Plague of Undeath The Plague of Undeath is a magical affliction first conjured by Ner ' zhul , the Lich King ( under the direction of the demon lord Kil ' jaeden ) , from his icy prison within the Frozen Throne in Northrend in order to create the Scourge ( which was intended to be a vanguard for the Burning Legion during the attack on Azeroth ) . This took place just before and during the Third War . Using his will alone , he spread the mystic disease to the nearby denizens in the local regions , including ice troll s , human s , and other creatures , killing them and causing them to rise again as undead under the influence of Ner ' zhul . After the wizard Kel ' Thuzad answered Ner ' zhul ' s psychic call , he was tasked with containing the Plague and transporting it across the sea to Lordaeron , where it was used to infect food supplies and distributed to the populace under the supervision of the dreadlord Mal ' Ganis , an acting lieutenant of the Burning Legion , Ner ' zhul ' s captors . Kel ' Thuzad first had to gather a cult of followers to aid him in the spreading of the plague , and he established the Cult of the Damned . With the aid of his cultists , Kel ' Thuzad and Mal ' Ganis used the agricultural hub of Andorhal to ship plague - infected grain to the surrounding towns within Lordaeron which included Brill and Stratholme . Those contracting the Plague typically die within three days , rising shortly thereafter as feral zombies easily controlled by the Lich King ' s immense psychic power . After successfully destroying the infected granaries , Prince Arthas , fresh on the heels of Mal ' Ganis , came to Stratholme to find it already infected by the tainted grain . Knowing that the citizens would soon turn into the cursed undead , he proceeded to slaughter them all , against the council of Uther the Lightbringer ( Arthas ' paladin mentor ) , in order to prevent them from bolstering Mal ' Ganis ' ranks . Before becoming a death knight in the servitude of Ner ' zhul , Arthas succeeded in destroying all of the sources of the Plague , leaving no way for them to further spread the disease . A few years later , after the Scourge had built a considerable presence in the Plaguelands , they set up a series of massive cauldrons with which they continue to spread the Plague directly into the air , corrupting the land itself as well as the local wildlife . One of the few creatures that thrives in the Plaguelands is the carrion grub . They can reach huge sizes and are immune to the Plague . A prime example of a carrion grub is Borelgore . The Plaguelands also have heavy populations of massive mushrooms which also seem to thrive in these conditions . The Argent Dawn , a regime dedicated to the eradication of the Scourge menace , have discovered ways of sabotaging these cauldrons and reversing their effects , thereby purifying the chemicals within and making them toxic to the undead . Currently , Apothecaries of the Forsaken are working on producing their own New Plague , which would have a similar effect as the original Plague , but will kill undead creatures as well as living ones . This will allow the Forsaken to destroy all their immediate enemies , the Scourge , the Scarlet Crusade , Dalaran and the remnants of Lordaeron . Experiments on this New Plague have been conducted by Apothecaries in Brill , the Sepulcher , Tarren Mill , and Shattrath City . Nature of the Plague . Significant evidence exists that the Plague is fungal in nature . The best evidence for this is Plaguewood . This is corroborated by the clouds of what may be spore that emanate from the colossal mushrooms in the area whose growth may be linked to the plague . Growths on infected plants and animals also would make this possible . Early infections were mostly due to ingested grain , but proximity does not appear to be infectious . The plague may also have either evolved or changed over the years to influence the growth and size of lifeforms which would help spread the Plague , such as the carrion worms and mushrooms which are found to survive well in the Plaguelands . Cure . The Plague , while established many times as a very powerful affliction , was proven to be curable at least once . During the end of the Zombie Infestation World Event , the Alliance and Horde managed to find cures to the Plague , even if the converted zombies themselves could not be saved . The Plague cannot be healed or weakened by individual means ( with exception of the Holy Light regarding weakening the affliction ) . In World of Warcraft . The Plague of Undeath makes its appearance several times throughout " World of Warcraft " . The in - game book , , contains a brief story of Kel ' Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned releasing the Plague of Undeath upon Lordaeron and how Arthas fell under the sway of the Lich King . The in Silverpine Forest speaks of being " protected " from the Plague of Undeath only to suffer an almost equally horrible fate . In Wrath of the Lich King . Players will encounter in Icecrown afflicted with the Plague and attempt to cure him initially with help and finally to completion with help . In Cataclysm . speaks of the Mindless State brought on by the Plague in Tirisfal Glades .