Frostmourne (WC3 Human)

Frostmourne is the final chapter of the Scourge of Lordaeron campaign.

This was the final battle between Prince Arthas Menethil and the dreadlord, Mal'Ganis. It was the climax of Arthas' pursuit of the dreadlord in his quest for vengeance against Mal'Ganis' acts against the people of Lordaeron. It would see Arthas taking up the accursed runeblade, Frostmourne at the expense of his old tutor and friend's life and drive his cold, hungry, and exhausted forces to certain death while using the cursed sword's power to vanquish Mal'Ganis' forces and eventually the dreadlord himself.

While Arthas was in his search for the runeblade, the Alliance Captain bravely defended the Alliance base. It is not known what happen to him after the battle though he could have been killed in battle or by Arthas himself.

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The next day, at Arthas' base camp...

Creeps

 * The Guardian
 * 1 Elder Wendigo
 * 2 Dire Frost Wolves
 * 2 Frost Revenants
 * 5 Frost Wolves
 * 5 Giant Frost Wolves
 * 2 Ice Trolls
 * 3 Ice Troll Berserkers
 * 1 Ice Troll High Priest
 * 2 Ice Troll Priests
 * 1 Ice Troll Warlords
 * 1 Nerubian Seer
 * 1 Nerubian Spider Lord
 * 1 Nerubian Webspinner
 * 3 Spiderling
 * 2 Skeletal Archers
 * 4 Skeletal Marksmen
 * 2 Wendigos
 * 2 Wendigo Shaman
 * 1 Ghost
 * 1 Wraith

Critters

 * 3 Seals



BTNFrostMourne.png Frostmourne
''The only way to counter Mal'Ganis' power is to find the mysterious runeblade known as Frostmourne and bend its powers to your will. Though the cost may be high, only Frostmourne's power will ensure that justice is done.''
 * Locate Frostmourne
 * Arthas must survive
 * Muradin must survive

BTNHeroDreadLord.png Mal'Ganis
''Mal'Ganis engineered the Scourge and set the Undead loose throughout Lordaeron. He forced you to slay your countrymen and lead your troops into certain doom. Now, you must make him pay for every life he's brought to ruin.''
 * Destroy Mal'Ganis' Base

Transcript

 * Muradin Bronzebeard: You lied to your men and betrayed the mercenaries who fought for you. What's happening to you, Arthas? Is vengeance all that's important to you?
 * Arthas: Spare me, Muradin. You weren't there to see what Mal'Ganis did to my homeland.
 * The Scourge arrives at the camp, with Mal'Ganis leading the army.
 * Mal'Ganis: The Dark Lord said you would come. This is where your journey ends, boy. Trapped and freezing at the roof of the world, with only death to sing the tale of your doom.
 * Muradin Bronzebeard: This looks bad. We're completely surrounded.
 * Arthas: There's still one chance. Help me claim Frostmourne! If it's as powerful as you said, it might tilt the scales in our favor!
 * Muradin Bronzebeard: I have a bad feeling about this, lad. But I promised I'd see this through.
 * Arthas: Captain, I'll leave you to organize our defense. Let's move out.
 * Arthas, Muradin, and a handful of Knights and Riflemen exit the camp and travel through a Way Gate.

During the Mission

 * Guardian: Turn back, mortals. Death and darkness are all that await you in this forsaken vault.
 * Arthas: I doubt there's anything down here more terrifying than what we've faced already.
 * Guardian: Believe what you will, boy. You shall not pass.


 * Guardian: Turn away... before it's... too late.
 * Arthas: Still trying to protect the sword, are you?
 * Guardian: No... trying to protect you... from it.


 * Arthas and Muradin enter the cave holding Frostmourne.
 * Arthas: Behold, Muradin, our salvation, Frostmourne.
 * Muradin steps close to the altar and kneels to read... 
 * Muradin Bronzebeard: Hold, lad. There's an inscription on the dais. It's a warning. It says, "Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit." Oh, I should've known. The blade is cursed! Let's get the hell out of here!
 * Arthas: I would gladly bear any curse to save my homeland.
 * Muradin Bronzebeard: Leave it be, Arthas. Forget this business and lead your men home.
 * Arthas: Damn the men! Nothing shall prevent me from having my revenge, old friend. Not even you.
 * Arthas begins casting...
 * Arthas: Now, I call out to the spirits of this place. I will give anything or pay any price, if only you will help me save my people.
 * Whispering voices are heard from Frostmourne. Suddenly, the blade's icy prison shatters, striking Muradin down. Frostmourne lands in the snow in front of Arthas, who discards his warhammer and reaches out to take up the blade. Sometime later, the prince—now wielding Frostmourne—emerges from the Way Gate, where the Captain is waiting for him.
 * Captain: Prince Arthas! Where is Muradin? We can't hold out for much longer!
 * Arthas: Muradin is dead. But take heart, Captain. The enemy will not stand long against the might of Frostmourne!

Mission Complete

 * Mal'Ganis: So, you've taken up Frostmourne at the expense of your comrades' lives, just as the Dark Lord said you would. You're stronger than I thought.
 * Arthas: You waste your breath, Mal'Ganis. I heed only the voice of Frostmourne now.
 * Mal'Ganis: You hear the voice of the Dark Lord. He whispers to you through the blade you wield. What does he say, young human? What does the Dark Lord of the Dead tell you now?
 * Arthas: He tells me that the time for my vengeance has come.
 * Mal'Ganis: What? He can't possibly mean to--
 * Arthas charges Mal'Ganis and kills him with a single strike from Frostmourne.
 * Arthas: It is finished.

Epilogue

 * After taking his vengeance upon Mal'Ganis, Prince Arthas wandered off into the frozen wastelands of Northrend.


 * Tormented by Frostmourne's maddening voice, Arthas lost the last vestiges of his sanity.


 * Now, driven by the sword's dark will, Arthas plans to return home to Lordaeron and claim his just reward...

Unused quotes

 * Arthas: I'm so tired...

Surrounded
Muradin angrily confronts Arthas over his betrayal of the mercenaries and his lies to his men. Arthas coldly retorts that Muradin never saw what Mal'Ganis did to his homeland. Suddenly, the undead appear on all sides. Mal'Ganis calls out to Arthas and taunts him that the journey ends here with Arthas' doom. The Alliance troops rush to defend the base, however, both Arthas and Muradin realize that they are outnumbered and completely surrounded. Arthas asks Muradin to help him find the runeblade Frostmourne. The sword's power might give them the edge they need to win this battle. Muradin, although hesitant, agrees. Arthas takes a small force of knights and riflemen with him, leaving the Captain behind to oversee the base's defenses. Arthas and his men enter a nearby way gate which transports them to the vault of Frostmourne.

Claiming Frostmourne
Arthas and Muradin battle through a number of vicious creatures - both living and undead to reach the Frostmourne. Finally, they arrive at the entrance to Frostmourne's chamber, where they find a powerful undead Guardian and its minions blocking the way. The Guardian warns Arthas to turn back, but Arthas refuses and engages the Guardian in battle. After a long and difficult fight which leaves only Arthas and Muradin standing, the Guardian is defeated. In its dying moments, the Guardian again warns Arthas to turn back before it's too late. Arthas asks the Guardian if it's still trying to protect the sword. The Guardian gives an ominous reply: It is trying to protect him from the sword. Arthas ignores this warning and enters Frostmourne's chamber.

Arthas and Muradin approach Frostmourne which is held on a frozen pedestal. Arthas goes to claim the sword, but Muradin notices an inscription on the pedestal: ''Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit.'' Muradin realizes the sword is cursed, but Arthas replies that he would bear any curse to save his people. Muradin tries one last time to reason with Arthas, telling him to forget his quest and go home. Arthas, however, will let nothing stop him from getting his revenge on Mal'Ganis.

Arthas calls out to the spirits of the chamber and promises to pay any price if they will grant him the power to save his people. A sinister whisper answers and suddenly the pedestal explodes releasing Frostmourne. A piece of frozen shrapnel hits Muradin seemingly killing him. Arthas, completely unmoved by his friend's demise, tosses aside his paladin warhammer and picks up the blade.

Arthas's Vengeance
Now in possession of Frostmourne, Arthas returns to his base where the Captain is desperately trying to hold off the undead. Arthas rallies his remaining men and leads a counterattack against Mal'Ganis. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the Alliance forces storm Mal'Ganis's base and proceed to raze it building by building. Frostmourne proves to be an incredibly powerful weapon and Arthas single-handedly slays countless undead with it. Finally, Arthas stands victorious over the ruins of Mal'Ganis's base.

Mal'Ganis reveals himself to Arthas. The dreadlord compliments Arthas on claiming Frostmourne at the expense of his comrades' lives - just as the Dark Lord of the Dead foretold. Arthas declares that he hears only the voice of Frostmourne. Mal'Ganis replies that Arthas hears the voice of the Dark Lord, who speaks through Frostmourne. The dreadlord then mockingly asks what the Dark Lord tells Arthas now.

Frostmourne's sinister whispering is heard again. After a moment, Arthas answers that the Dark Lord (Lich King) tells him that the time for his vengeance has come. Mal'Ganis is shocked by this statement but is unable to defend himself in time. Arthas vanquishes the dreadlord with one strike from Frostmourne. Having achieved his vengeance, Arthas abandons his remaining men and wanders off into the frozen wastelands of Northrend where he loses the rest of his sanity to Frostmourne's dark voice.

Aftermath
Although Arthas achieved his victory over Mal'Ganis, he had sold his soul to the Lich King. Thus the Lich King gained his most powerful servant ever. Arthas became the first of the Lich King's death knights. Upon returning home, Arthas murdered his own father and allowed the Scourge to devour the rest of Lordaeron. Ultimately, Arthas's quest to save his people ended with their destruction by his own hand.

Guide
Arthas, Muradin, and a small number of troops start the mission separated from the rest of your forces. Until you claim Frostmourne, you must manage Arthas' team and your base separately. It is a good idea to pause before sending Arthas out for Frostmourne to set up your base so that you are prepared to defend against attacks, and to build additional workers and troops. After the first attack passes, take Arthas and his crew north, spamming Holy Light on your troops to prevent anyone from dying and face each and every monster guarding the cave. While the gold earned from these monsters will be useful for maintaining your base, your base is unable to send reinforcements to Arthas, so prioritize accordingly.

By the time you claim Frostmourne, your base should be fairly secure. If not, the use of your hero unit may help to turn the tides, but beware that the Scourge forces will attack with greater strength now, and Mal'Ganis himself now accompanies the attack waves. There are two nearby gold mines that can be accessed relatively easily for additional income. One in the center is guarded by nerubians, while the other slightly to the north is haunted by the undead and guarded by a very small number of ghouls. The undead mine is the easier to capture and hold of the two. You can attack it without worrying about reprisal from Mal'Ganis unless you're unfortunate enough to attack when he happens to be sending out his own attack wave. The undead mine is also easier to choke off with towers than the nerubian one. The nerubian mine however, is guarded by nerubians who will drop gold and items when killed, so it's best to clear the mine even if you aren't going to expand there.

You can ignore the purple undead base to the south if you wish, and concentrate your attack on Mal'Ganis' green base in the north. After starting your push into his base you can expect the majority of his forces to counterattack you, so be sure you aren't in range of spirit towers when this happens, as it will be a somewhat long battle. Riflemen are useful for dealing with gargoyles and frost wyrms. and mortar teams and/or steam tanks can handle the towers. A well-balances army will serve you best, but priests for healing can help a great deal. Knights and griffin riders will do the most damage, and are easy to keep healed with Holy Light due to their high health pools. You may even consider hiring mercenaries, although the revenant is the only one of the group with any real advantages over your own units (they can be upgraded, while the mercs cannot.). Arthas himself is quite formidable at level 10 and with Frostmourne; he can use Divine Shield to make himself invulnerable long enough to destroy or seriously damage undead structures by himself due to the chaos damage he deals with the blade. Ultimately the composition of your army is up to you, as this is the first mission that opens up the entire human techtree.

The "deaths" of Muradin and Mal'Ganis
Although Muradin appeared to have been killed when Frostmourne was released, it has been revealed in Wrath of the Lich King that he was merely rendered unconscious. However, when Muradin awoke he had no recollection of what had happened or even who he was. Soon after, he was taken in by the nearby frost dwarves.

Likewise, Mal'Ganis was seemingly killed by Arthas. However, Wrath of the Lich King also revealed that Mal'Ganis survived Arthas's attack, but was severely weakened and forced into hiding. Mal'Ganis is currently possessing the body of Barean Westwind and is plotting to exact his revenge upon the Lich King.

Forces

 * Alliance Expedition
 * 1 Paladin
 * 1 Mountain King
 * 1 Captain
 * Peasants
 * Militias
 * Footmen
 * Riflemen
 * Knights
 * Priests
 * Sorceresses
 * Mortar Teams
 * Steam Tanks
 * Gyrocopters
 * Gryphon Riders


 * Undead Scourge
 * 1 Dreadlord
 * Acolytes
 * Ghouls
 * Crypt Fiends
 * Gargoyles
 * Necromancers
 * Skeleton Warriors
 * Abominations
 * |Frost Wyrms
 * Meat Wagons
 * Shades

Trivia

 * Nerubian Ziggurats appear in this mission.
 * While it is possible to kill Mal'Ganis before claiming Frostmourne, this will not end the mission. It will also lead to a bug where a myriad of Ankhs of Reincarnation will be continuously spawning at the site of his death.


 * In Reforged, the mine at the center of the map is surrounded by the Servants of Loken instead of nerubians. The Mercenary Camp also offers a Nerubian Webspinner.