Plaguelands The Plaguelands are the regions of the northern Eastern Kingdoms that were corrupted by the Scourge during the Third War . Early in the conflict , the Cult of the Damned under the direction of Kel ' Thuzad unleashed the Plague of Undeath on the northern nation of Lordaeron , tainting the grain from Andorhal , the primary distributor of grain in the northern provinces , and shipping it to outlying villages and towns . The virulent plague killed thousands throughout the provinces and raised them as mindless undead in the service of the Lich King , and caused the land to become tainted , the plant and animal life becoming diseased . A small resistance , led by Prince Arthas Menethil and Uther the Lightbringer of the Knights of the Silver Hand , were able to destroy the infected granaries and temporarily halt the spread of the plague . By the time of Arthas ' eventual fall , beginning with the Culling of Stratholme and coming to its climax with the murder of King Terenas , not one living human remained in northern Lordaeron . The Blackened Woods of Quel ' Thalas , having already suffered from the effects of dragons ' fire during the Second War over a decade earlier , also became tainted by the plague after the fall of Lordaeron , during the Scourge ' s march to the Sunwell . Seeking to give the Scourge as pyrrhic a victory as possible , the elves put their forests to the torch . Today the region is known as the Ghostlands , and is home to the major Scourge holding in Quel ' Thalas , the fortress of Deatholme . Following the Scourge ' s defection from the Burning Legion after the Third War and the later splintering of the Forsaken , the Plaguelands became divided between the minions of the Lich King and the new followers of Sylvanas Windrunner . To this day , the Scourge continues to corrupt the Plaguelands , spreading the Plague of Undeath from strategically - placed cauldrons that taint not only the land , but the air and the wildlife as well . There are many others besides the Forsaken and the forces of the Alliance who battle the Scourge in the Plaguelands . The Scarlet Crusade , an organization of maddened zealots who attack anyone who opposes them as fervently as they destroy the undead , has taken control of the few surviving towns in the region , such as Hearthglen and Tyr ' s Hand . The Argent Dawn , formed by former members of the Scarlet Crusade who opposed its corruption , also have a major presence , striking against key leaders and locations throughout the Plaguelands . In lore , this is where the dread citadel Naxxramas stood , and with it Kel ' Thuzad ' s reign was enforced and undisputed . With the help of the Argent Dawn , Darion Mograine infiltrated the floating Scourge citadel and tried his luck at bringing it down . He ultimately failed , losing his life in the process . However , he managed to free his father , Alexandros Mograine ( formerly the wielder of the Ashbringer ) , from undeath , finally giving his spirit rest . Without him the dark fortress was left severely weakened as he was one of The Four Horsemen who led the military forces in Naxxramas . And so , with this in mind , the Argent Dawn led an all out assault on the fortress and defeated Kel ' Thuzad , but failed to actually kill him . The Citadel ended up " vanishing " from the Plaguelands not too long after . Unbeknown to the Argent Dawn , Naxxramas was summoned back to Northrend , to lay seige to Wintergarde Keep . It was only to be stopped by the strong will of Halford Wyrmbane , commander of the 7th Legion . And as last time , the adventurers came to the rescue , liberating the necropolis and finally slaying the vile Kel ' Thuzad , along with the rest of his forces that resided inside .