Chapter Summaries

Uther met Ve'nari, an Ethereal merchant who claimed he might be the person she had searched for across the cosmos because he combined Light and death. After revealing that someone had once summoned the Holy Light in the Shadowlands, Ve'nari offered to take him to a prisoner beneath Revendreth, and Uther agreed to go.

• Ve'nari approached Uther, called him a prophesied chosen one, and tried to sell him goods, but he initially refused to trust her.
• Ve'nari said she had seen the Holy Light summoned in the Shadowlands before, prompting Uther to hear her out at her camp.
• Ve'nari told Uther that the Void had destroyed her people's homeworld and that they had sacrificed it to wound the Void power and put it to sleep.
• Over tea, Ve'nari explained that Uther's blend of Light and death might make him the goal her people had sought, while Uther suspected she had an informant within the Holy Light Legion.
• Ve'nari revealed that the previous Holy Light summoner was imprisoned beneath Revendreth, and Uther took up his warhammer and agreed to go rescue her.

Uther rescued the weakened Naaru Z'rali from the Sanguine Depths with Ve'nari's help. Back at Ve'nari's camp, Z'rali rejected returning to her own kind, leaving Uther and Ve'nari to face the problem of where she could go.

• Ve'nari led Uther through the Sanguine Depths, where he defeated Krikthir the Gatewatcher and drove Executor Tarvold to flee.
• Uther reached the arena, killed Grand Overseer Beryllia, and found the imprisoned Naaru Z'rali.
• Uther used the Holy Light to help Z'rali before Ve'nari opened a Portal and brought them back to her camp in Korthia.
• Uther proposed contacting Xenedar and Xe'ra, but Z'rali refused to return to her kind because she feared they would reject her as corrupted.
• Ve'nari pointed out that finding a place for Z'rali was a serious problem, and Uther asked for her advice.

Uther arranged for Z'rali to leave the Shadowlands for Draenor, then continued his search for The Maw Walker's sigil in Korthia with Ve'nari. Tal-Galan examined Uther's anima, empowered him, and sent him toward Korthia's outer vault, while Ve'nari warned him to be wary of everyone.

• Ve'nari promised to send Z'rali to Draenor's human Paladins, and Z'rali agreed to carry Uther's message that he was still defending Azeroth.
• Ve'nari used her core energy to teleport Z'rali out of the Shadowlands, and Uther thanked her before explaining that he was searching for The Maw Walker's sigil.
• Ve'nari led Uther to Tal-Galan, Korthia's secret guardian, who examined Uther's anima and infused him with power despite Ve'nari's warning.
• Tal-Galan directed Uther to search Korthia's outer vault and introduced him to Caretaker Kah-Sarn, who offered to guide him there.
• Ve'nari stayed behind and warned Uther to trust everyone in Korthia as much as he had trusted her.

Uther used the Holy Light to open a hidden chamber beneath the Treasury vault, where he fought the disguised Nathrezim Jintessa. After defeating her, he saw another figure drop into the chamber.

• Uther followed Ka-Sahn and Defender Ka-Lev to the damaged Treasury vault while searching for The Maw Walker's sigil.
• Uther summoned the Holy Light into the vault's central shaft, revealing a portal and jumping through it; Ka-Sahn followed and was exposed as a Nathrezim.
• Tal-Galan arrived, learned what Ka-Lev had witnessed, and also entered the glowing shaft.
• Uther reached the hidden chamber and confronted Jintessa, who attacked him with a hypnotic spell.
• Uther used the Holy Light and the chamber's terrain to cripple Jintessa's wing and kill her with his warhammer.
• As Uther recovered, another figure dropped into the chamber.

Uther retrieved The Maw Walker's sigil from Korthia, uncovered Zera's knowledge of Z'rali, and left Ve'nari behind. In Zandalar, Captain Redpath encountered Z'rali after Goblins brought her there in pieces.

• Uther burned Jintessa's corpse, exposed her attempt to play dead, and smashed her remains until she was dead.
• Tal-Galan opened the vault, where Uther found The Maw Walker's sigil, and then teleported them back to camp.
• Uther said goodbye to Ve'nari, who urged him to resolve The Maw Walker's problem and warned him to protect himself.
• Uther presented the sigil to Zera, who sent it to Turalyon and told Uther not to mention Z'rali again.
• Captain Redpath led his Paladins to meet a Goblin caravan carrying Z'rali, and she reassembled herself and introduced herself.

Jaina brought Deren news of Z'rali, a Naaru rejected by Shattrath, and Deren agreed to receive her while speculating about how Naaru were created. Meanwhile, Illidan planned an expedition to Outland, and Thrall ordered Saurfang to keep the magnataur fighting by placing their young under Horde protection as famine and unrest worsened.

• Velen told Z'rali that Adal did not want her to go to Shattrath, and Redpath and the Paladins swore to accept her as their ally.
• Jaina told Deren that Z'rali had escaped the Shadowlands, carried news of Uther, and wanted to work for Azeroth, so Deren agreed to receive her.
• Deren speculated with Onyxia about Naaru souls and origins, then announced a plan called six-god fusion.
• Illidan defeated Maiev again, then said he wanted to invade Outland and eliminate the orc threat; Maiev agreed to join him.
• Saurfang told Thrall that the magnataur mercenaries wanted to return home, and Thrall ordered him to send a representative to Northrend while the Horde gathered and guarded their young.
• Saurfang warned Thrall that food shortages had caused famine and families to flee, while Thrall said the Ancestor's Spirit had promised that circumstances would soon change.

Deren and Alleria met the newly arrived Naaru Z'rali in Theramore, where they learned she had been exiled after corruption by Death Power and agreed to let her settle in the city. The chapter ended with Z'rali accepted as a resident and research subject, while Deren decided to keep his powerful allies in reserve rather than risk creating a dangerous fusion.

• Deren persuaded Alleria to help inspect Z'rali, and Alleria forgave him over his relationship with Vereesa.
• Deren, Alleria, and Jaina welcomed Z'rali to Theramore, where Z'rali reacted fearfully to Alleria's Void form and revealed that Death Power had corrupted her.
• Z'rali identified Uther as the prophesied chosen one and confirmed she had been exiled by the Naaru.
• Jaina offered Z'rali a place in Theramore, and Z'rali agreed to follow the city's laws and cooperate with research in exchange for assurances that the Naaru would not be harmed.
• Alleria asked whether Z'rali could Lightforge an Undead, but Jaina warned against doing so, and Alleria abandoned the idea.
• Deren considered the forces he had gathered, then chose to avoid experimenting with a fusion of them and keep his allies as future safeguards.

After settling Z'rali in Theramore, Deren tried to avoid Alleria and wandered through the marketplace, where Vereesa caught him on patrol and persuaded him to take her out to eat. The chapter ended with Vereesa leading Deren to a newly opened Dessert House.

• Deren said goodbye to Alleria after Z'rali settled into her room at City Hall, and Jaina teleported back to the Mage Tower.
• Deren walked through Theramore's commercial district to observe the marketplace and encountered Vereesa on patrol.
• Vereesa stopped Deren from leaving by threatening to tell her Second Sister about their past encounter.
• Deren rejected Vereesa's suggestions to shop and shoot fish, then offered to buy her a meal.
• Vereesa led Deren through the streets to a newly opened Dessert House.

Deren and Vereesa visited Yanis’s newly opened dessert shop in Theramore, where they discussed Laras, the Windrunner family, and their unresolved search for the souls of Vereesa’s parents. Vereesa admitted she understood Deren’s advice but would need time to adjust to her younger brother growing up.

• Deren and Vereesa chose an outdoor table at Yanis’s dessert shop, and Yanis recognized Vereesa and offered them a discount.
• Deren asked Yanis about Polina’s injured mother, and Yanis said a Paladin’s Holy Light had greatly improved her condition.
• Vereesa complained that Polina had bewitched Laras, and Deren reminded her that her brother had to live his own life.
• Deren ordered all of Yanis’s signature dishes to distract Vereesa from worrying about Laras.
• Vereesa asked whether there was news about finding her parents’ souls at the Temple of the Moon, and Deren said there was none yet.
• Vereesa told Deren that she had learned from Chromie that their Timeline was better than the others, then admitted she understood his point about Laras but could not change her habits at once.

Deren chatted and ate with Vereesa at a dessert shop in Theramore, where their flirtatious banter left him worried about her sisters finding out. Vereesa became excited about his idea for a magic gun, while Yanis overheard their private conversation and seemed to start plotting.

• Deren advised Vereesa to let Arator learn independence, and Vereesa admitted she felt she had failed to protect him.
• Yanis served Deren and Vereesa desserts and a new fruit drink, making an obvious effort to charm Deren and prompting Vereesa to send her away.
• Vereesa asked why rangers had to use bows, and Deren suggested Jaina might make a quiet, automatically aiming magic gun; Vereesa asked him to help develop it.
• Vereesa teased Deren about their intimacy and repeated things Chromie had told her, leaving Deren worried that Alleria and Sylvanas might discover their relationship.
• Deren changed the subject by promising to speak with Jaina about the magic gun, and Vereesa agreed with a gesture like Lezi Long's.
• Yanis secretly overheard Deren and Vereesa and smiled as if she were planning something.

After parting from Vereesa, Deren was lured into a carriage by kidnappers who had taken her hostage. They brought both of them out of Theramore and into the Swamp of Sorrows, where Deren was led onward to meet their mysterious boss.

• Deren said goodbye to Vereesa and headed home through Theramore.
• Two merchants told Deren their boss wanted to meet him and used the kidnapped Vereesa to make him comply.
• The kidnappers bound and gagged Deren, covered his head, and put him in the carriage with Vereesa.
• The carriage passed through Theramore’s north gate while the kidnappers warned Deren not to resist or Vereesa would be hurt.
• The kidnappers took Deren into the Swamp of Sorrows, pulled him from the carriage, and led him toward their boss.

Ragnaros kidnapped Deren and revealed that he planned to seek Deathwing’s legacy and inherit the duty of the Earth Warder. Deren failed to talk his way out of joining him and was forced to prepare for the journey to the Forbidden Reach.

• Ragnaros met Deren beneath the torches and had his men take Vereesa away.
• Ragnaros greeted Deren over wine, praised his reputation, and asked about Onyxia and the other black dragons’ intentions toward the Black Dragon Legion.
• Deren claimed that Onyxia and her brother in Theramore would not seek the Black Dragon Legion’s leadership.
• Ragnaros explained that he intended to inherit the Earth Warder’s duty and asked Deren to accompany him.
• Deren tried to secure permission to return to Onyxia, but Ragnaros refused and said Vereesa would carry a message to her.

Ragnaros took Deren away from the Swamp of Sorrows after allowing Vereesa to return to Theramore with a message for Onyxia and Jaina. He brought Deren aboard a ship bound first for Northrend, while Deren concealed his strength and tried to learn why Ragnaros wanted him.

• Deren persuaded Ragnaros to let Vereesa leave and tell Onyxia and Jaina not to worry.
• Ragnaros led Deren through the Swamp of Sorrows, asking how he had met his sister and why she had trusted him.
• Deren gave Ragnaros a vague account of meeting Onyxia on the road and starting a small business together.
• The group reached the seaside and boarded a black ship moored in a shallow bay.
• Ragnaros said they were going to Northrend, and Deren asked an assassin to show him to his room so he could rest.

Deren was held captive aboard Ragnaros's ship as it sailed away from the Swamp of Sorrows, and he tried to learn more while keeping his captor at ease. The chapter left him on deck with Ragnaros, agreeing to go fishing while postponing a risky attempt to send a message.

• Deren examined his locked cabin and abandoned the idea of escaping through the hull, realizing the dark sea made escape dangerous.
• Jerry brought Deren food and told him Ragnaros had ordered the crew to satisfy his needs; he could not say where the ship was headed.
• Deren bribed Jerry with a gold coin and was allowed onto the deck for fresh air.
• Ragnaros joined Deren on deck after the ship had evaded the search by Onyxia and Jaina.
• Deren suggested fishing and decided not to risk sending a message that might draw Onyxia into a dangerous rescue.

Ragnaros took Deren captive to keep Onyxia from interfering in the black dragon family's struggle over the Aspect of Earth. Onyxia and Jaina withdrew to protect Deren, leaving him aboard Ragnaros's ship as it continued toward its destination.

• Ragnaros challenged Deren to a fishing contest, and Deren caught a fish while the ship was still in coastal waters.
• Onyxia and Jaina tracked down the ship, and Ragnaros seized Deren by the throat to stop them from interfering with his plan.
• Ragnaros told Onyxia he would use Deren as leverage until he inherited the duty of the Aspect of Earth.
• Deren signaled Onyxia and Jaina not to risk his life, and Jaina persuaded Onyxia to retreat temporarily.
• After Onyxia and Jaina teleported away, Ragnaros released Deren and ordered his men to lock him back in the cabin.

Jaina and Onyxia tracked Ragnaros's ship while planning to rescue Deren without putting him in danger. After a storm jolted the ship, Deren persuaded Jerry to let him leave the cabin and go up on deck.

• Jaina and Onyxia appeared aboard the Flying Fish and decided to follow Ragnaros's ship using a hidden arcane beacon.
• Jaina ordered the mages to track the beacon, while Onyxia warned her that Ragnaros was cunning and dangerous.
• Deren considered Ragnaros's bid to become Aspect of Earth, then fell asleep in his locked cabin.
• A violent storm woke Deren, and he convinced Jerry to leave the cabin door unlocked by pretending the ship was leaking.
• Deren persuaded Jerry to take him onto the storm-lashed deck to see what was happening.

Deren endured severe seasickness aboard Ragnaros's ship during a violent storm, while Onyxia and Jaina followed nearby and discussed Ragnaros's ambitions and Deathwing's possible scheme. After the storm passed, Ragnaros visited Deren, who asked to be released, and Ragnaros froze at his request.

• Ragnaros used earth magic to steady the ship and ordered Deren to stay inside, while Deren considered escaping but rejected jumping into the stormy sea.
• Deren became seasick in the cabin, and Jerry gave him dried herbs that eased his nausea.
• Onyxia and Jaina followed the ship aboard the Flying Fish, decided against attacking in the storm, and suspected Deathwing planned to exploit the contest over the Aspect of Earth.
• The storm subsided after Ragnaros exhausted himself keeping the ship steady, while Deren lay weak in the cabin.
• Ragnaros visited Deren, who asked to be released and promised Onyxia would not trouble him, but Ragnaros's expression froze.

After ten days at sea, Deren recovered enough from seasickness to learn that Ragnaros was taking the ship north toward Northrend. Ragnaros said they would avoid Dragonblight and land at Howling Fjord, but left his reason unexplained.

• Deren dreamed of his former life and woke to find that ten days had passed aboard Ragnaros's ship.
• Jerry brought Deren food and told him that the sailors believed the ship was heading north.
• Deren went up on deck, where the calmer sea and fresh air eased his seasickness.
• The next day, Deren learned from Jerry that pirates used bribes and disguises to enter human ports without revealing their identities.
• Ragnaros told Deren they would reach Northrend in two days and land at Howling Fjord to avoid the Red Dragon Queen.

Ragnaros announced that he would travel to the Dragon Isles to seek Deathwing’s secrets and the power of the Aspect of Earth, while Deren warned him about the dangers waiting there. When Ragnaros sensed something following their ship, Deren feared Jaina and Onyxia’s rescue party had been spotted, but Ragnaros returned after seeing only a giant turtle and seagulls.

• Ragnaros told Deren that Deathwing had revealed the Dragon Isles’ location and the secret to becoming the true Aspect of Earth.
• Deren recalled the hidden Dracthyr experiments on the Forbidden Reach and warned Ragnaros that Deathwing might be manipulating him and that dangerous beings could be in the laboratory.
• Ragnaros declared that he would claim the Aspect of Earth’s power and restore the Black Dragon Legion.
• Ragnaros sensed something behind the ship, transformed into a black whelp, and flew toward the stern to investigate.
• Ragnaros returned and said he had only seen a deep-sea giant turtle with seagulls, while Deren remained uneasy and believed Jaina and Onyxia would keep trying to rescue him.

Deren revealed to Ragnaros that he and Onyxia owned shares in Theramore’s lucrative Fertilizer business, while Jaina and Onyxia secretly followed the black dragon’s ship to rescue him. After days at sea, Ragnaros’s party reached Northrend, where they unloaded supplies and gold from a hidden sea cave.

• Deren told Ragnaros that he and Onyxia each owned one-tenth of the Fertilizer business and had received hundreds of thousands of gold coins in dividends.
• Ragnaros briefly considered joining Deren to get rich but insisted that money meant nothing to him.
• Jaina used an illusion to hide her ship, the Flying Fish, while she and Onyxia pursued Ragnaros and planned to rescue Deren.
• Onyxia explained that dragon senses had exposed her aura and that Ragnaros had sent men to kidnap Deren rather than enter Theramore himself.
• After two days and nights at sea, Deren reached Northrend and put on a fur cloak Jerry brought him.
• Ragnaros directed his men to unload water, food, ship-repair supplies, and chests of gold from a hidden sea cave.