Scholomance

The Scholomance (SKOH-loh-mance), also known as the School of Necromancy, is a vile academy for prospective necromancers of the Scourge, is located in the ruins of the palatial House of Barov, on a rise overlooking the abandoned city of Caer Darrow. Scholomance received a heroic mode along with a content redesign in a manner similar to Deadmines or Shadowfang Keep in the expansion, Mists of Pandaria. The layout of the dungeon changed to be less confusing, similar to how the Sunken Temple was done. Five bosses await adventurers there.

Following the Second War, the fortress at Caer Darrow was restored. The manor was the Barov's primary residence amidst their far-reaching empire which comprised Caer Darrow, Brill, Southshore, and Tarren Mill, but as the years closed to the Third War, the aristocrats became depressed, greedy, and rageful. After decades of rule, in order to preserve their fortune and hold of the land well past their lifespan, the Barovs made a deal with Kel'Thuzad, leader of the Cult of the Damned. The once opulent keep of Caer Darrow secretly became the horrific Scholomance, a school of necromancy.

Six months passed and the keep became decrepit and inhabited by dark undead beings. Acolytes of the Cult learned their craft, while the family servants were used as experiments for the Plague of Undeath. Finally, while the Scourge did not even yet fully exist in Lordaeron, a devastating disease, which was not the Plague that the Scourge would employ later but an experience of Scholomance, was unleashed and ravaged Caer Darrow before a visit from Uther the Lightbringer was scheduled. None survived, while the plague variant compelled its victims to wander as ghosts. The first abominations were also created in the catacombs of Scholomance from unearthed corpses that were hacked apart and pieced together. Salramm the Fleshcrafter was one of the first necromancers trained in the halls beneath Scholomance.

After the Third War, the Barovs remained as undead monsters. One of Kel'Thuzad's mightiest agents, the Ravenian, also lived within the recesses of the school — ever ready to devour those students who showed any sign of weakness. The lich ruled over the site guarding it for the Scourge, until he was destroyed. The mortal necromancer,, serves as headmaster of the school, succeeding who was headmaster after Kel'Thuzad. Constructs, spirits, and demons are allowed to roam the halls untended, which is unexpected for such practiced necromancers.

With the death of the Lich King and many of its leaders, including those once found in Scholomance, the Scourge became weakened. With no leadership, Darkmaster Gandling used his ability to control the undead and began to unofficially take control of the Scourge forces using them to keep control of Scholomance, the last holdout west of Thondroril, and attempt to take control of Andorhal. When Gandling failed to take Andorhal, he retreated back into Scholomance to bide his time.

Alexi and Weldon Barovs reunited and both turned their attention to Scholomance, attempting to rid their former home of the Scourge.

• ''The Scholomance is housed within a series of crypts that lie beneath the ruined keep of Caer Darrow. Once owned by the noble Barov family, Caer Darrow fell into ruin following the Second War. As the wizard Kel'thuzad enlisted followers for his Cult of the Damned, he would often promise immortality in exchange for serving the Lich King. The Barov family fell to Kel'thuzad's charismatic influence and donated the keep and its crypts to the Scourge. The cultists then killed the Barovs and turned the ancient crypts into a school for necromancy known as the Scholomance. Though Kel'thuzad no longer resides in the crypts, devoted cultists and instructors still remain. The powerful lich, Ras Frostwhisper, rules over the site and guards it in the Scourge's name — while the mortal necromancer, Darkmaster Gandling, serves as the school's insidious headmaster.

''Individuals seeking to master the powers of undeath know well of Scholomance, the infamous school of necromancy located in the dark and foreboding crypts beneath Caer Darrow. In recent years, several of the instructors have changed, but the institution remains under the control of Darkmaster Gandling, a particularly sadistic and insidious practitioner of necromantic magic.''

Lilian Voss entered Scholomance, hoping to put an end to the necromancers. However, Darkmaster Gandling managed to take and subdue her, in order to turn the undead against her allies.

After being defeated and left for dead by the adventurers, she managed to escape, leaving behind some gear, among them a necklace with a dark luster.

Adventurers also attacked Gandling with the help of Lord Alexei Barov who hoped that his death would lift the curse upon Caer Darrow and would allow Alexei's spirit to finally rest in peace.

The Shadow Council made a camp in Caer Darrow and spoke with the Cult of the Damned in Scholomance to get the Book of Medivh.

Kharmeera sent an adventurer to Scholomance to retrieve Ancient Arkhana from a Pile of Ancient Arkhana.

Mathias Shaw reported that as of the end of the Fourth War, Scholomance was still in operation as a school of necromancy, and is under the investigation by the Argent Crusade. The Crusade's reports mention that some of the Barovs are still there and Darkmaster Gandling, still active, has many puppets to play with. This includes Jandice Barov and Rattlegore. Mathias also reported that one of the ritual hoods used by the Cult. He advised it to be locked in the manor, but the hood and the Barovian family sword eventually ended up displayed in Mardenholde Keep of Hearthglen.

• The Four Tomes
• An End to the Suffering (Scholomance)

The key to lifting the curse of this place rests in the final death of Darkmaster Gandling.

• Instructor Chillheart defeated
• Jandice Barov defeated
• Rattlegore defeated
• Lilian Voss defeated
• Darkmaster Gandling defeated

• (deceased, remains can be found in the Butcher's Sanctum).

• Attention to Detail
• Rattle No More
• Sanguinarian
• School's Out Forever
• Scholomance (achievement)
• Heroic: Scholomance
• Scholomance Guild Run
• Heroic: Scholomance Guild Run

• Scholomance Challenger
• Scholomance: Bronze
• Scholomance: Silver
• Scholomance: Gold
• Challenge Master: Scholomance

• Darkmaster Gandling — Course: Advanced Studies
• Lilian Voss — Course: Reeducation
• Rattlegore — Course: Reanimation 101
• Instructor Chillheart — Course: Introduction to the Dark Arts
• Jandice Barov — Course: Advanced Illusions

The School of Necromancy is housed in an underground complex beneath the city of Andorhal. The School of Necromancy is a sprawling subterranean labyrinth akin to Undercity on a much smaller scale. Undead horrors, necromancers, warlocks, and Damned cultists haunt the tunnels. Darkmaster Gandling, a mummified wretch, teaches students how to raise the dead in the Lich King's name. Formerly a Dalaran wizard, he betrayed his masters for dark power and now revels in undeath. His graduates go on to Stratholme, the Scourge's capital in the Eastern Plaguelands.

A very non-canon take on Scholomance is the setting of the Hearthstone expansion HS Scholomance Academy. It is portrayed as a school for all character classes, outwardly jovial but hiding dark secrets, run by the sinister Headmaster Kel'Thuzad before his transformation into a lich.

• The term Scholomance literally means "school of magic".
• According to WoW Map Viewer the name for the Scholomance instance is SchoolofNecromancy.
• There is a cut subzone in the Western Plaguelands called the School of Necromancy.
• According to Romanian legend, a real exists by an unnamed lake in the mountains south of the city of Hermannstadt (called Sibiu in Romanian) in Transylvania. This school of black magic is said to be run by the Devil, and would accept only ten students at a time. The tenth would remain to serve the Devil as payment for his teachings. The Scholomance in WoW is placed in the middle of the lake, much like its legendary namesake. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Count Dracula is said to have spent several years training under the Devil in the Scholomance. It is referenced in both Stoker's novel and an article titled "Transylvanian Superstitions" on page 136 of The Nineteenth Century by Emily Gerard.
• During the development of classic World of Warcraft, Scholomance was internally known as "keep micro dungeon" for around half a year before Chris Metzen came in at the very end and named the dungeon "Scholomance".

Scholomance