Lich King

When the orc shaman Ner'zhul attempted to flee the dying world of Draenor, he fell directly into the clutches of Kil'jaeden the Deceiver. The demon lord tore Ner'zhul's body to shreds but bound his tormented soul into a block of diamond-hard ice cast out of the Twisting Nether. Flung into Azeroth, the glacial monolith struck the northern wastes of Northrend, forming the Frozen Throne. Kil'jaeden intended the Lich King to forge an unstoppable undead vanguard that would dismantle the mortal kingdoms without succumbing to the infighting that ruined the Orcish Horde. Instead, armed with immense telepathic power, Ner'zhul immediately began plotting his own bid for freedom.

Watching dreadlords kept close vigil over the entity, forcing Ner'zhul to act in secret. Reaching out with his mind, he ensnared the exiled Kirin Tor archmage Kel'Thuzad, who established the Cult of the Damned in Lordaeron. Through cauldrons of tainted grain, the Scourge unleashed the Plague of Undeath across the northern kingdoms. The crisis drew in Prince Arthas Menethil, whose desperation to save his people led him into ruthless brutality, culminating in the infamous slaughter of Stratholme. Blinded by vengeance against the dreadlord Mal'Ganis, Arthas pursued his quarry into Northrend, where the cursed runeblade Frostmourne waited to steal his soul and turn him into the Scourge's premier death knight.

Though forced to summon Archimonde and hand temporary command to the Burning Legion, the Lich King anticipated the demons' hubris. Arthas manipulated the demon hunter Illidan Stormrage into claiming the Skull of Gul'dan and slaying Tichondrius, ultimately contributing to Archimonde's ruin at Mount Hyjal. In the aftermath, a desperate Kil'jaeden tasked Illidan with destroying the Frozen Throne. As cracks in the icy spire weakened Ner'zhul's power—allowing Sylvanas Windrunner and her Forsaken to break free—the Lich King summoned his champion home. Arthas returned to Northrend, defeated Illidan at the foot of Icecrown, ascended the spire, and shattered the ice to merge with Ner'zhul into a single terrible consciousness.