Lost

Strictly speaking, the Scourge's attack on Light's Hope Chapel was not merely an act of revenge. It took place less than a few hours after the aerial battle over Icecrown Glacier, and the Scourge had a specific objective: the three thousand paladin Val'kyr within Light's Hope Chapel.

Val'kyr were a concept in humanity's faith in the Holy Light. Some priests believed that devout believers of the Holy Light became eternal spirits of the Light after death. Put simply, these Val'kyr were the lingering ghosts of the Light's faithful, though they were considered sacred and worshipped by the people.

Within Light's Hope Chapel lay the Val'kyr and ashes of three thousand paladins. These three thousand paladins had given their lives against the Scourge and were remembered for it. But now, their Val'kyr and ashes had been taken by the Scourge, which meant the Scourge would soon gain three thousand more death knights.

What did three thousand death knights mean? Looking at the number of paladins on the opposing side, and not counting the Draenei who had converted to the Holy Light long ago, fewer than ten thousand paladins had emerged among the mortal races from the time Alonsus proposed the idea of paladins and the first five were trained, up to the present day.

The Scourge had originally possessed nearly a thousand death knights. Arthas had led that very group, casting mass Decay spells as they forcibly carved out a Dead Scar across the land between Deatholme and Sunwell Plateau. That Dead Scar still remained to this day.

Unlike mindless skeletons and walking corpses, death knights were elite warriors. They possessed independent consciousness and loyalty to the Lich King, making them commanders capable of thought and the backbone of the Scourge's strength.

Now, that backbone of the Scourge would expand threefold