Thanks to the information that I learned from barrage netizens in advance, it can even be said that Ner'zhul, the Lich King, was forced out by Sharlayan's plan in advance.
However, what happened to Ner'zhul was just Sarlayan's taking advantage of the situation. According to historical inertia, even if Sarlayan did not go to Draenor himself, this stupid roe deer would have fallen into the trap Kil'jaeden specially set for him.
Just like his "apprentice" Gul'dan who was blinded by his obsession with becoming a god and rushed feverishly to the Tomb of Sargeras.
Strictly speaking, when Gul'dan first became a disciple of Ner'zhul, it was not really to learn skills, but to bewitch this old shaman who was highly respected in the orc tribe for the Burning Legion behind him.
Gul'dan did succeed. He used his conspiracy skills to successfully replace Ner'zhul, who had been ruined by him.
From some perspectives, the two nominal masters and apprentices have many similarities, and even the way they die after stepping on the Burning Legion's trap is similar.
Under Sargeras' personal planning, Gul'dan passed away long ago, without even leaving his soul.
Although Ner'zhul could only endure being a slave of the Burning Legion for the time being, he was still surviving in his soul form.
Seeing the Scourge Legion growing stronger, Ner'zhul's confidence grew stronger.
Sarlayan had already analyzed Ner'zhul's character thoroughly, and just as he predicted, once he accumulated enough information to escape the control of the Burning Legion, Ner'zhul would never hesitate.
However, the smug Ner'zhul at this time did not know that the great lich Kel'Thuzad, whom he relied on as his right-hand man, had been an internal agent placed beside him from the beginning.
Ner'zhul, who had briefly served as the warchief of the tribe, was not ignorant of the ways of maneuvering. Promoting Gadin was one of his moves to check and balance Kel'Thuzad.
However, because Sharlayan completely changed the fate of the Barov family, and previously destroyed Ner'zhul's attempt to recruit Faol into the Scourge, Gadin, who managed to escape but failed in his mission, may not be able to survive for a long time. be reused.
According to the latest intelligence provided by Kel'Thuzad, Ner'zhul still has not given up his plan to check and balance him.
This time, he did not promote another lich, but planned to use all his strength to raise an emerging army of death knights, and firmly hold the control of this elite natural disaster in his own hands.
But here's the interesting part. The two alternative leaders of the Death Knights favored by Ner'zhul happened to be people known to Sharlayan.
One is Kel'Thuzad's close friend, the Lord of Stratholme who still has considerable influence in the Kingdom of Lordaeron - Baron Titus Rivendell.
Until now, Baron Rivendell has not officially transformed himself into an undead. He still needs to maintain his human identity and occasionally accept summons from Queen Calia.
If you are transformed into an undead early, it will be difficult to pass the various inspections before entering the palace.
Kel'Thuzad repeatedly assured the Lich King that Baron Rivendell had already given his heart to the Scourge and would become a general beside the Lich King sooner or later.
At this stage, Ner'zhul had not yet completely grown up, and he could still listen to the well-reasoned persuasion of his subordinates.
However, considering the friendship between Kel'Thuzad and Baron Rivendell, Ner'zhul tentatively made him his second choice.
His favorite leader of the death knights was Thoras Trollbane, a human king who was brave and good at fighting but unfortunately died an untimely death.
As a generational hero of the Kingdom of Stromgard, Solas kept the kingdom in order during his reign. He led the brave soldiers of Stromgard to assist the Alliance in defeating the orc tribe strengthened by the blood of demons. .
When Solas was in power, the deadwood trolls, which had now become a serious nuisance to Stromgard, could only stay in a corner, unable to cause any trouble at all.
Before Azeroth has completely entered the era of war and a large number of heroes from various countries have died on the battlefield, Solas is undoubtedly the best candidate in terms of battlefield command ability and personal combat effectiveness.
Ner'zhul also considered Alliance Marshal Anduin Lothar, who was killed at the end of the Second Orc War.
Unfortunately, Lothar's body had long been transported back to the Kingdom of Stormwind by King Varian, who regarded him as his adoptive father, and is still buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Light in Stormwind City.
Although Calia tried her best to block the news that Faol was resurrected as an undead by the Scourge, Kel'Thuzad did not stop resurrecting the dead during this period. Many national intelligence agencies have obtained relevant information.
The Kingdom of Stormwind, which hosts MI7, is also one of them.
In order to prevent Anduin Lothar's body from being desecrated, Varian and Archbishop Benedictus strengthened the defense of his tomb. The chance of Ner'zhul's success was extremely slim.
In comparison, the Kingdom of Stromgard, which is still in a state of chaos and busy dealing with trolls and ogres, is easier to deal with.
Furthermore, Anduin Lothar has a strong will and is not easily distorted by the Lich King.
Soras, who was murdered by Djarin, his biological son, was filled with anger and incomprehension before his death. This injustice and resentment would make him more susceptible to the Lich King's bewitchment, and then be affected by the power of the Helm of Domination.
Taking all factors into consideration, Ner'zhul is more inclined to choose Solas as the leader of the Death Knights.
As for Alsace?
From the beginning, Ner'zhul did not intend for the prince who still had claims to Lordaeron to be a general. His positioning of Arthas was very simple - the king of Lordaeron.
Of course, it was the King of Lordaeron who was completely undead and then lost his body to Ner'zhul.
Ner'zhul was interested in Arthas not only because of his identity and personal abilities, he also coveted Arthas' healthy and fresh body.
Although the Helm of Domination monitors the undead everywhere at any time, being locked away in the Ice Throne and unable to move is still an unbearable torture for Ner'zhul who once had a body.
Arthas is his chosen vessel. He intends to use a series of plans to gradually destroy Arthas' "fragile" heart, and when the time is right, he will forcibly take away control of his body on the grounds of merging.
As for the final outcome of this battle for souls in the same body... Sarlayan just wanted to say "haha".
After all, Ner'zhul underestimated Arthas' obsession and overestimated the tenacity of his soul after leaving the Helm of Dominance.
He is a typical person who pretends to be evil but is fooled instead. In the original history, he turned into an excellent tonic for nourishing Alsace's soul.
According to Kel'Thuzad, Ner'zhul has sent people to act secretly, and the cursed cultists lurking in the Kingdom of Stromgard are investigating the defense situation of Thrath's Tomb.
Just as Ner'zhul expected, Stromgard's troops have always been stretched thin due to the need to resist the increasingly urgent attacks of the ogres and trolls at the same time, and there are not many soldiers guarding the royal tomb.
Because Kel'Thuzad wanted to stay in Lordaeron and continue to strengthen the Curse Cult, Gadin had just suffered a loss due to the failure of the mission.
This time, Kel'Thuzad sent another high-level lich named Leth Frostwhisper to Stromgard to perform the task of resurrecting Solas.
When Sarlayan set off from Sunsail Harbor by boat, Lyth Frostwhisper was already on the way.
Because the two continents are too far apart, Kel'Thuzad's message cannot be transmitted here. I wonder if Laith Frostwhisper has succeeded at this time.
In any case, if Solas is really resurrected, Sarlayan also has a corresponding response plan.
Solas' obsession is nothing more than revenge against his traitor Garin and witnessing the re-rise of the Kingdom of Stromgard.
In terms of the development of Stromgard, Sarlayan can't get involved for the time being, and will have to wait until Danath returns from Draenor before making a decision.
As for Garin... this guy's body is still buried on the shore of Lake Darrenmere. If necessary, Sarlayan can use necromancy to pull him up at any time and let Solas take a good breath of bad breath.
Before the Ice Throne was blasted out of the rift, the Lich King had strong control over the undead under his command.
It is very difficult for the undead who are forcibly controlled by him to get rid of the power of the Helm of Dominance, unless... they have an extremely firm will to resist and the help of some external forces.
Fortunately, Ner'zhul also knew some ways of controlling his subordinates. He did not use this ability of forcible control on the top leaders of the Scourge, and gave them the necessary respect and personal space in the name of euphemism.
Thanks to Ner'zhul's decision, Kel'Thuzad, who outnumbered ten thousand people in the Scourge, was able to maintain long-term contact with Sharlayan and convey the latest trends of the Scourge to Sharlayan in real time.
"I didn't expect...it was actually like this."
After listening to Sarlayan's detailed explanation, Medivh's face showed a look of surprise.
According to what he saw in his vision of the future, the Scourge would become one of Azeroth's most serious troubles in a certain timeline.
However, as a talented astral mage, Medivh had seen many different directions for the future when he was still in Karazhan, and he would not regard the fantasies he saw as golden rules.
The future is constantly changing, and no one can guarantee that the timeline will definitely lead to the branch they spied on.
Bronze dragons can't, and neither can titans.
Unlike Elisande, who once believed blindly in the future, Medivh is calmer and more sober.
Rather than being trapped in illusions about the future that you don't know will happen, it's better to take every step in front of you down-to-earth and use your own power to change those futures that are not in the interest of Azeroth.
Medivh should be paranoid about guarding Azeroth for a long time until he atones for his sins.
This is not a bad thing for Sarlayan. With such a knowledgeable and powerful archmage working together, he will have greater certainty about his future plans.
Compared with Medivh, who was holding back his energy, his mother Aegwynn was relatively weak.
On the one hand, this is because Aegwynn is no longer young and is not so easily aroused by Sharlayan's words, and on the other hand, it is also because her own strength is declining.
Today's Aegwynn is no longer suitable to appear on the frontline battlefield, but this does not mean that the former guardian is useless.
The experience and knowledge she has accumulated for nearly a thousand years are still there, and Sharlayan plans to let her stay behind and engage in education work to use her remaining energy to cultivate more potential future archmages for Azeroth.
"ha……"
After listening to Sarlayan's solicitation, Aegwynn patted his forehead with a wry smile.
"I said at the beginning that I would repay your kindness for resurrecting Medivh for me. Do you want to work in education... Maybe being a teacher and cultivating seedlings for Azeroth in my remaining time is the most suitable job for me. .”
"Okay, I promise you, then, where should I take up my position? Quel'Thalas?"
