The Passage Through Azjol-Nerub

Full History

The Lich King's call drew Arthas from the struggle for Lordaeron and back to the icy continent where he had taken Frostmourne. Illidan Stormrage was attacking the Frozen Throne, and the weakening of that prison reached Arthas as a loss of strength. To arrive too late would mean the destruction of the power that commanded him.

Anub'arak met the death knight in Northrend. Once king of the nerubians, he had been killed and raised into the service of the same Scourge that ruined his people. Now he guided Arthas toward Icecrown, using old paths beneath the surface to avoid enemies advancing aboveground.

The route passed through Azjol-Nerub, a kingdom whose vaults and tunnels preserved the memory of resistance to the Lich King. The travelers faced creatures and guardians still dangerous in those depths. Speed came at the cost of moving through a ruined realm, with no assurance that the passages would remain open or that its inhabitants would permit safe transit.

Arthas and Anub'arak pressed onward because every delay favored Illidan. Their passage beneath Northrend brought the death knight closer to his final confrontation, but also showed the shape of the empire he served: a power that could force a dead king to escort its champion through the remains of his own kingdom.