That was enough to increase Yogg-Saron’s influence tenfold. The Old God’s control over the keepers became as strong as iron. It commanded the greatest of them, Keeper Loken, to create an army from the Forge of Wills. In the right hands, this extraordinary machine had the power to make noble forms of life. In Loken’s hands, it churned out legions of metal-skinned dwarves and vrykul who sought only bloodshed and war.
As Yogg-Saron’s army fortified the lands surrounding Ulduar, Cho’gall left Northrend to continue guiding the Twilight’s Hammer cult. He needed to give Yogg-Saron as much time as possible to prepare its forces. He also needed to keep the Old God safe from the Alliance and the Horde. By defeating C’Thun, the two factions had proved that they were unstoppable when they put aside their differences and united.
Cho’gall would not allow them to do so again. He would drive a wedge between the Horde and the Alliance. And the perfect opportunity soon presented itself.
During the invasion of Outland, Varian Wrynn lived without complete knowledge of his past. His essence had been split into two halves, inhabiting two different bodies: one was his diplomatic, amenable side, and the other was his unbending will. After his willful half had escaped from Onyxia’s grasp, he had been enslaved by an orc named Rehgar Earthfury and trained as a gladiator. This part of Varian had become a warrior without equal, and he won renown for his ferocious fighting style. His exploits earned him the moniker Lo’Gosh, a name that the tauren had given to the Wild God Goldrinn. Legends told that this enormous white wolf possessed unparalleled rage and fury, just as Varian did.
Fragments of Lo’Gosh’s true identity began to surface. Sensing there was something more to his life than mere blood sport, he escaped Rehgar’s custody and eventually sought out someone who could help him part the mists shrouding his past. His journey led him to a powerful mage named Jaina Proudmoore in Theramore.
Lo’Gosh stumbled into the city without realizing he had been Jaina’s friend. In his eyes, she was just another stranger.
Jaina did not immediately recognize the battle-scarred warrior, but she sensed something familiar about him. The magic that had sundered Varian’s spirit had also enveloped him in an aura of dark magic. These energies hid his identity from everyone, even his former friends.
Jaina turned to her chamberlain, the legendary sorceress Aegwynn, for help. Together, they called on their magic to pierce the veil over Varian’s mind and reveal his identity. He was no slave, no gladiator. He was the rightful king of Stormwind.
Galvanized by this knowledge, Varian returned home. He was dismayed to find an impostor wearing his crown, a man who looked just like him. In the guise of Lady Katrana Prestor, Onyxia had placed the other half of Varian’s sundered essence on the throne as a puppet ruler whom she could manipulate with ease. Stormwind’s populace was fooled, but many of those who had been close to Varian were not. Prince Anduin Wrynn knew that something was amiss about the man who claimed to be his father, but he had no way to act on that suspicion.
AEGWYNN’S LEGACY
Following the Third War, Theramore attracted adventurers, merchants, and even heroes from the past. One of them was a former Guardian of Tirisfal, Aegwynn. Jaina Proudmoore had convinced the legendary sorceress to stay in the city. Aegwynn had accepted, becoming Jaina’s official chamberlain. The position did not carry the glory of her old life, but that was a welcome change. After she had brought her son, Medivh, back into the world, Aegwynn lost much of her power. She longed for a simpler, more peaceful existence.
KING VARIAN WRYNN AND PRINCE ANDUIN RETURN TO STORMWIND CITY AFTER ONYXIA’S DEFEAT
Varian Wrynn was not one to shy away from conflict. He confronted Katrana Prestor and brought her deception to light. Then chaos engulfed Stormwind City when Prestor took on her true form. The monstrous black dragon Onyxia seized Prince Anduin and fled the city, returning to her lair in the swampy mires of Dustwallow Marsh.
Varian’s two halves were at odds, each claiming that he was the real king. Yet what they agreed on was their love for Anduin. They put aside their differences and hunted down Onyxia. As one, they marched into the dragon’s lair. It was this unity, this shared commitment to sacrifice their lives to protect their son, that would change the course of Varian’s life and the history of Stormwind itself.
As battle engulfed Onyxia’s lair, the dragon’s enchantment over Varian Wrynn crumbled. His shattered essences merged, and he was made whole again. The one true king of Stormwind brought Onyxia low and cut her head from her shoulders.
With Anduin at his side, Varian returned to his throne in Stormwind. Onyxia’s head was hung from the gates of the city, a warning of the fate that awaited anyone who sought to destroy the kingdom.
Varian Wrynn had won, but he was never quite the same. His warrior spirit would remain the dominant force in his heart. In the years to come, he would struggle to control his rage, that fearsome part of him that had earned him the name Lo’Gosh.
Tensions had long simmered between the Horde and the Alliance, but the campaign on Outland had proved that the factions could work together. Besieging the Black Temple and the Sunwell had succeeded only due to unity. For the first time in years, hope surfaced that perhaps the Horde and the Alliance could reach a lasting peace accord.
Jaina Proudmoore championed this path. She was certain that Azeroth would face new threats in the future, either from the Legion, the Lich King, or other dark forces. Jaina organized a meeting between the Horde and the Alliance in Theramore, promising that her city would act as neutral ground.
Not everyone in the Horde and the Alliance sought peace, but most of their leaders did. Varian Wrynn and Thrall led delegations from their respective factions and convened in Theramore. This gathering was unprecedented in the history of Horde and Alliance relations. It had the potential to change Azeroth’s destiny for the better.
If not for Cho’gall, perhaps it would have.
The two-headed ogre had learned of the summit. It was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for to sow chaos between the factions. Cho’gall commanded Garona to assassinate Varian and other members of the delegation, an act that he was certain would ignite war. She had no choice but to obey her master.
As the summit was under way, Garona launched a surprise attack and brought her blades to bear on Varian. The king narrowly fended off the assault, and his would-be assassin was captured.
Varian was livid. He believed she was a Horde assassin, and he had good reason to think so. During the First War, Garona had murdered Varian’s father, King Llane Wrynn, in Stormwind Keep’s throne room. Varian saw this attack at Theramore as an attempt to repeat history. He accused Thrall and the Horde of treachery, and he withdrew from the peace summit with war on his mind.
Though Garona had failed to kill Varian, she’d destroyed any hope of peace between the Horde and the Alliance.
Varian Wrynn thirsted for vengeance, but he never had a chance to pursue it. News from Orgrimmar and Stormwind arrived in Theramore. After a long period of eerie silence, the Lich King had stirred in Northrend.
The Scourge, in numbers not seen since the Third War, were launching attacks across the globe.
GARONA’S FATE
After the news of the Scourge attacks, the Horde and the Alliance delegations left Theramore. Jaina Proudmoore and Aegwynn were charged with watching over their new prisoner: Garona. The sorceresses knew that the half-orc was not entirely herself. A pall of dark energy hung over her. Despite their efforts, Jaina and Aegwynn failed to sever the enchanted shackles that Cho’gall had placed on Garona’s mind.
However, Garona pledged to use her willpower to fight Cho’gall’s mental control and work against him. She revealed what she knew of the Twilight’s Hammer cult, but much about the order remained a mystery. Jaina, Garona, and Aegwynn decided to uncover more information about the cult and its true goals.
> Garona would eventually set out on her own once more, eager to take revenge on Cho’gall and his cultists for what they had done to her.
ALLIANCE AND HORDE FORCES CONVERGE ON ICECROWN CITADEL IN NORTHREND
Troubles were stirring across the icy mountains and tundras of Northrend. Yogg-Saron was gathering its strength. The Lich King was preparing his ultimate plan to conquer Azeroth.
But among the snowy peaks at the roof of the world, an entirely new threat was rising. Malygos, the Aspect of Magic, was calling his blue dragonflight to his side. He had decided that mortal magi were bringing ruin to the world and that the only way to end their transgressions was to cut them off from magic completely.
He commanded his followers to scour Azeroth for every magical ley line and redirect its energy toward his lair, the Nexus. As they did, the Dragon Aspect took the gathered torrents of power and channeled them into the Twisting Nether.
In short, Malygos intended to siphon from every source of arcane power on Azeroth and dispose of the energy where no mage could reach, thereby erasing arcane magic from the world.
The magi of Azeroth quickly noticed that something was amiss. The natural paths of arcane power that they had grown accustomed to using were disappearing, and they could sense them being redirected to Northrend.
A few powerful magi of the Kirin Tor set out to investigate. When they arrived at the Nexus, they were confronted by Malygos himself. The blue Dragon Aspect hid nothing from them. He told them exactly what he was trying to do, and exactly why he was trying to do it. The use of the arcane had put the Burning Legion’s eye on Azeroth—repeatedly—and now the armies of the Horde and the Alliance were abusing those energies to settle their factional disputes. He showed the magi the damage that had already been done to Azeroth, and he demanded that they join his cause.
Some high-ranking magi were swayed by his argument, and they pledged themselves to the blue dragonflight. Others were horrified and attempted to escape. None succeeded. They were killed to stop word from getting back to the Kirin Tor. The magi who joined Malygos soon became known as mage hunters, and they dedicated themselves to erasing all resistance to the blue dragonflight’s new purpose.
They, like Malygos, did not know of the damage his plan might have wrought if implemented fully.
The titans had entrusted the Dragon Aspects with untold power and knowledge, but there had been one fact they had not shared: Azeroth harbored a slumbering world-soul that might one day awaken and become the most powerful titan ever seen.
Malygos’s campaign had upset the equilibrium of the world, sparking natural disasters from Northrend to the southern tips of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Unless something was done, these disasters would spiral out of control and cause irreparable harm to Azeroth’s world-soul.
No one on Azeroth had forgotten the looming danger of the Scourge. It was not long ago that the Lich King’s necropoli had assaulted regions in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, sowing terror and undeath. Yet as devastating as those attacks were, the Lich King had merely been probing for weaknesses. He had needed to conserve his strength.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, another battle had only recently concluded in his domain: the fight between Arthas Menethil and Ner’zhul.
When Arthas had donned the armor of the Lich King, he had feared that the entity might consume his mind in the process. That had not happened. Arthas’s personality had remained intact, and he had ascended to even greater power—a power he wielded alongside Ner’zhul. Both of their spirits coexisted within the same physical body.
Over time, Arthas had concluded that sharing the Lich King’s might with Ner’zhul would only lead to disagreements, confusion, and disorder. Only a single mind could wield this power with precision and harness its true potential.
Arthas had tried to overwhelm the orc’s spirit, and Ner’zhul was nearly destroyed. Arthas had sat on the Frozen Throne, satisfied that he was completely in control of the Lich King’s strength—the sole ruler of the Scourge. After a few years, he realized that he was wrong.
Deep within his mind, he could feel Ner’zhul struggling to wake up. The two beings went to war for permanent control of the Lich King’s power.
Ner’zhul had the initial advantage, for he had lived with this power far longer than Arthas had. But Arthas was prideful, stubborn, and determined. He found the single weakness in Ner’zhul’s soul: the lingering guilt over his unwitting role in enslaving the orc race to the Burning Legion. Arthas had long since buried his own guilt. The murder of his father, the innocents he had slaughtered, and all the rest of his betrayals—he no longer felt an ounce of sorrow about any of it.
Through force of will, Arthas clawed his way through the orc’s mental wounds and tore apart Ner’zhul’s mind. As the Lich King’s body sat motionless on the Frozen Throne, Arthas took complete control. The process was agonizing for Ner’zhul. Not only did Arthas drown him in his guilt, but he deliberately snapped the bonds of his sanity, causing the orc to spiral further and further into despair.
When the final battle was through, nothing remained of Ner’zhul but a wail of sorrow in the back of the Lich King’s consciousness. Arthas found it easy to ignore.
He spent a few years recovering his strength and planning his next move. As a paladin, Arthas had always sought to bring order and justice to Azeroth. That desire remained, but it was now far more twisted than ever before.
A world ruled by the undead would have no more injustice, no more wars, no more mortal flaws. Perhaps most importantly to the Lich King, he believed his Scourge would be far more capable of defending Azeroth against the threats that would try to conquer it. He had observed the awakening of C’Thun and the Burning Legion’s attempts to launch other attacks on Azeroth. Neither the demons nor the powers of the Void would rest until they controlled the world. A fractured world, constantly beset by skirmishes between the Alliance and the Horde, simply would not be prepared for another incursion.
The Lich King soon had his strategy in place. He had seen visions of destiny and had plotted all the possible outcomes of his plans. It would not be enough to conquer the world through sheer force. Many others had tried that and failed. To control Azeroth, the Lich King would enslave the strongest creatures within it, the great champions who had arisen within the Alliance and the Horde.
Once they were under his will, the rest of the world would fall in a war of attrition. But the Lich King first needed to lure these champions into his clutches.
He raised his armies in Northrend and ordered his most trusted agents to prepare themselves for their final war against the world. At the Lich King’s command, the undead launched brutal attacks upon both the Horde and the Alliance. They began by infecting many towns’ and villages’ food supplies with the plague of undeath, condemning hundreds of innocents to becoming unwilling servants of the Scourge. The heroes of both factions were forced to destroy their own infected citizens to halt the plague’s spread.
For the Alliance, this reopened old wounds from the fall of Lordaeron. For the Horde, it was a new, but no less horrific, experience. Both factions were stirred to action, and as each pocket of infection was cleared, their resolve to defeat the Lich King grew stronger.
The Scourge’s attacks on Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms were mostly feints, designed to rouse anger and provoke an assault on Northrend. But there was one part of the Lich King’s plan that was not a ruse. The undead launched a full-scale offensive on a small human town called New Avalon on the edge of the Eastern Plaguelands. The Lich King left nothing to chance; he personally commanded this campaign.
The death knight Darion Mograine, wielder of the corrupted Ashbringer, served as the Lich King’s right hand. He led a mission to eradicate the Scarlet Crusade and countless civilians in New Avalon. The most powerful among the fallen were raised as death knights and immediately sent to kill
their surviving brethren.
As fire and ash swept over the town, Darion led his new death knights against the last bastion of justice in the region: Light’s Hope Chapel. This site had special significance to Darion. On its hallowed grounds, he had given his life to save the tormented spirit of his father. The cruel irony of sending Darion to the chapel was a sign not of the Lich King’s sadism but of his strategy. He cared little for the death knights. He was prepared to sacrifice all of them to draw out a single individual: Tirion Fordring.
THE DEATH KNIGHT DARION MOGRAINE LEADS THE SCOURGE AGAINST LIGHT’S HOPE CHAPEL
Tirion was a seasoned paladin and a natural leader. The Lich King hoped to end him before Tirion had a chance to take a prominent role in defending Azeroth from the Scourge’s new war.
As the Lich King had planned, Tirion emerged to defend Light’s Hope Chapel. Along with the paladins of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn, he unleashed his holy fury against the invading armies of undead. The Light overwhelmed the might of the Scourge, and the death knights knew defeat.
The Lich King soon appeared and revealed that the attack on Light’s Hope Chapel was merely a ploy to strike at Tirion. Darion was enraged that he had been used as fodder, and he lashed out at his master with all his wrath.
The Lich King easily cast him aside. He incapacitated Darion and the other death knights, and then he began to drain Tirion’s soul with Frostmourne.
Darion Mograine resisted the Lich King’s control just enough to give Tirion Fordring the corrupted Ashbringer. The paladin drew upon the power of the Light and cleansed the blade in a blinding flash of energy. With the restored Ashbringer at his command, Tirion drove the Lich King from the chapel’s holy grounds.
World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 3 Page 20