Culling of Stratholme

The Culling of Stratholme is the first major event of the Third War, signalling the first act in Arthas Menethil's descent into madness and evil, the suspending of the Knights of the Silver Hand from service and the destruction of the second most important city of the kingdom of Lordaeron.

Background
In the early stages of the Third War, the Plague reached Stratholme in infected shipments of grain, most likely from Andorhal. The populace, unaware of the plague, baked and consumed the infected grain. The dreadlord Mal'Ganis was silently overseeing the operation.

As the population of the city started to fall ill, its citizenry started to be agitated. Some citizens started harassing food vendors and grain suppliers, while others were trying to get into the town hall to speak to Magistrate Barthilas for leadership.

When Arthas Menethil's forces arrived outside the walls of the city, the first thing they did was inspect the grain shipments in order to detect traces of the plague. As it turned out, they had arrived too late and the city had already been infected, even though its residents didn't know how dire their situation was.

Arthas, not wanting to deal with an entire army of undead, ordered Uther Lightbringer and his paladins to destroy the town. Uther was appalled by this, saying he wouldn't follow the order even if Arthas was the king. For his defiance, Arthas suspended the Knights of the Silver Hand from service and called all those still loyal to Lordaeron to come with him. Uther took his followers and left, and Jaina Proudmoore quickly followed. Abandoned by his teacher and friend, Arthas led his loyalists to Stratholme, taking it upon himself to burn down the city and kill everyone in it to prevent the citizens from becoming Scourge.

The battle
As Arthas began the massacre, Mal'Ganis appeared and began "collecting" those civilians who had already been transformed into mindless zombies, gloating that soon the people of Lordaeron would belong to the Scourge. Arthas refused to let that happen and quickened his slaughter of the populace. The two sides proceeded to ravage the city building by building in a macabre race for the lives of the townsfolk. Some citizens were killed in their sleep, others were killed after their zombification, and others were executed while still human and trying to flee. The priestess Eris Havenfire tried to lead sick peasants to Hearthglen, but all were cut down by the Scourge as they left the city walls. Other civilians tried to fight back. Many also took their own lives, opting to hurl themselves into the myriad flames of the smoldering city rather than become one of the Scourge.

Finally, when most of the city was in ruins and its inhabitants either dead or converted, Arthas and Mal'Ganis confronted each other face to face. Arthas demanded that Mal'Ganis fight him here and now. Mal'Ganis, however, told Arthas to gather his forces and come to Northrend. Mal'Ganis then teleported away, leaving Arthas vowing to hunt Mal'Ganis "to the ends of the earth."

The city's population was almost completely massacred by the purge. When Uther and Jaina arrived to assess the massacre, they were both shocked by the things Arthas had done. Jaina was met by Medivh, who told her Arthas would only die if he went to Northrend. The prophet then told Jaina, as he had told everyone else, that she must travel west to Kalimdor, a request she answered to.

Aftermath
After Stratholme was purged, some former paladins, now called Deathlords, committed the same heinous act in many other cities across Lordaeron. After years of constant war and suffering, some members of the clergy also lost their sense of the Holy Light.

Many who fell rose again, and the city was later taken under the control of the Undead Scourge. After the end of the war, when Arthas was called back to Northrend, the lich overlord Kel'Thuzad established Stratholme as his capital and positioned his floating fortress, the necropolis Naxxramas, above the ruined city.

Forces

 * Kingdom of Lordaeron
 * Lordaeron Footmen
 * Lordaeron Knights
 * High Elf Mage-Priests
 * High Elf Sorceresses


 * Burning Legion
 * Acolytes
 * Dark Necromancers
 * Master Necromancers
 * Devouring Ghouls
 * Enraging Ghouls
 * Crypt Fiends
 * Tomb Stalkers
 * Bile Golems
 * Risen Zombies