Frostmourne
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Frostmourne is the runeblade that Ner'zhul, the Lich King, thrust from his Frozen Throne, intending that Arthas Menethil – his unwitting potential host – would discover it on the continent of Northrend. It is currently wielded by Arthas/the Lich King.
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History
Muradin Bronzebeard, a dwarven explorer last seen in Northrend, had heard of Frostmourne's power and was searching for it when Arthas and his men arrived. When the forces of the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis began to close in around them, Arthas and Muradin set out to claim the weapon.
Frostmourne was guarded by several revenants who tried to warn Arthas of the danger, but he destroyed them regardless. When they found the sword, Muradin read the inscription on the dais:
"Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit."
Muradin realized then that the blade was cursed, but Arthas said he would gladly bear any curse to save his homeland. When Arthas spoke those words, the ice encasing the sword shattered and exploded outward. A jagged shard struck Muradin, killing him on the spot. Arthas didn't even seem to care as he discarded his hammer and took hold of the blade. With the sword in hand, Arthas returned to his base and staged a counterattack against Mal'Ganis, quickly destroying the dreadlord's base. The dreadlord confronted Arthas, telling him that Ner'zhul had known he would take the cursed sword. He spoke as if he believed Arthas was now on his side. To the demon's surprise, Arthas used the runeblade to slay the dreadlord at the Lich King's command.
Upon taking Frostmourne, Arthas forfeited his soul to the Lich King and became a death knight. After a relatively short time in Northrend with the blade, Arthas returned to Lordaeron. Having been converted to the Scourge by the urging of Frostmourne/ Ner'zhul, Arthas killed his father, King Terenas, and claimed the throne.
Origin
Tichondrius claimed that the Lich King forged the sword; this is unlikely, as Ner'zhul probably did not possess the power to craft items from within the Frozen Throne. It is more plausible that it was forged by someone in the Legion, and Kil'jaeden included it in the prison for reasons unknown. If this were the case, however, then it is very odd that Kil'jaeden would give Ner'zhul the means by which to escape. For now, Frostmourne's exact origins remain a mystery, though sources suggest that it was forged by the Legion and not Ner'zhul:
- "Frostmourne is an artifact of great evil and tremendous might, forged by demons to hold the Lich King's powers. Ner'zhul thrust the blade out of the Frozen Throne and masterminded it finding its way into Arthas' hands. Desperate for any power that might defeat the Scourge, the arrogant prince Arthas took possession of the runeblade and in doing so sealed his doom as Ner'zhul had planned." MoM 174
The story section of the official Wrath of the Lich King site also states that Frostmourne predates Ner'zhul:
"Ner'zhul's spirit was magically shackled to a suit of ancient armor and bound to the mighty runeblade Frostmourne. To ensure Ner'zhul's obedience, Kil'jaeden sealed the armor and blade within a specially crafted block of ice collected from the far reaches of the Twisting Nether."}
Curse
Frostmourne has the ability to drain life from its victims - and to drain the soul of anyone whom it connects to. The Lich King is capable of seeing through the eyes and hearing through the ears of anyone who wields Frostmourne; this ability cannot be stopped by any mortal means. The Lich King can communicate with the wielder at will telepathically, on any plane and at any distance. The Lich King uses this ability to try and corrupt the wielder over time. This has several effects. An individual who wields Frostmourne will not part with it willingly. Over time the person will go from good to neutral and finally to evil. A non-undead evil wielder will then become undead. Finally the sword is able to suck the being's soul into the sword. Frostmourne then retains the memories and skills of its victim. In fact, as long as the wielder's original body remains within one mile of Frostmourne, the sword maintains control of the body, and he may not be completely aware that his consciousness has shifted to the weapon. Beyond one mile, the sword cannot control the wielder's body, and the wielder of course finally becomes quite aware of his current state (if he is not already).
The Lich King can take possession of a soulless body that comes in contact with him and Frostmourne at the same time. The soul within Frostmourne is destroyed unless it willingly merges with the Lich King, becoming lost as a separate entity for all eternity. If a soul merges with the Lich King, he gains all the skills and memories of the victim. He has only done this one time, with Prince Arthas Menethil. MoM 174-175
Powers
In Warcraft III
In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Frostmourne increased Arthas' base damage by 22 points and allowed him to deal chaos damage, which was fully effective against all types of armor (including that of divine beings).
In Warcraft RPG
In Warcraft RPG: Manual of Monsters, Frostmourne is a unique and indestructible item - an artifact-level bastard sword with the following abilities: an increased chance to hit, increased damage, an increased chance of scoring a critical hit, an increased attack speed, the ability to strike incorporeal creatures as though they were fully corporeal, the ability to cause bleeding wounds and reduce the victim's stamina, bonus damage against good-aligned beings, bonus damage against living beings, and a life-draining effect that heals its wielder when he deals damage. MoM 174
In World of Warcraft
BlizzCon revelation
- Frostmourne
- Binds when picked up
- Unique
- Sword
- Two-Hand
- Speed 4.00
- 597 - 896 Damage
- (186.6 damage per second)
- +100 Strength
+200 Stamina
+150 Intellect - Requires Level 80
- Equip: The wielder of Frostmourne will become the new Lich King.
- "Hail to the king, baby!"
Stats for Frostmourne as a World of Warcraft item were shown during the Lore Panel at BlizzCon 2007.
The developers said they were "still working the fine details" and that the Equip effect was "shot down by various powers-that-be" (illustrating the potential problem with a screenshot of the new Lich King, Private Ownusohard). However, they closed with "we'll get something to you guys, we promise".
The quote on the item tooltip, "Hail to the King, Baby", is said by Ash at the end of Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness and also in Duke Nukem.
Replica
From Frostmourne Replica Unleashed| 03/14/2008 06:38:00 PM UTC by Bornakk:
The legendary rune blade Frostmourne was immortalized in Warcraft III, in which it was taken up by Prince Arthas Menethil, corrupting him and leading to his transformation into the Lich King. We've partnered with EPIC Weapons to create a limited edition replica of the blade in all its horrific glory. This artifact of ancient evil is over 47" long and 12.5" wide, weighing a massive 16 lbs., and is now available for pre-order. For more information, please visit the Frostmourne replica site.
