A Closer Look at Icecrown Citadel

We've been in Icecrown Citadel since it opened up. We did really well on the Lower Spire, and after a few close calls, we seem to have mastered the Festergut fight. But we cannot get Rotface down. It's reminiscent of Yogg-Saron in that it feels like we're banging our heads against a wall and not getting anywhere. A lot of fights you can see your progress as you get closer and closer and finally win. But his fight. This fight just feels messy.

Anyway, while we're working on that, I think it would be nice to get back to some lore posts, and since we're working on Icecrown, let's delve into the lore behind it, and the bosses inside.

ICECROWN CITADEL
Icecrown Citadel sits on Icecrown Glacier in the area of the world known as Icecrown. That's fairly easy to follow. Icecrown itself was just a cold spot at the top of the world until Kil'jaeden decided it would be a good place to toss the tormented soul of Ner'zhul, now the newly minted Lich King. Of course, being a soul, he had no means of getting around, and was stuck where he was on the Frozen Throne.

Still, being the Lich King, he was able to call forth the people of the world that would dedicate themselves to him and help establish the scourge, and eventually Arthas Menethil overcame a lot of obstacles to join with Ner'zhul, finally giving a body to the Lich King. With Arthas on the throne, and an army of scourge at his command, the rebuilding of Icecrown began. Using the hardened blood of some old god (hey, he's old, he doesn't need it anymore), Arthas and the scourge proceeded to erect a mighty fortress around the frozen throne and throughout the area of Icecrown. The saronite ramparts and gates now permeate the zone. It is said that these structures even reach deep under the ground around Icecrown.

So Icecrown Citadel is a giant fortress built around the spire that the frozen throne sits upon. But like many castles and fortresses, it houses a great deal of other things. There is a lecture hall where Lady Deathwhisper preaches the virtues of the Cult of the Damned. The Plagueworks is where Professor Putricide commits diabolical biological experiments. The San'layn are ruled by their Blood-Queen from the Crimson Halls, and there is even a prison where a sleeping green dragon is tormented. And of course, at the top of the spire, resides the Lich King on his frozen throne.

Some of these bosses have more back story to them than others, which is typical. Marrowgar is pretty much your every day skeleton guardian, but Deathbringer Saurfang has a long sad path to his position in the citadel. Over the next few days, I'll explore the lore behind each boss and speculate a little about their purpose in guarding the Lich King's domain.