Terenas Menethil II

Terenas Menethil II was the last true king of the kingdom of Lordaeron and one of the primary founders of the original Alliance of Lordaeron, the first time in almost three thousand years the human kingdoms were united since the breaking of Arathor. Ruling for over five decades, including the period of the Second and Third Wars, Terenas acted as a patron of the Alliance and sought to keep it united as political issues had arisen. His death at the hands of his own son Arthas deprived the Alliance of its leadership at a critical moment in history.

Biography
Terenas Menethil II was born in the court of the kingdom of Lordaeron, one of the strongest human nations, as a member of the royal Menethil family, which had ruled the kingdom for generations. An old friend of Thoras Trollbane, Terenas grew up to become a wise and just ruler, greatly loved by his people. His long years of reign saw peace and brought prosperity for Lordaeron, but all this changed with the outset of the Second War.

Terenas's grandfather is said to have had successful negotiations with the elves of Quel'Thalas over the borders there for his northern vassals.

Tides of Darkness
After the First War, refugees from the kingdom of Stormwind led by Sir Anduin Lothar, accompanied by Prince Varian Wrynn and Khadgar, arrived on the shores of Lordaeron. They traveled to Capital City and met with Terenas, giving warnings of the orcs and the invasion that was to come. Terenas called delegates from neighboring human nations, and, after hearing the horror stories from Sir Lothar and his people, they agreed to forge the Alliance of Lordaeron. Terenas also asked the High elves of Quel'Thalas for help as well as the dwarves of Ironforge. Prince Varian was left with his family, befriending his son Arthas and becoming like a second son to Terenas.

Terenas organized the forces of Lordaeron in the defense of Capital City against the onslaught of the Horde during the Second War. He even commanded the defenses of the Siege of Capital City, where his kingdom was almost destroyed by the Horde and Terenas almost killed by an orc that was killed by Morev. But in the end, their sacrifices were not in vain, and the Alliance won through, decimating the Horde and rounding up the surviving orcs into internment camps, headed by Aedelas Blackmoore. The orc Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer was kept as the personal prisoner of Terenas, the human king fervently hoping that a treaty could be arranged with the orcish leader. Terenas thought that if the orcs could be kept pacified long enough, they ought to eventually lose their lust for conquest, and as such he pleaded to keep them interned instead of executing them. Doomhammer eventually escaped captivity and fled into hiding.

Aftermath of the war
Despite the end of the Second War, peace did not last long. He and the other kings of the Alliance were present at the meeting in Nethergarde Keep. Later, he met with Thoras Trollbane, Muradin Bronzebeard, and Lord Daval Prestor and discussed the matter with Alterac and Perenolde. When it was discovered that the rift to the orc's homeworld was expanding, Terenas immediately decreed in conjunction with Varian Wrynn, who had assumed his rightful place on the throne of Stormwind, and the other kings to rally the Alliance army that would venture into Draenor in order to retrieve the artifacts stolen by the Horde and end the orcish threat for good. The Alliance Expedition led by Khadgar and Turalyon undertook the Invasion of Draenor, eventually succeeding and and sealing the Dark Portal from the other side to prevent Draenor's destruction from destroying Azeroth as well.

Some years later, the matter of what to do with the kingdom of Alterac came up. Trollbane wanted to split the lands between Lordaeron and Stromgarde. However, King Genn Greymane supported Lord Perenolde's nephew Isiden's claim to the throne while Admiral Daelin Proudmoore of Kul Tiras was opposed to Gilnean influence in the region. Lord Prestor, who appeared to be a relative to the late Lord Perenolde, was one of Terenas's trusted advisors during this time, and Terenas began to arrange a marriage for Prestor to his young daughter Calia. Terenas even wished his own son was more like Prestor. Prestor was endorsed by most Alliance nations as the new king of Alterac, solving everyone's—and particularly Terenas's—political nightmare. This plan was scrapped, however, when Prestor suddenly disappeared.

During the winter when Arthas's mount, Invincible, died, Terenas and Uther the Lightbringer were off on a diplomatic mission to Stromgarde. Terenas was later present during a ceremony in Stormwind City, where Arthas became a paladin. He told him that he was proud of him that day, which confused Arthas as he was unsure if his father was ever proud of him until that day.

The Alliance Splinters
When the political problems culminated, Terenas realized that the Alliance would crumble. The first ally to secede were the elves of Quel'Thalas, as they blamed the humans for not being able to save their burned forests. Terenas tactfully reminded them that it was the Alliance that saved them from being annihilated entirely. Gilneas then separated from the whole world behind the Greymane Wall and Thoras Trollbane proposed a mass execution of the orcs but Lordaeron refused to do so. The quarrels of the two friends ended when Stromgarde too seceded from the Alliance. In spite of these losses, many nations remained with Lordaeron and Uther — who considered Terenas as a brother — alongside Alonsus Faol had helped him to rebuild Lordaeron and other kingdoms.

The Reign of Chaos
Time wore on and Terenas grew more and more infirm, struggling to hold together the collapsing Alliance despite all of his pleas with the dissident nations of Gilneas, Stromgarde, and Quel'Thalas. Nonetheless, Terenas still had allies he could rely on, as the nations of Stormwind, Kul Tiras, Dalaran, and Ironforge remained committed to the Alliance. To compound to his problems, Warchief Thrall has been rallying the few remaining orc clans in revolt against the orc internment camps. The "new horde" as it was dubbed, had brazenly attacked the northern city of Stratholme in an attempt to rescue one of its captured warriors. The horde even destroyed Durnholde – the fortress that oversaw the security of the internment camps – and murdered the officers who ran it. King Terenas sent Uther and his paladins to quell the warchief's uprising, but the crafty orcs could never be found. The young warchief proved to be something of a tactical genius – and evaded Uther's best efforts to corral his hit and run attacks. Furthermore, amidst the strain of the new orc uprising, King Terenas was disturbed to hear ill news on another front. Rumor held that a number of supposed "death cults" had formed in the northern provinces. The cults attracted the disenfranchised and disheartened citizens of Lordaeron, offering them "eternal life" on earth as an alternative to servitude to the King. After many years of peace and quiet, King Terenas knew that troubles were only just beginning for his land. Still, Terenas was proud his son, Arthas, became the prized protégé of Uther the Lightbringer and a paladin of the Silver Hand. Terenas took comfort that Lordaeron's defenders, both new and old, would see it safely through to a new dawn.

The troubles began with the orcish uprisings through Arathi, as well as the Plague spreading from the North. Many of the Alliance representatives, especially the ones from Dalaran, were pleading for a quarantine. But Terenas refused, saying that the people of Lordaeron had suffered enough. The mysterious prophet unexpectedly materialized during a council of the Alliance, and pleaded with Terenas to make haste to Kalimdor or all would be lost. Terenas, however, paid no heed, thinking him little more than a madman. It was here that King Terenas sealed his fate.

Weeks later, Terenas heard of Arthas's strange behavior, including the destruction of Stratholme and his expedition to Northrend. Terenas immediately ordered the troops recalled at Uther's request, but no word was heard from them for months.



Murder
Finally, Prince Arthas returned, victorious over the evil he had faced in Northrend. All of Lordaeron's Capital City rejoiced in a festival, celebrating the long-awaited return of their heroic prince. But something was amiss.

As he knelt before his father, a dark voice flooded Arthas's thoughts. He rose up, drew his sword, and approached the throne. Taking his father by the throat, Arthas drove the dark runeblade Frostmourne through his heart. Thus did Terenas of the House of Menethil, King of Lordaeron, die at the hands of his own son—bringing an end to not only his reign, which had lasted for 50 years but also to the kingdom of Lordaeron itself.

Terenas's ashes were kept in a magical urn, guarded by Uther himself. Arthas, desiring the urn for his own ends, slew his former mentor and discarded his father's ashes which were scattered by the winds near Andorhal.

His crown was recovered by an unknown individual and buried on an island in Stormwind Harbor as a memorial. Mathias Shaw and Flynn Fairwind believe that it was refugees from Lordaeron, but given the involvement of Thoras with Terenas' tomb, he could also be involved.

Fall of the Lich King
The soul of Terenas Menethil II spoke to the Lich King warning him that the combined might of the Alliance, the Horde, the Argent Crusade, and the Knights of the Ebon Blade have finally fought their way to Icecrown Citadel itself to defeat him once and for all.

Terenas's spirit appeared in the Icecrown Citadel during the battle against the Lich King. When adventurers fell victim to the "Harvest Soul" spell, they were brought into Frostmourne itself, where they found Terenas struggling against the spirit warden of the sword. Adventurers aided Terenas in defeating it, at which point the blade became weakened enough for him to be able to return adventurers to the real fight. The Lich King, eventually, killed his enemies and prepared to raise them as his most powerful servants when Tirion Fordring, frozen for the entire fight, broke free of his bonds and shattered Frostmourne with the Ashbringer. As the souls claimed by Frostmourne swirled around the Lich King, Terenas's spirit appeared to resurrect the dead to finish off the immobilized master of the Scourge.

Having seen to his dying son, after Arthas passed away Terenas warned Tirion that there must always be a Lich King and vanished.

Memorial
A tomb dedicated to the king stands behind the throne room of Lordaeron:

It is not uncommon for tombs to be carved long before the occupant's death. Such is the case with Terenas; the words on the plaque were carved by two different hands - the first half of the first line is one set, and the rest of the plaque was written after Terenas' death. The Alliance doesn't know who added the second part, but SI:7 speculates it was done on the order of Thoras Trollbane, who was once a great friend to Terenas. The tomb lies empty as the ashes of Terenas were scattered by Arthas when he put the remains of Kel'Thuzad into the Urn of King Terenas.

Prior to the information in Exploring Azeroth, it was simply said that the tomb was crafted by the ruined city's former citizens, who risked everything to ensure his memory would not be forgotten.

The plate containing this inscription is missing from the tomb during the Battle for the Undercity.

A second, secret memorial exists on an island in Stormwind Harbor, behind the lighthouse. With no body to bury, and Lordaeron infested by undead, Terenas's crown was recovered--likely by refugees of Lordaeron--and buried there so the survivors would have a place to mourn their king. The gravestone marking it bore only a faded, unreadable inscription and was thought to belong to a former lighthouse keeper until Flynn Fairwind discovered the truth. After digging up the crown to confirm his theory, he and Mathias Shaw buried it once more and agreed to continue keeping the secret.

Tides of Darkness

 * "I will summon my neighboring kings. These events concern us all." - to Anduin Lothar

Warcraft III

 * "Noble countrymen, evil is upon us. Darkness has befallen our shores. Rise and slay thy enemies… strike, strike so others shall live. The meek shall not fade into the night… live my brethren, live."
 * "I will not institute quarantine without proof of your claims, Ambassador. The people of Lordaeron have suffered enough without becoming prisoners in their own lands."
 * "I don't know who you are or what you believe, but this is not the time for rambling prophets! Our lands are beset by conflict, but it shall be we who decide how best to protect our people, not you!, now begone!"
 * "What is this? What are you doing, my son?" - Terenas Menethil's last words before his death.

Alternate timeline
A version of Terenas Menethil existed in a timeway where history turned out differently, which was entered by Thrall during the Cataclysm era.

Notes and trivia

 * Terenas's eyes were blue and green swirled together.
 * Terenas enjoyed Fras Siabi's tobacco.
 * In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Uther tells Arthas that Terenas ruled Lordaeron for seventy years.
 * Uther also says this at the start of the final battle against Arthas in the January 2021 single-player campaign (Book of Heroes) in the game Hearthstone
 * In Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, this was changed to fifty years.
 * Warcraft III level designer David Fried acknowledged that Medivh's warning to Terenas was extremely vague, and that he should have mentioned the Burning Legion and orcs as well.
 * Visions of Arthas and Terenas briefly appear in Gods and Monsters (quest), a story told by Lorewalker Cho.
 * Terenas' "no king rules forever" quote was foreshadowed by Yogg-Saron's "no king rules forever; only death is eternal" quote about the Lich King.
 * King Terenas Menethil's Silver Coin can be fished from the Dalaran Fountain, and the Royal Scepter of Terenas II drops from the Lich King.
 * In Before the Storm, it mentions that Calia thinks of her father's crown as being both 'bloodied and lost', a callback reference to the plaque on Terenas' tomb.
 * Terenas is the narrator of Wrath of the Lich King intro cinematic and is voiced by Earl Boen, who also voiced Terenas in his in-game appearances in Icecrown Citadel. Ted Whitney, who voiced Terenas in Warcraft III, passed away a short time after finishing his work.

Class
A statue of Terenas, recovered in the Wetlands, depicted him as "a young, long-haired paladin with hammer upraised." When the Horde attacked the Capital City, Terenas reluctantly picked up a fallen sword with which to defend himself, but he was "painfully aware that he was no fighter". also clearly states that he was no warrior. He couldn't have trained as a paladin until after the Second War, and by then he was far from young. That statue may have been intended as a depiction of Arthas, or a heavily idealized version of Terenas. Alternatively, it could depict Terenas Menethil I who could have been a paladin and a member of the Tyr's Guard.