Terenas Menethil II Terenas Menethil II was the last true king of Lordaeron and one of the primary founders of the original Alliance of Lordaeron , the first time in three thousand years the human kingdoms were united since the breaking of Arathor . Ruling for over five decades , including the period of the Second and Third Wars , Terenas acted as a patron of the Alliance and sought to keep it united as political issues had arisen . His death at the hands of his own son deprived the Alliance of its leadership at a critical moment in history . Terenas is the narrator of " Wrath of the Lich King " intro cinematic and is voiced by Earl Boen , who also voiced Terenas in his in - game appearances in Icecrown Citadel . Ted Whitney , who voiced Terenas in " Warcraft III " , passed away a short time after finishing his work . Biography . Terenas Menethil II was born in the court of the kingdom of Lordaeron , one of the strongest human nations , as a member of the royal Menethil family , which had ruled the kingdom for generations . An old friend of Thoras Trollbane , Terenas grew up to become a wise and just ruler , greatly loved by his people . His long years of reign saw peace and brought prosperity for Lordaeron , but all this changed with the outset of the Second War . Terenas ' s grandfather is said to have had successful negotiations with the elves of Quel ' Thalas over the borders there for his northern vassals . The Second War . After the First War , refugees from the Kingdom of Stormwind led by Sir Anduin Lothar , accompanied by Prince Varian Wrynn and Khadgar , arrived on the shores of Lordaeron . They traveled to Capital City and met with Terenas , giving warnings of the orc s and the invasion that was to come . Terenas called delegates from neighboring human nations , and , after hearing the horror stories from Sir Lothar and his people , they agreed to forge the Alliance of Lordaeron . Terenas also asked the High elves of Quel ' Thalas for help as well as the dwarves of Ironforge . Prince Varian was left with his family , befriending his son Arthas and becoming like a second son to Terenas . Terenas organized the forces of Lordaeron in the defense of Capital City against the onslaught of the Horde during the Second War . He even commanded the defenses of the battle that almost resulted in the fall of Lordaeron , where his kingdom was almost destroyed by the Horde and Terenas almost killed by an orc that was killed by Morev . But in the end , their sacrifices were not in vain , and the Alliance won through , decimating the Horde and rounding up the surviving orcs into internment camps , headed by Aedelas Blackmoore . The orc warchief Orgrim Doomhammer was kept as the personal prisoner of Terenas , the human king fervently hoping that a treaty could be arranged with the orcish leader . Terenas thought that if the orcs could be kept pacified long enough , they ought to eventually lose their lust for conquest , and as such he pleaded to keep them interned instead of executing them . Doomhammer eventually escaped captivity and fled into hiding . Aftermath of the Second War . Despite the end of the Second War , peace did not last long . He and the other kings of the Alliance were present at the meeting in Nethergarde Keep . Later , he met with Thoras Trollbane , Muradin Bronzebeard , and Lord Daval Prestor and discussed the matter with Alterac and Perenolde . When it was discovered that the rift to the orc ' s home world was expanding , Terenas immediately decreed in conjunction with Varian Wrynn , who had assumed his rightful place on the throne of Stormwind , and the other kings to rally the Alliance army that would venture into Draenor in order to retrieve the artifacts stolen by the Horde and end the orcish threat for good . The Alliance Expedition led by Khadgar and Turalyon undertook the Invasion of Draenor , eventually succeeding and and sealing the Dark Portal from the other side to prevent Draenor ' s destruction from destroying Azeroth as well . Some years later , the matter of what to do with the Kingdom of Alterac came up . Trollbane wanted to split the lands between Lordaeron and Stromgarde . However , King Genn Greymane supported Lord Perenolde ' s nephew Isiden ' s claim to the throne while Admiral Daelin Proudmoore of Kul Tiras was opposed to Gilnean influence in the region . Lord Prestor , who appeared to be a relative to the late Lord Perenolde , was one of Terenas ' trusted advisors during this time , and Terenas began to arrange a marriage for Prestor to his young daughter Calia . Terenas even wished his own son was more like Prestor . Prestor was endorsed by most Alliance nations as the new king of Alterac , solving everyone ’ s — and particularly Terenas ’ — political nightmare . This plan was scrapped , however , when Prestor suddenly disappeared . The Alliance Splinters . When the political problems culminated , Terenas realized that the Alliance would crumble . The first ally to secede were the elves of Quel ' Thalas , as they blamed the humans for not being able to save their burned forests . Terenas tactfully reminded them that it was the Alliance that saved them from being annihilated entirely . Gilneas then separated from the whole world behind the Greymane Wall and Thoras Trollbane proposed a mass execution of the orcs but Lordaeron refused to do so . The quarrels of the two friends ended when Stromgarde too seceded from the Alliance . In spite of these loses , many nations remained with Lordaeron and Uther , who considered him as a brother , alongside Alonsus Faol had helped him to rebuild Lordaeron and other kingdoms . The Reign of Chaos . Time wore on and Terenas grew more and more infirm , struggling to hold together the collapsing Alliance despite all of his pleas with the dissident nations of Gilneas , Stromgarde , and Quel ' Thalas . Nonetheless , Terenas still had allies he could rely on , as the nations of Stormwind , Kul Tiras , Dalaran , and Ironforge remained committed to the Alliance . In the meantime , his son , Arthas , became the prized protégé of Uther the Lightbringer and a paladin of the Silver Hand . The troubles began with the orcish uprisings through Arathi , as well as the Plague spreading from the North . Many of the Alliance representatives , especially the ones from Dalaran , were pleading for a quarantine . But Terenas refused , saying that the people of Lordaeron had suffered enough . The mysterious prophet unexpectedly materialized during a council of the Alliance , and pleaded with Terenas to make haste to Kalimdor or all would be lost . Terenas , however , paid no heed , thinking him little more than a madman . It was here that King Terenas sealed his fate . Weeks later , Terenas heard of Arthas ' s strange behavior , including the destruction of Stratholme and his excursion to Northrend . Terenas immediately ordered the troops recalled at Uther ' s request , but no word was heard from them for months . Murder . Finally , Prince Arthas returned , victorious over the evil he had faced in Northrend . All of Lordaeron Capital rejoiced in festival , celebrating the long - awaited return of their heroic Prince . But something was amiss . As he knelt before his father , a dark voice flooded Arthas ' s thoughts . He rose up , drew his sword , and approached the throne . Taking his father by the throat , Arthas drove the dark runeblade Frostmourne through his heart . Thus did Terenas of the House of Menethil , King of Lordaeron , die at the hands of his own son — bringing an end to not only his reign , which had lasted for 70 years , but also to the Kingdom of Lordaeron itself . Burial . Terenas ' s ashes were kept in a magical urn , guarded by Uther the Lightbringer himself . Arthas , desiring the urn for his own ends , slew the great paladin , and discarded his father ' s ashes . The king ' s remains were recovered and interred reverently , behind the throne room of Lordaeron : Fall of the Lich King . The soul of Terenas Menethil II speaks to the Lich King warning him that the combined might of the Alliance , the Horde , the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade have finally fought their way to Icecrown Citadel itself to defeat him once and for all . Terenas ' s spirit appears in Icecrown Citadel during the battle against the Lich King . When players fall victim to the " Fury of Frostmourne " spell , they are brought into Frostmourne itself , where they find Terenas struggling against the spirit warden of the sword . The player must aid Terenas in defeating it , at which point the blade becomes weakened enough for him to be able to return the player to the real fight . At 10 % , the Lich King then kills the entire raid ( an intended mechanic , not a wipe ) and prepares to raise them as his most powerful servants when Tirion Fordring , frozen for the entire fight , breaks free of his bonds and shatters Frostmourne with the Ashbringer . As the souls claimed by Frostmourne swirl around the Lich King , Terenas ' s spirit appears to resurrect the dead to finish off the immobilized master of the Scourge . During the outro cinematic , Terenas remains at Arthas ' side as he dies . Narration . Wrath of the Lich King trailer . Terenas Menethil II narrates the opening cinematic to " " , reminding Arthas of his duty as the heir to the throne of Lordaeron . Fall of the Lich King trailer . The soul of Terenas Menethil II speaks to the Lich King in the trailer for patch 3 . 3 : Fall of the Lich King . He warns the Lich King that the combined might of the Alliance , the Horde , the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade have finally fought their way to Icecrown Citadel itself to defeat him once and for all . Speculation . It is unknown who interred the remains . It ' s possible that some Forsaken , feeling some residual loyalty to Lordaeron did it . It could also have been the members of the Silver Hand , although when they would have had the time is unknown . Another possibility is that the remaining Alliance forces in Lordaeron under Garithos erected the memorial during the short time that they controlled Capital City before Sylvanas took control .