Chapter Summaries

After the Horde retreated to Splintertree Post, Thrall left to recruit Garrosh Hellscream from Outland for a desperate counterattack. Garrosh killed Cenarius, breaking the Druid army and allowing the Horde to win an overwhelming victory in Ashenvale.

• Thrall rallied the demoralized Horde, left King Saurfang in command, and went to Outland seeking a powerful warrior.
• Two days later, Malfurion ordered the Druids to meet the Horde's renewed attack, confident that Cenarius would lead them to victory.
• Garrosh Hellscream charged through the battlefield and struck Cenarius down with Gorehowl.
• Malfurion fled as the Druids' morale collapsed, and Thrall ordered the Horde to pursue the retreating army.
• The Horde slaughtered fleeing Druids and burned the abandoned War Trees, securing a victory over Cenarius's forces.

After Malfurion’s defeat and Cenarius’s death left the Druids shattered, Tyrande accepted Azshara’s offer to unite the elves under her queenship. Azshara promised to send the Arcane Masters soon to help hold the Night Elves’ remaining territory against the Orcs.

• Malfurion fled to his cave on Mount Hyjal and went into hibernation, while surviving Druids regrouped at Tyrande’s camp.
• Tyrande and Shandris began reorganizing the defeated forces as Tyrande reflected on the Night Elves’ divisions and Azshara’s warnings.
• Tyrande contacted Azshara through the Communication Crystal and agreed to make her queen of the elves with authority to arbitrate disputes.
• Azshara promised that her people would arrive soon and help defend the Night Elves’ territory, though an immediate counterattack was unrealistic.

Azshara asked Deren to help her become queen of the elves, and he agreed to send Verina and the High Elf Mage Corps to support Tyrande in exchange for Azshara living in Theramore and keeping him informed. Jaina questioned his motives, while Deren remained wary of Ysera’s plans.

• Azshara asked Deren to secure the High Elves’ support for her bid to rule the elves, and he demanded benefits in return.
• Jaina asked whether Deren had expected the Druids to lose, and he explained that he had arranged for Verina’s mages to intervene if Tyrande needed help.
• Azshara offered to bear Deren an heir, then pressed him to send the High Elves to support Tyrande.
• Deren agreed to send Verina with Azshara on the condition that Azshara live in Theramore and report on elven affairs.
• After Azshara and Ysera left, Deren told Jaina he hoped Azshara might unite the elven races, while Jaina worried about Ysera’s intentions.

Oni returned from Zandalar and reunited with Deren and their family. After returning home, Deren revealed his tentative plan to use Ner’zhul’s Crown of Domination to threaten the Twisting Nether, though the group agreed it would be difficult to carry out.

• Deren told White Jaina that Zandalar had joined the Alliance after Talanji suppressed rebellions and the Loa Gods surrendered.
• Onyxia surprised Deren by returning, then reunited with him and greeted Theresa before asking to go home.
• Chromie brought Deren and Onyxia home through a Time Rift, where they reunited with Jaina and Anveena.
• Deren explained that he was considering targeting the Crown of Domination in the Twisting Nether, and Chromie told Onyxia about its connection to the Shadowlands.
• Onyxia and Chromie agreed that Deren’s plan would be difficult, then Onyxia suggested they take a bath together.

Thrall abandoned hopes of defeating the Night Elves quickly and prepared to hold Ashenvale while seeking peace negotiations. Azshara and Tyrande likewise considered asking Theramore and the Alliance to mediate, as neither side could afford to continue the costly fighting.

• Thrall ordered a retreat after the Orcs suffered heavy losses against the Night Elves, their Druids, and Holy Light healers.
• Thrall and Saurfang argued over the Orcs’ need to claim Ashenvale, and Thrall decided to build defenses and seek Troll support.
• Eitrigg reported that Zandalar had joined the Alliance, but the Alliance fleet had gone to Zandalar rather than Kalimdor.
• Thrall ordered Saurfang to take a letter to Jaina in Theramore and negotiate peace with the Night Elves while insisting that the Horde keep Ashenvale.
• Azshara refused Tyrande’s proposal to attack the Orc fortifications, and Tyrande agreed to seek Alliance mediation through Theramore.

Malygos sent Kalecgos to guide Malygosa and Stellagosa to Theramore to settle a dispute over treasure with Chronormu, while encouraging them to learn about human society. In Theramore, Deren and Aegwynn successfully tested an explosive weapon designed to blast underground caves, and Ysera guessed at its intended target.

• Malygos ordered Kalecgos to escort Malygosa and Stellagosa to Theramore and help them negotiate with Chronormu over the division of treasure.
• Malygos instructed Kalecgos to show the two dragons around the human city, especially introducing them to mortal men, and Kalecgos agreed despite his fear.
• Kalecgos teleported with Malygosa and Stellagosa toward Theramore, where he blushed at Stellagosa's greeting before Malygosa urged him to hurry.
• Aegwynn ignited the gas mixture in Glass Jars, and Deren declared the resulting explosion suitable for field testing as a weapon for blasting caves.
• Ysera asked Deren what enemy might be hiding underground, then realized he might be targeting one of her own kind.

Kalecgos brought Malygosa and Stellagosa to return gems to Chromie, but old enmities and Kalecgos’s infatuation with Aegwynn turned the visit into a chaotic confrontation. Aegwynn stopped the gathered dragons and mages from escalating, then asked what Malygos had sent them to do.

• Kalecgos arrived at Deren’s home with Malygosa and Stellagosa to return gems that Malygos said belonged to Chromie.
• Onyxia reacted with hostility toward the Blue Dragons, and Deren and Chromie tried to defuse the tense standoff by summoning Aegwynn.
• Aegwynn arrived with Antonidas and Ysera, and Kalecgos immediately resumed declaring his love for Aegwynn.
• Antonidas threatened Kalecgos, Malygosa defended him, and Ysera struck Kalecgos with Void Energy, causing the Blue Dragon women to prepare to retaliate.
• Deren and Aegwynn calmed everyone, and Aegwynn asked the visitors to explain Malygos’s purpose.

Stellagosa asked to stay in Deren’s house with Malygosa, but Onyxia refused and Chromie offered to help them find an inn instead. The Blue Dragons decided to remain in Theramore and tour with Chromie, while Onyxia recognized them as rivals for Deren’s attention.

• Stellagosa explained that Malygos had sent her and Malygosa to return the arcane essences and rebuild ties with Azeroth’s races, and asked Chromie for guidance and lodging.
• Onyxia declared that every room in Deren’s house was occupied and refused to let the two Blue Dragons stay there.
• Chromie offered to take Stellagosa and Malygosa to a Theramore inn and show them around the city the next day.
• Stellagosa accepted Chromie’s offer and said that she and Malygosa would arrange their own accommodations while staying in Theramore.
• Onyxia viewed the Blue Dragons as rivals for Deren’s attention, while Deren asked whether the now-lucid Kael needed treatment.

After the Blue Dragons’ visit, Onyxia warned Deren that Malygos might be trying to draw close to him because of his growing influence over Azeroth’s fate. She reassured herself that Deren loved her, then ordered stronger defenses and surveillance as she prepared for further attention from powerful visitors.

• After the visitors left, Onyxia confronted Deren and made Chromie sit down with the gems.
• Onyxia reasoned that Malygos had sent the Blue Dragons to approach Deren because of his growing importance and questioned what other factions might seek him out.
• Onyxia listed the Red and Green Dragonflights, Talanji, Jaina, and Chromie as possible future sources of competition for Deren’s attention.
• Deren reassured Onyxia that she was the mistress of his home and that he cared only about her and their peace.
• Onyxia ordered stronger magical defenses for the house and told Chromie to monitor the two Blue Dragons in Theramore.

Tyrande sought Theramore’s help against the Orc invasion of Ashenvale, but Jaina and Deren urged her to negotiate and use money to secure war supplies instead. Tyrande agreed to buy up Theramore’s supplies, leaving the conflict headed for a prolonged war of attrition.

• Tyrande asked Jaina to have the Alliance intervene against the Orcs, and Jaina explained that the Night Elves would need to join the Alliance.
• Deren proposed that Tyrande negotiate with the Horde, but Tyrande refused until Jaina began to leave.
• Tyrande agreed to negotiate with the Horde if Ashenvale was returned, and Deren stopped her to explain Theramore’s position.
• Deren advised Tyrande to buy up war supplies in Theramore and Ratchet so the Orcs would have fewer resources.
• Tyrande ordered her people to gather valuables and buy all available war supplies, accepting that the fighting would become a long war of attrition.

Deren walked home with Ysera, whose Void Energy seemed to help Kalecgos regain control of himself. The chapter ended with Kalecgos thanking Ysera after she struck him again, while Malygosa and Stellagosa tried to understand what was happening.

• Deren answered Ysera’s questions about the heart while she walked arm in arm with him through the city.
• Ysera rebuked Malygosa for accusing her of fooling around with Deren, and Deren left the group to go home.
• Kalecgos chased after Ysera and asked her to strike him with Void Energy, explaining that it had briefly freed him from an uncontrollable change in behavior.
• Ysera hit Kalecgos with Void Energy, and he collapsed before telling Malygosa that he had asked for it.
• Kalecgos thanked Ysera for helping him feel clear-minded again, while Malygosa questioned why he needed to be beaten and Stellagosa pondered his explanation.

Deren and Ysera discovered that Ysera’s Void Energy had cleared Kalecgos’s mind, suggesting it might treat the Blue Dragons’ madness. As they left, Deren suspected an outside force had been driving Kalecgos’s strange obsessions.

• Ysera told Deren that Kalecgos had cheered while she whipped him with Void Energy, so Deren returned to question him.
• Kalecgos confirmed that the Void Energy had cleared his mind and eased his obsession with Aegwynn, while Malygosa denied that the Blue Dragons were mad.
• Stellagosa realized that Malygosa and Kalecgos were entering mating season and urged Malygosa to look after him.
• Ysera teased Deren as they walked, but he refused to encourage her advances because he was committed to his wife.
• Deren told Ysera that Kalecgos’s madness might be caused by an outside force, and she agreed that he had seemed different after the whipping.

Saurfang arrived in Theramore carrying a letter from Thrall and sought Jaina’s help, while Deren advised her to keep Theramore neutral in the Ashenvale war. After spotting Night Elves buying large quantities of arrowheads, Saurfang staged a fight to draw Jaina out, and she agreed to meet with him.

• Saurfang landed at Theramore Harbor and saw that the Orcs living there were safe from the fighting in Ashenvale.
• Jaina learned that Saurfang had arrived with a personal letter from Thrall, and Deren told her to preserve Theramore’s neutrality while offering no substantial aid.
• Jaina delayed Saurfang’s audience as the ranger escorted him through the city toward an inn.
• Saurfang noticed Night Elves transporting arrowheads and worried they were preparing for war while the Orcs lacked ranged weapons.
• Saurfang pretended to be attacked and beat two Night Elves collecting arrowheads, causing a street brawl that brought Jaina to the scene.
• Jaina introduced herself to Saurfang and invited him to speak with her.

Jaina received Saurfang as Thrall’s envoy and agreed to pass on the Horde’s request for peace talks with the Night Elves. She gave Saurfang five hundred gold coins but refused to arrange credit or stop the Night Elves from buying supplies, leaving him to negotiate with merchants and await word from Theramore.

• Saurfang delivered Thrall’s letter to Jaina, requesting mediation with the Night Elves and easier access to supplies for the Horde.
• Jaina agreed to convey the Horde’s wish for peace talks but pretended she could not arrange credit purchases, offering five hundred gold coins from her private treasury instead.
• Jaina asked her assistant Kindi about Night Elf purchases, and Kindi reported that they had bought large quantities of supplies, driving up prices and depleting stock.
• Saurfang asked Jaina to persuade the Night Elves to stop buying supplies, but Jaina refused to interfere with fair trade.
• Saurfang thanked Jaina, said he would purchase supplies and await news about negotiations, and Jaina saw him out before returning to her Mage Tower humming.

Saurfang watched the Night Elves buy up Theramore’s supplies and then witnessed Kalecgos confront a white-haired woman he mistook for Jaina. After White Jaina revealed herself and recognized Saurfang, she remarked that old friends had gathered, leaving their meeting poised to continue.

• Saurfang lamented that the Orcs could not match the Night Elves’ spending and resolved to report their preparations to Thrall.
• Kalecgos stopped White Jaina in an alley and insisted that she was Jaina, despite her denial.
• Kalecgos pulled back White Jaina’s hood and saw her white hair, while Stellagosa apologized and tried to lead him away.
• Kalecgos broke free and continued insisting that White Jaina was Jaina, prompting her to question his concern and call out Saurfang, who had been watching.
• Saurfang approached and apologized for spying, and White Jaina recognized him as an old friend.

White Jaina vanished after confronting Saurfang and the Blue Dragons, leaving them to wonder why two Jainas existed. Saurfang suspected the Mage Tower’s Jaina had secretly thwarted Garrosh’s planned attack on Theramore, and he was left uncertain whether the Horde or Theramore could be trusted.

• White Jaina said farewell and teleported away after venting her anger at the Orcs and Blue Dragons.
• Kalecgos, Malygosa, and Stellagosa wondered whether White Jaina was a future version of the Jaina in the Mage Tower.
• Saurfang connected White Jaina’s hatred to Garrosh’s plans and suspected the Mage Tower’s Jaina had secretly caused the explosion in Orgrimmar.
• Saurfang considered whether Thrall had knowingly backed Garrosh’s scheme and concluded that the Horde and Theramore might both be hiding their hostility.
• Saurfang felt helpless and lonely as he realized he had no evidence and could only keep asking Jaina for help.

Tyrande agreed to begin peace negotiations with the Orcs, especially to exchange prisoners, while insisting that Ashenvale remain a Night Elf red line. Deren urged her to use the wartime crisis to introduce the Holy Light and Arcane traditions, and he later told Jaina that the resulting internal conflict might weaken the Night Elves despite their growing military advantage.

• Tyrande arrived in Theramore furious that the Orcs had proposed negotiations, but Jaina and Deren persuaded her that talks could recover prisoners and buy time.
• Tyrande agreed to negotiations in principle but declared that the Orcs must surrender Ashenvale, and Deren warned that the land's ownership would likely still be decided by war.
• Deren raised the end of the High Elf mages’ contracts, and Tyrande agreed to pursue their continued service while pushing for the Holy Light and Arcane traditions among her people.
• Tyrande appointed her daughter Shandris to represent the Night Elves in negotiations and promised to reimburse Deren for hiring Verina and the other High Elves.
• After Tyrande left, Deren told Jaina that Theramore could profit whether the Orcs and elves fought or negotiated, and predicted that Night Elf resistance to reform could cause further political conflict.

Thrall discovered that Orc guards had been feeding the elven prisoners pork and ordered them to gather suitable plant-based food. As Thrall and Tyrande prepared for peace talks in Theramore, both sides planned to keep military pressure on the other, and the Night Elves considered using the conflict to advance internal reforms.

• Thrall learned that captured Night Elves were refusing Orc food and ordered guards to gather fruit and edible roots for them.
• Thrall received Saurfang’s letter reporting that the Night Elves had agreed to peace talks and were buying supplies for a larger battle.
• Tyrande appointed Shandris to negotiate with the Orcs, instructing her to demand their withdrawal from Ashenvale and the return of prisoners.
• Shandris warned that the Orcs would use their prisoners as leverage, while Tyrande said the Night Elves would keep fighting if negotiations failed.
• Tyrande and Shandris agreed to attack Orc patrols with the Sentinels and High Elf Mages while using the war to promote arcane magic, the Holy Light, and Night Elf reforms.

Saurfang met Regar Earthfury in Theramore and learned that Regar was recruiting Orcs and other outcasts to settle in New Nagrand, Outland. Regar admitted he had copied human kingdoms’ methods to build a protected territory, leaving Saurfang to consider what the settlement meant for the Orcs.

• Saurfang watched Night Elves buy military supplies in Theramore and worried that the Orcs were falling behind.
• A Goblin told Saurfang that Regar was offering land and cattle in New Nagrand, with protection in exchange for taxes.
• Saurfang followed the Goblin to a shantytown and recognized Regar Earthfury among the gathered Orcs.
• Regar told Saurfang he had contacted the Naga and wanted to return to Draenor to live peacefully.
• Regar admitted he was organizing settlers using methods copied from human kingdoms and said his territory held seven or eight hundred people, mostly outcasts.

Rega explained to Saurfang why he was leading over a thousand Orcs to New Nagrand with Theramore’s support, arguing that survival mattered more than honor and that the war in Ashenvale was pointless. Saurfang asked him to help the Horde, but Rega deferred while he settled his affairs in Azeroth and Outland.

• Saurfang was shocked to learn Rega had recruited hundreds of Orcs from Theramore, and Rega explained that they feared Garrosh’s rule and wanted to send their families to Outland.
• Rega revealed that Theramore funded him in exchange for obedient Orcs, prompting Saurfang to accuse him of surrendering his honor; Rega argued that hunger made survival more important.
• Rega told Saurfang that the Ashenvale war was meaningless and questioned whether the Alliance could distinguish the new Horde from the old Horde or whether Orcs could deny their violent history.
• Rega suggested the Orcs could escape persecution by leaving Azeroth or rely on Thrall to deceive the Alliance, and Saurfang asked him to take responsibility for the Horde’s survival.
• Rega avoided committing to Saurfang’s request until he had settled the needs of the more than a thousand Orcs depending on him, and Saurfang accepted the delay.