#muradin bronzebeard

[druidonity2]

For The Alliance.

[veldrune]

The shattering of Frostmourne's icy prison left Muradin wounded and unconscious, not dead as initially believed. Shortly after Arthas's departure, Muradin stirred, disoriented and suffering from complete memory loss. He stumbled into the snowy wilderness, leaving a trail of blood-stained snow.

A group of Frostborn dwarves, returning to Frosthold from an expedition in the Dragonblight, discovered Muradin during a fierce blizzard. Recognizing him as a fellow dwarf, they refused to abandon him to the elements. Their journey home was interrupted by a vicious jormungar attack, which Muradin single-handedly repelled, saving his rescuers. Impressed by his valor, the Frostborn named him Yorg Stormheart, after a legendary warrior of their clan.

Under his new identity, Muradin integrated into Frostborn society, eventually rising to become their king. During this time, he formed bonds with the taunka, a race known for their resilience and impressive drinking capacity – often outmatching even Muradin's dwarven constitution.

[scourge-lover]

Arthas Timeline, from Paladin to Lich King

 A friend asked me to summarize Arthas’s induction as a paladin all the way to his defeat as Lich King in a more convienent way than the wiki, so I decided to oblige them. It’s kind of fun summarizing it in my own words mostly! 

This first part is when Arthas becomes a Paladin, to when he becomes a deathknight. More Parts to Follow. 

Part One

At 19 years old, Arthas went to Stormwind to become a Knight of the Silverhand. This is when he met baby Anduin. Sometime after is when he saw Thrall in Durnholde Keep still as a gladiator. After, Invincible suffered the fatal accident and Arthas had to put him down. Arthas visited Dalaran and spent time with Jaina. This went on for some time, and Arthas invited Jaina to Lordaeron to celebrate both NobleGarden and Hallow's End. Their relationship basically became public at that point. They slept together during Hallow's End. For the Winter Veil Party, Arthas realized things were moving too fast and ended the relationship. Arthas was one of the jurors during Tirion's trial that ended in the old paladin's excommunication and exile. Orcs started to break free from the internment camps and Arthas went to Strahnbrad with Uther to defend the town from raiding orcs. This is when Arthas killed the black dragon Searinox. They defeated the blackrock clan leader who was leading the raids. A plague started to effect Lordaeron and there is official confirmation that Arthas is 24 years old at this time. Jaina comes to join him because the Archmage thinks the plague is magical in nature. They discover undead and an infested granary which lead them to Brill and Kel'thuzad, whom they pursue to Andorhal. Andorhal's grain is discovered to have been already shipped out to outer villages. This is where Arthas kills Kelthuzad but not before he is warned about the dreadlord leading the Scourge, Mal'ganis. They stop at Hearthglen to rest, but there is news of undead coming. Jaina leaves to warn Uther and bring back help. Arthas discovers the villagers of Hearthglen have eaten infected grain and are directly turning into undead. Arthas and his forces barely hang on until Uther comes to save them. Arthas travels to Stratholme and meets Medivh, who fails to convince Arthas to leave Lordaeron to the undead and go to Kalimdor. Jaina had been following him and tries to tell him that Medivh might be right, but Arthas ignores her advice, determined to defend his home and people. Stratholme's grain has already been distributed and baked for the townspeople to consume. Uther catches up in time for Arthas to order a purge of the entire city. Uther refuses and Arthas strips him of command. Uther and Jaina leave Arthas. After killing some of the people of Stratholme, Mal'ganis shows himself and vows to meet in Northrend, spurring Arthas to chase after him. Arthas burns Stratholme and takes the royal fleet, but not before meeting with Jaina one more time and ignoring her warnings. Arthas and his men leave to Northrend, landing in Daggercap Bay. They look for a place to set up base and are attacked by Muradin Bronzebeard's explorer expedition. He tells Arthas they were looking for a rare artifact called Frostmourne when they were attacked by undead. They join forces and start searrching for any signs of Mal'ganis An emmissary comes via Zeppelin and tell Arthas's men they have been ordered to return home. The men are happy to abandon their posts and head through the forests to the ships to go home. Arthas is furious when he gets back, and they are gone. He goes and finds some mercenaries to hire and manage to reach the ships first. Then he sents fire to them but when the men finally reach the ships, they are upset. So, Arthas accuses the mercenaries of burning the ships and lets the men kill the mercenaries, much to Muradin's disgust. The only way they were leaving, Arthas said, was when they were victorious. They continue to search for Mal'ganis, who taunts Arthas about his impending death and has the undead attack the base. Muradin and Arthas leave in desperation to find Frostmourne. They manage to track it down and the Guardian attacks them not to protect the blade from them, but to protect them from the blade. They reach Frostmourne and after reading the inscription at the pedestal, realizes its cursed but Arthas declares he'll suffer any curse to protect Lordaeron and asks for the sword to be released. The ice breaks and a piece hits Muradin in the head, knocking him unconscious but Arthas assumes he is dead. He leaves with Frostmourne in hand. He easily defeats Mal'gani's army and the dreadlord himself who is shocked when Arthas tells him the Lich King is instructing Arthas to kill him. Afterwards, Arthas leaves his men and runs off into the wilderness, but later the men search for him one by one. Falric and Marwyn are killed first, and then Thassarian, and then the rest of them.

[weatherman667]

How about some Bronzebeards?

Magni

Muradin

Moira

I made this same joke in my head with Sonic but Crash Bandicoot is the superior joke.

[sekhisadventures]

The Timelost Dwarf

Lordaeron City, Year 20 After First War

The city was alive with celebration. Prince Arthas had returned home from Northrend with news of victory. The dreadlord Mal’ganis was no more, struck down by Arthas and his soldiers, the demon banished back to the dark pit that spawned it.

Arthas walked through the streets towards the castle, his armor clattering with each step… and some might imagine something horrible is to come, that this is all some trick or perhaps a potential betrayal.

Perhaps in another time, it is… but this Arthas stood tall, his golden hair shining under the sun, wearing the armor of a Paladin of the Holy Light with a hammer slung over his back as he walked towards the throne of his father, King Terenas.

The doors opened as he drew close, the prince striding into the room, then standing before his father’s throne and taking a knee, bowing his head.

The king watched him enter, then stood from his throne and walked forward. “Arthas… my son… there are no words to say how relieved I am to see you again.” he sighed, “We have heard the rumors already… are they true?”

Arthas nodded, “Yes father, they are. Mal’ganis is no more. He will never harm our people again.” he replied.

King Menethil nodded, stroking his beard, “… yes… but what of you, my son? We heard from Lord Uther of what befell the city of Stratholme and… we are deeply saddened to hear it.” he sighed, “Was there really no other way?”

Arthas fell silent for a long moment. “Stratholme…” he whispered, still remembering the screams, the look of betrayal from his subjects, the horrors they became, and the dreadlord’s mocking laughter as the city burned. “… was horrible, but necessary. We had no way of knowing who had been infected by the plague, and when they began to turn, they would massacre any who did not… either way, they would have died… I…” he shuddered, “… I regret that it happened, and pray to the Light with all my being that I never have to do such a thing again.”

King Menethil nodded slowly, “… and in Northrend?” he asked.

“… we did what we had to do. During my travels there I discovered a camp of dwarves led by Muradin Bronzebeard, and together we discovered a powerful runeblade… but…” he hesitated, “… the sword was cursed. It almost killed Muradin…”

The King nodded gravely, “I see, and Lord Bronzebeard’s fate?”

Arthas nodded slowly, “… after Stratholme… I had a crisis of faith Father. The Light left me… but seeing Muradin lying there dying… I… I couldn’t just let that happen, I begged the Light to forgive me and return to me, and…” he looked up at the king, “… the Light did. I healed Muradin, and together we led the charge against Mal’ganis and his Scourge. They are gone, the Light shined through me and banished the dreadlord from Azeroth forever.”

The King listened to it all, then nodded slowly, “I see… and if it had to happen again?” he asked.

Arthas hesitated, “Father?” he asked.

“Stratholme, my son… if that were to happen again someday, if you had to choose to sacrifice a village, or a city, because you felt it would save the rest of the kingdom… would you?” clarified King Terenas.

Arthas looked down at the floor, “… I…” he fell silent again. He had been so sure at the time but losing the blessing of the Light in doing it, and almost losing Muradin as well. “I… can’t answer that father. Its not a question I can answer until it happens again. If the threat is great, if there truly is no other way…” he shuddered at the memory, “… but, I pray to the Light that I never will… that our people will never have to suffer like that again.”

The king did not speak for several long moments, Arthas still gazing downwards as if unable to bear seeing his father’s disappointment.

Finally, however, he heard his father’s voice once more. “My son… what happened in Stratholme was horrible, and I share your hope that it never needs be repeated… but I trust when the time comes, you will do what is right for Lordaeron…” he replied, and then Arthas felt something being placed on his head, something heavy and made of metal.

He froze, reaching one hand up and feeling over what was there, then looked up at his father.

His father stood there with a satisfied smile… but without his crown, for now it rested on Arthas’ head.

“I have ruled Lordaeron for many years, my son… but I have grown so tired of late, and your actions have shown me that, perhaps, you now understand the burdens of such rulership. It is not enough to want the best for your people, but to know when you must do what hurts to protect others. It is never an easy choice, and in a perfect world it would never be a choice we had to make… but I have faith that should that day come again, you will be ready for it.” he replied. “Rise, my son…”

Arthas rose unsteadily to his feet, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening as Terenas Menethil raised his voice so all in the chamber could hear him. “Let it be known that as of this day I, Terenas Menethil, abdicate my throne.” he called out, “All hail, King Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron!”

Arthas gazed around the room, feeling the weight of the crown resting upon his brow as the guards and guests all broke out in cheers.

HAIL, KING ARTHAS!

LONG LIVE THE KING!

GLORY TO LORDAERON! GLORY TO KING ARTHAS!

A single tear ran down his cheek, the newly crowned King Arthas embracing his father in sight of all. A new day was dawning for Lordaeron, perhaps in this timeline it would have a bright future.

In the hall above, a dwarven man smiled down at the sight. It’d be quite the story to tell his wife when he returned to the inn.

Lordaeron Castle City, Year 41 After First War

Dareley Steelhammer felt as if his heart might burst with pride as he stood next to his wife, Misti. He had retired from his duties as a knight, with honors, to raise his newborn child. Now, twenty-one years on, he could only smile at the idea that this child, now fully grown, would take up the mantle their father had put down the day they were born.

The Temple of the Holy Light in Lordaeron had become the center of their worship since Arthas’ return, stories of his triumph over Mal’ganis through his faith in the Light and its willingness to forgive him for the fate of Stratholme had spread like wildfire, and in this timeline the Church of the Holy Light was seeing a massive surge in membership.

It was no coincidence that when Uther retired his protégée took his place as the leader of the order.

Standing at the head of the temple, wearing his armor with the crown of the Menethil line upon his brow, was King Arthas. He was older now, his once golden blonde hair showing greying at the temples, and a beard hiding his face, but he carried his age well. The past two decades had their share of trials, but the Alliance had overcome them all. The Horde still existed, far to the west in the lands of Kalimdor, but they had their own issues with, if rumors were to be believed, constant guerrilla attacks from a previously undiscovered race of forest-dwelling elves.

A war that would cross the great sea would be costly both economically and in lives, and King Arthas had proclaimed that if the Horde wanted this unknown land to the west, they could have it if they damn well stayed there. The Horde’s new leader, an orc known only as ‘Thrall,’ seemed quite content to this agreement, and after twenty years tentative talks of trade were even beginning… but a day of true peace between the orcs and the humans would be long in the coming.

For now however, the only thought on the assembled faithful’s mind was the induction of a new member of the Order of the Silver Hand.

At the end of the hallway the doors opened, and a young dwarf walked in. Dareley smiled at her as she walked past, and she gave him a nervous grin back. She had long black hair tied into a braid, the same glossy dark hair that her father had in his youth, but brilliant emerald-green eyes like her mother. She wore armor of polished white metal with gold ornamentation and slung across her back was a two-handed hammer set with runes of purity and holiness.

She reached the altar where King Arthas stood, then knelt down as the older paladin and monarch smiled at her. “We come together today to witness you take your final oaths. Are you prepared to do so?” he asked, his voice deepened with age.

“Aye, yer highness.” she replied.

The king nodded, “Very well. Before all of us, under the gaze of the Light, in this sacred place… make your oath.”

The young dwarven woman took a breath, then nodded.

“I, Yvain Steelhammer, here in th’ presence o’ th’ Light, take this sacred oath.” she began.

Dareley felt his heart catch in his chest, remembering the day he first spoke these words, and how he’d dreamed he’d live to see his daughter do the same. He wiped his eye, unable to stop himself now.

“Ta protect th’ weak, uphold justice, ‘n walk th’ righteous path.” she continued as Arthas watched her, nodding for her to continue.

“I pledge me life ta th’ Order o’ th’ Silver Hand, ‘n join me brothers ‘n sisters in humble service. May th’ Light hear these words ‘n know them ta be true, ‘n may it strike me down should I ever betray ‘em.” she finished.

Arthas nodded slowly, then smiled and held out his hand to her, “The Light hears you Yvain Steelhammer, and recognizes your conviction and your faith. As leader of the Order of the Silver Hand, I name you knight! Rise, Paladin, and join your brothers and sisters.”

As Yvain rose a cheer came from the assembled crowd. Her friends and family from Ironforge. The squires she trained with who would, light willing, take the oath themselves one day. The surviving members of Dareley’s unit from the Third War who came to show their support for their friend’s daughter. All were cheering for her as she turned, smiling the sort of smile of someone who can’t really believe what’s just happened.

Dareley’s beard was wet with tears now, the old dwarf feeling as if his heart would burst with joy at the sight… then he noticed something, and his applause slowed. “Wot th’…”

The rest of the crowd seemed to notice as well… and as Yvain looked around, she realized they were all pointing and calling out to her, the newly sworn paladin looking down at herself… and seeing sand pouring off her body. “H-huh?!” she gasped, trying to brush it off her armor, but no matter how much she did more appeared!

Cries of alarm went up as King Arthas stepped forward, his libram suddenly in his hand as he raised a gauntlet as he began to call upon the Light. “Everyone remain calm!” he commanded.

But Dareley couldn’t remain calm, something was very very wrong! He pulled away from Misti and ran into the aisle between the pews, running towards Yvain as the sand began to swirl around her.

“HOLD ON LASS! POPPA’S COMIN!” he roared, his hands beginning to glow. He had retired from active service, but no paladin ever truly retired until the day they died. He dove towards his daughter, hands outstretched and shining with the power of the Holy Light… and landed at Arthas’ feet.

The king reached down and helped Dareley stand as the dwarf struggled upright, then looked back and cried out in alarm. “NO!” he shouted.

Where Yvain had been standing was only an empty patch of floor with just a pile of sand, the grains slowly vanishing into nothingness.

Next Story

Previous Story

[jthorsten]

Blizzard Owes Me a Bottle of Wine

For these amount of cheese I just had to sit through for the Kyrian side of the 9.1 campaign questline.

Warning, unpopular opinions ahead:

I have mixed feelings about Uther and his ‘new viewpoint’ on Arthas. On one hand, yeah, maybe Uther should have sat down with him and talked about his misgivings before his anointment as a paladin. But to be honest, I agree that he was just being a supportive mentor when he told Arthas everything would be fine as he walked down the path as a paladin.

After that? Everything Arthas did was HIS CHOICE. People tried to dissuade him from doing everything from Stratholme forward. Uther, Jaina, Muradin, etc. They all pleaded with him to try and choose a different path than the one he ended up choosing.

By the time Uther faced him at Andorhal? He wasn’t his student anymore. He wasn’t his friend. He was a foe. Arthas had already massacred countless innocent people. He went on to murder countless more!

Yes, I know, Denathrius’ nethrazim had their fingers all up in his ears after a certain point. But ya know what? Before he picked up Frostmourne, with Muradin behind him telling him how BAD of an idea this was, he could’ve stepped back, and walked away. Said no, and found another way of fixing his problems.

Arthas chose everything he did up until Devos and Uther dumped him into the Maw.

Should he have gone to Revendreth? Maybe. Do I think the Maw was his destiny?

Fuck yes.

[medivhstower]

[energyprison]

Following the mysterious disappearance of his running mate, Muradin Bronzebeard, Menethil has announced former archmage Kel'thuzad as his new VP pick.

New libertarian candidate Arthas Menethil surging in the polls

[lothirielswanwarcraft]

Imagine: The Alliance Leaders When You’re on Your Period

Anduin Wrynn: Best chance at survival. Angel Andy will do his best to make you as relaxed and comfortable as possible. He’ll offer to use his Light magic to combat the pain and ransack the Mage Quarter of Stormwind for tasty treats to get your mind off of things.

Genn Greymane: Worst chance at survival. Genn is pure testosterone in humanoid form, so in this situation...he has no idea what to do. Genn can probably sense the change, given his extra sensitive nose. At first, he’ll give you space. Genn will avoid the topic at all costs. When his plan of neglect fails and blows up in his face, he will just sit with you quietly somewhere outdoors. Whether it's listening to the tree branches crinkling in the woods or the soft downpour of rainfall in Gilneas, both of you will enjoy a peaceful moment.

Tyrande Whisperwind: Careful with this one. Tyrande is pure estrogen in humanoid form, so she will take your side on every dispute (including publicly shaming whoever is bothering you). She’ll pray to Elune for you, offer hunting-bonding trips, and be your devoted Mean Girl on call.

Tyrande: Do not fear, Champion. Women secretly rule the world.

Anduin Wrynn: It's a beautiful world!

Genn Greymane: It's a frightening, cold world.

Malfurion Stormrage: He has centuries of experience with Tyrande and Illidan, so there isn't really an issue here. Malfurion may try to coax you out of the physical world to relax for a while in the Emerald Dream (the out-of-body experience may lessen the pain). In the meantime, Malfurion will offer natural remedies. You may find yourselves sipping tea together in the woods, listening to the chime-like chirp of the birds.

Prophet Velen: There is limitless knowledge here, so if you’re looking for a pain-fix, this is your avenue. Velen can vanquish both the pain and symptoms, all the while offering compliments and gentle smiles. Velen can also distract you from your current situation with epic tales of his travels across the cosmos.

Velen: I met someone once who went by the name “Thanos.” Quite an awful specimen. He had a chin that looked like unspeakable body parts, and had an unhealthy obsession with snapping. Thank the Light he's not Azeroth’s problem…

Muradin Bronzebeard: Anything can be fixed with alcohol. Muradin will offer you barrels of dwarven ale, on the house. He may invite you to visit the forges, where the heat is so intense it will numb any physical pain.

Muradin: Yer not so bad, Champion. Ol’ Arthas acted like his noggers were bleedin’ year round!

Aysa Cloudsinger: This woman is the queen of battling tough emotions. Aysa can teach you yoga poses to ease the pain and mystical monk tricks to “replenish your energy”. Aysa also has tons of punch bags and food (Pandaria is plentiful in both items).

Gelbin Mekkatorque: He’ll lend you tons of machines to skitter around and grab things so you don't have to move. Gelbin can also assign tons of cute gnome advisors to watch over you and keep you in good spirits. Your condition may actually inspire Gelbin to make some sort of thermal pad to combat the pain.

(Bonus Edition coming soon)

(Alliance, Dragon Aspects, & Fallen Heroes Editions coming soon. Stay tuned!)

[katieskarlette]

AU!Arthas can check Muradin off the list of people he needs to beg forgiveness from.

[veldrune]

Arthas was born into royalty and raised amidst the turmoil of Azeroth’s wars. He formed a close bond with Varian Wrynn during his childhood and was mentored by Muradin Bronzebeard in combat. Arthas also studied the Light under Uther the Lightbringer and developed a deep affection for the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore.

[weathermanpolls]

There is a distinct lack of Dwarves in our Northern robot army.

Schnees are Boreal Elves.

Ironwood and Pyotr Polendinov are Humans.

Klein is a Dwarf, but he's busy being a butler.

While Ghim and Gimli are absolutely incredible mundane fighters, you need more than that to survive in Nouveau Revenir.

Muradin Bronzebeard is the Viking, (adventurer), and bears a Dwarven axe and a Thunderhammer. Magni is the king of the Bronzebeard, (good), Dwarves. Dagran is the Emperor of the Dark Iron (bad), Dwarves.

Gazel Dwargo is the stern leader of the stern Dwarven Kingdom in the slime anime.

Gondo Firebeard is the thane that sides with Ainz in Overlord.

Beren is the OP head of the Dwarves in Tsukimichi.

Ferric is brother by oath and marriage to the Summer King.

Ingirven:Dwarves

And yes, I changed some names to make them more Northern European.

Prismatic Rose AU - General Ironwood

[tentoriwrites]

Nexus Fall

In her misery, Lady Raena summons Anduin Wrynn to the Nexus so Varian is forced to watch him die over and over again. However, that proves to be a catalyst for Varian to seek out a way to escape the Nexus and free his son from a life of endless fighting. With the help of their allies, Anduin and Varian seek the heart of the Nexus and endeavor to climb to the very top of its great tower. If they cannot escape, they will ensure no one else has to suffer and no one else can use the Nexus as a means of conquest...

Rating: Teen and up

Pairings: None - no cross-dimensional romances here folks.

Warnings: Violence and fighting maybe discussed in more detail later on. So mentions of blood, fighting, violence may be present. Chapters will be tagged appropriately.

Chapters: 

Battle Field Reunions

There is Always Hope

[eremulade]

[wowheadquarters]

Ranking their singing voices

For a lovable anon. Mirror mirror on the wall, who has the singiest voice of them all? This list is out of the usual order with the least singing voices at the top and the best singers at the end. Most of this goes from headcanons rather than serious lore backup, so... So if you view it differently than I do, I’m not saying it’s wrong! Ft. three songs.

Geya’rah: Run! Cover your ears and run! Forget the children and run!

Lor'themar: Firstly, Lor’themar cannot be bothered to sing anywhere near the key or the rhythm. Or to sing at all. Secondly, if you have been paying attention, on this blog at least the Lord Regent has a serious problem with drinking and alcohol isn’t exactly what you should overdo if you want to pursue an opera singer career.

Spirit of Vol’jin: Perhaps he used to be really good at singing, the Zandali language is melodic after all and there is no way serving the loa doesn’t include singing your voice out. But let’s also remember he got his throat slit on Pandaria and it actually never healed properly.

Taedal: He can barely speak competently, it’s a miracle he can sing. Because I say so. Unless I find a very valid reason to retcon this decision, a screeching buzzard sounds ten times better than Taedal.

Ghost Garrosh: As much as he isn’t like his father, he is more close to the scream part in Hellscream rather than the song part in Warsong. (Although, if this list was ranked by rapping capability, he’d be far more towards the top.)

Thalyssra: The Nightborne overall aren’t something I personally would be willing to listen to for too long. Thalyssra and Occuleth sound better than their generic brethren, but the First Arcanist still sounds like her nose is full, so... we give this a soft no.

Ghost Varin: He is dead as dust and also hoarse most of the time because of all the shouting he does. Maybe if we let his voice rest long anough to recover a bit, it gets better.

Anduin: Thanks the Light he is behind the awkward years of voice transition, but it is still... Not something he’d be off to show off. He isn’t a practising priest, he’s a battle-priest, so it’s okay.

Falstad: His voice is actually quite fine, but once he gets on the brew, which is usually half an hour after he rolls out of the bed, he loses his sense of rhythm and melody whatsoever.

Mekkatorque: That’s how you fix most computers: with a lot of swearwords and singing. Also, ‘Torque is the person who sings when stressed. As in “This is all terrible and we’re gonna diiiii-eeee, lala lala la.”

Thrall: Surprisingly good, given he has absolutely zero practice or knowledge of theory at all.

Moira: She doesn’t sing much, but she sings. It is mostly a church practice, I suppose. She doesn’t have to be really good, though, because in places like Ironforge or Shadowforge (as the Dark Iron city in the Blackrock mountain is actually called) has that kind of acoustic everything sounds ten times better than it is.

Aysa: Sometimes people have hard time telling when she is reciting poetry and when she is singing. Her range is narrow, but within her range she is very good.

Ji: As long as you can prevent him from yodelling for fun... Unfortunately, Ji is more of a troll this way.

Velen: He is a Middle Earth fan and nerd. If you have read Silmarilion (like Velen most likely had, or some Azeroth/Argus version of it at least), you’d know the whole story is one big musical. Following this logic, Velen sings.

Muradin: Maybe it is just me, but Muradin is one of the most classic “high fantasy dwarf” trope we have. And those do sing.

Turalyon: He was a Knight of the Silver Hand, that is a trained Paladin. That means he spent years and years in churches and cathedrals full of singing and chanting priests. He most likely had to join some choir of young novices or something, where singing was more or less literally beaten into him.

Mayla: The Tauren have such beautiful melodic voices, it sounds like they are already singing.

Baine: He is probably as good as Mayla, I just have a thing for deeper voices, that’s all. 

Genn: Comes out really surprising, but after the Worgen curse he ended up with a far better hearing, so he had to improve. Not like he sings often. Kings are only allowed to sing in the shower and only when nobody hears them. 

Talanji: Up with Vol’jin I said something about singing while in the service of the Loa, so here is a Priest Princess. Also her not-singing voice is something I could listen to all day.

Alleria: I suppose it’s a Windrunner thing, the singing. But she is older, got stuck in the stressing Twisting Nether for aeons from her point of view, and I am pretty sure the Void doesn’t go soft on your throat either. She used to be better.

Gallywix: I like to think that his path to success was composed of insurance fraud, tax evasion, and a couple of top selling Goblin!Broadway musicals which he both composed and sung in. And while a big portion of his mass is fat, there is also a plenty of room for a pair of really big lungs. With all the theatre-like props he’s wearing, he probably wanted to pursue an opera singer career.

Sylvanas: One of the few people we have actually heard singing, probably. In case you haven’t, she’s the person responsible for the WoW cover of the Lament of the Highborne with backup banshees and all of that. 

Tyrande: I am pretty sure that to be a good priest of Elune, you have to have better than decent voice do sing chants and psalms and whatnot. (It would be easier to say if we got a more in-depth view on the religions of Azeroth, even the “boring” ones. Oh well, I guess I have to do everything by myself in this house.) And Tyrande is in charge. What I am trying to get at is that she has to have sing beautifully. Probably practices on lullabies for Malfurion.

Jaina: Anyway.

[mezzopurrloin]

Chapter 1-9: Frostmourne

With a mission name like that, you know something big is about to go down.

We open with Muradin calling out Arthas for the stunt he pulled at the end of the previous mission.

He brushes it off, of course.

Mal'Ganis' forces appear from the mists.

Normally I'd have my doubts about a single sword being able to turn the tide of battle, but for this one I can make an exception. We'll see why later.

Arthas leaves defense of the base to the captain, takes a few soldiers, and heads through the portal.

Our first task is to bring Arthas and Muradin to the vault where Frostmourne resides.

There are a few creeps to fight along the way.

We have full control of the base during this time, and occasionally have to fend off Undead attacks. It's a good time to get some upgrades in. We now have access to the full Human tech tree for Reign of Chaos. The Frozen Throne expansion added a few more unit types for every race, which we'll see when we get there.

Magic Sentry: This upgrade researched at the Arcane Sanctum allows Scout Towers and all towers upgraded from them to detect invisible units in their sight radius. A little rune appears above them to indicate this.

I actually unlocked this one back in chapter 7 and forgot to mention it then. Mal'Ganis' forces don't really use much in the way of invisible units, but at least it looks pretty.

Gryphon Rider: Flying creature mounted by a dwarf warrior. Attacks by hurling magical hammers at enemies.

Gryphon Riders are the Alllance's 'ultimate' unit, one which requires the third town hall tier and has its own unique production structure. Since they're animal riding they benefit from the Animal War Training upgrade.

Gryphon Aviary: Aviary where Gryphon Riders can be trained.

Storm Hammers: Allows Gryphon Riders' attacks to deal splash damage in a line.

Anyway, back to the hunt for Frostmourne. Here one of the ghosts possessed my rifleman, turning him into an enemy. There's no way to reverse it, so the only option is to kill him.

This guardian and its minions are the last obstacle protecting the vault.

He's a level 10 creep and is accompanied by a few revenants and skeleton archers, making this fight a bit tougher.

"No... Trying to protect you... from it."

Muradin tells Arthas to just forget this business and lead his men home.

The ice holding Frostmourne shatters.

Eh, he's probably fine.

In the original Warcraft III, Arthas' character model looked pretty much the same while wielding Frostmourne. Now he looks much more gaunt, his cape is torn, and his hair is starting to turn white.

According to later games, Muradin was not actually killed by this. He was just knocked out and lost his memory. This is probably a retcon.

With Frostmourne in his hands, Arthas receives a substantial damage boost, and he now has the Chaos attack type which deals full damage to all armor types. Muradin's items are left behind inside the base, and I grabbed a few of those for him too.

A high level hero is kind of a one man army by default, but Arthas takes it to ridiculous levels here. He can literally solo the rest of this mission. Guess I didn't need those upgrades after all.

There's our man Mal'Ganis. With Arthas' Divine Shield up, all he can do is flee from the attacks.

We can nuke him and his minions with Holy Light too. Holy Light and Divine Shield both have very cheap mana costs, and Arthas has deep reserves now.

Killing Mal'Ganis leveled Arthas to 10, allowing me to max out all his skills. With their leader dead, none of the undead troops stood a chance against him, and even the buildings fell quickly thanks to Arthas' Chaos damage.

In the original Warcraft III, Mal'Ganis' (and other Dreadlords') death animation was just him dissipating into a cloud of bats. I'm glad they changed this so he can have a proper death scene now. (Not like it matters, since his death got retconned too.)

"After taking his vengeance upon Mal'Ganis, Prince Arthas wandered off into the frozen wastelands of Northrend. Tormented by the sword's maddening voice, Arthas lost the last vestiges of his sanity. Now, driven by the sword's dark will, Arthas plans to return to Lordaeron and claim his just reward..."

The bells of Lordaeron ring as Prince Arthas returns, victorious.

The townsfolk scatter rose petals in celebration. Arthas takes one, and it wilts in his hand.

That's, uh... a nice new outfit you've got there.

Arthas steps toward his father, and the camera moves to their shadows on the wall.

"...and from the ashes shall arise a new order, that will shake the very foundations of the world."

This ends the Human campaign.

Next time, we continue Arthas' story in the Undead campaign, following him along the path of the damned.