Ner ' zhul The Elder Shaman Ner ' zhul was the Warchief of Draenor of the clans that remained uncaptured after the Dark Portal was destroyed in Azeroth . He was deceived into making a Blood Pact with Kil ' jaeden the Deceiver , the one that bound the orcs into the service of the Burning Legion . Following the Second War , he opened several portals on Draenor in an attempt to seek out new lands to escape to and conquer , but was immediately captured by Kil ' jaeden . His mortal form was destroyed and his spirit was transformed into the helm of domination , known as the Lich King , which was then encased in the mystical ice of the Frozen Throne atop the Icecrown glacier in distant Northrend . Biography . Chieftain of the Shadowmoon clan . Ner ' zhul was the chieftain and elder shaman of the Shadowmoon clan and one of the most popular figures in orcish society . He was admired , respected and venerated by all for his deep connection to the spirits , and was the closest thing the orcish race had to a single leader prior to the foundation of the Horde . However , deep within , Ner ' zhul craved a power he did not have . Rise of the Horde . Ner ' zhul was contacted by the spirit of his deceased mate , Rulkan ( with whom he had a regular correspondence ) , who warned him about the menace of the draenei , who were plotting to destroy the orcs . After several moons , she introduced him to Kil ' jaeden , the " Great One " , who began to instruct him in the treachery of the draenei . Though Ner ' zhul was elated that he was saving his people ( and finally getting the power and respect he secretly desired ) , he was puzzled why the ancestors would no longer speak to him , and why the spirits grew more distant . Ner ' zhul managed to get the rest of the clans to begin attacks on draenei settlements , supposedly by order of the ancestors , but , as he saw more and more of the draenei , he gradually became puzzled ; apart from his horns , clothes , and skin tone , Kil ' jaeden bore an uncanny resemblance to the draenei and possessed a hatred of Velen unbecoming of a divine being . Seeking answers , he attempted to commune with the ancestors in Oshu ' gun , the " Mountain of the Spirits . " He was horrified when the ancestors greeted him as a monster and when the " real " Rulkan revealed that Kil ' jaeden had been manipulating him all along . Ner ' zhul resolved to defy his demon master but Gul ' dan , his apprentice , had followed him and eavesdropped on Ner ' Zhul ' s conversation with the ancestors . Greedy for his own power , Gul ' dan informed Kil ' jaeden of the betrayal of the shaman . Kil ' jaeden , ever one to reward good service , elevated Gul ' dan to Ner ' zhul ' s position . Ner ' zhul was relegated to a ceremonial position , his powers stripped from him . Kil ' jaeden forced Ner ' zhul to watch helplessly as the orcs slid into bloodlust and warlock magic . He was powerless to stop the rise of the Shadow Council , privy to all their secrets but able to reveal none . But Gul ' dan grew careless . Thinking Ner ' zhul completely powerless , he allowed his former teacher access to all of the Shadow Council ' s documents , and it was thus that Ner ' zhul discovered that Kil ' jaeden was planning to feed the Blood of Mannoroth to the orcs . Ner ' zhul ' s diminished position and Gul ' dan ' s baleful influence meant that none of the chieftains would listen to his warnings , with the exception of one . As a result of Ner ' zhul ' s anonymous advice , Durotan of the Frostwolf Clan refused to allow his clan to drink the blood of Mannoroth , and saved them from the worst of the corruption . Alas , Durotan and his mate Draka were the only people aware of Ner ' zhul ' s actions - a secret that died with them years later . Today , no one has any idea that one of Azeroth ' s greatest enemies saved the orcs from complete and utter annihilation . Beyond the Dark Portal . Following the Horde ' s defeat in the Second War the Alliance pressed the Horde back to the Blasted Lands , ultimately destroying the portal . On the Draenor side Ner ' zhul was caught in the blast and gravely wounded . For two years while he recovered the clans of Draenor fought amongst themselves until Teron Gorefiend devised a plan of opening new portals and finding fresh worlds for the Horde to conquer . Teron went to Ner ' zhul and asked the old shaman to lead the Horde once again . Ner ' zhul having since recovered , had isolated his clan in Shadowmoon Valley , where he began seeing visions of death ( potentially a foreshadowing of his future fate ) . He painted his face with a white skull . When Gorefiend , a being of undeath , came to him , Ner ' zhul was not surprised , and after some persuasion , agreed to Gorefiend ' s plan to open more portals . In order to fullfill the plan he sought out several artifacts from Azeroth : the Skull of Gul ' dan , the Book of Medivh , the Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras , and the Eye of Dalaran . The first item he acquired , the Skull of Gul ' dan , soon began to influence the old shaman . His wayward apprentice was speaking to Ner ' zhul through his last remains . Ner ' zhul became more and more concerned with his own power and well being rather than that of the Horde . Upon retrieving all of these artifacts save the Skull , he attempted to open portals throughout Draenor . Feeling the surge of power that came with having control of Draenor ' s magic , Ner ' zhul stopped caring about the welfare of the Horde , and thought only of harnessing his new powers . In his hubris , he ordered his followers through the portals , leaving behind the Horde . Obris , one of his servitors , protested at Ner ' zhul ' s choice to abandon the rest of the Horde . In response , Ner ' zhul blasted him aside ; he no longer cared . Inundated with power he could only have dreamed of , Ner ' zhul ' s greed overcame him . Whatever vestiges of honor and altruism still remained in him vanished as he and his followers went through the first portal , abandoning the rest of the Orcish Horde to its fate . The vast energies that the spell created then tore the planet apart once Ner ' zhul had fled , and the shattered realm of Outland was created . Birth of the Lich King . Upon entering one of the portals , Ner ' zhul and his followers were immediately captured by Kil ' jaeden . The Elder Shaman was torn apart , though his spirit was kept alive . Agreeing to enter into the service of the demon once more , Ner ' zhul was bound to the Frozen Throne . His perception , mental powers , and magical abilities expanded tremendously . Thus the Lich King was born . As the Lich King , Ner ' zhul would rule the Scourge alone until merging with Arthas Menethil . Interlude . After the merger , the Lich King sat dormant for several years while storms raged across Northrend and his minions constructed Icecrown Citadel around the Frozen Throne . While the Lich King dreamt , the various personas in his mind - the death knight Arthas Menethil , the orc shaman Ner ' zhul , and Matthias Lehner , the personification of the remnants Arthas ' humanity - fought for influence and control over the entity . It is notable that if arranged accordingly , Matthias Lehner is an anagram of Arthas Menethil . Matthias tried to reason with Arthas , but Arthas killed him by running him through with Frostmourne . Ner ' zhul was delighted by this , declaring that he and Arthas were now free to merge into a single glorious being . Arthas rejected this offer , stating that once he had the power of the Lich King , no one would tell him what to do again . He impaled the stunned Ner ' zhul with Frostmourne , becoming the dominant personality of the Lich King and ending the dream . In World of Warcraft : Wrath of the Lich King . Awakening . When the Lich King awakened , he silenced his own heart , believing that anything that made him at all mortal made him weak . Afterwards he journeyed to Sindragosa ' s Fall where he raised the ancient dragon Sindragosa , the first consort to Malygos , as a frost wyrm , then watched his massive undead army prepare for war . Attacking Horde and Alliance . The capitals of Azeroth began receiving mysterious packages with infected grain . As their citizens ate grain from the infected packages , they were turned into bloodthirsty ghoul s if not treated by members of the Argent Dawn . With all the major capitals thrown into chaos , necropolei appeared around the world , triggering a second Scourge war . Adventurers from both the Alliance and the Horde fought back the disease and the advancing Scourge armies . Outraged by this treachery , Warchief Thrall with his fellow Horde leaders , and King Varian Wrynn planned an invasion on Northrend to deal with the Lich King once and for all . The final straw occurred when the Lich King directly attacked the capitals of the Horde and the Alliance . Orgrimmar and Stormwind were attacked by large Scourge armies consisting of frost wyrm s and abomination s . The Battles for Stormwind and Orgrimmar were won by the brave adventurers and their leaders once more , thus forming the Horde Expedition and the Alliance Vanguard . These attacks were intended to lure powerful heroes to Northrend , where the Lich King sought to corrupt them and use them against their own people , in a reflection of Arthas ' own journey . Fall of the Scarlet Enclave . Not content to just lure the Champions of Azeroth into his service , the Lich King decided to remove the anti - Scourge presence within the plaguelands . To this end he created a new order of death knights . This new order was led by Highlord Darion Mograine and successfully forced the Scarlet Crusade from Lordaeron , with the survivors becoming the Scarlet Onslaught and heading to Northrend . During the battle , he sensed an old enemy that he long ago destroyed , but was content to ignore it for the time being . Battle for Light ' s Hope Chapel . Empowered by the destruction of the Scarlet Crusade , the Scourge prepared to attack Light ' s Hope Chapel and destroy the Argent Dawn . Despite the odds , the Argent Dawn won against the army of damned , largely thanks to the arrival of Tirion Fordring . The spirit of Alexandros Mograine , the original Ashbringer , appeared to speak with his defeated son Darion . The Lich King then took to the field himself , sealing away Alexandros ' soul . Realizing how he had been betrayed , Darion attacks the Lich King , only to be swatted aside . Fordring comes forward in preparation to battle the Lich King . The Lich King incapacitates him , stating that sacrificing a small army of death knights was a small price to pay to draw Tirion out of hiding . Lord Maxwell Tyrosus gives the order to attack , and while the remaining Defenders of the Light charge the Lich King , they are easily blasted away . Having heard from the Lich King himself of why he would throw away Darion and the death knights under his command , Darion uses Arthas ' focus on Tirion against him , and throws the Corrupted Ashbringer to Fordring . The combination of Fordring ' s own faith and the holy ground of Light ' s Hope cleanses the Ashbringer , restoring the sword to its original glory . With this new power , Tirion escapes the Lich King ' s spell and strikes him with the holy sword . Stunned by this turn of events , the Lich King retreats after promising that the next time he meets Fordring , it will not be on holy ground . This battle led to the creation of two of the Lich King ' s greatest enemies : Tirion Fordring ' s Argent Crusade ( a combination of the Argent Dawn and Silver Hand ) and Darion Mograine ' s Knights of the Ebon Blade ( an order of death knights who broke free from the Lich King ' s control ) . Angrathar the Wrathgate . Members of the Horde and the Alliance fighting at the siege for Angrathar the Wrathgate formed a temporary alliance , focusing their attacks on the Scourge instead of each other . With the dragonflights providing aerial support , both factions made a daring attack on the gate , seizing control from the Scourge . There , Bolvar Fordragon and Saurfang the Younger taunted the Lich King to fight his own battles instead of sending his minions . The Lich King entered the battle and quickly slew Saurfang the Younger . Before Bolvar and the Lich King could trade blows , Grand Apothecary Putress , chief of the Forsaken ' s Royal Apothecary Society and the creator of the New Plague , betrayed the Horde and unleashed his plague on the combatants below . The plague killed most of the Alliance , Horde , and Scourge forces at the Wrath Gate indiscriminately , including Bolvar Fordragon . The Lich King was injured and forced to retreat . This betrayal and the Battle for the Undercity that followed ended upwards of seven years of cold war between the Horde and the Alliance . Fall of the Lich King . After the Argent Tournament ended with the death of Anub ' arak , the Argent Crusade , led by Highlord Tirion Fordring , struck an alliance with the Knights of the Ebon Blade , led by Highlord Darion Mograine . Thus the Ashen Verdict was born , a combination of opposing orders for a common purpose : the final assault against the Scourge in Icecrown Citadel and the eventual fall of the Lich King . Icecrown Citadel : The Frozen Halls . After intelligence spoke of an opening directly to the Lich King ' s private chambers , Jaina Proudmoore led adventurers from the Alliance while Sylvanas Windrunner led adventurers from the Horde into the Frozen Halls . While Jaina hoped to find a little trace of Arthas left in the Lich King , Sylvanas planned to simply sneak past all of the Lich King ' s defenses while he was preoccupied with the Ashen Verdict invasion and claim her revenge . Once inside they discovered that the Lich King had left the Frostmourne unattended within the Halls of Reflection . Both Jaina and Sylvanas attempted to speak with the spirits of the blade in an attempt to find the Lich King ' s weakness , and both were met by the spirit of Uther the Lightbringer . Uther warned that the Lich King could see what Frostmourne saw and was on his way . Uther finally told them that any trace of Arthas was simply a fading presence inside the Lich King ' s mind , and that to destroy him , he must be slain at the place where Arthas merged with Ner ' zhul , at the top of the Frozen Throne . Finally , Uther revealed that after the Lich King is slain , someone must take his place - without a master to keep them in check , the vast armies of the Scourge would indiscriminately swarm across Azeroth . When the Lich King arrived in the hall , he banished Uther ' s soul back into Frostmourne and called his loyal captains Falric and Marwyn to deal with the intruders . He returned to his private chambers , followed by Sylvanas and Jaina . Once the adventurers defeated the captains , their respective leaders , unable to do any meaningful harm to the Lich King , ordered them to flee . Seemingly trapped , they made a final stand before their respective gunships , " The Skybreaker " and " Orgrim ' s Hammer " , arrived to carry them to safety . One King Falls , Another Rises . Champions of the Argent Tournament , led by Tirion Fordring , stormed Icecrown Citadel and defeated the Lich King ' s mightiest servants . Atop the spire , the Lich King encased Tirion in a block of ice , forcing him to watch helplessly as his champions battled the Lich King and his minions . Eventually , the Lich King effortlessly killed all the adventurers with a single devastating attack . The Lich King revealed that he had been waiting for Tirion ' s assault all along , knowing that he would bring with him Azeroth ' s greatest heroes , who could then be killed and resurrected as powerful masters of the Scourge . Every obstacle he had laid before them was merely part of his test . Now certain Tirion ' s champions were " " the greatest fighting force this world has ever known " " , the Lich King began to raise the fallen heroes . Fordring , calling for a final blessing from the Light , managed to break free and shatter Frostmourne with his own sword , Ashbringer . The spirits who had been trapped within Frostmourne , including King Terenas Menethil II , attacked their former jailer by suspending him in the air while simultaneously resurrecting Fordring ' s champions , who were then able to defeat the Lich King . Legion . When one of the Knights of the Ebon Blade enters the Blades of the Fallen Prince , reformed from Frostmourne ' s shards , Ner ' zhul can be found tempting Arthas to take up Frostmourne . Arthas is defeated and once more states that he sees only darkness , while Ner ' zhul exclaims that his plans have been ruined . It is unclear if these are their actual spirits or merely echoes reliving their pasts . Abilities . Ner ' zhul had the gift of true visioning and all he had seen would indeed come to pass . He had seen many events that take place in " World of Warcraft " , including :