A/N: This section is largely based on the Death Knight starting chain, obviously leaving out some parts. Capitals mean VERY loud yells that can be heard halfway across a quiet zone (in World of Warcraft).
Chapter 1
Risen I Am, the Death Knight Mystique
"Hello my champion." A dark armor spoke those words to me, part of the voice I knew, from years before, definitely the voice of my slayer, and the sword that he thrust into my chest 7 years earlier was in his hand, but the other half of the voice was barren, a voice that I knew from my short time as an ambassador to Stormwind, the voice was Orcish in origin. The armor spoke again "I am your master, the Lich King! Let me take off my helmet, and you might just remember me, Bakthar." His death chilled armor slowly moved, his hands moving towards his helmet. I stood there with my rotting jaw almost falling off; it was my slayer's body, with a new name, that was my "master" now. At least he left my strategic intelligence within my rotted brain, for if not so, I would be nothing more than a puppet, nothing more than the very ghouls I summon on a daily basis. My master returned his helmet to his head, and resumed his welcome speech. "I chose you as one of my Death Knights because you were such a formidable opponent back then, and you created such a smart defense, that I decided to raise you to create havoc on the former land that you loathed. But you cannot perform this task without proper training. I have summoned an assistant to help you during your training, come forth Nagrama." A white apparition appeared next to me. At first I thought it was just me, but I swear I recognized her face, but I tossed the thought aside, knowing how many elven and human women have been turned into horrid Banshees. "Nagrama, show him to his quarters, and then show him around Acherus. Tomorrow you begin your training Bakthar. Now leave!" The armor suddenly silenced, and he slightly raised his right hand, the hand holding Frostmourne. The spirit beside me suddenly hugged me, not a compassion hug, but more like a bear hug, a hug I definitely recognized. "Misuna Nagrama! I can't believe it's you! We have to talk, and catch up." The spirit put me in a fog, and dragged me to my room, in a secluded part of Acherus, looking over the town of New Avalon. The next day, Nagrama came to my quarters and showed me to my teacher, Instructor Razuvious. "MEAT! Time for training! Take a beaten up sword from the rack over there and work with it at the runeforge. In order to become a proficient death knight, you must learn that the runeblade is the source of all of your runic power, and the storing place of all your runes." And that is how it all started, my life as one of the champions of the Lich King.
Chapter 2
Scarlet Onslaught, Bent on My Demise
"The Scarlet Crusade is no more! LONG LIVE THE SCARLET ONSLAUGHT!!! ROT IN YOUR FROZEN HELL ARTHAS!!!" The human spat in my face as she yelled at me, telling me to take this journal to a Scarlet Zealot named Galvar, but I knew its final location, in the hands of the master. For a zealot of such a high ranking, I still can't believe she didn't sense the deception, but it doesn't matter now, she was killed (arguably) by Mal'ganis a year ago. I'm not saying I feel bad for Abbendis, but she didn't deserve it, I would have killed her on the spot if it wasn't a covert mission. When I finally returned to Orbaz, a brother in pain, he read it, and did not see its significance, but I did, as soon as the master returned to Northrend he would be attacked, and I tried, but my master thought of us as pawns, mere playing pieces in his little game to bring out Tirion Fordring, and tossed my worries aside. We continued our bludgeoning of the Scarlet forces, preparing to win the Plaguelands once and for all, and I continued to learn from Darion Mograine, son of Highlord Alexandros Mograine the Ashbringer. As we inched closer and closer to Light's Hope Chapel, Darion got more on edge, and almost turned the Corrupted Scourge Ashbringer's wrath upon me for asking about his father. He apologized for his impotence to a high level Scourge commander, which is odd for the fearless and most definitely peerless Darion.
After the destruction of Tyr's Hand, the Master placed one final piece of armor on my body, completing my horrifying visage, almost as scary as Farth Davar in my favorite play of Silvermoon, Well Wars. I became the third-in-command at the planned attack on Light's Hope. Darion confided in me the night before: "Bakthar, I know you feel it too; something is off about our siege of the blemish on the Plaguelands. Something seems out of place, like it's almost worthless, like we are worthless." "I don't know, we might know eventually, but maybe never, depends on when our master allows us to know the reason." "Stop playing the pawn of Arthas Bakthar! The only way he controls us is fear, fear that we can be eradicated in seconds if his will permits. It's our usefulness and likeness to him that allows us to survive. We are Death Knights! WE ARE THE CHOSEN! WE ARE THE BRINGERS OF DEMISE!! TOGETHER, WE WILL WIN!!!" Darion was out of breath when he yelled this. "Darion, thank you…….." I returned to my quarters and sharpened my blade for one last battle, the Battle of Light's Hope Chapel. No man was able to stop me that day, except one man, a great paladin……..
Chapter 3
The Day the Sky Turned Blood Red
I remember that day vividly, almost like a taunting nightmare, which plays out wherever I go. The day Arthas almost killed the last great paladin of the second war; the day Arthas dubbed Judgment Day, all Death Knights of Acherus know it as the Day the Ashbringer Saw the Light. "LISTEN WELL FELLOW KNIGHTS!!! TODAY WE MARCH ON THE FINAL DEFIANCE OF OUR MASTER; LIGHT'S HOPE CHAPEL!! READY YOUR BLADES AND PREPARE YOUR BODIES AS WE MARCH TO DINE WITH DESTINY!!" Darion was always a good showman. Our small army of Death Knights, Banshees and the most famous kind of mage, the Lich, looked like a force that couldn't even break the gates of a gnoll camp, but we had a force much larger than anyone saw, for with us, marched an army the likes of Lorderon could only have dreamed of. We finally reached Browman Hill, and planned our 1000 man siege. Darion told us to walk up and make our theatric entrance; typical Darion. "SOLDIERS OF THE SCOURGE, DEATH KNIGHTS OF ACHERUS, AND MINIONS OF DARKNESS: HEAR THE CALL OF THE HIGHLORD!!!! RISE UP AND HELP US DESTROY THIS BLEMISH ON OUR GREAT PLAGUELANDS!!! MASTER HELP US ALL!!!!!" At that point, I felt a great presence inside me, and I felt near invincible. A few moments after this surge of power, I heard another loud voice coming from the direction of the chapel; "SCOURGE ARMIES APPROACH US!! MAY THE LIGHT DEFEND US ALL!" It was their champion, Korfax, carrying a great weapon, the fabled Arcanite Reaper. The battle started and I couldn't hear a thing, except blood falling to my blade, and the own screaming and scheming in my head. Darion summoned so many different Scourge constructs even I couldn't count them all, even if I had an eternity to do so. We slew 100 of their 300 defenders and the light finally showed itself, in a manifestation we never expected; Tirion Fordring had arrived on the battlefield. "DARION MOGRAINE!!! Have you learned nothing, child? You've turned into the very monster your father swore to destroy! Hate, loathing, torture, and death, the four things that brought Arthas to the fringe of humanity that left him forever changed, and HE HAS DONE THE SAME TO YOU! YOUR FATHER FOUGHT AND DIED TRYING TO STOP HIS MONSTROSITY! YOUR FATHER WAS THE GREATEST MARTYR OF THE LIGHT TO THIS DAY! IF YOU EVER WISH TO DEFEAT THE LIGHT AND ALL IT STANDS FOR, YOU MUST DEFY YOUR MASTER AND FIGHT ME MAN TO MAN!! I knew your father well, and he almost became the monster you have, but your father saved himself……" All of a sudden, a large pillar of light behind me threw me 10 feet forward and I looked backwards, and I saw a man that looked disturbingly like Darion; the man that Tirion referred to as Alexandros Mograine. Darion fell to the ground, and a ghostly image of kid Darion like his father appeared, and even in my state, I almost cried at this heart wrenching sight, and the events afterward. Darion spoke first, "FATHER!! I knew you'd be back someday! I want to go with you, to fight the scourge!" "Darion Mograine, you aren't even able to wield a sword yet, why do you want to fight the scourge?" "Because I want to fight side by side with you father, the Ashbringer with us both!" "Darion, I'm sorry to say, but I think we will never fight side by side, but I hope my namesake serves you well….." Suddenly, I heard a jingling of plate armor and the hooves of a horse; "Arthas has come to help us!" is what I thought, but that day I learned Master's are truly chess players….. "How touching…." "ARTHAS YOU BASTARD!!! WHY DID YOU SEND US TO OUR DOOMS!!! WHY!!!" "Do you seriously want to know Darion? I USED YOU; I USED YOU ALL!!! AND YOU KNOW WHAT I USED YOU FOR? TO BRING FORTH THE LAST GREAT KNIGHT OF THE LIGHT; TIRION FORDRING. Now leave this to me you pawn!" Arthas then sent a large shadow energy and knocked Darion down off his horse. "Tirion, now that I've brought you here, today, at the last bastion of hope in the Plaguelands, YOU. WILL. DIE." Arthas cast a spell on Tirion, and Tirion started gasping for air. I knew there was nothing I could do, but apparently Korfax thought so. Korfax yelled in a berserker rage "ATTACK!!!!!!" In quick response, Arthas turned to them and yelled "APOCALYPSE!!!" and killed all the charging defenders. I saw Darion look at me, and I nodded and Darion yelled with the last breath of consciousness, "THAT DAY IS NOT TODAY!!! TIRION!!!!" With that yell, he threw his sword, the Corrupted Ashbringer to Tirion. The grand paladin became awash with light, and the Ashbringer was instantly cleansed, along with Arthas' spell. Arthas was astonished; "WHAT IS THIS?!?!" Tirion with a smirk on his face said only two words: "Your Doom." Tirion rushed Arthas and hit him with a mighty blow from the newly cleansed Ashbringer. Arthas, almost certainly injured by the mighty weapon, fled, saying only this: "We will meet again paladin, and next time, it won't be on consecrated soil…." Both sides lost that day, and Tirion had a few final words for Arthas, as well as Darion, but that will have to wait, 'till we reach Northrend.