The Stories of Matthias Lehner
Our last quest line can still be experienced in the game today, but most players never get around to it. It takes place relatively late in the Icecrown area, at a time when most have likely already broken into the new areas of Cataclysm because they have reached level 80.
However, those who diligently quest in Icecrown will be propelled by an explosion into a deep hole, where a crystal in an underground lake starts a quest. As soon as you come into contact with the crystal, a new NPC appears: Matthias Lehner. The little human boy seems to be a ghost and speaks the ominous words:
“You should not have done that.”
In the next quest, the little boy continues:
“You shouldn’t have touched that. Now that you have done it, he will come and look for you. And he will find you, as long as you do not hide from him.”
Then Matthias disappears for a while. In another quest line, he then reappears while we are repairing siege machines to fight the Scourge. He explains that the efforts are in vain and wants to show us who we are actually fighting against.
He shows us a vision of Prince Arthas as he led his expedition to Northrend (in Warcraft 3). As players, we take control and must kill 100 loyal men to then resurrect them as ghouls.
“The true power of the prince was not his ability to create an army of corpses… that was easy.
But to kill his own men with whom he had fought so many battles… the true power of the prince lay in doing what needed to be done.”
Then Matthias disappears again and appears during further quests. This time he shows us a vision of Arthas raising Sindragosa – as in the cinematic of “Wrath of the Lich King.”
In the next quest, the player gets insight into another vision that fans of Warcraft 3 may already be familiar with. The final battle between Arthas and Illidan in Icecrown.
“Before the prince became king, he fought many battles… but only in one was he nearly killed. It took place right here. After I have shown you what once happened here, you will understand.”
Ultimately, Matthias reveals what really happened:
“After the battle, the prince realized that he was still human and that it held him back… he could still feel… he could still bleed. He still had a heart.
The first thing he did when he became king was to part with it. He threw it into this abyss where we first met. And you, hero, were the first person to touch it since then.”
During the quest line, we found nothing less than the heart of the Lich King. But even there, the series does not end. Later, we infiltrate a cultist ritual together with Tirion, and Tirion destroys the heart with the Ashbringer. This deals massive damage to the Lich King and weakens him for all time.
It is speculated that Arthas could only be defeated in the raid because his heart was destroyed beforehand.
Many players will never fully understand who exactly the boy Matthias Lehner actually is.
But if you mix up the letters of the name Matthias Lehner, you create a new name: Arthas Menethil.The boy was the last remnant of humanity that Arthas still carried within him. Fortunately, we have destroyed it. Well done, Tirion.
Do you remember these 5 terrible things from WoW? Or have you forgotten them?
