Helm of Domination



The Helm of Domination was a magical, ornate helm (or crown) infused with the power of Domination and worn by the Lich King to control the Undead Scourge. It was destroyed by Sylvanas Windrunner to open a rift into the Shadowlands.

History
The Helm of Domination and Frostmourne were crafted at the Runecarver's Oubliette in Torghast by the Runecarver, who was forced against his will to do so by the Jailer. The Jailer intended to use the Helm and Frostmourne to establish his influence on Azeroth, thereby allowing him to claim his "final prize", a secret that the First Ones sought to hide.

It was obtained by Kil'jaeden and the dreadlords of the Burning Legion who used it to contain the spirit of Ner'zhul and make him the Lich King. The helm, and Ner'zhul's spirit, were both sealed within the Frozen Throne from which the Lich King would control the Scourge telepathically. Frostmourne was originally also sealed inside the Frozen Throne, but Ner'zhul cast it from the throne so that it would eventually find its way to Arthas.

When Illidan Stormrage attempted to destroy the Frozen Throne and the Lich King at the order of Kil'jaeden, Ner'zhul used the helm's powers to command Arthas—having become Ner'zhul's greatest death knight after taking up Frostmourne—to journey from Lordaeron to aid him. After Arthas defeated Illidan, Ner'zhul also had Arthas himself shatter the Frozen Throne in order to free Ner'zhul from his prison. Arthas would then don the helm, merging his soul with Ner'zhul's spirit and become the new Lich King.

Years later when Arthas was killed at the end of the War against the Lich King the helm was passed to Bolvar Fordragon who became the new Lich King in order to prevent the Scourge from running rampant. Following the Fourth War yet a few years later, Sylvanas Windrunner ventured to Icecrown Citadel after having abandoned the Horde and fought against Bolvar atop the Frozen Throne. While the helm made Bolvar immensely powerful, Sylvanas still managed to defeat him and seized the helm after winning the battle. Assuming she intended to become the Scourge's new master, Bolvar remarked that the helm's power would be her prison, however, Sylvanas countered that the world itself was a prison and split the helm in two, thereby piercing the Veil between Azeroth and the Shadowlands.

Despite being broken, the shards of the Helm retained the power of Domination and, therefore, incredible power over the souls of the dead. The shards were used to enter the Shadowlands and pursue Sylvanas and enslave souls for information on how to escape the Maw, before being placed on the Shadowlands Map in Oribos in order to establish a tether with Azeroth. Bolvar subsequently used the Helm to peer into the Maw and Torghast. However, this was not without cost, as the continuous gaze allowed for the Jailer to gaze back and finally strike through the helm in an attempt to gain control of Bolvar. However, Jaina Proudmoore and the Maw Walker were able to sever the connection between the helm and the Jailer.

In the RPG
As long as the Lich King is alive, any creature donning the helm is slain immediately by a surging overflow of power. Only divine beings are not slain, but they still cannot command its powers if the Lich King is alive.

The Plate of the Damned, which is described in the Manual of Monsters to be combined with the Helm of Domination, makes the wearer nearly invulnerable.

In the TCG
Angrathar the Wrathgate is crafted to look like the Helm of Domination.

Notes and trivia

 * The name "Helm of Domination" originated from the non-canon RPG, but in 2013, Sean Copeland confirmed that the name was canonical. The name was used in canon for the first time in patch 7.2.0.
 * The helm can be seen in the Caverns of Frost in Diablo III.
 * It was originally stated that the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne were crafted by the dreadlords, before Shadowlands retconned this with the origin being the Runecarver instead.