Kel ' Thuzad Kel ' Thuzad ( ) was the founder of the Cult of the Damned and one of the principal agents of the Lich King responsible for the spreading of the plague of undeath across Lordaeron . Originally a human mage of the Kirin Tor , Kel ' Thuzad was swayed under the influence of the Lich King . After bringing the plague to Lordaeron under the pretense of being under the orders of Mal ' Ganis he was slain by Arthas . Arthas ( by then a death knight ) resurrected him as a lich so he could summon Archimonde the Defiler into Azeroth . Following Arthas ' departure for Northrend , Kel ' Thuzad was left to command the Scourge of Lordaeron from his necropolis , Naxxramas . Following his first defeat , he and his necropolis moved to Northrend . Kel ' Thuzad appeared in " Warcraft III " as a Hero in the undead campaign . He appears in " World of Warcraft " as the final encounter of Naxxramas , implemented in patch 1 . 11 and re - tuned for level 80 in patch 3 . 0 . He may additionally be found in Old Hillsbrad Foothills as his past , human self . He was voiced by Michael McConnohie in " " , " " and his original appearance in " World of Warcraft " . He is voiced by a different unknown actor in " " . Biography . By the period shortly before the Second War , Kel ' Thuzad was a member of the Council of Six , the high council of the Kirin Tor — the masters of Dalaran . Of the Kirin Tor ' s leaders , Kel ' Thuzad was the most eager to gain access to the Guardian ' s Library — the depository of knowledge hoarded by Medivh in his tower of Karazhan — and thus was most upset when the library was lost . After Medivh ' s death , Kel ' Thuzad and the other senior members of the Kirin Tor questioned Medivh ' s apprentice , Khadgar , about what happened ; Kel ' Thuzad seemed particularly interested in discovering more about the mysterious Order of Tirisfal , which — as he pointed out to Antonidas , the leader of the Kirin Tor — was relevant when discussing Medivh . Call of the Lich King . A handful of powerful individuals , scattered across the world , heard the Lich King ' s mental summons from Northrend . Most notable of them was the Archmage Kel ' Thuzad from the magical nation of Dalaran . Kel ' Thuzad was one of the senior members of the Kirin Tor — Dalaran ' s ruling council — and had been considered a maverick for years due to his insistence on studying the forbidden arts of necromancy . Driven to learn all he could of the magical world and its shadowy wonders , he was frustrated by what he saw as his peers ' outmoded and unimaginative precepts . Upon hearing the powerful summons from Northrend , the archmage bent all of his considerable will to communing with the mysterious voice . Convinced that the Kirin Tor was too squeamish to seize the power and knowledge inherent in the dark arts , he vowed to learn what he could from the immensely powerful being named the Lich King . Forsaking his fortune and prestigious political standing , Kel ' Thuzad abandoned the ways of the Kirin Tor and left Dalaran forever . Prodded by the Lich King ' s persistent voice in his mind , he sold his vast holdings and stored away his fortunes . Traveling alone over many leagues of both land and sea , he finally reached the frozen shores of Northrend . Intent on reaching Icecrown and offering his services to the Lich King , the archmage passed through the ravaged , war - torn ruins of Azjol - Nerub . Kel ' Thuzad saw firsthand the scope and ferocity of Ner ' zhul ' s power . He began to believe that allying himself with the mysterious Lich King would not only be wise , but potentially fruitful . After long months of trekking through the harsh Arctic wastelands , Kel ' Thuzad finally reached the dark glacier of Icecrown . He boldly approached Ner ' zhul ' s dark citadel and was shocked when the silent undead guardsmen let him pass as though he was expected . Kel ' Thuzad descended deep into the cold earth and found his way down to the bottom of the glacier . Within the endless cavern of ice and shadows , he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his soul to the dark lord of the dead . " The full version of his flight from Dalaran and encounter in Icecrown , where he meets Anub ' arak and realizes , too late , the full plans of the Lich King , is told in the short story , The Road to Damnation . " The Lich King was pleased with his latest conscript . He promised Kel ' Thuzad immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience . Kel ' Thuzad , eager for dark knowledge and power , accepted his first great mission : to go into the world of men and found a new religion that would worship the Lich King as a god . To help the Archmage accomplish his mission , Ner ' zhul left Kel ' Thuzad ' s humanity intact . The aged , yet still charismatic wizard , was charged with using his powers of illusion and persuasion to lull the downtrodden , disenfranchised masses of Lordaeron into his confidence . Once he had their attention , he would offer them a new vision of what society could be — and a new figurehead to call their king . Cult of the Damned . Kel ' Thuzad returned to Lordaeron in disguise , and over the span of three years , he used his fortune and intellect to gather a clandestine brotherhood of like - minded men and women . The brotherhood , which he called the Cult of the Damned , promised its acolytes social equality and eternal life on Azeroth in exchange for their service and obedience to Ner ' zhul . As the months passed , Kel ' Thuzad found many eager volunteers for his new cult amongst the tired , overburdened laborers of Lordaeron . Surprisingly , Kel ' Thuzad ' s goal to pervert the citizens ' faith in the Holy Light towards belief in Ner ' zhul ' s dark shadow was easily attained . As the Cult of the Damned grew in size and influence , Kel ' Thuzad made sure to keep its workings secret from the authorities of Lordaeron at every turn . Compendium of the Fallen . With Kel ' Thuzad ' s success in Lordaeron , the Lich King made the final preparations for his assault against human civilization . Placing his plague energies into a number of portable artifacts called Plague cauldron s , Ner ' zhul ordered Kel ' Thuzad to transport the cauldrons to Lordaeron where they would be hidden within various cult - controlled villages . The cauldrons , protected by the loyal cultists , would then act as plague generators by sending the plague seeping out across the unsuspecting farmlands and cities of northern Lordaeron . The Lich King ' s plan worked perfectly . Many of Lordaeron ' s northern villages were contaminated almost immediately . Just as in Northrend , the citizens who contracted the plague died and arose as the Lich King ' s willing slaves . The cultists under Kel ' Thuzad were eager to die and be raised again in their dark lord ' s service . They exulted in the prospect of immortality through undeath . As the plague spread , more and more feral zombies arose in the northlands . Kel ' Thuzad looked upon the Lich King ' s growing army and named it the Scourge — for soon , it would march upon the gates of Lordaeron and scour humanity from the face of the world . War of the Undead . Kel ' Thuzad , upon the Lich King ' s instruction , oversaw the infection of the small town of Brill where he was discovered by Jaina Proudmoore and Prince Arthas . From there he quickly fled and they followed him back to Andorhal , where he told Arthas of Mal ' ganis in Stratholme . Arthas , in a rage , hunted Kel ' Thuzad down and killed him , but not before Kel ' thuzad told him his death would mean little . But they were not finished yet . After Arthas had traveled to Northrend , and slain Mal ' ganis with Frostmourne , he returned to Lordaeron and betrayed his kingdom and became a servant of the Lich King . Arthas was notified by Tichondrius to reclaim Kel ' Thuzad ' s remains , guarded by Gavinrad the Dire . After killing the paladin , he appeared only to Arthas , and told him that he was not to trust the dreadlord s , explaining to Arthas that they were the Lich King ' s jailors , and promised to explain all of the Lich King ' s plans to Arthas once he walked the earth again in Quel ' Thalas . Kel ' Thuzad watched over Arthas as he made the slow procession to the Sunwell in Silvermoon against the stratagems of Sylvanas Windrunner . Eventually , Arthas ravaged his way through the two Elfgates and finally laid siege to Silvermoon itself , breaching through to the fabled Sunwell . Arthas placed Kel ' thuzad ' s remains within the well , and with the help of Tichondrius , Kel ' Thuzad was reborn into the terrifying form of a lich . As they traveled to Alterac , Kel ' Thuzad explained that the Scourge was merely the harbinger of the Burning Legion , and that he would summon the first of the demon s , the eredar warlock Archimonde to the mortal world . However , a group of orcs were guarding the Demon Gate . Kel ' Thuzad brought in a Frost wyrm and introduced it to Arthas , which assisted him in razing the orc settlements . Kel ' Thuzad communed the gate , and Archimonde appeared , telling Kel ' Thuzad to go to Dalaran and steal the Book of Medivh to summon him . After Arthas led the attack on Dalaran and killed Antonidas , the book was retrieved and Kel ' Thuzad began the lengthy summoning process , with Arthas defending him from the many attacks of Dalaran and the Kirin Tor . During the ritual , Archimonde sent groups of Infernals , Fel Hounds and Doom Guards to assist the Scourge . When the ritual was completed , Archimonde stepped through the portal and was free to act however he wished . His first act was to promote Tichondrius to leader of the Scourge , rendering Arthas and Kel ' Thuzad of little use . However , Kel ' Thuzad , confident in the Lich King ' s grand design , disappeared amidst the chaos of Dalaran ' s destruction . He had other plans . . . After the War . Kel ' Thuzad resurfaced as the Legion raked across the Plaguelands , and in the aftermath of the invasion , he remained in the Capital as one of the Lich King ' s lieutenants . Arthas had gone to Kalimdor on Ner ' zhul ' s command to find the rogue demon hunter , Illidan , leaving only Kel ' Thuzad and the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner remaining in his stead . However , both knew that the Legion was defeated long before the Dreadlords who remained in Lordaeron did . Arthas returned in a fury and chased the dreadlords out of the Capital , and Kel ' Thuzad was relieved to see him . With the Legion ' s generals gone , they turned to the human villages who were escaping to the mountain passes . Kel ' Thuzad thought that perhaps they would be a fitting sacrifice to the Lich King . But as they cut a swath through the human forces , Arthas suffered some violent seizures , and Kel ' Thuzad considered recalling their forces , but the King forbade it , and they continued on their macabre mission . In the aftermath , Arthas received a vision from Ner ' zhul , who told him to return to Northrend . Kel ' Thuzad immediately prepared for his departure , but they were abruptly ambushed by the dreadlords , and separated . The dreadlords unleashed their forces against Arthas , but Kel ' Thuzad found his own way out of the city . Kel ' Thuzad later came upon Arthas in the clutches of Sylvanas and her wicked banshees . She was about to strike when Kel ' Thuzad unleashed his forces against her and her sisters . With the banshees dead , Sylvanas was forced to retreat . Kel ' Thuzad escorted Arthas to the shore , where he had prepared a fleet of ships for his departure . Arthas asked Kel ' Thuzad , as his most loyal servant and twisted friend , to remain in Lordaeron and ensure that his legacy remain . Kel ' Thuzad swore on what was left of his life to carry out that mission at any cost . In the battle that would follow between Sylvanas and the dreadlords , Kel ' Thuzad took his forces into hiding , where he would plot his resurfacing into the new powers of the Plaguelands . He now resides in his necropolis Naxxramas . In World of Warcraft . The Fall of Naxxramas . Kel ' Thuzad is the last encounter of the dungeon Naxxramas , implemented in the Patch 1 . 11 , and is the end game boss of the original game of World of Warcraft . He is ultimately defeated by the players , but does not die . As a lich , he may reform using a part of his former self ( the part of his " soul " kept in a magic item known as a phylactery ) . Should the phylactery be destroyed along with him , Kel ' Thuzad would be defeated forever , but some things do not happen as they should . The quest describes how the player , who likely wanted to destroy the phylactery , is manipulated by some mental force to give the phylactery to Father Inigo Montoy in Light ' s Hope Chapel . Something very unusual is going on here , and the Argent Dawn reports that the phylactery did not reach their hands . Wrath of the Lich King . Commander Eligor Dawnbringer : " " The lich , Kel ' Thuzad . He serves the Lich King without question , a necromancer of great prowess in life , turned into a master of necromancy after his death . It is said he is the most loyal of the Lich King ' s subjects . Kel ' Thuzad has survived trials that would have long since shattered the souls of even the greatest of the Brotherhood . He readily gave his life at Arthas ' hand , later to be brought back - reborn in the power of the Sunwell . In the Plaguelands , Kel ' Thuzad was again defeated by the agents of the Argent Dawn . However , his phylactery was delivered to a false agent of the Brotherhood . We have yet to discover who stole his phylactery or why . " " Kel ' Thuzad once again returns as the final boss of the relocated Naxxramas — now floating above the Carrion Fields in the Dragonblight , besieging Wintergarde Keep . When the phylactery was given to Father Inigo Montoy , it was not delivered to the Argent Dawn ; his hoarding of the artifact ( instead of destroying it or giving it to the Argent Dawn ) allowed Kel ' Thuzad to regain corporeal form . ( Montoy appears to have been rewarded for this effort as he is now a lich himself — known as Thel ' zan the Duskbringer — and located within the Wintergarde Mausoleum below Wintergarde Keep , which is currently under siege by Naxxramas . ) In the quest , Horde players are sent to the Plains of Nasam in a siege tank to destroy Scourge forces in the area and rescue injured Warsong Hold troops . They are also called on to identify the leader of the Scourge in the region — Kel ' Thuzad himself , who stands upon a dais and is surrounded by Stitched Warsong Horror s , Plague Spreader s , and other Scourge Construct s . In a manner very similar to how he was originally defeated , the champions of Azeroth again stormed the dread citadel Naxxramas and defeated the lich lord once again . The fate of Kel ' Thuzad ' s phylactery - and by extension , that of Kel ' Thuzad himself - remains unknown . Cataclysm . In it is revealed that in this timeline Kel ' Thuzad , with his lust for power became Blackmoore ' s chief advisor . Quotes . Naxxramas preview monologue . " I was cast out by my comrades . Exiled . Forced to wander the frozen wastes . . . but I was not alone . Not entirely . The voice , now my only companion , guided me to my destination . Strange , nightmarish creatures awaited me at the entrance . I felt my blood run cold , as cold as Icecrown itself . " " Inside , I bore witness to horrific acts , demonstrations of power , power that could be mine for the asking . Terrified , I ran . . . but did not get far . All too soon , my choice was made . Too late did I realize that such power does not come . . . without a price . " " Now , the world shall pay a far greater toll , for I have returned . " " I am Kel ' Thuzad . . . " " Your curiosity will be the death of you . " Conversation with Helcular . Kel ' Thuzad appears in human form along with Helcular in the Old Hillsbrad Foothills wing of the Caverns of Time . He patrols between the main road through Hillsbrad and Southshore . At some point he stops and converses with Helcular : He is still seen wearing the robes of the Kirin Tor , but due to the nature of the conversation , it is presumed that he has already joined the Lich King , or was in the process of doing so .