[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Maybe he is an exile then since he did not retire voluntarily. But it would be interesting to know what he is up to now at least.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch I believe it would be an un-exile, since technically the role of the Lich King was an exile. It was top secret with very few people knowing it: the player character and a few of the leaders in the war.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka I thought Arthas was sort of corrupted into it? So his exile was more or less voluntary, at least, in the eyes of the court law?

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Arthas was corrupted, yes. However, his successor, Bolvar, willingly took the powers in order to protect his world. He sat lonely on the Frozen Throne and those who didn't witness the last battle with Arthas were told that Bolvar fell in battle.

His mind stayed his own and he played a major role in the Shadowlands expansions, because he still had traces of the power linking him with the power behind the Lich King.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Why was he lonely, though, did they explain why no one could visit him? I mean, he is not evil, he took the power out of necessity, so potentially he could have some guests near his Frozen Throne on occasion, to keep up to date with kingdom affairs or something? Especially if his mind remained his own?

But I guess it may be a bit of a tall order for a game, I mean, often some motivations of characters are explained with codes and traditions and honour code rather than pragmatism. After all, it is an epic fantasy.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Something about the war being for killing the Lich King and ending the Scourge threat for good. Then during the final battle the ghost of Arthas' father said that there must always be a Lich King, to control the scourge minions. It was not an ideal ending, and the citizens were only told a half-truth that the Lich King and the Scourge were defeated.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Where does the Scourge come from? I thought Lich King was the one making a big portion of them. If his only job was to control and manage them, then who is the one making them?

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch The Burning Legion created Scourge forces from raising fallen enemies. The Lich King also had the power to make new minions.

When allied races got the option to become Death Knights, they got a different questline than the original Death Knights. The old Death Knights were raised by Arthas to be a part of his Scourge, and broke off his control during a battle at the end.

The new Death Knights are raised by Bolvar after Sylvanas' aggression.