ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴄʜ ᴋɪɴɢ.

Arthas looks like the well-preserved corpse of a man who froze to death. His sea-green eyes are dimly lit by a pale blue light. The air around him is always unnaturally cold, and something about him seems wrong, even to those typically incapable of sensing magic.

He is tall at 6'5" (197cm) and solidly built, imposing even without the added bulk of the dark plate armour he wears, which is adorned with monstrous images of Death. He carries himself confidently, considering himself no less of a king simply because his world has been consumed by Oblivion.

When he speaks, his voice has a strange hollowness about it that makes it seem unnatural. As he derives power from sources that are in opposition to life and order in his world, finding everything about him off-putting is perfectly natural.

SHARD

His Shard looks and feels like a rough-cut chunk of blue glacial ice and glows with the same light as his eyes. It emanates intense cold, and the Death magic that sustains him is concentrated within it, making it unpleasant to the touch. It occupies the space where his heart used to be.

ASPECT TATTOO

On the palm of his left hand, partially stretching down onto his wrist.

In life, Arthas had all the most valuable traits a king and paladin of the Light could have — he was brave, strong, and deeply devoted to his people. He was loved for his empathy and the way he never saw rank when interacting with his subjects. But, he was also arrogant, short-tempered, and deeply vengeful — traits that would all worsen when Arthas picked up Frostmourne for the first time.

When he became the Lich King, he cut out the rest of his humanity very literally, leaving only the darkest parts of himself behind. With the shattering of Frostmourne, Arthas has regained the splinters of his soul that had been trapped within the blade for years.

Arthas has been reunited with some measure of his humanity, but he is still ruthlessly committed to getting what he wants.

This explains it better than I ever could~

Watch on YouTube

undead physiology

Arthas became undead at some point after acquiring Frostmourne. He does not need to breathe or sleep, and he is able to survive without a heart. In canon, he never gets tired, and he is functionally immortal.

For RP purposes, Arthas will find that although he can hold out much longer than a living Shardbearer, he tires in Kenos. Eating probably helps, so he might as well start doing it again! Since he can survive without a heart, Dissipation will require a headshot in true zombie fashion.

Despite having no runeblade, Arthas will also continue to suffer the Endless Hunger, an affliction common to all Death Knights that compels them to inflict pain or suffering on others. Denying this hunger causes excruciating pain and can eventually result in a loss of control if the urge isn't satisfied sufficiently. It is the result of Arthas regaining the parts of his soul that had been trapped within Frostmourne, but the cursed blade has left a permanent mark.

He is also particularly vulnerable to Holy magic.

enhanced resistances

He does not suffer from exposure to extremely low temperatures and has a much higher tolerance to warm temperatures (but not fire!). He is immune to most, if not all, diseases unless they are magical in nature.

combat skills

Trained and experienced in hand-to-hand/unarmed combat, one- and two-handed swords and maces, as well as shields.

necromancy

• In canon, Arthas — as the Lich King — is capable of godlike feats of necromancy, such as simultaneously commanding massive hordes of undead across several continents. However, he is (thankfully) automatically nerfed on arrival because the bulk of the Lich King's power is derived from two cursed objects — the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne. Without these objects, Arthas' powers are greatly limited.
• He is a Death Knight and a necromancer of the Scourge, so almost all of his abilities utilise Death and Shadow magic. These are commonly used together with the Runic language to create potent effects. I have also compiled some extra necromancy lore here.
• He is also capable of using Frost magic and possesses a passive frost "aura" that makes the air around him so cold that ice can still form on his armour even in warm weather. It makes him immune to weather-based temperature extremes.
• He is able to sense Holy energy, Death energy, and souls.
• He is not capable of sensing the same level of detail that John could sense, but he can sense anything with a pulse or at least a circulatory system via a passive ability to sense blood.
• He can puppet and reanimate dead bodies.
• He can perceive, manipulate, and bind souls and ghosts.
• He can create wards using blood, bone, and runes.
• He can drain another person's vital energy or use them like a battery by inflicting pain.
• He can create explosions using necromantic energy.
• He can use blood and flesh magic to harm or heal.

PLAYER INFO

Played By: Min

Contact Info: koutenko

Permissions / Opt-out: here

OUT OF CHARACTER

Writing Style: My preference is brackets, but I am always happy to match your style!

Backtagging: I can get slow sometimes, and I am willing to tag a thread as long as you are. I may drop older threads if it's better to start fresh, but I will reach out!

Threadhopping: Always good to check but like 99% of the time the answer is GO FOR IT.

Offensive Subjects:

• I am okay with most things, but if you feel unsure, please feel free to ask!
• Please AVOID mentions or depictions of Sexual Assault or Child Sexual Assault that lack content warnings. It's okay if I'm warned and know what I'm getting into (if we're talking mentions. If it gets into anything more, please talk to me first).
• I don't have a particular issue with mentions or discussions of suicide/suicidal ideation in general, but if suicide is at any point potentially part of a plot, please discuss it with me first. I do not wish to be involved in any situations in which a character has to be talked out of a suicide attempt at any point in time. Thanks!

IN CHARACTER

Physical Violence: It's likely to happen often with this character. Happy to write out fights or just do the lead-up and the aftermath.

Death/Dissipation: If there is a good plot reason for it, I'm game!

Physical Affection: It won't be easy with his attitude, but it's not impossible because he craves human contact more than he's willing to admit.

Shipping/Sex: It's not something he is seeking out or initiating, but he will have sex depending on the situation. I do not really write smut but I'm happy to write everything leading up to it! Handwaving off-camera hookups is also good! Blue post said death knights fuck, so here we are.

Mental/Communion: In Communion, there is always a forcefulness behind his presence, which feels much larger and darker than a human should be capable of. It's been described as something sharp and icy you can feel in the back of your skull. Other Iconoclasts can sense his urges to cause pain and suffering.

Offensive Subjects: Don't disrespect Invincible :')