Chapter 3: THE CAMPAIGN OF THE SCOURGE

(Disclaimer is at the prologue of this story) Story may not be accurate to that of written accounts in various sources.


Icecrown Glacier, Northrend

The dawn marked the beginning of something new for the Scourge. It was the final day of the month. This meant that the new batch of reinforcements from Northrend would come and bolster the ranks of the oppressed undead force in the south.

The reinforcements were set to leave Northrend on that day and would arrive the day after that. This force was led by a literally otherworldly character: Abbadon, a Death Knight newly-appointed. Abbadon came from the world of Avernus and was the corrupted king of those lands. He was a tyrant and as tyrants always had, he died in the hands of his people. But his soul lingered along, coincidentally reaching the world of Azeroth thus going under the charge of the Lich King.

Abbadon was a new breed of Death Knight. He had powers no other Death Knight have received from the beloved Lich King. Abbadon's skin however was as pale as any Death Knight. His sword, a forged replica of the Lich King's Frostmourne gleamed at his every touch.

"Once more, I give my greatest thanks that a King greater than I has seen to it that I live a second chance," Abbadon bowed lowly in front of the Lich King. "The reinforcements have been readied as you have ordered them to be. Very soon, we would take off for Lordaeron, also as you requested."

"You are my greatest servant, Abbadon," the cold voice of the Lich King resounded. "Many more fallen kings shall follow your example, I am quite sure..."

"It is my pleasure to be called so, my King," Abbadon drawled on. "But I believe that you have summoned me here for far greater reasons, am I correct?"

"Very good, Abbadon." the Lich King chuckled releasing an icy cold breath. "I now see the advantages of fallen kings as servants. You are correct, my servant. I have already set eyes upon an aspiring servant. But I cannot reach him. He lives along the Ethereal Plane and only the accursed Night Elves can gain access to these places. He is a servant that would aid us in our goals."

"I have heard countlessly of these moon-worshipers, but never of an Ethereal Plane..."

"That is not a problem," the Lich King adjusted comfortably in his seat. "The only thing you need is a guide. Abbadon, Lord of Avernus, I bring you my greatest weapon: Leshrac."

The winds suddenly swept over the Frozen Throne. The cold mixture of wind, sleet and hail did not alter the already adapted Abbadon. He even grinned as he heard the slow trotting in the snow: the arrival of the Lich King's monster.

A ghost-like figure stood in front of them. It had the body of a man, a face of a man but everything beneath its torso was horse-like. There were small horns on his head and for the first time, Abbadon felt fear inside him.

"You... called..." There was a certain pain in the way it spoke. Abbadon could sense that it feared the Lich King like any mere mortal would.

"I give you a mission, Leshrac," the Lich King was smiling as if enjoying the torment he was causing this creature. "You are bound to my will..."

"I... will... guide him..." the creature's voice was still shaky.

"Abbadon, this is my greatest achievement," the Lich King gesticulated. "Leshrac the Malicious is the tormented will of the Night Elf Demigod, Cenarius. I was able to extract his powers upon his death and transfer it into one of the souls I acquired in this region. He has quite unique strengths and would aid you in your quest to find this aspiring servant of mine."

Abbadon stared at his new companion. He looked weak, but if he was under the Lich King's control, he could be even stronger than he.

"Your will be done, my King..." Abbadon closed his eyes and bowed.


Southern Border between Tirisfal Glades and the Capital City, Lordaeron

The Undead Civil War was actually composed of more than two factors. It used to be that the major battles were just between the Undead Forsaken and the Undead Scourge. These days, with the liberation of Quel'Thalas from the Scourge, the undead face a new enemy: the Elf-Satyr Union. At first, this was taken lightly by both factions but now seeing its great achievement of liberating the elven country, it was a threat as big as any of the undead armies..

The leader of the very unlucky Scourge campaign in Lordaeron was none other than the Lich Kel'Thuzad. He had a very fruitful history concerning the wizards of Dalaran and the ziggurats of Northrend but that's another story. For the fast five years, Kel'Thuzad has always been busy with war. The rebellion of Sylvanas Windrunner and her banshees was something unexpected and rather frustrating.

Kel'Thuzad who thought the outbreak could be suppressed by his charges was very much mistaken. With his base of operations being Quel'Thalas, he fought the rising Forsaken with best of his ability. But even so, Sylvanas and his armies won the Capital City and thus getting control over most of the land.

Kel'Thuzad knew that Sylvanas would never get through the Inner and Outer Gates of Quel'Thalas and thus started building an army within its walls. But another factor suddenly entered the story. The Elf-Satyr Union broke through the gates and fought of the Scourge. Kel'Thuzad was forced to flee west into the Tirisfal Glades where he was cornered from all sides. By far, Kel'Thuzad saw himself as the unluckiest person in the history of Azeroth disregarding the Guardian Medivh.

For the past few weeks, the Scourge was barely winning the various skirmishes between the ESU and the Forsaken. Hopefully, the new batch of reinforcements would strengthen their campaign against the Scourge's enemies.

On that day, the final day of the month, Kel'Thuzad suddenly realized the big shortage of troops fighting in the south border of Tirisfal Glades. This was the first time this event happened in his whole campaign. More importantly, this would the first time in over a year that he would be fighting alongside his men on the battlefield.

Upon hearing the news, Kel'Thuzad didn't know if he would be scared or satisfied with the way things were going. By the end, he settled with just being apprehensive about the whole thing. I mean, who wouldn't be in his position?


Kel'Thuzad stood in gleaming armor, ready to give orders to his set of ghouls and necromancers. In the horizon, the Forsaken's forces were climbing among the hills and forests ready to strike and win.

"Necromancers!" Kel'Thuzad called, readying the force of skeletal minions in attacking. The forces were slowly moving. And when they reach over the nearest hill, Kel'Thuzad called, "Go!"

Simultaneously, hundreds of skeletal warriors raised from the pile of dead bodies the meat wagons had set up. The power nearly took up most of the pile. The skeletal minions ran swiftly towards the incoming forces ready to meet them head on.

The ghouls of the Forsaken were first to meet them. The hundred or so undead warriors bit, scratched, and slammed the skeletal minions to pieces. But that wasn't all. Meat wagons from behind hurled remnants of corpses onto the skeleton crowd. The corpses fell by the dozen each incapacitating two or more skeletal warriors.

Kel'Thuzad was surprised by the swift decrease in their undead force. "Necromancers! They're coming closer! Send in more skeleton! Ghouls, get ready!"

The enemy undead were literally eating through their skeleton warrior defense. This was a fight that was never before witnessed by the campaign leader, Kel'Thuzad. Soon, he would get involved and things would eventually get nastier...

For a few intense minutes, the skeleton barricade was holding quite well. But soon, the ghouls who never seemed to decrease were breaking through. The first of them crashed head on with a necromancer, swiping away the latter's staff and immediately began feasting on the necromancer.

This has got to be a first. Undead eating undead... Kel'Thuzad immediately incapacitated the ghoul with one blast of icy frost. "Ghouls! Attack! Show no mercy."

Kel'Thuzad's ghouls were all eager to eat and feast on the enemy as well and immediately jumped when the order was given. The necromancers had retreated from the front lines and now raised the skeleton warriors from behind the blood-thirsty ghouls. Kel'Thuzad joined the battle, blasting any undead foe in sight.

We're winning... Kel'Thuzad was chuckled appreciatively. His powers add up to the overall strength of this battalion. He really should fight the wars more often...

But like all those who believe that the tables are turned unto them, something unexpected comes into the picture.

It came in the form of an arrow of dark aura and nearly pierced the protective armor of the Lich. If not for the Vanguard relic armor he wore for that day, he might've died all together. Nevertheless, the arrow was sufficient enough to knock him off his balance. He stumbled over like a pole crashing down. His forehead hit the ground with a dull thud; something broke. Whoever managed to do this would have to pay for their insolence.

Kel'Thuzad stood up and covered himself in thick icy armor. "Show yourself, coward!"

From a tree behind the Lich, a gray-skinned maiden, slipped down. She had dark red eyes, a black cloak and blue hair. Slung behind her was a long bow fit with a dozen or so arrows. Kel'Thuzad had not seen this woman for a very long time...

"Look who's talking, Lich," Sylvanas Windrunner laughed, walking up to Kel'Thuzad. "I'm not the one who covered himself with ice armor..." She gave a mirthless cry of delight.

"I would blast you into oblivion, Sylvanas."

"I'd like to see you try..." A wave of energy sparked from the maiden archer and descended upon the Lich. His mana pool prowess was instantly closed.

"You are one damning woman, Sylvanas," Kel'Thuzad said as he played with his ice waves. The waves circled around his fist threating to hit the maiden in front of him. "I always wonder why Arthas even raised you..."

Sylvanas reacted and withdrew her bow and arrows. "I think you know what I'm capable of, Lich."

"Very empty threats, my old acquaintance," Kel'Thuzad continued on playing with his ice wave. "I believe it is I who has an army behind my back."

Immediately, a dozen ghouls came scurrying to back up the Lich. A couple of necromancers also arrived. They surrounded the maiden archer and covered all possible exit routes.

Sylvanas seemed to do some critical thinking, because she was now looking at every one of Kel'Thuzad's troops.

"If there's somebody here with the upper hand, it is I, Lich..." she said quite slowly. And she was right.

Instantly, a dozen or so banshees popped up and surrounded the circle of Scourge Undead. They were actually outnumbered. And without further ado, the banshees possessed Kel'Thuzad's Scourge lackeys and a fight ensued.

Ghouls here and there were suddenly jumping upon another. Different sided skeleton minions were being raised by both possessed and Scourge necromancers. What was a conversation now developed into an all-out brawl.

Amidst this, Sylvanas did what heroes of war do when a battle suddenly sparks in front of them: run away into a safe distance. With her bow still clasped in her hand, she let fly a couple of arrows, piercing a ghoul twice in the gut. She fled swiftly and disappeared from view.

The same ghoul Sylvanas hit was immediately affected by the dark poisoning of the arrow and a Dark Minion began piercing through the rotting skin. It was an ugly sight. First, came the Minion's head and it erupted from the ghoul's mouth breaking the jaw and the skull. The Minion crawled out, breaking more bones in the ghoul's body. With blood and gore, the Minion mercilessly butchered the ghoul from within and with a final kick, it left a pile of decomposed skin and bone...

Kel'Thuzad was utterly disgusted by this and resolved to end the reign of Sylvanas Windrunner. But first, he had to win this war. After crushing the newly-born Minion with a sharp Frost Nova, he looked around at his troops. With the appearance of banshees here and there, the number of Scourge forces took a dip down. The Forsaken outnumbered them two to one. This was a fight they cannot win and Kel'Thuzad knew it.

I wish Arthas were here. He's naturally a better fighter than I am... Kel'Thuzad couldn't help thinking it. Indeed, his old friend had better war strategies and would have known what to do at this situation.

Then a voice erupted from within his own mind. It was the Lich King calling unto him. Kel'Thuzad, you are still faithful to me.

Master, I need help from your champion. Kel'Thuzad thought out loud for the Lich King to hear.

Your champion is within me, Lich. We have joined to form one entity, the ultimate form of the Lich King. In this new form, new power is granted unto me. You have been very loyal to me from the very beginning, Kel'Thuzad.

And suddenly Kel'Thuzad felt a curious sensation run through him. It first came from the tips of his fingers and rapidly began climbing up his arms. It reached his forehead and suddenly he felt a cold rush of power in his inner mana pool. The powers of death and decay given to him at the beginning were now unimportant to him. What was of more significance now was his connection with the Frozen Throne, his connection to the frozen world of the dead. He had now acquired power no other Lich had...

Kel'Thuzad summoned the energy and all hell broke lose. A chain of icy wind rushed through everything around him. The enemy Forsaken, his remaining Scourge troops, the plants, trees and animals were all affected by this cold rush of wind. And Kel'Thuzad's surroundings froze. All things around him were now trapped in glaciers of ice.

Kel'Thuzad's wish had come true.