Rise of the Lich King The short story Rise of the Lich King was featured on the now defunct official " " site . It describes in a brief fashion , the rise of the Lich King originally from the orc shaman / warlock Ner ' zhul and the eventual fusion with Arthas Menethil . Rise of the Lich King . The Curse of Ner ' zhul . The elder shaman Ner ' zhul was once among the greatest spiritual leaders of the orcs . Deceived by the demon Kil ' jaeden , he set in motion the events that led to the orcs ' corruption and the creation of the bloodthirsty Horde . Yet ultimately Ner ' zhul refused to give his people fully to the demonic ranks of the Burning Legion . The demon lord Kil ' jaeden punished Ner ' zhul for his defiance , destroying his aging body and torturing his spirit . The demon then offered Ner ' zhul a final ultimatum : serve the Legion unconditionally or suffer eternal agony . With little other choice , Ner ' zhul pledged to obey Kil ' jaeden and was reborn as a terrifying and vastly powerful agent of the Legion – the Lich King . Ner ' zhul ' s spirit was magically shackled to a suit of ancient armor and bound to the mighty runeblade Frostmourne . To ensure Ner ' zhul ' s obedience , Kil ' jaeden sealed the armor and blade within a specially crafted block of ice collected from the far reaches of the Twisting Nether . This frozen crystal was then cast into the ripe and unsuspecting world of Azeroth , settling in the desolate , snowy wastes of Northrend . Among the abilities bestowed upon the Lich King was lordship over death itself . From within his Frozen Throne , Ner ' zhul summoned a number of undead to serve him and tested his army against the nerubians of Azjol - Nerub and their mighty spiderlord , Anub ' arak . Although the War of the Spider raged for years , many nerubians who fell in battle quickly became bound to the Lich King ' s iron will . Anub ' arak himself was eventually ambushed and slain , rising again to join Ner ' zhul ' s ranks as a fearsome crypt lord . The Lich King appeared to be faithfully serving his master , but he had in fact hatched a cunning and subversive plan . To that end , he created a small fissure in his prison , pushed Frostmourne through it , and directed his minions to carry the runeblade away from the Frozen Throne . Ner ' zhul intended to use the sword as bait for a mighty champion : a loyal subject who would free him and serve as a vessel for his restless spirit . While Frostmourne was positioned to serve its future purpose , the Lich King dutifully proceeded with his demon master ' s true agenda . . . Since arriving on Azeroth , the Lich King had been formulating an insidious plague of undeath , a terrifying disease meant to annihilate humanity and create an army faithful to the Burning Legion . To expedite the spread of this contagion , the Lich King recruited a powerful ally in the ambitious mage Kel ' Thuzad , a senior member of Dalaran ' s ruling council . Under the Lich King ' s watchful gaze , Kel ' Thuzad created the Cult of the Damned , a group of humans to whom he promised social equality and eternal life on Azeroth . The cultists spread the plague throughout Lordaeron ' s northern villages , amassing a host of mindless undead . Kel ' Thuzad looked upon the growing army and named it the Scourge , for at the Lich King ' s whim it would surely scour humanity from the face of the world . The archmage Antonidas suspected that the undead plague was magical in origin , and so he sent the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore to the northlands to investigate . With her went Prince Arthas Menethil , only son of King Terenas . Jaina and Arthas tracked down and killed the Lich King ' s servant , Kel ' Thuzad , but the necromancer ' s death failed to halt the rise of the Scourge . As the battle against the undead wore on , the prince ' s faith and patience began to wane . Joined by the legendary paladin Uther the Lightbringer , Arthas and Jaina nevertheless arrived at the gates of Stratholme too late to stop the distribution of plague - ridden grain . Arthas realized that the innocent villagers would inevitably join the growing ranks of undead . He ordered Uther to purge the town and slaughter the civilians before they could become minions of the Scourge . When Uther refused , Arthas accused the veteran knight of treason and disbanded the Order of the Silver Hand . Uther and most of his remaining cavalry left the village in disgust , and Jaina , horrified by Arthas ' decision , abandoned the prince as well . Despite the loss of his supporting forces , Arthas carried out his plan , putting the city ' s innocents to the blade and burning every remaining structure to the ground . Something in Arthas snapped that day , and as he walked away from Stratholme , he left much of his humanity in the flaming ruins . The Claiming of Frostmourne . The prince then dedicated himself to stopping the Scourge at all costs . In time he traced the source of the plague to Northrend . With a heavy heart and steadfast determination , the prince set out for the snowy roof of the world . In Northrend Arthas was surprised to find an old friend , the dwarf Muradin Bronzebeard . Muradin had been searching for a blade renowned to have legendary powers : the blade called Frostmourne . Arthas resolved to seek out the enchanted blade and wield it against the Scourge . However , at Uther ' s urging , King Terenas soon recalled Arthas and his troops . Before the expedition could set sail for home , Arthas secretly hired indigenous mercenaries to burn the ships . Leading his troops to the ships , Arthas feigned surprise and ordered his bitterly disappointed soldiers to hunt down and kill the mercenaries . Arthas then scoured the desolate wastes for what he believed was the key to his people ' s salvation . In time Muradin and Arthas discovered Frostmourne and read the foreboding inscription on its pedestal . The inscription warned that Frostmourne ' s wielder would indeed gain power eternal , but at a cost : " Just as the blade rends flesh , so must power scar the spirit . " Despite the warning and Muradin ' s protests , Arthas swore that he would pay any price to possess the blade . At the prince ' s reckless urging , Frostmourne freed itself from the ice in which it was encased , in the process taking Muradin ' s life . Arthas seized the blade , which destroyed what little remained of his humanity . The prince could not have guessed that the Lich King was the blade ' s true master , nor could he have known that in addition to Kil ' jaeden ' s enchantments , Frostmourne possessed an ability that had been bestowed by Ner ' zhul : the ability to steal the souls of the living . With Frostmourne in hand and a growing darkness in his heart , Arthas wandered into the frozen wastes to answer the call of his new master . . . All of Lordaeron rejoiced at Prince Arthas ' triumphant return from Northrend , but their elation was not to last . Not long after Arthas knelt before King Terenas , the former paladin thrust Frostmourne into his father ' s heart . At the Lich King ' s command , the fallen prince went on to murder his mentor , Uther the Lightbringer , and claim Kel ' Thuzad ' s remains . When Arthas had finished , Capital City , formerly one of humanity ' s crown jewels , had been reduced to a silent wasteland of death and despair . The death knight Arthas then marched his ever - growing army of the undead into the forests of Quel ' Thalas , slaughtering the elves in his path as he smashed through the gates of Silvermoon . Arthas laid claim to the legendary Sunwell , using its powers to raise Kel ' Thuzad as a lich and leaving the high elven lands utterly devastated in his wake . Kel ' Thuzad in turn opened a gateway to usher in Archimonde , a powerful demon lord of the Burning Legion . Upon his arrival Archimonde declared that the Lich King ' s usefulness had reached an end . While Archimonde pursued the Legion ' s goals , Arthas traveled to the continent of Kalimdor . There he met and advised Illidan Stormrage , a powerful demon hunter whose interests aligned with those of the Lich King . Shattering the Frozen Throne . The Third War ended with Archimonde ' s demise , and Legion forces on Azeroth were scattered in the wake of his death . Arthas returned to Lordaeron , where he was assailed by painful visions that he learned were a sign of the Lich King ' s weakening power . The death knight journeyed back to Northrend and was confronted by an army of elves : survivors of the Scourge invasion of Quel ' Thalas . The elves had joined forces with Illidan Stormrage in order to march on the Frozen Throne . The crypt lord Anub ' arak arrived and guided Arthas into a series of ancient tunnels that allowed the pair to reach the Lich King quickly . Arthas emerged from the subterranean caverns to face one final challenger barring his path : Illidan Stormrage , who had become a demon . Illidan engaged the death knight in single combat , Frostmourne clashing against Illidan ' s Twin Blades of Azzinoth . Ultimately the demon was left bloodied in the snow as Arthas advanced , undeterred by the voices of the past echoing in his head , warning him against the action he was about to take . Some say that Arthas was still in control of his own actions when he ascended the steps of the Frozen Throne ; others claim that he had been the Lich King ' s creature ever since taking up Frostmourne . Whatever the case , a single voice stood out in the death knight ' s mind as he reached the runic armor encased in ice . " Return the blade , " commanded the Lich King . " Complete the circle . Release me from this prison ! " With a roar , Arthas brought Frostmourne down , shattering the Frozen Throne . He then donned Ner ' zhul ' s helm , sealing his union with the Lich King . The Lich King waits now , scheming to lure adventurers down the same dark path that Arthas tread . Frostmourne hungers for the souls of both the brave and the foolish , and somewhere Ner ' zhul ' s voice still echoes within the helm of the Lich King .