Cult of the Damned The Cult of the Damned is an organization of the living beings who serve the Lich King . Members are mostly Human , but include all races . The Cult was formed during the opening days of the Third War , when the Scourge was loyal to the Burning Legion , and establishing its foothold on Lordaeron . The Lich King Ner ' zhul , trapped in his prison - throne , reached out telepathically to men , orcs , and elves who lusted for power - most notably the then - Archmage Kel ' Thuzad who would become an Archlich and the leader of the Cult of the Damned . While Cultists aspire to become Undead , they remain alive because : 1 . Undeath is considered an honor one must earn , 2 . living beings are useful to the Lich King for their ability to spy in living Horde or Alliance settlements , and recruit powerful individuals from among the living , either into the Cult or the Scourge . The History of the Cult . After the Lich King Ner ' zhul defeated Azjol - Nerub in the War of the Spider , and gained control of Northrend , he turned his attention south , to Kil ' jaeden ' s chosen targets : Quel ' thalas and Lordaeron . Though he was trapped bodiless and confined to the Frozen Throne , he could reach out telepathically across great distances to those seeking power and knowledge of necromancy - his first minions , and the beginnings of the Cult of the Damned . Chief among the men and women who heard the Lich King ' s call was Kel ' Thuzad , archmagus of Dalaran . Forsaking his position as senior member of the Kirin Tor , Dalaran ' s ruling council , Kel ' thuzad traveled alone to Northrend . The vast Nerubian ruins left decimated by the War of the Spider confirmed his desire to ally with the Lich King . His arrival was expected , and he offered his soul to The Lich King Ner ' zhul . In exchange for loyalty and obedience , Kel ' Thuzad was promised immortality and power , but he remained a mortal human for his appointed task : the organization of the Cult of the Damned , which would set the stage for the Scourge ' s conquest of Lordaeron . The Archmagus was old , but still very charismatic , a useful trait for amassing more and more of Lordaeron ' s easily - swayed citizens under the shadow of the Lich King . For three years Kel ' Thuzad worked , preaching his new religion to the masses , promising them immortality and an ideal society free of all the burdens the existing one forced upon its citizenry . Many of Lordaeron ' s overworked laborers and disenfranchised masses were taken in by this charismatic individual , and willingly sold themselves into service to the Lich King . Kel ' Thuzad also used his fortunes and those of his fellow Cult members to taint and corrupt men in positions of power , bringing them into the Cult through favors and gifts . Eventually , many of Lordaeron ' s northern towns were completely under the control of the Cult of the Damned and so , it became time for the Lich King to act . Plague Cauldrons , artifacts which would spread the Blight Plague over wide areas , were created and placed by the Cult of the Damned in the cities they controlled , beginning in the northernmost reaches of the Kingdom of Lordaeron . The plague spread quickly , wiping out the towns ' populations and raising them as Scourge . Though this was a horror for an unsuspecting citizen , for a Cultist , undeath was a welcome reward . When the Burning Legion was defeated at the Battle of Mount Hyjal , the Alliance and Horde were not the only winners . The Cult of the Damned considered the demons ’ defeat a victory for the Scourge as well . the Lich King was finally freed from their control and could begin furthering his own plans using his powerful death knight , Arthas Menethil . He already had the greater part of Lordaeron under his control , and he wished to expand his influence . The Cult of the Damned rejoiced in the release of its leader and continues to serve him , not the Burning Legion , after the war . When Arthas shattered the Lich King ' s prison and took on the Helm of Domination and the spirit of Ner ’ zhul , he created and became what was believed to be the strongest being in the world . The new Lich King not only had the telepathic power of the imprisoned Ner ' zhul , but an immensely powerful and mobile avatar in Arthas . The Cult simply vowed to serve this new entity as it did the old , as long as he furthered the efforts of the Scourge . The Cult works itself into a frenzy with the thought he may leave his new home in Northrend and grace Lordaeron with his presence some day . Working beside the undead , delving into the dark magic of necromancy , and striving one day to become undead themselves , the Cult of the Damned is truly a frightening organization . Organization . The base of operations of the Cult of the Damned is Stratholme , and its leader is Kel ' Thuzad . Kel ' Thuzad takes orders from the Lich King himself , and orchestrates the spread of the Scourge . His two closest living lieutenants are referred to as simply " Next In Line " , and are raised as shades and replaced periodically . These leaders serve the Lich King without question , seeing undeath as the ultimate reward . Under the Next In Line , the Cult of the Damned appears to run with little rhyme or reason , but the ( apparent ) chaos serves the group ’ s purpose - individual leaders cannot be picked out and targeted . Underneath the chaos is a tightly run operation with mortals dedicated to the study of dark magic , the conscription of new mortal members and undercover scouting for the Scourge ’ s forces . The Cult is situated mostly in the Plaguelands and , to a lesser extent , in the rest of Lordaeron , always extending the Scourge ’ s sphere of control . The Cult will often be found wherever the Scourge is . Military tactics . The Cult of the Damned is not a military organization . It is an arm of the Scourge , and the Scourge has other methods of waging war . However , the cult contributes a pair of special weapons : necromancers and blightweavers . Their dark rites support the cult , bringing curses on their enemies and raising new legions of undead . On the battlefield , they are scavengers , using spells to bring their dead enemies under their control before the carrion birds can get to them , gathering large undead forces and directing them at key targets chosen by their Scourge commanders . Death comes in many forms — and it ’ s the job of the blightweaver to make sure that death comes in as terrible a form as possible . These tinkers of the vile concoct new poisons and breed new diseases , hoping to discover new plagues that will extend the Scourge ’ s terror to every corner of Azeroth . On the battlefield , the Scourge occasionally employs blightweavers as sappers of life ; instead of sending teams of goblins to destroy a wall with a burst of explosives , they send these vile priests out to destroy a populace with an explosion of disease and poison . They sneak into a town while the battle rages elsewhere , plant plague animals in stables , and poison wells . Membership . While the current members of the Cult of the Damned are zealous individuals wholly dedicated to their cause , most new recruits are shy and weak - willed people unsure of themselves . Unpopular , abused people , often considered failures in their careers or their lives in general , are ripe for the manipulation of the Scourge as they don ’ t have much to hold onto in the first place . With the promise of wealth , power , knowledge — whatever will motivate them — the Cult draws them in . When the mortals commit to the Cult , they are forced to drink a concoction that steals their will and enslaves them forever to the Lich King , to help them with the final act of submission . Afterwords , they are given an Orb of Illusion , used to disguise a cult member , allowing them to gain safe passage , infiltrate , or simply blend in with an enemy , and are confident and in the full sway of the Lich King ’ s powers , ready to work tirelessly to spread the will of the Scourge . Members view the Scourge with envious fascination , and many felt this way before any dark influences helped convert them . The undead seemingly defy the natural order of things and show limitless potential , for if one can beat death , one can do anything . To be undead is the greatest goal one can have in life . It is considered a reward for a life well lived ( according to the Scourge , of course ) to be given undeath . There is sometimes a murmur of dissent in the ranks when some feel that their fallen enemies are gifted with undeath undeservedly while cultists must work to receive that divine payment . Such grumblings are often put down quickly , usually with the threat of death with no final reward . The officers in the Cult explain that their enemies die and become allies because their numbers are much greater than the Cult of the Damned . If the Scourge only raised deserving mortals , it would not be the great force it is today . The Scourge needs the Cult because they need mortals to serve them . Kel ’ Thuzad personally appoints officials and leaders for the Cult , looking for people both talented in espionage and in pursuing the dark art of necromancy . Good leadership abilities , a talent for recruitment and the ability to blend in with normal mortals are also valued skills . It is impossible to reach any officer ranks without magic , however . There are no ranking members of the Cult who do not know at least a handful of dark spells . Cult of the Damned consists mostly of human s , orc s and high elves , but draenei membership is also presented , at least in the Frozen Halls . In World of Warcraft . The current activities of the Cult of the Damned are unknown . While the cult is certainly still active , spreading its influence among both the Horde and Alliance , its true objective is hidden , the Lich King ' s next move has yet to be revealed . What we do know is that the Cult will never tire in its mission to undermine the defenses of the living races through subterfuge and sabotage . So long as the Lich King remains , the hidden hand of the Cult will be an ever - present threat to both the Horde and the Alliance . As the only living humanoid boss in Naxxramas , Grand Widow Faerlina is likely a high - ranked member of the cult . Other members include Maleki the Pallid , leader of the mortal Thuzadin in Stratholme . The Cult of the Damned makes a strong comeback in " " , and have managed to infect many villages with the Undead Plague , including the Magmothran magnataur in Borean Tundra , the Alliance town of Farshire , the horde farms north of Warsong Hold , and have inflitrated both Faction ' s main towns within Borean Tundra . The Cult of the Damned trains , practices , and kills within Icecrown , mostly upon the gigantic series of gates the Lich King built for fortification . Title . Mob s and NPC s that are members of the Cult of the Damned will usually have the title . Future of the Cult . Because of the new leadership ( Bolvar Fordragon ) of the Scourge , it is unknown if the Cult will continue to exist or be dismantled , or possibly break all ties with the Scourge . Many of the Damned seem to throw their lot in the ranks of Twilight ' s Hammer .