Road to Damnation Road to Damnation is a short story written by Evelyn Fredericksen and published on the old " World of Warcraft " community site as the precursor to Patch 1 . 11 . Road to Damnation . " This continual harassment grows tiresome . I was in the midst of important studies , delicate magic that requires weeks of preparation and ritual . " Kel ' Thuzad had been forced to wait for hours , fuming at the insult , before he was permitted the bare courtesy of confronting his accusers . The group ' s apparent spokespersons , Drenden and Modera , had long been two of his most vocal critics . Nonetheless , they would not have launched this latest inquisition without support from Antonidas , who had yet to show himself . What was the old man up to ? Drenden snorted . " That ' s the first time I ' ve heard your sort of magic called ' delicate . ' " " An ignorant opinion from an ignorant man , " said Kel ' Thuzad with cold precision . A distant voice spoke to him then , the voice of a friend . By now its remarks had grown so familiar that they felt like his own thoughts . " They fear and envy you . After all , thanks to this new course of study , you are continuing to gain in knowledge and power . " There was a sudden flash of light , and a scowling gray - haired archmage appeared in the hall . A small wooden chest was tucked under his arm . " I would not have believed it if I had not seen it myself . You have abused our patience for the last time , Kel ' Thuzad . " " The venerable Antonidas graces us with his presence at last . I began to think you had fallen ill . " " Age frightens you , doesn ' t it ? " Antonidas snapped . " You realize there ' s only one alternative . " " Let him think so , if that comforts him . " Calming somewhat , Antonidas said , " As for my health , you need not have concerned yourself . I was merely busy elsewhere . " " Searching my chambers for evidence of forbidden magic ? You should know better . " " True , your chambers bore no such evidence . The warehouses you own in the northlands , on the other hand . . . " Antonidas gave him a disgusted look . Damn the man for being a self - righteous snoop . " You had no right . . . " Antonidas tapped his staff to the floor , silencing him , and turned to the other magi . " He has turned the buildings into laboratories for a series of foul experiments . See for yourself , colleagues . Behold the fruit of his labors . " He opened the chest and tilted it so that all could see . The decaying remains of several rats . Two were still scrabbling clumsily at the sides of the chest in a vain attempt to escape . Several magi bolted to their feet , and there was a hubbub of dismay . Even the golden - haired high elf who had been sitting in the back of the room seemed startled , though Prince Kael ' thas was a man whose age made that feat nearly impossible . Turning back to the captive rats , Kel ' Thuzad saw that they had collapsed and stopped moving . Another set of failures , apparently . No matter . Someday he would create a stable undead specimen . His hard work would be vindicated . It was only a matter of time . " There are loose threads in the spell that silences you . Shall I show you how to unravel it ? " Time , and his unknown ally , whose enigmatic voice occasionally helped him to move one step closer to his goal . " Show me , " he thought . A young woman arrived in another flash of light . As she went to stand by Antonidas , the high elf ' s gaze followed her with troubled , brooding intensity . But Jaina Proudmoore took no notice ; she was utterly focused on her duties . The handsome prince didn ' t stand a chance . Her vivid blue eyes spared Kel ' Thuzad a curious glance . She took the box from Antonidas , who explained , " My apprentice will see to it that the chest and its contents are incinerated . " The woman inclined her head and teleported from the room . Across the room , the high elf frowned at the spot she had vacated . Under other circumstances , Kel ' Thuzad might have found the silent drama amusing . However , left unchallenged , Antonidas was continuing his tirade . Mutely seething , Kel ' Thuzad resumed his efforts to free himself . " We have permitted this state of affairs long enough . Rapped his knuckles occasionally for his more questionable pursuits . Tried to guide him . Now we find he has been practicing evil magic . The name of the Kirin Tor is fast becoming a curse on the lips of the local villagers . " " You lie ! " Kel ' Thuzad burst out , and a few of the magi were his again , waiting for him to offer an explanation . " Peasants remember the Second War just as well as we do . Say what you like about the orcs ; their warlocks wielded great power . Power against which we had precious little defense . We have an obligation : we must learn to wield and counter these magics ourselves . " " To form an army of dead rats , their unnatural existence measured in hours ? " Antonidas asked dryly . " Yes , my boy , I found your journals , too . You kept quite detailed records regarding this abominable enterprise . You cannot mean to use these pathetic creatures against orcs . Assuming , of course , that the orcs should ever emerge from their current lethargy , escape the internment camps , and somehow manage to become a threat again . " " Being younger than you hardly qualifies me for boyhood , " retorted Kel ' Thuzad . " As for the rats , they are the gauge by which I measure my progress . It is a standard experimental technique . " A sigh . " I am aware that you spend most of your time in the north these days . Your increasingly lengthy absences were what caught my attention in the first place . Yet even you must have heard that the king ' s new tax has given rise to civil unrest . Your selfish pursuit of power could incite the peasantry to revolt . Lordaeron would be engulfed in civil war . " He hadn ' t known about the tax . Antonidas must be exaggerating . Besides , true magi would focus on matters of greater substance . " I will be more discreet , " he offered , gritting his teeth . " No amount of discretion could possibly hide a secret of this magnitude , " said Drenden . Modera added , " You know that we have always walked a fine line in order to protect our people without becoming a danger ourselves . We dare not sacrifice our humanity - not in appearance , and certainly not in truth . At best , your methods would see us condemned as heretics . " It was too much . " We ' ve been called heretics for centuries . The church has never been fond of our methods . Such sentiments notwithstanding , we are still here . " She nodded . " Because we avoid dark magic , which leads to corruption and catastrophe . " " Because we are necessary ! " " Enough . " Antonidas sounded weary . To Modera and Drenden , he added , " If words alone could have reached him , they would have done so before now . " " I have heard your words , " Kel ' Thuzad said in exasperation . " Merciful gods , I have heard them until I am sick of them ! It is you who will not hear mine , and put aside your antiquated fea . . . " " You mistake our purpose here today , " interrupted Antonidas . " This is not a debate . At this moment , your properties are being thoroughly searched . All items tainted by dark magic will be confiscated and , once identified to our satisfaction , destroyed . " His nameless ally had warned him this might happen , but Kel ' Thuzad had not believed . Strange . He felt almost relieved that events had come to this pass . The need for secrecy had limited the scope of his work , hindered his advancement . " In light of the evidence , " Antonidas said heavily , " King Terenas has agreed with our judgment . If you do not abandon this madness , you will be stripped of your rank and holdings , and you will be exiled from Dalaran - indeed , from all of Lordaeron . " His mind racing , Kel ' Thuzad bowed and left the hall . Doubtless the Kirin Tor were keeping his so - called disgrace quiet , fearing repercussions should his actions become public knowledge . For once , their cowardice would work in his favor . His wealth would never line the king ' s coffers . < nowiki > * * * * * < / nowiki > A pack of wolves stalked Kel ' Thuzad for miles , just out of spell range , before they fell behind . Glancing warily over his shoulder , he saw them snarl and flatten their ears before darting away . Thankfully the arctic winds were dying out as well . In the distance he could make out the summit , a bleak mountaintop , the sight of which gave him a sense of triumph and foreboding . The very peak of Icecrown . Few explorers had ventured onto the glacier , and even fewer had survived to tell the tale . But he , Kel ' Thuzad , would scale its heights alone and look down on the rest of the world . Unfortunately almost no maps existed of the frigid continent of Northrend , and he found them woefully inadequate , like the supplies he ' d proudly packed for this journey . Uncertain of the path ahead and his ultimate destination , he could not teleport . Not sparing himself , he staggered onward . He had lost track of how long he ' d been walking . Despite his fur - lined cloak , he was shivering uncontrollably . His legs felt like pillars of stone : awkward and numb . His body was beginning to shut down . If he didn ' t find shelter soon , he was going to die out here . Eventually a glint of light drew his gaze : a stone obelisk carved with magical symbols , with a citadel beyond it . At last ! He hurried past the obelisk and crossed a bridge of what looked like pure energy . The citadel ' s doors opened at his approach , but he stopped short . The entryway was guarded by two grotesque creatures that resembled giant spiders from the waist down . Six narrow legs supported each creature ' s weight ; the other two limbs were attached like arms to a vaguely humanoid torso . More fascinating than the creatures themselves , though , was their current state . Their bodies showed an assortment of open wounds , the worst of which had been roughly bandaged . One guard ' s arms were bent at improbable angles . Ichor oozed from the other ' s fanged maw , but the guard made no effort to wipe it away . Despite the familiar stink of undeath , the guards showed no sign of confusion , unlike Kel ' Thuzad ' s rats . The spider - like creatures must also have retained most of their original strength and coordination . Otherwise , they would have made poor guards . Their creator was clearly a skilled necromancer . To his surprise , they moved aside to let him pass . Unwilling to question his good fortune , he gladly entered the citadel , which was significantly warmer . In the hallway ahead was a battered statue of one of the half - spider creatures . The building itself was of recent construction , but the statue was quite old . Come to think of it , he ' d seen similar statues in the ancient ruins he ' d passed through on his way north . The cold was slowing his wits . At a guess , the necromancer had conquered a kingdom of these spider - like beings , successfully converted them into undeath , and taken their treasures as the spoils of war . Exultation filled him . He would surely learn great things here . At the end of the hall , a gigantic creature lumbered into view : a grotesque mixture of beetle and spider . It approached him at a deliberate pace , and Kel ' Thuzad observed that its towering body sported an even greater number of wounds and bandages . Like the guards , it was undead , but its sheer bulk made him feel more frightened than impressed . He doubted he had sufficient skill to vanquish such a monster , much less raise it from the dead . The creature greeted him in a deep bass voice that reverberated within its ponderous body . Although it spoke perfectly understandable Common , the sound chilled him . Strange buzzing and clicking underlaid its words . " The master has been expecting you , archmage . I am Anub ' arak . " It had both the intelligence and motor skills for speech - astonishing ! " Yes . I wish to become his apprentice . " The huge creature simply looked down at him . Possibly it was debating whether he would make a tasty snack . He cleared his throat nervously . " May I see him ? " " In due time , " Anub ' arak rumbled . " Thus far , you have devoted your life to the pursuit of knowledge . An admirable goal . Still , your experiences as a mage cannot have prepared you for serving the master . " What could have inspired such a speech ? Did the majordomo consider Kel ' Thuzad a rival ? That was a misconception to dispel as soon as possible . " As a former member of the Kirin Tor , I have more magic at my command than you could probably imagine . I am more than prepared for whatever tasks the master gives me . " " We shall see . " Anub ' arak led him through a number of tunnels that took them far beneath the earth . At last Kel ' Thuzad and his guide emerged into a vast ziggurat whose name , so Anub ' arak said , was Naxxramas . From its architecture , the building was another product of the half - spider creatures . Indeed , the first chambers Anub ' arak showed him were populated by the undead things , which swiftly lost their novelty . Actual spiders also skittered here and there among the undead , busily spinning cobwebs and laying eggs . Kel ' Thuzad hid his distaste . He wouldn ' t give the enormous majordomo the satisfaction . Indicating one of the undead spider - things , he said , " You bear them some resemblance . Are you all derived from the same race ? " " The nerubian race , yes . Then the master came . As his influence spread , we made war upon him , foolishly believing we stood a chance . Many of us were slain and raised into undeath . In life I was a king . Today I am a crypt lord . " " In return for immortality , you agreed to serve him , " Kel ' Thuzad mused aloud . Remarkable . " ' Agreed ' implies choice . " Which meant that the necromancer could compel obedience from the undead . Kel ' Thuzad might be the first living being to come here of his own free will . Faintly disquieted , he changed the subject . " This place is full of your people . I take it you rule here ? " " After my death , I led my brethren in conquering this ziggurat for our new master . I also oversaw the process of altering it to serve his design . However , Naxxramas does not fall under my authority . Nor are my people its only occupants . This is but one wing out of four . " " In that case , lead on , crypt lord . Show me the rest . " < nowiki > * * * * * < / nowiki > The second wing was everything Kel ' Thuzad could have hoped . Magical artifacts , laboratory equipment , and other supplies that put his old laboratories to shame . Huge rooms that could hold a veritable army of assistants . Undead beasts that had been cleverly sewn together from a hodgepodge of animals and reanimated . Even a few undead humanoids composed of body parts from assorted humans . The human body parts bore no wounds : unlike the nerubians , the humans had not fought their fate . The necromancer must have acquired the bodies from a local graveyard . Wise to avoid drawing notice . The Kirin Tor would have taken immediate action . Unfortunately the third wing proved less interesting . Anub ' arak showed him an armory and an area for combat training . Next the crypt lord led him through chambers filled with hundreds - no , thousands - of sealed barrels and shipping crates . Why would Naxxramas need so much in the way of supplies ? Well , the pyramid was well stocked in the unlikely event that it was besieged . At last he and Anub ' arak reached the last wing . Giant mushrooms grew in a garden area and gave off noxious fumes that made Kel ' Thuzad feel ill . The soil beneath each mushroom seemed unhealthy , possibly diseased . Going closer to inspect it , he stepped on something that squished : a fist - sized creature that resembled a maggot . He shuddered and hastily moved on . The next room had a number of small cauldrons filled with a bubbling greenish liquid . Curious despite the substance ' s revolting odor , Kel ' Thuzad took a step forward , but a massive claw abruptly blocked his way . " The master wishes you to remain among the living . Your time has not yet come . " His breath caught in his throat . " It would have killed me ? " " There are many who will not serve the master in life . The fluid resolves that difficulty . " At Kel ' Thuzad ' s blank look , the crypt lord said , " Come . I will show you . " Anub ' arak took him to a cell that held two prisoners . Villagers , by their homespun clothing . The man was cradling the woman in his arms ; she was ghastly pale and soaked in sweat . Alive , both of them , though the woman was clearly ill . Kel ' Thuzad glanced at the crypt lord uneasily . Her desperate glassy eyes found Kel ' Thuzad and brightened . " Mercy , my lord ! My body fails . I have seen what will happen next . One bolt of flame , I beg of you . Let me rest in peace . " She was afraid of becoming the necromancer ' s thrall . According to Anub ' arak , she would have no choice . Kel ' Thuzad looked away queasily . After all , she couldn ' t live much longer anyway . She struggled out of the man ' s arms and clung to the cell bars . " For pity ' s sake ! If you will not aid me , at least take my husband to safety ! " And she wept hopelessly . " Hush , sweetheart , " the man murmured behind her . " I will not leave you . " " Make her be quiet ! " Kel ' Thuzad whispered fiercely at Anub ' arak . " The noise distresses you ? " With one lightning - quick motion , Anub ' arak shot one claw through the bars and speared the woman through the heart . Then the crypt lord casually shook the corpse off onto the floor . Her husband howled with anguish . Guiltily relieved , Kel ' Thuzad began to turn away , but froze when the corpse started thrashing and arching against the stone floor . The male villager gaped in shock and fell silent . The dead woman ' s skin was changing color : shifting to a faintly greenish gray . Gradually the spasms died off , and she scrambled unsteadily to her feet . She rolled her head to one side , then shivered as she spotted her husband . " Guards , get this man out of here . " she rasped . The guards didn ' t move . With a groan , she raked her fingers through her tangled brown hair , and Kel ' Thuzad got a good look at her face . Blood vessels were darkening under the skin , and her eyes seemed feral , crazed . Her husband asked doubtfully , " My love ? Are you all right ? " A bitter laugh escaped her and twisted into a snarl when he took a hesitant step toward her . " Don ' t come any closer . " The man ignored her protest and went toward her , but she shoved him away with enough force to send him flying . He hit the cell bars and slid down , stunned . " Stay back . " Her speech was becoming more guttural . " Hurt you . " She wrapped her arms around herself , backed up until she bumped against the opposite side of the cell . " Hurt you , hurt you , " she whined , and something began to be wrong with the way she said it . Uncomprehending , Kel ' Thuzad watched her slowly , jerkily lift a hand to the hole in her chest . She hissed , grimaced , and brought her fingers to her mouth . Licked them . Sucked at them . Then in a blur of movement , she was leaping at her husband , lashing out , baring her teeth - The man screamed , and blood spurted onto the cell floor . Kel ' Thuzad flinched away . Closing his eyes didn ' t help ; he could still hear unspeakable sounds . Ripping , shredding . Chewing . A soft , wretched mewling that he very much feared meant the undead woman was aware of her actions on some level , but unable to stop herself . Sickened and horrified , he teleported out of Naxxramas altogether , staggered a little distance away , and threw up . Finding a patch of unsullied snow , he scooped up handfuls and scrubbed viciously at his mouth and face . It felt as if he would never be clean again . What had he gotten himself involved in ? One by one , his scattered thoughts fell into place . The necromancer was no simple academic , interested in studying a widely condemned field of magic . Nor did he plan to stop at fortifying his home against attack . He was mass - producing a fluid that converted people into zombies . Naxxramas also had an enormous stockpile of supplies , weapons , armor , training grounds . . . These weren ' t defensive measures . They were preparations for war . A sudden wind buffeted him with an unearthly shriek , and a group of cold wraiths coalesced in front of his eyes . He had read of them years ago in the Violet Citadel . The vague description of their cloudy , translucent forms had mentioned nothing of the frigid malice in their glowing eyes . One of the wraiths drifted closer and asked , " Second thoughts ? As you see , your little trick will not avail you . You cannot escape the master . At any rate , what could you hope to accomplish ? Where would you go ? More to the point , who would believe you ? " Fight or flight : those would have been the heroic choices . Heroic , but pointless . His death would serve nothing . By agreeing to become the necromancer ' s apprentice , Kel ' Thuzad bought himself time in which to bolster his own skills . With enough training , he could surpass the necromancer or catch the man off guard . He nodded to the wraith . " Very well . Take me to him . " The wraiths teleported him back to the citadel and escorted him downward through a series of halls and rooms that Kel ' Thuzad knew he wouldn ' t be able to remember later . At last , deep beneath the earth , he and the wraiths entered a huge cavern whose dank chill sank into his bones . In the center of the cavern was a dizzyingly tall spire of rock . Blanketed in snow , a set of stairs spiraled up the sides of the spire . He and the wraiths began the ascent . His heart pounded with excitement and dread . When he realized that his steps were slowing , he sped up again . His resolution didn ' t last long , however . It felt as if a weight was pulling at him . Evidently the long journey across Northrend had tired him more than he ' d thought . Far above him , at the top of the spire , he could barely make out a large chunk of crystal . Untouched by snow , it had a faint bluish gleam . There was no sign of the necromancer . One of the wraiths used a frigid gust of wind to give him a push . His pace had been lagging again . Irritably he tugged his cloak closer and forced himself to keep climbing , though he was breathing hard . Time passed , and a blast of sleet brought him back to full awareness . He had stopped in the middle of the stairs to lean on his staff . The air was foul and suffocating ; he was panting by now . " Give me a moment , " he managed . A wraith behind him said , " We cannot rest . Why should you ? " Grimly Kel ' Thuzad resumed the climb and hunched his shoulders against the growing exhaustion . He raised his head with an effort and saw that the glimmering crystal was drawing close . At this distance , it looked like a jagged throne with hazy dark shapes inside it . There was a palpable aura of menace about the thing . The wraiths brushed against him and startled him into crying out . Echoes of the sound reverberated throughout the cavern . He clutched at his fur cloak with clammy , trembling hands . His breath rattled in the back of his throat , and he had the sudden terrible urge to turn around and start running . " Where is the master ? " he asked , and his voice was high and quavering . No answer , just a storm of hail that lashed at him cruelly . He stumbled and recovered his footing . With each step , the throne looming above him felt more oppressive , pushing his head down , bending his spine . He could barely walk upright . Before long , he fell to his hands and knees . The necromancer spoke directly to Kel ' Thuzad then in a voice that was no longer even remotely kind . " Let this be your first lesson . I have no love for you or your people . On the contrary , I intend to scour humanity from this planet , and make no mistake : I have the power to do it . " Relentless , the wraiths did not permit him to stop . Beyond humiliation , he abandoned his staff and began to crawl . The necromancer ' s malevolence beat down upon him and pressed him deeper into the snow . Kel ' Thuzad was shaking and whimpering , and o gods , he ' d been wrong - - stupidly , colossally wrong . This wasn ' t fatigue . It was stark terror . " You will never catch me unaware , for I do not sleep , and as you should have already guessed , I can read your thoughts as easily as you might read a book . Nor can you hope to defeat me . Your puny mind is incapable of handling the energies I manipulate on a whim . " Kel ' Thuzad had long since torn his robes , and his leggings were useless against the icy rock of the rough - hewn stairs . His hands and knees left bloody tracks behind him as he struggled up the last spiral . The throne radiated bone - chilling cold , and mist surrounded it . A throne not of crystal , but of ice . " Immortality can be a great boon . It can also be agony the likes of which you have not yet begun to fathom . Defy me , and I will teach you what I have learned of pain . You will beg for death . " He came within a few feet of the throne and could go no farther , pinned helplessly beneath the thing ' s overwhelming aura of inhuman might and hatred . An unseen force bore down on him and ground the side of his face into the unyielding stone . " Please , " he found himself sobbing . " Please ! " Further words escaped him . Finally the pressure eased . The wraiths flitted away , but he knew better than to rise . Doubted , in any case , that he could . His eyes , however , unwillingly sought out his tormentor . A set of plate armor was seated within the throne , rather than upon it . Kel ' Thuzad might have thought the armor merely black , but , blinking hard , he saw that no light at all was reflected from its surface . In fact , the longer he looked , the more it seemed to devour all light , hope , and sanity . The ornate spiked helm obviously doubled as a crown . It was set with a single blue gem and , like the rest of the armor , appeared empty . In one gauntlet , the figure clasped a massive sword whose blade had been etched with runes . Here was power . Here was despair . " As my lieutenant , you will gain knowledge and magic to surpass your most ambitious dreams . But in return , living or dead , you will serve me for the rest of your days . If you betray me , I shall make you into one of my mindless ones , and you will serve me still . " Serving this spectral being - - this Lich King , as Kel ' Thuzad was beginning to think of him - - would assuredly bring Kel ' Thuzad great power . . . and damn him for all eternity . But that knowledge came far too late . Besides , damnation had little meaning without the prospect of true death . " I am yours . I swear it , " he said hoarsely . In response , the Lich King sent him a vision of Naxxramas . Small black - robed figures stood in a broad circle outside on the glacier . Their arms , visibly wreathed in dark magic , rose and fell in time with a droning chant that eluded Kel ' Thuzad ' s understanding . Tremors shook the earth beneath their feet , but they kept casting . " You will go forth and bear witness to my power . You will be my ambassador to the living , and assemble a group of like - minded people to further my plans . Through illusion , persuasion , sickness , and force of arms , you will establish my hold upon Azeroth . " To Kel ' Thuzad ' s astonishment , the ice shifted and cracked , and the top of a ziggurat pierced the frozen ground . A building was being pulled up out of the soil . While the robed figures redoubled their efforts , the vast pyramid continued its impossible emergence . Chunks of dirt and ice flew outward with explosive force . Soon the entire structure had broken free of the earth ' s embrace . Slowly but surely , Naxxramas rose into the air . " And this will be your vessel . "