WoW Reviews & Guides

The mare Brightmane gave birth to Invincible as a young Prince Arthas watched with rapt attention.
In the years following Invincible’s birth, the horse and Arthas formed a bond that carried them across the warring nations of Azeroth, through the icy grip of death, and into the throes of battle.

The stallion’s coiled muscles were made for speed, and Arthas often felt that his mount flew rather than galloped across the countryside. With the slightest touch of his heel, Arthas was able to convey his directions, and Invincible obeyed without question or hesitation.

It was Invincible’s unfaltering faith in his master that inevitably led to the stallion’s death and unholy rebirth. On a cold winter afternoon as snow was blanketing the ground, Arthas was desperate to get away from the city even if it meant riding through harsh and unforgiving weather. Once outside, Arthas guided Invincible over a familiar jump, but the stallion slipped on slick ice, and the fall shattered his forelegs. With no way to save his companion, Arthas was forced to give Invincible a merciful death, and the prince carried that guilt with him for a very long time.

Years later, after the Lich King granted Arthas necromantic powers, Arthas returned to the grave where he had buried Invincible and raised his loyal servant into undeath. It was in this dark act that Arthas felt a sense of purpose. He believed that Invincible’s death was not an accident; rather, it was essential to Arthas’s destiny.

Invincible was not bred to be a warhorse, but after he was brought back from the dead and made immune to hunger, pain, and exhaustion, he became the perfect steed for Arthas. Now the skeletal charger stalks Icecrown Citadel, ever at the ready to serve his beloved master.

Arthas and Invincible were as one until parted by the stallion’s untimely death. Now, they are rejoined in death through the power of the Lich King and pose a fearsome sight for all who gaze upon them. Only the power of the heroes of Azeroth can part them once more.

In order to attain such a steed, one must conquer Icecrown Citadel and face the Lich King on Heroic difficulty. Perhaps you will be the lucky individual to obtain the most coveted of mounts — the Invincible Charger. This reward awaits those who are brave enough to tempt fate and face the full wrath of the Lich King!

Sindragosa, formerly the prime-consort of Malygos, is a mighty frost wyrm who was raised by the Lich King himself at Sindragosa’s Fall in Icecrown. She is the very same frost wyrm that the Lich King raised in the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic, as the same scene is played out after completing the quest Where Dragons Fell.

Sindragosa is briefly seen in the Pit of Saron, the second 5-man Icecrown instance, after the defeat of Scourgelord Tyrannus. While the leader of the army of liberated slaves (Martin Victus for Alliance, Gorkun Ironskull for Horde) commends the players for their bravery and their efforts to free them, Sindragosa flies up from the pit below and unleashes her fury, killing the leader and his army. The players are pulled back to the entrance tunnel by Jaina Proudmoore or Sylvanas Windrunner, saving them from a grisly death.

Sindragosa appears as a boss encounter in the Frostwing Halls inside Icecrown Citadel. She was one of the first two bosses to be announced, the other of course being the Lich King himself.

Knights of the Silver Hand (a.k.a. Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand, Order of the Silver Hand, or simply the Silver Hand) was the order of paladins created after the First War by Uther the Lightbringer and Archbishop Alonsus Faol.

Years after its decimation by the corrupted Prince Arthas during the Third War, the shattered remnants of the Silver Hand bounced back under new leadership. Tirion Fordring later rejoined its ranks and reorganized it. He now prepares to take the fight to Northrend itself.

Humans began the Knights of the Silver Hand, and they remain the bulk of its membership. They are proud of the paladins’ contribution to the Second and Third Wars, though they are shamed at Arthas’s betrayal. After such an enormous breach of trust, the paladins have resolved anew to eliminate all traces of corruption in their ranks. The new order has also began to accept dwarves into the ranks to replace paladins lost during the Third War (although they had previously accepted a few dwarven paladins as far back as the Second war, it was uncommon).

The order is not nearly as active as it once was, however those belonging to the organization are some of the most active members of the Alliance. Some knights of the Silver Hand (and former paladins) are also members of the Argent Dawn.

Tags: Archbishop Alonsus Faol, Argent Dawn, Arthas, First War, Northrend, Silver Hand, Third War, Tirion Fordring, Uther the Lightbringer

Ashbringer is the sword of former Highlord Alexandros Mograine of the Silver Hand, named after Alexandros (“The Ashbringer”). His oldest son, Renault betrayed and murdered Alexandros using the sword, transforming it into Corrupted Ashbringer.

Alexandros was resurrected as a death knight and kept it in his possession until his younger son Darion was forced to kill him. Darion then used the sword to kill himself attempting to free his father’s soul, consequently becoming a death knight himself. The sword became purified after Darion betrayed the Lich King and he relinquished it to Tirion Fordring.

The Forging of Ashbringer

During the assault on Blackrock Spire in the Second War, Highlord Mograine of the Silver Hand claimed a mysterious dark crystal from a dead orc warlock. The crystal was the “living embodiment of shadow,” and originated from Draenor. Upon touching it, Mograine’s hand became afflicted with wounds that could not be healed.

Mograine kept the crystal a secret until the first whispers of the Scourge reached Lordaeron. He revealed it to the other leaders of the Silver Hand, suggesting that they search for the crystal’s polar opposite — a manifestation of the Light itself — to be used against the impending undead holocaust. Mograine’s peers, appalled at the sight of this dark crystal, attempted to destroy it with a holy spell. Unexpectedly, the crystal absorbed the spell and became its antithesis, the very crystal of pure light that Mograine suggested moments before. It was decided that from this crystal a weapon would be forged that would smite the undead with such power that only a cloud of ash would remain in its wake — The Ashbringer.

Darion Mograine is the Highlord of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, a renegade order of death knights sent by the Lich King to the region east of Tyr’s Hand. He is the son of Alexandros Mograine and a former knight of the Argent Dawn.

He came into possession of Corrupted Ashbringer after killing his father in Naxxramas as part of a failed rescue plan carried out by some members of the Argent Dawn and used it to kill himself and free his father’s soul. He became a death knight of the Scourge.

Darion now leads the Ebon Blade in a campaign to wipe out the forces loyal to the Lich King from Ebon Hold and establish it as a neutral haven for all Death Knights to call home.

Magus or Magna Medivh was the last Guardian of Tirisfal, an ancient line of protectors bestowed with great powers to do battle with the agents of the Burning Legion. He was corrupted even before birth, and possessed by the spirit of the demonlord Sargeras who used Medivh in his plan to conquer Azeroth.

Medivh contacted the orcish warlock, Gul’dan, and together they opened the Dark Portal, which allowed the Burning Legion to begin its destruction of Azeroth. He was slain shortly after by a party led by one of his friends, Lothar.

Shortly before the beginning of the Third War, Medivh returned as a mysterious prophet, he manipulated events in order to arrange the formation of a last-ditch alliance between the mortal races on Kalimdor, guiding them to victory at the Battle of Mount Hyjal.The prophet’s name means “keeper of secrets” in Thalassian. He possessed Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian.

After the events of the Battle of Mount Hyjal he went to places unknown; he may have met the end of his wandering on Azeroth and somehow departing the material plane, or he may have simply retired somewhere distant. More recently, a black raven can be seen endlessly circling Karazhan, leading some to suggest that the Last Guardian may linger on in some form. Nonetheless, his fate remains unknown, though it is quite clear from his final comments that he intends to never be heard from or seen again.

In spite of his unknown fate, he left a avatar of himself in Karazhan to give a message of knowledge and power to his son, Med’an, so that Med’an could decide his own fate.

Sir Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Azeroth, was the last true descendant of the ancient Arathi bloodline, a knight champion of the Kingdom of Azeroth (later known as the Kingdom of Stormwind) during the First War, and the supreme commander of the armies of the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War. He perished in combat at the base of Blackrock Mountain against the orc Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer just before the end of the Second War and the closing of the Dark Portal. He is considered one of the greatest warriors of all time.

Lothar grew up in the court of Azeroth as a childhood friend of both the Prince Llane Wrynn and Medivh. The trio shared many adventures in the Azerothian wilderness in their youth. Upon coming of age, Lothar joined Azeroth’s military, later knighted and arose quickly to the position of Armsman of the Brotherhood of the Horse, eventually leading Azeroth’s armies.

Blood-Queen Lana’thel is the leader of the San’layn, a sect of blood elves who were raised in undeath by the Lich King.

Following the destruction of their homeland, the determined blood elves began to regroup and rebuild. It was during this time that the battle-hardened warrior Lana’thel stumbled upon Quel’Delar, and soon afterward the greatest opportunity to use the blade presented itself: Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider raised an army and combined forces with Illidan Stormrage, who led them north to Icecrown on a mission to destroy the Lich King. Lana’thel readily followed her prince with one thought in mind — revenge against the Scourge — but only tragedy awaited her.

In the icy hills of Northrend, Arthas ultimately defeated Illidan and Kael’thas, and the expedition’s few survivors were scattered across the frozen wastes. One by one the Lich King sought out those who had challenged him, and Lana’thel found herself cornered. Using Quel’Delar, she struck at him with all her might… but Frostmourne’s evil powers overwhelmed her. Through his blade, the Lich King chose Lana’thel to serve him in undeath as blood-queen of the San’layn, a group responsible for overseeing the Scourge’s operations across Azeroth.

Blood-Queen Lana’thel eagerly carried out her new duties, but every time she looked at her blade, maddening anger would swell within her as she remembered her former life. She could not afford such distractions, and with a scream that echoed throughout Icecrown, she shattered Quel’Delar and flung the fractured pieces as far as she could.

She now resides in the Crimson Halls of Icecrown Citadel and is the second boss of the wing.

The majority of the fight is spent in the land phase 1, interrupted occasionally by healing intensive phase 2. During the land phase, you will want a few things kept in check. Two tanks will have to swamp on the boss, so they don’t get overwhelmed by the bleed from Delirious Slash. The tanks will also have to be close to each other – the OT needs to be the closest player to the MT, so they soak the damage transferred through Blood Mirror. Other players will want to be relatively spread out (at 6-10 yards range), but still close enough to be able to run to each other quickly when Pact of the Darkfallen happens. Run out of the mandatory void zones Swarming Shadows, of course.

The trick to the fight is to not run out of people to bite as a vampire. Since Lana’thel will bite a player every 20-30 seconds or so, and those players will need to bite somebody after a minute, you may find yourself running out of people very soon. Do not risk and wait to bite another player though, as a single person gone frenzy can and will wipe the raid. Keep in mind, biting requires melee range with the target.

Phase 2 lasts only a few seconds and is preceded by the spawning of a few Blood Whirls throughout the room. Make note of them and spread out so you are at least 6 yards away from each other. Healers will have to heal through the high damage the raids will take, and then phase 1 will re-start.

Saronite is a metal found in Northrend.

Saronite is an element associated with the Old God Yogg-Saron. According to the Archivum Console in Ulduar, a powerful acid found within Yogg-Saron is believed to be responsible for the liquefaction of Saronite.

Borus Ironbender, the Horde Grand Master Blacksmith trainer in Agmar’s Hammer in the Dragonblight, remarks — from his observations of Angrathar the Wrathgate — that he had never seen a metal “breathe” before, and that the only people who seemed to know what this metal was were the tuskarr. They called it the “Black Blood of Yogg-Saron”, and in a quest of the same name, Borus sends players to the Pit of Narjun outside Azjol-Nerub to collect samples of this metal.

Judging by the fact that most “modern” Scourge fortresses in Northrend — Icecrown Citadel itself being the prime example — are constructed of Saronite, it’s clear that “Black Blood of Yogg-Saron” is simply another name for this metal.

Kil’jaeden (pronounced Kill-jay-den) is a powerful eredar demon lord and is the acting leader of the Burning Legion. Selected twenty-five thousand years ago as the chief lieutenant of Sargeras, he was ranked above the now-deceased demon lord, Archimonde.  While Archimonde had led the Legion’s armies, Kil’jaeden’s agenda was to assimilate every race possible into the folds of the Burning Legion. Since the apparent banishment of Sargeras, he has assumed the role of supreme commander.

He is also notable as the creator of the Lich King.

Twenty-five millennia ago, the world of Argus was the home of the wondrous eredar civilization, a race of natural magic-wielders. Kil’jaeden, respected for his intelligence, a genius among a race of geniuses, quickly rose to become one of the three most prominent leaders of the eredar, along with his colleague Archimonde and best friend, Velen.

Kil’jaeden had loved Velen as a brother. Eredar society was shattered when these three leaders were contacted by Sargeras the Destroyer. Sargeras offered a deal: in exchange for their loyalty, the eredar would gain untold power and prestige. Kil’jaeden and Archimonde readily accepted, though Velen curiously held back.

Kil’jaeden, The Deceiver, is the last boss in the Sunwell Plateau raid instance. Anveena, Kalecgos, and the Blue Dragonflight play a role in this encounter.

Since the Sunwell Plateau instance was revealed, Kil’jaeden was the most powerful boss in the game pre-WotLK. On May 20th, 2008, the 3rd gate of the Sunwell Plateau was brought down on US Servers unlocking the encounter.