Matthias Lehner

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NeutralMatthias Lehner
Image of Matthias Lehner
Gender Male
Race Ghost (Undead)
Level 25-30
Reaction Alliance Horde
Location Naz'anak: The Forgotten Depths, First Legion Forward Camp, Sindragosa's Fall, The Court of Bones (Icecrown)

“Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

— Thassarian and Koltira Deathweaver to adventurers after they encounter Matthias[1]

Matthias Lehner is a strange ghostly child who appears in several locations in Icecrown, offering several quests related to the Lich King depending on his location. He is initially found in Naz'anak: The Forgotten Depths, next to the pool holding the Pulsing Crystal.

The Heart of Arthas

Matthias Lehner (an anagram of Arthas Menethil) first appears in Naz'anak: The Forgotten Depths far beneath Icecrown Citadel. After an adventurer touches the Pulsing Crystal, Matthias tells them that they "really shouldn't have done that"[2] and that the Lich King (whom he never refers to by name, only as "he" or "the prince") will come looking for them. He tells them to rub the blood of the nearby faceless ones on themselves in order to hide[3] and to then return to the surface, while saying that he and the adventurer will meet again and that the Lich King will find them in time.[4]

Matthias subsequently reappears several times, each time showing the adventurer seminal events in the life of Arthas Menethil and trying to convince them that fighting against the Lich King is futile. In the Valley of Lost Hope, he mocks their attempt to battle the Scourge with a Refurbished Demolisher[5] and shows a vision of how the Prodigal Leader massacred and raised his own soldiers in the 1st Legion.[6] Shortly after, at Sindragosa's Fall, Matthias shows the adventurer a vision of how the Lich King raised the frost wyrm Sindragosa into undeath.[7]

Matthias explains that the adventurer is the only one who can see him because they touched something that once belonged to Arthas. He tells them to meet him at the Court of Bones,[8] where he shows a vision of Arthas' duel against Illidan Stormrage. He then reveals that the Pulsing Crystal is in fact Arthas' heart, which he discarded after becoming the Lich King since he believed that it made him human and therefore weak.[9] Matthias tells the adventurer to bring allies if they intend to go back for the heart, since the Lich King knows that the adventurer has found it and will not leave it unguarded again.[10] After this point, Matthias disappears and is not seen again.

Using this information, Tirion Fordring infiltrates the Cathedral of Darkness alongside the adventurer to stop the heart from being destroyed, in the hopes that it can be used to redeem Arthas. However, upon looking into the heart, Tirion concludes that there is nothing of Arthas' humanity left and destroys it with the Ashbringer before escaping from the Lich King with the help of the Knights of the Ebon Blade.[11]

Quests

The chain that eventually opens Matthias' quests begins with A [25-30] Exploiting an Opening / H [25-30] Opportunity.

Naz'anak
Valley of Lost Hope and First Legion Forward Camp
Sindragosa's Fall
The Court of Bones

Quotes

  • "I saw him get rid of it, you know? He threw it all the way down here. Said he wouldn't need it anymore. Said it made him weak."[2]
  • "You don't know what you're up against. Let me show you."[5]
  • "You probably think you're quite strong—fighting these undead and crushing their bones beneath your war machines. That is nothing compared to the strength it took to create them."[6]
  • "The prince's true power wasn't his ability to make armies out of corpses... that was easy. But killing his own men, with whom he'd shared many battles... the prince's true power was ability to do what had to be done."[6]
  • "You're the only one who can see me because you touched something that once belonged to him... don't you remember? You don't know what it is? Well I can't just tell you... that would make him really mad. He's not just a prince anymore... he's the king!"[8]
  • "After that fight, the prince realized what was holding him back was that he was still human... he could still feel... he could still bleed. He still had a heart. The first thing he did when he became king was to rid himself of it. He threw it down the pit where we first met. And you, <name>, were the first person to touch it since."[9]
  • "Now you know what you're up against, <name>. An opponent who no longer knows pain... remorse... or humanity. An opponent who will do anything to get what he wants. The heart was his weakness and now he knows you've found it. If you're going to go back for it, you'd best bring help. He will not leave it unguarded again."[10]

Notes

  • Sean Copeland implied that Matthias' appearance in the game may have been only for gameplay reasons.[12]

Speculation

Questionmark-medium.png
This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
  • Not much is known about Matthias. It is speculated by some that he is the embodiment of the last piece of Arthas' humanity, which was banished when the Prince took to the Frozen Throne and became the Lich King, the name "Matthias Lehner" being an anagram for "Arthas Menethil." This theory gains support in Arthas: Rise of the Lich King where an unnamed blond-haired boy exists in Arthas' mind, urging him to reject Ner'zhul's influence. This theory is further acknowledged in Edge of Night, when Sylvanas sees Arthas as a little blond boy forever tormented in the Maw.
  • The boy from Arthas: Rise of the Lich King was not written as Matthias Lehner. Rather, a quest designer made a character based on the boy without Christie Golden's knowledge[citation needed] [13] that was very likely intended to be the same character. This explains the disconnect in the character's "death" and reappearance.
  • Others speculate that he may be an illusion of Yogg-Saron or some other entity, whose intent is to cause harm to the Lich King by convincing players to destroy his heart. This theory is mostly based on the fact that he encourages players to gather friends when they are going after the heart during the quest B [25-30] Knowledge is a Terrible Burden.

Patch changes

References

 
  1. ^ B [25-30] Futility
  2. ^ a b N [25-30] A Voice in the Dark
  3. ^ N [25-30] Time to Hide
  4. ^ B [25-30] Return to the Surface
  5. ^ a b N [25-30] Do Your Worst
  6. ^ a b c N [25-30] Army of the Damned
  7. ^ N [25-30] Where Dragons Fell
  8. ^ a b N [25-30] Time for Answers
  9. ^ a b N [25-30] The Hunter and the Prince
  10. ^ a b B [25-30] Knowledge is a Terrible Burden
  11. ^ N [25-30] Tirion's Gambit
  12. ^ Sean Copeland on Twitter[dead link]
  13. ^ http://www.scrollsoflore.com/forums/showpost.php?p=119738&postcount=24[dead link]

External links

Naz'anak First Legion Forward Camp Sindragosa's Fall Court of Bones Valley of Lost Hope

es:Matthias Lehner

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