic incident. They are often the ones who chose to commit suicide rather than join the Ner Zul armies; but this attempt is not always completely successful and often results in the creation of a spirit - independent of the Ner Zul influence, and not completely dead.

Guli Are the main forces of the Scourge. They are vicious creatures who have retained little of their human part. The plague made them forget most of their memories, leaving only hunger and basic survival instincts behind. Ghouls are wild animals, practically the lowest form of undead existence. While they resemble a humanoid in appearance, ghouls are easily recognized on the battlefield by their hunched posture and wild face. Even those who were close to these people during their lifetime are unlikely to recognize them as their friends and relatives; the transformation removes most of the remnants of humanity, even the voice and body features are lost forever.

Skeleton Mages - extremely dangerous dead, usually born independently, through their own power of desire. They are never commanded by necromancers, since they are the former necromancers who have now risen to another higher level in the Dead Kingdom, uniting their souls and bodies to evil forces. When they truly master these powers, they can become lichs, but for now they satisfy themselves with physical strength and brutal dominance over other undead.

Skeleton Warriors - tall, well-formed skeletons, the bones of which have a slightly silvery sheen, marking their unusual origin. They are more resilient than most other skeletons and are much more capable in combat. Wielding deadly weapons and clad in heavy armor, they are a fairly difficult foe for the inexperienced and are respected even among more experienced warriors. When many of them are grouped, they can be very dangerous and tenacious enemies - but this is not their natural state, this is the case when a powerful necromancer commands them. Skeleton Warriors retain all their knowledge and memories until their death, but these qualities are now only a source of anger and violence. They are cunning and admire destruction and chaos. Death will come to them later - for now, there is only revenge for them.

Zombie - the lowest form of existence among the dead, they are often overlooked due to their simplicity and lack of ambition. These undead were created from the plague-infected humans, but their bodies were not as riddled with disease as those of the more powerful undead. In fact, zombies not only preserve their former memories, but are also sometimes able to preserve their individuality and ethics. It doesn't often help them, usually it is the torture of a zombie trapped within the vicious Ner Zul armies.

Notable personalities

Prince Arthas- Crown Prince of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand, was the son of King Terenas Menethil II and heir to the throne. Uther the Lightbringer taught him the arts of the paladin, and he had romantic feelings for the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore. Prince Arthas Menethil was born four years before the First War to King Terenas Menethil II. The young prince grew up during a time when the lands of all Azeroth were riddled with war, the Alliance was in disarray, and dark clouds still loomed on the horizon. As a child, Arthas became friends with Varian Wrynn. Arthas' martial arts were taught by Muradin Bronzebeard himself, brother of the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard. Arthas succeeded in this endeavor and became an expert swordsman. Under the auspices of Uther the Lightbringer, Arthas joined the Knights of the Silver Hand at the age of 19.

At 23, Arthas and Uther were sent to Strandbrad to defend the city from orcish raids. Jaina and Captain Luc Valonfort were sent to reinforce Arthas, now 23 years old; together they were to explore the mysterious Plague. Fighting the army of the dead, they met with the necromancer Kel "Thuzad near the town of Brill and pursued him all the way to Andorhal.
Kel'Thuzad has already infected all the grain stored in Andorhal and sent it to nearby villages. Before dying at the hands of Arthas, Kel'Thuzad spoke of Mal "Ganis, who was leading the Scourge. Jaina and Arthas traveled north to fight him in Stratholme. Upon arriving in Stratholme, Arthas discovered that the grain had already been distributed among the inhabitants of the city and realized that soon they would all turn into the living dead. He ordered Uther and his knights to destroy the entire city. Horrified by what he heard, Uther denounced Arthas, saying that he would not have obeyed such an order even if Arthas had been "at least three times king." Accusing Uther of treason, Arthas dismissed the Knights of the Silver Hand. Several of his knights stayed with Uther, as did Jaina. The remaining knights aided Arthas in destroying the infected townspeople.

As soon as the young prince began to destroy the inhabitants of Stratholme, Mal'Ganis himself appeared before him, trying to take the souls of the townspeople. Arthas tried to destroy the humans before their souls fell into the clutches of Mal'Ganis. In the end, Arthas challenged the Dreadlord to a single combat. However, Mal'Ganis escaped, promising to meet with Arthas in Northrend. Arthas pursued him with the rest of his army. A month later, he arrived at Bladed Bay. While the prince and his men were looking for a suitable place for the camp, the troops came under fire from the dwarves from the exploration guild, since they could not recognize them and were simply mistaken. Arthas was shocked to meet his good friend and former mentor, Muradin Bronzebeard. At first, the dwarf thought Arthas had come to the continent to rescue Muradin and his men, who were surrounded by an army of undead in their search for the legendary runesword of Frostmorn. Arthas said the meeting was just a coincidence. Together they destroyed the nearest camp of the undead, but no trace of Mal'Ganis was found.

After passing through the ancient gates, Arthas, Muradin and a small band of warriors found themselves very close to the legendary blade. Arthas soon ran into the Guardian, who tried to keep the young prince away from Frostmourne. The Guardian fell, and Arthas and Muradin received their well-deserved reward. However, after reading the runes, Muradin said that the sword was cursed and begged Arthas to leave everything as it is, forget about the sword and quickly take his people back to Lordaeron. Arthas was adamant, he called upon the spirits of the cave to release the sword from his frozen prison, assuring that he would "give everything or pay any price, if only the spirits will protect his people." As the sword broke free from its icy shackles, Muradin was struck by a rebounding shard of ice, but Arthas felt no remorse. He took Frostmourne and returned to camp, leaving Muradin to die.

With the enchanted sword in hand, Arthas defeated all of Mal'Ganis's servants and finally faced him. Mal'Ganis reported that the voice that Arthas began to hear belongs to the Lich King. Despite this, to the demon's surprise, Arthas replied that the voice was calling him to destroy Mal'Ganis. After killing the Dreadlord, Arthas sailed north, leaving his troops behind. Arthas soon lost the last remnants of his sanity.

Several months later, Arthas returned to Lordaeron, who rejoiced at the return of his champion, the conqueror of the undead. Entering the throne room, Arthas fell to one knee before the throne of his father, King Terenas. However, he then stood up, exposed Frostmourne and killed his stunned father with it.

Ner'zhulwas originally the supreme shaman of the Orcs of Draenor. Long ago, when the orcs had never heard of the human world, the Commander of the Burning Legion, Keel "Jaeden, came to Ner'zhul. The demon saw that the shaman was very capable of magic, and gave Ner'zhul the power to command the currents of magical energy, in exchange for loyalty. Legion.Ner'zhul helped the demons fight the draenei of Draenor, but the shaman soon began to realize that the orcs were only pawns in the great game of the Legion's demons. Kil'jaeden, realizing that Ner'zhul no longer wants to help the Legion, but is hatching his own plans, chose a new representative of the orc race - Ner'zhul's disciple, Gul'dan. Gul'dan gained even more demonic strength and power. Fearing for his life, Ner'zhul went into the shadows, and his name was not mentioned in either the First or Second Wars with the Alliance.

Enraged by the defeat of the orcs and the destruction of Draenor, the demon lord tore Ner'zhul to pieces, and tormented his soul for a long time in flames. But the demon still gave Ner'zhul another chance to serve the Legion. He turned all the warriors of the shaman who stepped with him through the portal into dead sorcerers - lichs, revived by sorcerous power, and the soul of Ner'zhul himself forever imprisoned in a block of magic ice, inside which was the Frozen Throne. The Frozen Throne was teleported to the world of Azeroth to the snow-covered continent of Northrend, to an area called Icecrown. Together with the Lich King, all his loyal servants were exiled. To prevent the King from betraying the Legion again, the demons sent their loyal servants - the Nathrezim, led by their leader Tichondrius - to watch over Ner'zhul's actions. Ner'zhul soon felt that his consciousness had expanded significantly, and he could feel the world of ghosts and command his loyal lichs, communicating with them in a language that demons could not hear. For ten long years, Ner'zhul improved his abilities, hatching plans to conquer the human world and get rid of the power of demons.

Ner'zhul created a plague within his throne, which he decided to test on the people living in Northrend. The Lich King was delighted to discover that he could calmly control the plague from his ice dwelling and direct it wherever he wanted. Soon all the people exposed to the plague turned into the living dead, completely subordinate to Ner'zhul. When all the people of Northrend were subdued, Ner'zhul continued to expand its domain. Soon, an ancient race of arachnid creatures, the Nerubians, stood in his way. However, Ner'zhul destroyed the overlords of the Nerubians when his army descended into the depths of Azjol'Nerub, the kingdom of the spiders. The War of the Spider, as it was called, ended with the annihilation of the leaders of the Nerubians, upon whom the vaults of the caves were brought down by the Nathrezim aiding the Lich King.

The king of spiders Anub'arak Ner'zhul revived and made his loyal servant. Studying a strange plague that turns people into zombies, a magician of Dalaran, fond of necromancy, named Kel "Tuzad, arrived in Northrend. Ner'zhul contacted him and recruited him for his future army, the Scourge. ”However, the Lich King left Kel'Thuzad his humanity, promising him eternal life if he served the Scourge's cause of human destruction.

Quote

Are you fighting for life? In vain. I already took it.

Kel'Thuzad - was one of the most promising mages of the Kirin Tor order. In the course of his research, he repeatedly turned to forbidden books on dark magic and necromancy, and could not understand why such powerful tomes and powers so frighten the magicians and the ruling elite of Dalaran. He delved deeper and deeper into dark texts and art. But this could not continue indefinitely. His research in the field of dark magic was revealed, and he appeared before the high council of Dalaran, at which a decision was made - in the honor of former merits, he was given the last chance. Either he stops practicing the dark arts, or he will be expelled from Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. It is noteworthy that almost at the same time CT begins to hear a voice - the call of the Lich King. He begins to sound throughout Azeroth to all those whom the Lich King (then Ner "Zul) deemed worthy candidates for his schemes (see Creating the Scourge and Spreading the Plague). CT understands that if he wants to learn more about the dark arts is his only chance. No one knows more about them than the Lich King. He packs up his things and leaves Dalaran for Northrend.

After long months of travel across the seas and snows, he reaches the Roof of the World - as Northrend was called at that time. Presenting himself before the Lich King, he tasted the power for which he so yearned. He was terrified ... at the beginning. Besides, there was still no turning back. The king of the dead entrusted him with a responsible task - to spread the recently hatched magic plague in the lands of Lordaeron and to revive the oldest Cult of the Damned. It was for this occupation that Jaina Proudmoore and Arthas Menethil found him. In a brief skirmish, CT is killed by Arthas, but warns that "his death will not change anything in general ... when the conquest of these lands has already begun."

Later, when Arthas betrayed his homeland, his people and his father, the King of the Dead instructs him to resurrect Kel Tuzada. For this, Arthas desecrates even the ashes of his father, who fell from his own hand - he pours the ashes out, because he needs an urn , in order to transfer the remains of CT to the place of resurrection. This place was named the Sunwell, the shrine of the high elves, now known as the blood elves. After the resurrection of the CT admits that he initially knew about his death at the hands of Arthas. Now Kel "Tuzad is a lich endowed with great power ...