The Frozen Throne #3: the conquest of Outland

September 13, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"The Frozen Throne" series — The Frozen Throne #3. The story of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, from Illidan's escape to Arthas becoming the Lich King. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The conquest of Outland is the chapter of the campaign where Illidan stops being a fugitive and becomes the master of a world. Kael'thas' blood elves free him from Maiev's cage, Akama's Broken draenei join him, and the pit lord Magtheridon loses the Black Temple. In the end, Kil'jaeden shows up to remind Illidan that he still has a debt to pay: destroying the Frozen Throne.

Lost in Outland

After crossing the portal, Kael'thas and Lady Vashj spend three days searching for Illidan in Hellfire Peninsula. Outland is what was left of Draenor after the orcs' world was torn apart.

Vashj senses the presence of night elves. They find a base and see the scene: Maiev Shadowsong and her Watchers are transporting Illidan, chained and unconscious, inside a magic cage. Maiev had followed Illidan through the portal and managed to capture him.

Maiev's cage

The cage's lock cannot be opened in the middle of a battle. So a tug-of-war begins. The blood elves and the naga take the cage, Maiev takes it back, and the struggle repeats.

In the end, Kael and Vashj bring the cage to the blood elves' base, and Vashj breaks the lock. Maiev is forced to retreat.

Illidan wakes up and asks who these elves are. Vashj explains that they are the last descendants of the Highborne who once served him.

Illidan's promise

Kael speaks of the hunger consuming his people. Illidan does not lie: there is no cure for this addiction. But he offers something else. If Kael follows him, Illidan will give the elves enough magical energy to keep the hunger satisfied forever.

Kael swears loyalty. From here on, he is one of the leaders of Illidan's army.

Illidan's task

Illidan tells Kael why he was in Outland. After the Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal, Kil'jaeden sought him out. Because Illidan had consumed the Skull of Gul'dan, the demon blamed him for the defeat. But he offered a second chance.

The task was to destroy the Frozen Throne, in Icecrown, where the Lich King's spirit was imprisoned. The Lich King had betrayed Kil'jaeden. In return, Illidan would get what he wanted most.

The spell at Dalaran was part of that plan. With the Eye of Sargeras, Illidan wanted to melt the polar ice around the Icecrown Glacier and destroy the Lich King. The night elves interfered, and the spell failed. Afraid of Kil'jaeden's fury, Illidan fled to Outland and hid.

The gates of the abyss

Outland had a master. The pit lord Magtheridon gathered the orcs who survived when Draenor exploded and took control of the world. He received demon reinforcements through dimensional portals left behind by Ner'zhul.

Illidan decides to close these portals himself. Kael protects Illidan while he seals each of the four gates. Magtheridon discovers the plan and sends his fel orcs to attack. Even so, Illidan closes them all. From then on, Magtheridon gets no more reinforcements.

Akama and the Broken

Along the way, the Illidari find a draenei village surrounded by fel orcs. After the orcs fall, Akama appears, the wise elder of the Ashtongue tribe.

Akama is a Broken draenei, mutated by fel energy. He says that Magtheridon's orcs hunted his people almost to extinction. Illidan promises to free them from their old enemies in exchange for loyalty. Akama accepts.

He had his own reasons. Akama hoped that, by retaking the Black Temple, the Broken would regain the respect of the rest of the draenei.

The attack on the Black Temple

Magtheridon's fortress was the Black Citadel, which WoW calls the Black Temple. Before that, it had been the Temple of Karabor, a sacred draenei site and a refuge for the prophet Velen. Gul'dan and the Shadow Council corrupted it during the orc invasion, and Magtheridon took it after Draenor's destruction.

The attack has three fronts:

Illidan and Kael attack the gates head-on and suffer under Magtheridon's war machines.
Akama and the draenei enter the temple and destroy the crystals that power those machines.
Vashj leads the naga through the citadel's sewers and aqueducts.

Magtheridon's two lieutenants, the Mistress of Torment and the Master of Pain, fall. The pit lord's chamber opens.

Magtheridon defeated

Illidan, Kael, Akama and Vashj face Magtheridon together. After a brutal fight, he falls. Magtheridon asks whether Illidan is an agent of the Legion sent to test him. Illidan laughs and answers that he came to replace him.

The remaining fel orcs and demons bow. Illidan declares himself Lord of Outland.

Magtheridon did not die. For a long time, everyone thought he had. But Illidan kept him imprisoned beneath Hellfire Citadel and used his blood to create more fel orcs.

Kil'jaeden's order

The victory does not last long. A firestorm covers the citadel, and Kil'jaeden appears before Illidan, Kael and Vashj. He confronts Illidan for not destroying the Frozen Throne and gives him one last chance. Either Illidan destroys the Throne, or he faces his fury.

Illidan says he was only gathering his forces and promises that the Lich King will fall. Vashj and Kael swear to follow him. Illidan's army sets out for Northrend.

Maiev's fate

Maiev lost the cage, but she did not give up. She gathered followers and began attacking Illidan's forces. Akama made contact with her and became her partner.

It was a trap. Akama led Maiev into an ambush in Shadowmoon Valley. She was the only survivor and ended up imprisoned by Illidan in the Warden's Cage, with Akama as her jailor. Only in The Burning Crusade does Akama free her, and the two enter the Black Temple together.

What this changes in the story

This chapter sets the stage for The Burning Crusade. Illidan, Kael, Vashj and Akama are together, Magtheridon is chained in Hellfire, and Maiev is imprisoned. When the player crosses the Dark Portal, they find exactly the world that was born here.

And the promise to Kael comes at a price. The energy Illidan offers the elves comes from dangerous sources, and the sin'dorei's hunger will bring Kael closer and closer to the Legion.

Episode timeline

Kael and Vashj free Illidan from Maiev's cage.
Illidan promises to satisfy the blood elves' hunger.
Illidan reveals his pact with Kil'jaeden and the failure at Dalaran.
Magtheridon's four portals are closed.
Akama and the Ashtongue swear loyalty to Illidan.
Magtheridon falls, and Illidan becomes Lord of Outland.
Kil'jaeden demands the destruction of the Frozen Throne.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Illidan Stormrage | The new Lord of Outland. | | Kael'thas | The prince of the blood elves, now Illidan's ally. | | Lady Vashj | The leader of the naga. | | Akama | The wise elder of the Ashtongue, a Broken draenei. | | Magtheridon | The pit lord who ruled Outland. | | Kil'jaeden | The demon who collects Illidan's debt. | | Maiev Shadowsong | The jailor who loses Illidan and later becomes a prisoner. |