The Scourge (Warcraft)
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The Undead Scourge is a faction of the Undead in the fictional Warcraft Universe. They appear as one of four playable races in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The Scourge later appears as a sort of "supervillain" in World of Warcraft in that players cannot join the faction as it is a common enemy to all.
The horrifying Undead army called the Scourge consists of hundreds of thousands of walking corpses, disembodied spirits, damned mortal men and insidious extra-dimensional entities. The Scourge was created by the Burning Legion for the sole purpose of sowing terror across the world in anticipation of the Legion's inevitable invasion.[1] Now free of the Legion's control, the Scourge's exact aims are unclear, although it is presumed that they intend to conquer Azeroth.
[edit] Armies of the Scourge
One of the reasons the Scourge has had so much success in dominating the rest of the world is that its members specialize in raising dead. With every foe they slay, their ranks are bolstered.
Thus, the Scourge armies are comprised mostly of creatures that have been killed and resurrected, either through the Plague of Undeath or the Necromantic powers wielded by the Lich King's servants. The Undead forces of the races conquered by the scourge include Banshees from the High Elves, Crypt Fiends and Crypt Lords from the Nerubian Kingdom, and Gargoyles from Northrend. The Undead also have several creations, such as the "Abomination," which is a massive zombie consisting of sewn-together parts from other corpses, the "Meat Wagon," a corpse-collecting contraption that doubles as a Catapult, and the "Obsidian Statue," which is a statue enchanted by the magics of the Lich King and regenerates the health and mana of nearby undead.
The Cult of the Damned is also a significant force within the undead. Humans who worship the Lich King act as Acolytes who do his bidding unquestioningly, as well as Necromancers who train in the dark arts of raising even more dead for the Scourge. The most powerful members of the cult become Death Knights, heroes who serve the Lich King alone.
One of the most powerful agents of the scourge is a Frost Wyrm. These undead creatures were once Dragons, that either died a natural death or were killed fighting the Scourge, now reanimated and make up the air force of the Lich King.
[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings of the Lich King
The Scourge was created and controlled by Ner'zhul, a magical being of tremendous power (similar to the Overmind of the StarCraft universe). Once an Orcish shaman, Ner'zhul sought warlock powers and delved deeply into demonic magic, until he was confronted by Kil'jaeden, the dark lord of the Burning Legion. Ner'zhul bargained with the demons - in exchange for incredible power he would pledge the service of the enslaved Orcish Horde to the demons, and open portals for the Horde to invade Azeroth. After his defeat by the Alliance his body was ripped to pieces and his spirit tortured, until Kil'jaeden decided to use him as the leader of a new attack on Azeroth. The demonlord encased Ner'zhul's spirit in a cast of ice gathered from the Twisting Nether which was dubbed "The Frozen Throne." To keep his minion and his tremendous new powers in check, Ner'zhul, now the "Lich King" was embedded in a great glacier in Northrend and watched over by the vampiric Dreadlord agents of the Legion.
[edit] Creation of the Scourge
Ner'zhul, now the Lich King, used his vast and powerful consciousness to reach out to the native inhabatants of Northrend. Ice Trolls and Wendigo were the first creatures to fall and be reanimated into the undead creatures of the Scourge. The Lich King then used the plague of undeath, which originated from deep within the Frozen Throne, to infect and destroy a human settlement on the fringes of the Dragonblight. As more creatures swayed to his influence, the Lich King became more powerful, as their souls brought him nourishment. Soon, every human encampment in Northrend had been infected, and the Lich King began erecting a stronghold on Icecrown Glacier. His Undead army continued to grow daily.
[edit] The War of the Spider
After ten years of building up his forces, the Lich King encountered resistance to his growing power. The ancient subterranean kingdom of the Nerubians attacked the Icecrown fortress in an attempt to end the Lich King's growing threat to their lands. They were immune not only to his plague of undeath, but also to his mental control. The first war of the Scourge was won by attrition, with the assistance of the Dreadlords and his furious Undead minions, the Lich King was able to crush the Nerubians and invade their kingdom, bringing it to ruin. He subsequently used his necromantic power to raise the Nerubian's bodies from the dead, and bend them to his will. His rapidly growing empire also adopted the Nerubian's architecture as a testament to their tenacity.
[edit] The Cult of the Damned
The Lich King sent his mental summons throughout the world, which were received by a handful of powerful individuals, including Kel'Thuzad, an Archmage from Dalaran. Obsessed with darker arts, Kel'Thuzad became a Necromancer, and made his way to Icecrown Glacier. There, beneath the massive stronghold of the Scourge, he offered his services to the Lich King. Impressed by his new conscript, the Lich King ordered Kel'Thuzad to return to the Human nations and create a religion that would worship the Lich King himself. This religion, called the Cult of the Damned, consisted of Acolytes, Necromancers, and Death Knights. The cult grew strong quickly, completely unbeknownst to the authorities of Lordaeron. His empire completely unopposed in Northrend, the Lich King sought to send his plague south.[2]
[edit] The Plague reaches Lordaeron
Kel'Thuzad, and the Cult of the Damned, now operating in northern Lordaeron, hid artifacts called Plague Cauldrons in various villages. The Cauldrons acted as mobile carriers of the Plague, and the northern villages began to fall quickly. The sudden crisis attracted the attention of King Terenas, who dispatched two Paladins, Uther Lightbringer and Arthas Menethil, his own son. The Nation of Dalaran also contributed Jaina Proudmoore to the effort. The Paladins discovered that the plague was spreading through infected Grain originating from the village of Andorhal. There, Arthas tracked down and killed Kel'Thuzad, though the necromancer warned that his death would "mean little." They continued to visit village after village, eventually ending up at Stratholme itself. There, Arthas, going against Uther and Jaina's counsel, cleansed the city. In the process he discovered the commander of the entire Scourge operation in Lordaeron; the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis. Arthas pursued Mal'Ganis all the way to Northrend.
[edit] Frostmourne
With the help of Muradin Bronzebeard, Arthas reached the fortress of Mal'Ganis in Northrend- Drak'Tharon Keep. Uther, upset over the events in Stratholme, persuaded King Terenas to recall the expedition. Arthas, frustrated and obsessed with killing Mal'Ganis, hired mercenaries who burned the ships the troops were to go home in, then blamed the mercenaries completely so that the men would kill them. Forced to fight, Muradin and Arthas sought a powerful blade called Frostmourne. Eventually surrounded by Mal'Ganis and the Scourge, Arthas took up Frostmourne. He brought his forces back from the brink of defeat and destroyed Drak'Tharon keep. The Lich King, using the blade to speak to Arthas, ordered him to kill the Dreadlord. Arthas did so.
The blade drove Arthas to insanity. Its curse, created by the Lich King, completely corrupted him. He rose again as a follower of the Lich King, and as Muradin and his former comrades died, he returned to Lordaeron with the Cult of the Damned. There, Arthas entered the throne room of the capital city and killed his own father in the name of the Scourge.[3]
[edit] The Return of Kel'Thuzad
With the death of King Terenas at the hands of his own son Arthas, the Kingdom of Lordaeron was thrown into chaos and despair. In the confusion, Arthas was ordered by Tichondrius to rally the Cult and collect Kel'Thuzad's remains. He put them in a magically enchanted Urn that had previously contained his father's ashes. In the process he killed the legendary Uther the Lightbringer. The Scourge continued to spread in Lordaeron, as Arthas brought it to Quel'Thalas as well. The city of the High Elves was well defended by the Elven Rangers and their leader, Sylvanas Windrunner. Nevertheless, Arthas was able to break through the gates of the Elven Realm and destroy Silvermoon, the capital of the elves. He then proceeded to slaughter every living thing in the city and used its Sunwell to raise Kel'Thuzad into a powerful Lich. Sylvanas was tortured and killed for the pleasure of Arthas until she was eventually raised as a Banshee "Dark Ranger," hero of the Undead Scourge.[4]
[edit] The Summoning of the Burning Legion
Kel'Thuzad and Arthas then returned to Lordaeron where they attacked and destroyed the Blackrock Clan, using its Demon Portal to commune with Archimonde. Archimonde ordered them to attack Dalaran and steal the Book of Medivh, as only its knowledge could allow them to summon the Burning Legion for a second great invasion of the world. They lay siege to Dalaran and killed its Mages, not even the powerful magics of the Kirin Tor could stop the Scourge. They eventually killed Antonidas, the most powerful Archmage of Dalaran, and took the book.
Kel'Thuzad then began the summoning process, as Dalaran mounted a furious and desperate attack on the Undead encampment in an attempt to stop him. Arthas protected Kel'Thuzad throughout the operation, and as the summoning continued, creatures from the Burning Legion began to spill through the opening portal, at first mere packs of Felhounds came to the Scourge's aid, but eventually mighty Infernals began crashing into the earth. When the summoning was successful, Archimonde himself was manifest upon the world. He immediately gave command of the Scourge to the Dreadlords and destroyed Dalaran with his unfathomable power.[5]
[edit] The Invasion of Kalimdor
The Legion devastated the remains of Lordaeron utterly, and the Scourge took control of the entirety of Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas, Dalaran, and Stromgarde. The Legion and the Scourge then launched a massive invasion of the Night Elf realm of Kalimdor. The Elves, unaware of the Scourge or the Legion's return, were caught completely by surprise. The Scourge invaded Ashenvale Forest and Felwood, utterly corrupting them with its Blight. The Night Elf Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind was forced to reawaken the Druids of the Night Elves, including Malfurion Stormrage. Still, the Elves were unable to hold back the onslaught of the Scourge and the Burning Legion. It was only the combined effort of the Humans under Jaina Proudmoore, the Orcs under Thrall, and the Night Elves that the Legion and Scourge were defeated at Mount Hyjal. Archimonde was killed, as was the World Tree.[6]
[edit] Kil'jaeden's Punishment
Ner'zhul, using the undead monsters, was successful in engineering the summoning of the Burning Legion into Azeroth. But at the same time, he realized that if the Burning Legion was completely successful in destroying the world, he would become useless to the demons and be cast aside. Therefore he secretly betrayed his demon masters and contributed to the eventual defeat of the Burning Legion at the battle of Mount Hyjal by sending Arthas to inform Illidan Stormrage about the Skull of Gul'dan. Illidan took the skull and became a demon himself, killing Tichondrius in the process.
After Archimonde's death, Kil'Jaeden persuaded Illidan to destroy the Lich King as punishment. Illidan raised the Naga from the depths and took the Eye of Sargeras, an ancient artifact, and used it to create a massive earthquake on Icecrown Glacier. At the same time, there was a crack in the Frozen Throne that had been created when the Lich King thrust Frostmourne from the ice. His powers began to seep from it. Arthas felt the drain as well, he continued to grow weak at the same time. He left for Northrend and left Kel'Thuzad in charge of the Scourge forces in Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. Kel'Thuzad subsequently established Stratholme as his seat of power.
[edit] The Forsaken
With the drain in power, many of the Undead in Lordaeron were able to break free of the Lich King's control. The Remaining Dreadlords promptly took control of them, and Sylvannas Windrunner, now free of the Lich King's control, broke away. Refusing to join the Dreadlords, she was attacked and managed to capture Varimathras, and kill the other two ruling Dreadlords, Balnazzar and Detheroc. Their insurgency crushed, the remaining Dreadlords were reabsorbed into the Scourge as the Lich King's servants.
Sylvanas, however, took control of the capitol city of Lordaeron, and the Undercity beneath it. Calling her faction "The Forsaken", she vowed to destroy the Scourge.
[edit] The New Lich King
Meanwhile, on Icecrown Glacier, the Scourge forces were unsuccessful in holding back the Naga and Blood Elves of Illidan. Anub'Arak was dispatched to help Arthas reach the Frozen Throne and protect the Lich King. They were forced to move through the labyrinths of Northrend, fighting the vengeful Dwarves of Muradin Bronzebeard, the renegade Nerubians, and the Faceless Ones. Eventually, they arrived at Icecrown Glacier. After a massive battle between the Scourge under Arthas and Anub'Arak, and the Naga and Blood Elves under Illidan, Kael'thas and Lady Vashj, Arthas was successful in gaining control of the four obelisks around Icecrown. He engaged Illidan in an intense duel and cut a deep wound into his chest, all but killing him; Illidan was, however "a pitiable creature, not even worthy of an honorable death". Illidan and his forces, defeated, retreated back to Outland, with Arthas' warning still ringing in his ears, "Leave this world, and never return. If you do, I'll be waiting." Arthas then entered Icecrown and freed Ner'zhul's spirit from Icecrown glacier. Arthas donned the helm of the enchanted armor once encased in the ice, merging his spirit with Ner'zhul's. As the new Lich King, Arthas is the most powerful single being on Azeroth.
Arthas' most trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, remained in northern Lordaeron to command the Scourge in his absence. Anub'Arak commands the Scourge armies in Northrend.[7]
[edit] Scourge Territory
The Scourge has uncontested rule in Northrend, which is unquestionably its greatest seat of power. There, Arthas sits atop the Frozen Throne of Icecrown Glacier with the massive stronghold of The Scourge, with hundreds of thousands of Undead forces as his guard. The Scourge also currently rules most of Lordaeron, including the Eastern and Western Plaguelands from their bases of Stratholme and Scholomance. They also controlled all of Quel'Thalas (though now it has been given to the Blood Elves in the Burning Crusade expansion), and portions of Dalaran, and Stromgarde. There, it continues to push south as it attempts to devour Khaz Modan and Stormwind. The Scourge has encountered great resistance though, from the Argent Dawn, the Scarlet Crusade, and the Forsaken. The Scourge has also been attacking the Barrens and Kalimdor, though it has not gained much of a foothold on that continent. Kel'Thuzad continues, undaunted, to mount a massive offensive on the rest of the living world (and the forsaken also). The Scourge has set up a number of Necropoli in the vicinity of many major capitol cities of the world, and the offensive continues to this day.[8]
The World of Warcraft expansion pack may add further details to the Scourge's aims and achievements when it is released.
[edit] References
- ^ Warcraft III Race Guide
- ^ Warcraft III Owner's Manual, Pages 93-99
- ^ Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Human Campaign)
- ^ Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy
- ^ Warcraft III: Reigh of Chaos (Undead Campaign)
- ^ Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Night Elf Campaign)
- ^ Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
- ^ World of Warcraft
[edit] External links
- Undead, Warcraft III Official Guide
- The Scourge at WoWWiki, a World of Warcraft wiki
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