Rise of the Lich King excerpt shows the other side of the Lich
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 5th 2009 at 5:00PM
BlizzPlanet has an excerpt up from Christie Golden's upcoming Rise of the Lich King novel, featuring the back story of perhaps the lesser known (though no more less powerful) half of the Lich King, Ner'zhul the Shaman. Arthas has gotten banner credit for being the big bad in this expansion (because it's his form that the Lich King is possessing), but Ner'zhul is in there as well, being all evil and angry. And this little snippet from the book portrays very well just what exactly is going on inside that big spiky helmet. As much as little Arthas is lost inside the Lich King's power, there might still be a tiny bit of him that's still fighting back. Is he worth saving or not?I haven't been really interested in the Warcraft books, but given how timely this is (we're about to go knock that helmet off), and how interesting the story of Arthas has been, this is one that I plan to check out. It's due out later this year.
Filed under: Shaman, Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Lore
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shionia Jan 5th 2009 5:16PM
Oh yes, let's please make Nerzhul "the evil part" and whitewash Arthas into a broody, tormented anti-hero for fangirls and fanboys to swoon over.
oldwisemonk Jan 5th 2009 5:18PM
I will enjoy the part when we dive into Arthas' teen years diary where he mentions how he likes to comb his hair over one eye and occasionally cut himself.
Psy Jan 5th 2009 9:48PM
If this were real, I would not blame Arthas for the actions and brain-washing done by Ner'zhul.
Ner'zhul had planned the merge with Arthas long before Arthas even reached Northrend. Arthas took Frostmorne knowing full-well it was cursed because he thought he could overthrow the Scourge with it.
Arthas was plagued - even ever so slightly - since the extermination of Stratholme. This was stated in Warcraft III's campaign. It wasn't until he obtained the sword that Ner'zhul had completely "rotted his mind', in a sence.
I do not blame Arthas for the acts of one Orc Shaman who betrayed the Burning Legion. For if he were to blame in full, then his inner child would not be trying to free him.
I actually enjoyed this excerpt, and I'm not usually a fan of writings like these (I find them sort of cheesy, tbh) but this one made me want to read more.
Eisengel Jan 5th 2009 10:43PM
Corrected for historical accuracy... ;^)
If this were real, I would not blame Ner'zhul for the actions and brain-washing done by Gul'dan.
Gul'dan had been corrupted by the Scourge long before Durotan arrived in Azeroth. Gul'dan took Kil'jaden's teachings knowing full-well they were cursed because he thought he could rule the Orcs with them.
Ner'zhul was plagued - even ever so slightly - since the bleeding of Mannoroth. This was stated in Warcraft III's campaign. It wasn't until they obtained the blood that Gul'dan had completely "betrayed his people', in a sense.
I do not blame Ner'zhul for the acts of one Orc Shaman who betrayed the Orcs to the Burning Legion. For if he were to blame in full, then his inner child would not be trying to free him.
Although Ner'zhul was later corrupted by Gul'dan, he is the only reason there are any Orcs in Azeroth not in the thrall of the Burning Legion, and not corrupted by the blood rage. Ner'zhul in fact did all he could to lessen the damage he did when tricked by Kil'jaden and to keep the Orcs out of the control of the Burning Legion. It was Gul'dan's evil that infected Ner'zhul. So, really... without Gul'dan, we'd have no Lich King.
Amaxe Jan 6th 2009 9:37AM
Arthas struck me as being corrupted before he ever took the Frostmourne. Taking an "Ends Justify The Means" approach and obsession with fighting the Scourge that caused him to commit many atrocities, it seemed that somewhere along the line, his desire for power to defeat the Scourge became a lust for power as an end in itself.
So Arthas as "poor little guy who was forced to do this" doesn't seem to fit. Blizz may do some sort of Darth Vader last minute conversion, but if so one hopes they put in things to make it seem fitting
Eternauta Jan 5th 2009 5:17PM
Finally! Somebody recognizes that Ner'zhul is the other half of the Lich King, instead of just calling him Arthas!
It was about damn time, I want to know everything about Ner'zhul, since he's one of the most intrigating characters for me.
Can't wait for that novel.
Aldheim Jan 5th 2009 5:44PM
Well, people usually call the Lich King "Arthas" because Arthas is a much more public character than Ner'zhul. I mean, we played Arthas directly in three out of the seven Warcraft 3 campaigns. Ner'zhul never appeared as a playable unit in any Warcraft game, and until the Frozen Throne you could largely pawn off his evils on other entities (Gul'dan and Kil'jaeden come to mind.) Frankly I don't think we have a concrete idea of what Ner'zhul's personality is like after he was mind-raped repeatedly by Kil'jaeden- whereas we have a very good idea of the kind of person Arthas was before and after he became a Death Knight.
Harmeister Jan 5th 2009 7:40PM
I just call him Mr. Chunky. Dude has put on weight up there in Northrend. Must be all those gigantic feasts.
Darklich Jan 6th 2009 3:14AM
I got good quest if this is true
Treerot Jan 5th 2009 5:24PM
I hope thats not the final version, theres an error in there the size of a boat:
"Now he propped himself up with an effort, shaking, his lent gusts of frigid air. Now he propped himself up with an effort, shaking, his breaths coming in small puffs as he struggled to climb back into his chair. "
Amaxe Jan 5th 2009 5:55PM
Probably need to pay the proofreaders more.
Not particularly impressed by the excerpt given there either.
Are these books considered "canon" by the way, or can Blizzard overwrite them at any time
Kellerune Jan 5th 2009 5:27PM
The Lich King is a powerful entity. People have been saying for awhile that 10 or 25 people shouldn't be able to kill him. I think that setting the Lich King up as 2 personalities fighting against each other is a useful tool not just lore wise but also to show the weakness of the Lich King. Anything that is divided, can be conquered. Maybe Arthas will fight the Lich King while we fight him as well. I always suspected that Frostmourne didn't destroy Arthas, but just took his soul. It may be freed, but it will never be redeemed.
If we ever did defeat the Lich King, it wouldn't be while he was at full power. Possibly this inner fighting within the Lich King will give us the edge to topple the Lich King.
Also, Arthas is a puppet yes? Ner'zhul still controls the Undead. He did before, and now he just has a physical form to walk around in. Puppets don't always like their puppetiers...
Falcio Jan 5th 2009 5:40PM
The real question is, what will set Arthas off? Why would he help us?
Ever since he got Frostmourne, he doesn't seem too keen on being a good guy anymore. If the Lich King's control over Sylvanas and the Forsaken was broken, why wasn't Arthas able to regain control in that moment of weakness? Even at the end of Frozen Throne, with all the memories coming to him, he ended up merging anyway.
Not to mention the end of a quest chain in Icecrown where Fordring destroys what is supposedly Arthas' heart, the possible last piece of humanity Arthas had left. If the Lich King is truly too powerful for us to take down at full power, then maybe the new Ashbringer actually hurt us in the end. Hmm...
There has to be a moment when all is said and done where the Lich King is weakened. Who knows how or why that would happen...but it'd have to happen.
Aldheim Jan 5th 2009 5:44PM
Arthas isn't quite a puppet, I think. The whole "We Are One" line (and some Blizzard comments) indicate that they are one fused entity, and that Arthas contributes as much to the Lich King's persona as Ner'zhul does (and vice versa.)
Stephen Jan 5th 2009 7:49PM
You have to figure out what is motivating the Lich King now. When he was Ner'zhul, he wasn't as evil as Gul'dan. In Beyond the Dark Portal, he was trying to save the orcs from a planet that was dying. That was why he painted his face as a skull. As a reminder that he was the cause of the deaths of his people and his homeland. He even regretted their slaughter of the Draenei.
He was forced to serve the Burning Legion as the Lich King. Arthas was his commander back then. The Burning Legion decided he was too strong, so they tried to destroy him. That's when he merged with Arthas to free himself from the Throne.
Arthas is just a shell at this point. The Lich King is the same as the original death knights like Teron Gorefiend. He's an orc spirit placed in a human body. There is no Arthas anymore. The quest chain confirms that.
I could understand him wanting to destroy the Alliance, but he should have no hatred of the Horde.
Seems to me he would want revenge on the Burning Legion for torturing him and trying to destroy him. The Nathrezim are still working to kill him.
Maybe that's why he wanted the armies to come to Northrend. He needs an (undead) army to destroy the Burning Legion.
KtCrash Jan 5th 2009 5:35PM
If you work on the achievement that sends you around reading all the books available in the game, you can actually read up quite a bit on the history and lore of this stuff. I found the Ner'zhul book somewhere recently. I just can't remember where... Possibly the Stormwind library in the Keep? If you have time, are high enough level, and won't die where the books are (including instances), it's run reading the backstory. I've not figured out, or found a site, that would allow you to start with a story line and go all the way through it.. So Scourge/Lich King/Arthas/Ner'zhul, and then the series with the Titans, Creators, Dragons, etc. If anyone knows of somewhere, please post. I'd appreciate it. =)
Amaxe Jan 5th 2009 5:51PM
Been awhile since I checked, but can't you search WoW Wiki by book title and get the text?
KtCrash Jan 5th 2009 5:59PM
Found it at http://www.wowwiki.com/History_of_Warcraft
Cheers! Was never able to find it before. Much appreciated. =)
Chas Jan 5th 2009 7:43PM
I enjoyed Christie Golden's previous books in the series, particularly Rise of the Horde. She did a great job with Ner'Zhul in that book, especially with his transition from respected Shaman to despondent puppet of Gul'dan.
Andrew Jan 5th 2009 5:58PM
Wowwiki has a list of all the books, and their contents.
A few relevant matches:
The_Birth_of_the_Lich_King
On_Naxxramas
The_Lich_King_Triumphant
And the list of all books:
http://www.wowwiki.com/Category:World_of_Warcraft_book_objects