Third War #2: The Plague of Lordaeron

September 4, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Third War" series — Third War #2. The story of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, from Medivh's prophecy to the Battle of Mount Hyjal. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The Warcraft 3 human campaign, called The Scourge of Lordaeron, begins with a prince who only wanted to protect his kingdom. Arthas Menethil sets out to hunt orcs, meets Jaina on the road and discovers something much worse: a plague spread on purpose, hidden in the grain that feeds Lordaeron. This episode covers the first five chapters, from Strahnbrad to Hearthglen.

Arthas and Uther at Strahnbrad

Orcs were attacking southern Lordaeron. King Terenas sent his son, Prince Arthas, to help Uther the Lightbringer deal with the problem.

Uther welcomes his former student warmly. Scouts have found an orc encampment behind a hill. Uther goes to attack the encampment, and Arthas stays behind to defend Strahnbrad, an unprotected village in the Alterac Mountains.

The Blackrock clan raids the village and takes villagers as slaves. Arthas defeats the Slave Master and promises to bring the others back. A knight arrives with news: Uther needs him at the orc encampment, now.

Too late for the prisoners

Uther had sent two knights to negotiate with the orcs. Only their horses came back. Arthas leads the assault and destroys the encampment, but he arrives too late. The Blackrock Blademaster had already killed the prisoners, sacrificed to demons.

Arthas suspects the orcs were trying to summon demons. Uther dismisses the idea. It's the first sign that something bigger is going on, and no one takes it seriously.

Jaina and the tainted grain

Meanwhile, in Dalaran, Antonidas sends Jaina Proudmoore to investigate a plague spreading through the northern villages. He tells her he has arranged for a special envoy to help. The envoy is Arthas.

The two meet at a crossroads on the King's Road, in the chapter Ravages of the Plague. Jaina arrives chased by ogres and drives them off with a water elemental. Arthas and Jaina already knew each other. The reunion has a spark that both of them try to hide.

Along the way, they help soldiers defend a village from skeletons. At the granary, the necromancer Kel'Thuzad appears with his followers and flees, leaving an abomination behind. Arthas and Jaina destroy the grain storehouse.

The clue is in the crates. They bear the seal of Andorhal, the distribution center for the northern villages. Jaina notices that the land around the granary is dying. Arthas asks the obvious question: is the grain itself tainted?

Kel'Thuzad in Andorhal

In Andorhal, the two find Kel'Thuzad. He admits everything. He had the Cult of the Damned distribute the grain. But he doesn't act alone. "I serve the dreadlord Mal'Ganis," he says. "He commands the Scourge that will cleanse this land."

The necromancer even gives them a lead: if Arthas wants more proof, he should look for Mal'Ganis in Stratholme.

Arthas rushes to the granaries. They're empty. "The shipments have already been sent out. We're too late!" He and Jaina destroy the granary anyway, chase Kel'Thuzad and kill him.

The necromancer's last words are a threat: his death would make little difference, because the cleansing of that land was only beginning. He was right. And, as the player finds out later, Kel'Thuzad's death was part of the plan.

The march of the Scourge at Hearthglen

In Hearthglen, the villagers are preparing for an attack. Arthas sends Jaina to fetch Uther and stays to hold the village.

Here he understands the full horror. The village crates also held the tainted grain. The villagers fall asleep and rise as zombies. The plague was never made just to kill. It was made to turn the living into undead.

The Scourge attacks in waves. Arthas destroys a grain caravan before it can reach other villages, but the liches break through the defenses and he nearly falls. Uther and Jaina arrive with the knights of the Order of the Silver Hand and turn the battle around.

After the victory, Uther scolds the prince for his pride. Arthas doesn't listen. He's going after Mal'Ganis in Stratholme, with or without Uther. "Then feel free to come along," he says.

The Prophet on the road

On the way, a hooded man stops Arthas. It's the Prophet. He warns that the land is lost and that the shadow has already fallen. If Arthas wants to save his people, he must lead them across the sea, to the west.

The final warning is the cruelest: the more Arthas fights his enemies, the faster he will deliver his people into their hands. Arthas refuses to abandon Lordaeron. Jaina, hidden by an invisibility spell, senses the man's power and starts to doubt. Arthas moves on.

What this changes in the story

These chapters show the Scourge as something planned. It's not just any disease: it's a weapon, created by the Lich King and spread by a human cult. And they show Arthas as he starts out: brave, impatient and more and more obsessed with a single enemy.

Mal'Ganis becomes the target. And that obsession is what will take the prince to Stratholme and, later, to the ice of Northrend.

Episode timeline

Arthas defends Strahnbrad from the Blackrock orcs.
Arthas and Uther destroy the orc encampment.
Antonidas sends Jaina to investigate the plague.
Arthas and Jaina discover the tainted grain from Andorhal.
Kel'Thuzad reveals Mal'Ganis and is killed by Arthas.
In Hearthglen, the villagers turn into undead.
The Prophet warns Arthas, who ignores the warning.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Arthas Menethil | The prince of Lordaeron and a paladin of the Silver Hand. | | Uther the Lightbringer | Arthas's mentor and leader of the Silver Hand. | | Jaina Proudmoore | Antonidas's apprentice, sent to investigate the plague. | | Kel'Thuzad | The necromancer who founded the Cult of the Damned. | | Mal'Ganis | The dreadlord who commands the Scourge in Lordaeron. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Alterac Mountains: the ruins of Strahnbrad, where the campaign begins.
Tirisfal Glades: the area around Brill, on the King's Road.
Western Plaguelands: Andorhal, destroyed by the plague, and Hearthglen.
The Culling of Stratholme, in the Caverns of Time: the dungeon that relives Arthas and Uther's arrival at Stratholme. See the Culling of Stratholme guide.