Scholomance (Classic)

Before the Third War devastated Lordaeron, the rogue archmage Kel'Thuzad sought recruits for his Cult of the Damned. He found willing benefactors in the wealthy Barov family, lords of Caer Darrow, who traded their lands and crypts in exchange for promised immortality. Instead, the cult slaughtered them and raised them as monstrous undead. Beneath the ruined fortress, the Cult renovated the ancient Arathorian catacombs into an academy for the dark arts. Here, mortal acolytes study plaguecraft, soul binding, and flesh shaping away from watchful eyes, honing the foul magics that shattered Lordaeron.

Though Kel'Thuzad has moved on to direct Scourge operations from above, the school remains fully operational. The eternal lich Ras Frostwhisper holds vigil over the complex in the Scourge's name, while the mortal necromancer Darkmaster Gandling serves as its headmaster, tutoring ambitious sorcerers in horrific experiments. Those students who display weakness are discarded into the catacombs and fed to the Ravenian, a voracious wight lurking in the lower vaults.