User:Rlj85/Death Knight Love Story (DKLS)

Death Knight Love Story (DKLS)

Death Knight Love Story is a motion-captured Warcraft fan-film, released in January 2014. It features the voices of Joanna Lumley, Brian Blessed, Jack Davenport, and Anna Chancellor, and a score created by BAFTA-nominated composer Ross Campbell.

The film makes use of Hollywood-grade motion capture, and combines that with animation and Machinima film making techniques.

It was written and directed by Hugh Hancock, director of “BloodSpell” and founder of Machinima.com.

Based in Azeroth, the main world setting for the MMO World of Warcraft, Death Knight Love Story tells the tale of a Death Knight, Miria, the redeemed servant of the Lich King, and Sir Zeliek, first of the Horsemen of Naxxramas.

Plot
Death Knight Love Story opens in Wintergarde Keep, the Alliance's most northerly fortification still standing. Guards rush to the walls and prepare to defend Wintergarde from the floating city of the damned, Naxxaramas. Their captain tells them not to lose hope. He is working with heroes of the Alliance, and they will bring Naxxaramas down.

Meanwhile, inside Naxxaramas, those heroes have just been discovered by the Four Horsemen who command Naxxaramas' military forces. As Sir Zelieck, First of the Horsemen, attempts to persuade the heroes to retreat rather than be slaughtered, Miria kills a guard and drops into the command chamber. She realizes that her lost love, Zelieck, commands the fortress. Zelieck attempts to persuade her to flee, but she refuses. They draw their swords and move to attack.

The film flashes back six years, to the final charge of Sir Zelieck against the Lich King. He faces Miria there too. Miria and the Lich King slaughter Zelieck's troops, and Lady Blaumeaux stabs Zelieck, leaving him for dead in the ice.

Six months later, the Lich King's power raises Zelieck from the dead. He is herded into the Lich King's stronghold, and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena.

Zelieck defeats his opponent, but refuses to kill him when the Lich King orders it. Arthas orders Blaumeaux to finish Zelieck instead, but Zelieck's power defeats her. Zelieck challenges the Lich King to a duel.

Arthas invokes the power of the magic that raised Zelieck, forcing him to kill the unconscious prisoner. Miria intervenes and kills Zelieck's opponent herself. She claims that she was tired of Zelieck's weakness.

Later, in the Death Knights' training grounds, Miria defeats another Death Knight. Zelieck challenges her to a duel. He goads her into accepting, and they fight for a night and a day. Miria eventually overcomes Zelieck, but as she prepares to deliver the killing blow she hesitates, then refuses. Zelieck takes the opportunity and overpowers her in turn. Miria reveals the true reason she killed Zelieck's opponent: to prevent the Lich King from breaking Zelieck by forcing him to kill. They kiss.

Arthas sends them both them on missions of destruction, whilst they continue their illicit tryst. But unknown to them, Lady Blaumeaux has spied on them, and as Part 1 ends, she informs the Lich King of their romance. He flies into a rage.