Chapter Summaries

Tirion and the liberated Death Knights drove off the Lich King at Light's Hope Chapel, and the victorious factions reorganized for the coming Northrend campaign. Mograine allied Oscar's Stratholme with the Knights of the Ebon Blade, while leaders prepared to meet at Karazhan to finalize the expedition plans.

• Tirion struck at the Lich King's projection with Ashbringer, forcing it to retreat after it warned that their final battle would come later.
• The Silver Dawn and the reorganized Silver Hand merged into the Argent Crusade, while Mograine led the liberated Knights of the Ebon Blade.
• Sylvanas absorbed the Death Knights from Scarlet County, and Mograine chose not to challenge her claim.
• Mograine apologized to Oscar and invited him to rejoin the Knights of the Ebon Blade; Oscar agreed to make Stratholme an allied faction.
• Merith Winterwind invited faction leaders to Karazhan to discuss the Northrend expedition, and the Dragon Aspects sent Alexstrasza as their representative.

Hu Feng hosted the leaders of the factions at Karazhan to plan their northern campaign. He proposed landing in Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord and using mixed forces, leaving the details of deployment and territory division for discussion.

• Hu Feng waited at Karazhan while his wives and companions explored the tower, and he teased Merith and Medivh about their love lives.
• The faction leaders arrived, and Varian and Garrosh exchanged insults before Thrall and Saurfang intervened.
• Tirion reported that the Argent Crusade was stable and ready to campaign, while Calia, Mograine, Darian, and Oscar greeted Hu Feng.
• Hu Feng gathered the leaders and projected a map of Northrend, recommending landings in Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord and mixed operations among the factions.
• Hu Feng left the leaders to discuss how to combine their forces and divide territory across Northrend.

As the Alliance sailed north to fight the Scourge, VanCleef formed the Defias Brotherhood to protect Westfall and secure construction work for his Artisans Guild. After the Brotherhood struck the Syndicate with help from local druids, Vanessa became Garona’s apprentice under the codename "Hope."

• VanCleef persuaded King Varian and Highlord Bolvar to appoint his guild to fight the Syndicate in Westfall in exchange for exclusive construction work there.
• VanCleef led most of his former subordinates to Westfall and formed the Defias Brotherhood, while others stayed in Stormwind City to manage the guild’s business.
• The Defias Brotherhood launched coordinated attacks on the Syndicate and executed captured bandits at Gold Coast Mine.
• Westfall’s farmers and Night Elf druids joined the fight, with the druids scouting in panther form to help the Brotherhood strike the Syndicate.
• Vanessa asked Garona to train her as a thief so she could help her father, and Garona accepted her as an apprentice named "Hope."

The Alliance, its allies, and the Horde launched their expeditions toward Northrend to establish strongholds and fight the Lich King. The fleets departed on separate routes as the northern campaign began.

• King Varian watched the Alliance fleet depart Stormwind under Highlord Bolvar, bound for the Borean Tundra.
• Tirion Fording, Bridget, and Princess Calia combined their forces and sailed toward Howling Fjord, while Dalaran set out with Jaina and ambassadors aboard.
• Vareesa Windrunner was appointed the joint representative of the Alliance and the Night Empire in Dalaran, and the Night Empire's Floating Island headed for Cendragon.
• Garrosh rallied the Horde expedition at Orgrimmar with General Nazgrim and Little Saurfang serving as marshals with authority to check his command.
• The Warsong Expeditionary Force sailed for Northrend with its airships, vowing to defeat the Lich King.

Sylvanas received Naxxramas from Hu Feng and led the Forsaken army north to begin their campaign against the Lich King. At sea, the Alliance and Horde fleets traded insults and mock cannon fire before separating for their destinations.

• Hu Feng gave Sylvanas Naxxramas to transport the Forsaken army and told her to retreat to him if she could not win.
• Sylvanas ordered the Forsaken to board Naxxramas, assigned the undead forces to its districts, and prepared the fortress for the journey north.
• Sylvanas used Naxxramas's broadcast system to order the army to attack the Night Empire fleet with plague barrels if they encountered it.
• The Alliance and Horde fleets met at sea, where their soldiers exchanged taunts and Garrosh ordered a mock exchange of cannon fire.
• Highlord Bolvar let the soldiers blow off steam, and the two fleets eventually separated while their crews exchanged crude good wishes for the coming war.

Azshara returned to the Night Empire and used a press appearance to present herself as a repentant, capable leader before joining the Chancellor's Council. Llane and Heklar recognized her as a formidable political rival, while Heklar remained willing to work with her unless she tried to become God Queen.

• Azshara traveled toward the Eternal Night Palace and decided to build power through the Chancellor's Council.
• Azshara addressed reporters, promised to improve citizens' lives, and asked forgiveness for the disaster ten thousand years earlier, blaming demons for deceiving her.
• Llane told Lothar that Azshara's political skills made her more dangerous than the Black Dragon Princess and could threaten Elisande and the council.
• Elisande asked Heklar whether he would accept Azshara despite their past grievances, and he said he would cooperate if she served the Empire.
• When Elisande asked what would happen if Azshara sought to become God Queen, Heklar said the Divine Emperor would make her obey.

The Alliance and Horde fleets fought undead forces as they tried to land in Borean Tundra, while the Iron Horde joined the Horde’s assault from the air. After Grom and Kargath teased Garrosh during the battle, Hu Feng turned Grom into the performer in his livestream, handing him a dead Arcane Spectral Dragon to eat.

• Admiral Rogers ordered the Gnome Gyrocopter Squadron to take off as undead nerubians attacked the Alliance fleet near Borean Tundra.
• Garrosh led the Horde assault on shore, charging into the undead while Horde ships and Steam Tanks fired on them.
• The Iron Horde’s Black Dragon Riders arrived and bombed the undead, while Grom and Kargath taunted Garrosh from their armored dragons.
• Hu Feng livestreamed from the Floating Island and introduced Grom to viewers as the performer who would eat a dead Arcane Spectral Dragon.
• Hu Feng handed the bewildered Grom the dragon and told him to take a bite for the watching audience.

The Alliance, Horde, and several other factions established footholds across Northrend after landing and driving back local Scourge forces. As they prepared their next moves, the Forsaken clashed with the Vrykul, while the Argent Crusade’s coalition began planning an assault on the Gate of the Scourge.

• The Alliance began building Valiance Keep in Borean Tundra, while the Horde established a stronghold for Warsong Fortress nearby.
• The Argent Crusade, Crimson Vanguard, and Lordaeron Restoration Army landed in Howling Fjord and began constructing Westguard Fortress after repelling small Scourge and Vrykul forces.
• The Argent Crusade planned to advance toward Icecrown Glacier, while the Crimson Vanguard prepared to establish a stronghold near Wyrmrest Temple and confront Kel'Thuzad.
• The Forsaken established Vengeance Landing and New Agamand, then attacked nearby Vrykul towns with Plague Bombs.
• The Forsaken’s attacks fueled friction with the three allied forces, while all factions consolidated their bases before the planned assault on the Gate of the Scourge.

Hu Feng met with Malygos on Cendragon, promised to restore Sindragosa, and asked the blue dragons to support Onyxia’s envoys. As the Night Empire’s forces advanced into Dragonblight, Loken and Kel’Thuzad grew anxious about the Titan’s arrival, and the Scourge launched an attack.

• The blue dragons built a lavish State Guesthouse on Cendragon for the Night Empire’s guests and welcomed Hu Feng.
• Malygos thanked Hu Feng for saving the blue dragon eggs and asked about Sindragosa, whom Hu Feng promised to return to him.
• Hu Feng asked Malygos to look after Onyxia’s black dragon envoys at Wyrmrest Temple, and Malygos agreed.
• Loken feared the arriving Titan would uncover Ulduar’s corruption, unaware that a Lesser Titan had received Odyn’s emergency signal and was heading to Azeroth.
• Kel’Thuzad learned that the Crimson Vanguard had established positions near Wyrmrest Temple and ordered Scourge forces to attack them and the Scarlet Crusade at New Light’s Hope Chapel.

Cult of the Damned infiltrators threatened the Alliance and Horde strongholds in Borean Tundra, so Soulbinder priests from the Night Empire helped uncover them. After the priests also healed Horde soldiers, the Horde honored them with a banquet and escorted them safely back to Cendragon Island.

• Adventurers arrived in Borean Tundra and began fighting hostile forces for the Alliance and Horde.
• A Cult of the Damned follower nearly released the Scourge Plague in Valiance Keep, prompting Highlord Bolvar and Grand Marshal Garrosh to search their ranks.
• Soulbinder priests inspected Valiance Keep and Warsong Fortress, finding more than thirty cultists among the Alliance and about a dozen among the Horde.
• Highlord Bolvar ordered the Alliance cultists hanged, while the Soulbinder priests helped Horde shamans heal wounded soldiers.
• Garrosh and the Horde held a farewell banquet for the priests and arranged for Kor'kron guards to protect them overnight.
• The Horde escorted the Soulbinder priests to the eastern coast, where blue dragons carried them back to Cendragon Island.

The druids expanded their influence in the Grizzly Hills, allied with the furbolgs, and befriended the wilderness demigod Ursa and the spirit beast Great Horn. In the campaign’s second round, Little Saurfang’s Horde captured En'Kylah before Bolvar arrived, while the Night Empire’s army flew toward Ulduar to confront Yogg-Saron.

• The druids established Amberpine Lodge, allied with the furbolgs of Grizzlemaw, and helped them resist nearby enemies.
• The druids joined Ursa in battle against the Scourge, routed its forces, and delivered Cenarius’s letter to him.
• The druids befriended Great Horn and invited Hunters to compete for the chance to become the spirit beast’s companion.
• Little Saurfang led the Horde’s assault on En'Kylah, and the army captured the fortress before the Alliance arrived.
• Bolvar congratulated Little Saurfang, then watched the Night Empire’s forces head toward Ulduar to fight Yogg-Saron.
• Little Saurfang and Bolvar returned to their armies and urged them to advance toward The Gate of the Scourge.

As the battle in Northrend shifted, Sylvanas’s forces attacked the Scourge’s Floating Fortresses while Cthulhu trapped Kel'Thuzad in a terrifying illusion. Kel'Thuzad agreed to serve Sylvanas as the new Lich King, leaving the Scourge’s flagship under her control.

• A damaged Scourge Floating Fortress fell toward the Crimson Vanguard’s defensive line, while Tirion Fording let the Forgotten Ones’ undead army enter the battle and relieve the Vanguard’s pressure.
• Sylvanas sent her elite forces to seize the Scourge’s Floating Fortresses and rode a Frost Dragon toward Kel'Thuzad’s flagship.
• A Dark Ranger told Sylvanas that Varimathras had acted in Undercity and that Putress planned to interfere with a Northern Expeditionary Force faction, but Sylvanas chose not to warn them.
• Cthulhu sealed Kel'Thuzad’s flagship and pulled him into a mental illusion, where he endured horrifying visions drawn from his memories.
• Kel'Thuzad broke down and pledged eternal loyalty to Sylvanas, agreeing to become the new Lich King.

Gamon, a timid Tauren dockworker in Orgrimmar, longed for the strength to stop being bullied and prove himself. After a Firstborn of the Gods offered him power through faith in the Titan Divine Venerable, Gamon considered accepting without betraying the Horde.

• Gamon left the inn during Orgrimmar's preparations for the Horde's Tilling Moon bonfire gathering and endured insults from human soldiers.
• Gamon watched Alleria arrive with a Crusader convoy and saw Thrall welcome her and the Firstborn of the Gods.
• Gamon worked a tiring shift loading Northern Expedition supplies and unloading goods at the docks.
• The Firstborn of the Gods asked Gamon if he wanted power and promised it if he believed in his lord.
• Gamon refused to betray the Horde, but the Firstborn assured him he could still serve it, and Gamon became tempted by the offer.

Kel'Thuzad became free of the Lich King's control and joined Sylvanas, while the Forsaken absorbed his Scourge Legion and attacked New Light's Hope Chapel. In Ulduar, Loken panicked over the approaching Titan and the sealed Observer Hall, then prepared a risky move that alarmed Yogg-Saron.

• Cthulhu's influence freed Kel'Thuzad from the Lich King's domination, and Sylvanas stopped her troops from fighting the obedient Scourge.
• Kel'Thuzad pledged his legion to Sylvanas and agreed to help her claim Frostmourne and the Frozen Throne after the Lich King fell.
• Sylvanas told Kel'Thuzad that Titan fire would erase the wills inside Frostmourne and the crown, and she accepted his request to care for Mr. Bigglesworth.
• The Forsaken absorbed Kel'Thuzad's forces, formed a fleet of Naxxramas and four Floating Castles, and attacked Balnazzar at New Light's Hope Chapel.
• Loken discovered that the Observer Hall had sealed itself as the Pantheon Observers prepared to arrive, and he devised a dangerous gamble.
• Yogg-Saron sensed that something was wrong despite withdrawing into his prison, as Loken's plan put him at risk.

Hu Feng watched the Blue Dragon Legion capture the Lost Proto-Dragon while following the Forsaken’s movements in Northrend. After Sylvanas’s use of plague weapons sparked a dispute with Tirion*Fording, both sides awaited Divine Emperor Sargeras’s arbitration.

• Malygos ordered the Blue Dragon Legion to capture the Lost Proto-Dragon, and the dragons brought it back in Arcane Energy Chains.
• Hu Feng reviewed reports that Sylvanas had moved most of her Forsaken forces to Northrend and that Varimathras and Balnazzar had rebelled in Undercity.
• The Forsaken used plague bombs in Howling Fjord, killing many Vrykul and raising them as undead, while the spreading plague cloud affected nearby allied forces.
• Tirion*Fording condemned Sylvanas’s use of plague weapons and demanded that she stop, but Sylvanas ignored him.
• Tirion*Fording requested Divine Emperor Arbitration, and the Night Empire referred the dispute to Sargeras.

Azshara joined the Eternal Night Chancellor Council and assessed the political struggle brewing in the Silver Fleet, while Hu Feng reflected on his growing bond with Elune. The chapter ended with Elune returning to the planet's core after promising not to betray Hu Feng's trust.

• Azshara joined the council, learned about the Crusaders' plans and the Death Star, and saw Elune's incarnation roaming Suramar and the Eternal Night Palace.
• Azshara recognized the danger in the Silver Fleet factional struggle, while Elisande orchestrated events and Azshara ordered the Origin Night not to get involved.
• Hu Feng told Elisande to keep watching Sylvanas and make sure she did not go too far.
• Hu Feng recalled Sargeras's explanation that he and Azeroth might be Extraordinary Twins, then reassured Elune that he would support their shared future.
• Elune asked whether she could trust and depend on Hu Feng, promised not to betray him, and returned to the planet's core.

The Forsaken destroyed their dispersive plague weapons under the Eternal Night Divine Emperor’s ruling, then wiped out the Scarlet Crusade’s last stronghold at New Light’s Hope Chapel. In Undercity, Varimathras betrayed Balnazzar, absorbed his essence, and fled as Night Empire Crusaders attacked.

• The Eternal Night Divine Emperor’s ruling required the Forsaken to destroy their large-scale plague bombs, and Sylvanas secured Storm Peaks and Zuldazar from Hu Feng in exchange for accepting the restrictions.
• The Forsaken army destroyed the Scarlet Crusade’s final stronghold at New Light’s Hope Chapel, leaving High Lord Dathrohan’s whereabouts unknown and the Crimson Vanguard as the remaining inheritor of the Scarlet will.
• Varimathras learned that Sargeras had reached a ten-year agreement with Titan Sargeras and worried that the Legion’s scattered demons would not protect him.
• Balnazzar arrived in Undercity, and Varimathras lied that the Legion’s main force would soon arrive as Night Empire Crusaders attacked.
• Varimathras bound Balnazzar, absorbed his soul essence, and escaped through a portal, leaving Undercity to the Crusaders.

After the Night Empire captured Undercity, Princess Calia traveled to negotiate the price of restoring Lordaeron while the world prepared for the battle at the Gate of the Scourge. Sargeras secured support for Sylvanas’s ascension from the Alliance and Horde in exchange for promises, and proposed that the world’s factions submit to the Night Empire if it could fight across the cosmos within ten years.

• The Night Empire’s Crusaders captured Undercity after Varimathras’s forces seized it, while Varimathras escaped and Apothecary Putress remained hidden and unaware.
• The Lordaeron Restoration Army celebrated the liberation of Tirisfal Glades, and Princess Calia traveled to Kalimdor to negotiate with the Night Empire over reclaiming the region.
• The Silver Dawn, Crimson Vanguard, Alliance, and Horde weighed their positions on Lordaeron’s restoration, with Tirion supporting it and Bridget accepting only nominal ties for her forces.
• As the Alliance, Horde, Argent Crusade, and Crimson Vanguard prepared to attack the Gate of the Scourge, Bolvar received a vision of his fate and agreed to support Sylvanas’s ascension if she remained under Sargeras’s control.
• Little Saurfang agreed to support Sylvanas’s ascension if the new Scourge stayed out of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, and Sargeras promised to make him a free Death Knight.
• Sargeras offered the Horde a ten-year pact: if the Night Empire could wage war across the cosmos, the Horde would become its autonomous fief, and the Alliance would face the same condition.

The Alliance and Horde began their assault on the Gate of the Scourge, where Arthas confronted their leaders and the battle was disrupted by Putress’s plague bombs. Calia forced the gate to remain open before Sylvanas captured Putress and ordered his traitors killed.

• Arthas attacked Little Saurfang with Frostmourne, but the Titan Divine Venerable’s power saved him and hurled him back to the Horde.
• Calia charged Arthas with Dawn’s First Light, and Jaina joined the fight as Arthas threatened to turn them into Death Knights.
• Putress launched plague bombs that harmed both living and undead forces, forcing Calia and the Northern Expeditionary Force to defend themselves with Dawn light.
• Calia retreated with Jaina and jammed Dawn’s First Light into the Gate of the Scourge to keep it from closing.
• Sylvanas confronted Putress, shot him with a shadow-charged arrow, and ordered her forces to kill the traitors and deliver Putress and his confidants to Cthulhu.

The Alliance and Horde opened the Gate of the Scourge after cleansing the plague, while Sylvanas witnessed the horrifying punishment Cthulhu inflicted on Putress and his apothecaries. The chapter ended with Sylvanas warning Kel'Thuzad not to give her a reason to send him back into Cthulhu’s Call.

• The red dragonflight cleansed the plague around the Gate of the Scourge while the Alliance and Horde purged nearby undead and engineers forced the gate open.
• Tirion returned Dawn's Glow to Calia, who said she felt no pity or hesitation toward the Lich King.
• Sylvanas saw Putress and his apothecaries disappearing as their souls remained trapped in Cthulhu’s Call, and Kel'Thuzad warned her not to enter it.
• Sylvanas entered the Call and watched an apothecary endure a distorted nightmare of his family before asking Cthulhu to let her out.
• Sylvanas told Kel'Thuzad not to give her a chance to send him back to Cthulhu, leaving him trembling in fear.