Chapter Summaries

Ye Ting spoke with the captive Garona in Orcish, befriended her, and freed her from her cage. Garona tested his trust with a sudden attack but stopped just short of harming him.

• Ye Ting spoke Orcish to Garona and asked Baron Gramon to leave them alone.
• Garona told Ye Ting her name and that she was a slave's child, and he offered to teach her human speech.
• Ye Ting promised to release Garona if she agreed not to escape, and she swore she would stay.
• Ye Ting used a transmutation spell to bend the cage bars, allowing Garona to leave.
• Garona lunged for Ye Ting's throat but stopped just before striking him, then asked why he had not fought back.

Ye Ting questioned Garona about the Horde and learned that her mixed heritage left her rejected by both humans and orcs, though she served the Stormreaver Clan. He invited her to dinner, and Garona accepted his kindness, leaving Ye Ting confident she might eventually join him.

• Garona warned Ye Ting that his trust made him vulnerable, and he teased her as their conversation turned friendly.
• Ye Ting asked why Garona had come, and she explained that the Warchief had sent her to scout and gather intelligence.
• Garona told Ye Ting that neither humans nor orcs accepted her, and explained that her outsider status let her move freely among the clans.
• Garona revealed that she served the Stormreaver Clan, led by the warlock Gul'dan, and answered Ye Ting's questions about the Horde.
• Baron Gramon invited Ye Ting to dinner, and Ye Ting invited the hungry Garona to join him; she accepted and promised not to run away.

Ye Ting brought Garona to dinner at Northshire Abbey, where the officers distrusted her but Bishop Fidel welcomed her. After an officer warned Ye Ting that Garona was dangerous, Ye Ting defended her and argued that he would judge her as an individual rather than condemn her for being an orc.

• Ye Ting and Garona entered the dining hall, where the officers reacted with hostility and Baron Gramon ordered them to stand down.
• Ye Ting seated Garona beside him, and Bishop Fidel introduced himself and began chatting with her kindly.
• Ye Ting saw that Fidel’s welcome helped the soldiers ease their hostility toward Garona, though some officers remained suspicious.
• An officer warned Ye Ting that Garona was an enemy who had taken down several soldiers, and Garona insisted that she had not deceived her friend.
• Ye Ting reassured Garona and told the officer that differences in human beliefs showed why he should not assume all orcs were alike.

Ye Ting defended Garona at a banquet, where she began learning human table manners and the soldiers’ hostility toward her faded. When wolf riders attacked Northshire Abbey, Garona recognized their approach and realized they had come for her.

• Ye Ting defended Garona against the officers’ objections, and Baron Gramon’s support quieted their protests.
• Garona struggled with human tableware, so Ye Ting taught her how to eat, easing the soldiers’ hostility toward her.
• Garona heard wolf riders approaching, and Baron Gramon ordered the troops to prepare Northshire Abbey’s defenses.
• Ye Ting rode with Garona and the guards to the valley entrance, where the wolf riders used ropes to pull at the wooden palisades.
• Baron Gramon wondered why the orcs had bypassed other targets, and Garona said they had come for her.

Human soldiers struggled to hold their formation against relentless orc wolf riders, and Baron Gramon called on Ye Ting when the battle began turning against them. Ye Ting unleashed a magical hailstorm that fell on the orc reinforcements and formation, transforming into deadly ice spikes.

• Orc wolf riders repeatedly charged the human spears until they broke through and crashed into the shield wall.
• The orcs overwhelmed the front ranks, while their wolves and superior strength inflicted heavy losses in the melee.
• Baron Gramon watched the human advantage disappear as more orc riders arrived and asked Ye Ting to save them.
• Ye Ting rode toward the battlefield and began chanting, gathering arcane power and drawing moisture into the sky.
• Snow and increasingly severe hail fell on the orc reinforcements, then sharpened into icy spikes that pierced the orcs and killed many of them.

Ye Ting used a modified Blizzard to destroy the orc reinforcements and help the humans win the battle, though the soldiers feared him despite their gratitude. As he and Garona returned to the monastery, she explained that she had stayed because she trusted him and asked whether he would remain someone she could rely on.

• Ye Ting's modified Blizzard trapped and impaled the orc wolf riders, allowing the human soldiers to defeat the remaining attackers.
• The soldiers cleared the battlefield and treated the wounded, while Baron Gramon showed gratitude and the ordinary soldiers kept their distance from Ye Ting.
• Ye Ting and Garona walked toward the monastery, and Ye Ting asked why she had stayed instead of leaving with the orcs.
• Garona said she had grown uncertain about her loyalty to Gul'dan's side because she had found trust and kindness with Ye Ting.
• Garona asked whether Ye Ting would continue to trust her and be someone she could rely on.

Ye Ting reassured Garona and offered to help her escape Gul'dan's influence, but she swore loyalty to him because she wanted to share his world and pursue his goals. He accepted her oath and promised to teach her and grant her freedom when she found a purpose of her own.

• Ye Ting promised Garona that he would fulfill her wish and place a measure of trust in her after purging Gul'dan's influence.
• Garona relaxed her guard, knelt before Ye Ting, and swore to serve him as Grand Mage Sandor Lefer.
• Ye Ting tried to help Garona up and told her their friendship did not require a master-and-servant relationship.
• Garona explained that Ye Ting's respect and trust had given her a new goal: to stay beside him and help realize his dreams.
• Ye Ting accepted Garona's loyalty and swore to teach her, never betray her, and grant her freedom once she found her own purpose.

Ye Ting freed Garona from Gul'dan’s control and brought her to Stormwind, where King Llane’s family accepted her despite distrust from some soldiers and nobles. Grateful to Ye Ting and aligned with humanity, Garona helped Stormwind understand the Horde, reducing its battlefield losses.

• Garona told Ye Ting about her past, while he recognized that Gul'dan’s magic and the Kingslayers had been used to control her.
• Ye Ting expelled Gul'dan’s power from Garona and removed his influence from the Kingslayers, freeing her to choose her own life.
• Ye Ting brought Garona to Stormwind, where King Llane, the queen, and Prince Varian welcomed her, while Lothar remained wary.
• Garona shared her knowledge of the Orcish Horde with Ye Ting and helped revise his report into a detailed account of the orcs and their war.
• Stormwind used the report to anticipate the Horde’s actions, and its casualty ratio began to fall.

Stormwind learned that the orcs came from Draenor and could draw on an enormous supply of reinforcements, prompting Terenas to push for an alliance while Deathwing worked to obstruct it. As the alliance talks dragged on, Stormwind remained under siege, though Goldshire’s urban defenses continued to inflict heavy losses on the orcs.

• Stormwind’s leaders realized the Horde came through the Dark Portal from Draenor and feared an imminent, overwhelming offensive.
• King Terenas Menethil sought to unite the human kingdoms, dwarves, and elves, but leaders including Genn Greymane and Aiden Perenolde hesitated to join an alliance.
• Deathwing sowed distrust by posing as a Stormwind noble and obstructing aid, then infiltrated the orcs and revealed the Dragon Soul to Rend Blackhand and Gul'dan.
• Terenas prepared refugee camps in Southshore, while other kingdoms sent food and Dalaran dispatched investigators, two archmages, and skilled mages to support Stormwind.
• Stormwind and the orcs fought repeatedly across Elwynn Forest, with Goldshire’s soldiers using urban warfare to ambush attackers and inflict severe casualties.

Stormwind prepared for the Orcish Horde’s main assault after Medivh failed to answer its plea for aid. Garona and Ye Ting deduced that Kilrogg had forced Cho'gall’s Twilight's Hammer into the vanguard, and the chapter ended as the siege began with catapult fire.

• Stormwind withdrew its soldiers from Goldshire and strengthened its defenses while the Orcs halted their probing attacks.
• Lothar reported that Twilight's Hammer and Bleeding Hollow were advancing on Stormwind with a huge force and many catapults.
• Garona suspected Cho'gall was not acting in character, and Ye Ting suggested that Kilrogg was using Stormwind to eliminate a rival.
• Lothar secretly led most of Stormwind's cavalry into Elwynn Forest as the defenders prepared for the siege.
• Cho'gall ordered Twilight's Hammer to attack Stormwind, and its catapults launched stones and incendiary bombs at the city walls.

As the Twilight's Hammer battered Stormwind with catapults and stormed its walls, King Llane Wrynn rallied the defenders to fight for their families. The Orcs and ogres eventually gained several footholds atop the battlements, where both sides fought amid mounting casualties.

• The Twilight's Hammer's catapult barrage damaged Stormwind's walls and buildings as its army advanced toward the city.
• King Llane Wrynn climbed the walls and urged the soldiers to defend their families and fight alongside him.
• Llane's speech restored the defenders' courage, and they prepared to resist the Orcs' ladder assault.
• Stormwind's soldiers hurled logs and stones at the climbing Orcs and ogres, killing and wounding many without stopping the attack.
• Orcs and ogres broke through onto the battlements, established several footholds, and fought the defenders in brutal close combat.

King Llane, Ye Ting, Garona, and Stormwind's defenders fought to hold the walls against Cho'gall's Orcs as the battle became a bloody stalemate. When Twilight's Hammer's warlocks unleashed their dark magic, the human mages located them and began a battle against the enemy spellcasters.

• King Llane joined the fight on the battlements, killed an Orc warrior, and led his royal guards against the attackers.
• Garona fought among the soldiers while Ye Ting strengthened the defenders and hindered the Orcs with spells.
• The defenders drove the Orcs and ogres back, but Cho'gall sent more troops and the fighting on the walls became a tug-of-war.
• Cho'gall ordered Twilight's Hammer's warlocks to unleash their dark arts, causing heavy casualties among the human defenders.
• The Dalaran mage corps and Stormwind's court mages detected the warlocks, pinpointed their positions, and began fighting them.

Ye Ting and the human mages defeated Twilight's Hammer's warlocks in a fierce spellcaster battle, with Ye Ting using Helena Ravenclaw's help to counter their strongest fighters. As the surviving warlocks fled, Ye Ting told King Llane that it was time to counterattack.

• Dalaran mages and Ye Ting struck down several warlocks, turning their own spells against them and killing them with freezing magic and an Unforgivable Curse.
• Warlocks concentrated their attacks on the Dalaran corps commander, but a two-headed ogre warlock dispelled his shield and killed him.
• Ye Ting rallied the shocked mages and targeted the two-headed ogre warlock, reversing his life-draining spell until he withered into a corpse.
• Ye Ting relied on Ravenclaw's Diadem and Helena Ravenclaw to accelerate his casting, block attacks, and counter curses during the battle.
• The human side defeated Twilight's Hammer's spellcasters, and Ye Ting told King Llane to begin the counterattack.

After the enemy warlocks fled, Ye Ting and the Dalaran mages turned the tide against the Orcs with powerful spells. Cho'gall entered the battle and forced Ye Ting into a magical struggle, while his mind control turned one of the mages against his allies.

• Llane relaxed after Ye Ting confirmed that the enemy spellcasters had fled, and the Dalaran mages bombarded the Orcs from the walls.
• Cho'gall appeared and attacked the mages with Shadow Bolts, but Ye Ting used Time Warp to cast a wall of light that blocked them.
• Cho'gall pierced Ye Ting's barrier with a concentrated shadow ray, and Ye Ting countered with a beam of sunlight.
• A mage tried to Counterspell Cho'gall, but Cho'gall mind-controlled him and made him attack the other mages.
• Ye Ting warned the mages to dispel Cho'gall's control, but Cho'gall's intensified shadow assault forced Ye Ting to keep defending himself.

Cho'gall realized Stormwind's magical sparks had signaled a hidden cavalry ambush, but the Orc encampment was caught unprepared as Anduin Lothar led the charge. The cavalry broke through the defenses and began slaughtering Orcs and setting the camp ablaze.

• Cho'gall recognized the sparks as a signal when he felt the ground tremble and sent a magical eye toward the Orc encampment.
• Cho'gall saw Stormwind's cavalry emerge from Elwynn Forest and realized the humans had hidden them there in advance.
• Anduin Lothar led the cavalry toward the Orc camp, where the sleeping Orcs raised the alarm too late.
• Anduin Lothar drew Quel'Zaram, called on his troops to fight for Stormwind, and led them through the camp's barricades.
• The cavalry killed unarmed Orcs, rode through the tents, and set supplies and shelters on fire as the encampment collapsed into chaos.

Kilrogg’s Orcish forces collapsed after a surprise attack on their camp and a coordinated assault by Stormwind’s defenders and cavalry. Lothar returned to Stormwind to cheers, but the leaders knew the costly victory was only temporary and the war was not over.

• Kilrogg realized his forces were in danger and hoped Cho'gall would send reinforcements, but Cho'gall chose to hold his position.
• King Llane led Stormwind’s defenders out of the city to pin down the Orcs and prevent them from returning to their camp.
• Rumors of the camp’s destruction spread among the Orcs, breaking their morale and sending them into a rout as Cho'gall and Kilrogg fled with their remaining forces.
• The Orcish collapse continued through the night while human forces pursued them, and Lothar gathered his troops and returned to Stormwind the next morning.
• Stormwind’s citizens welcomed Lothar, King Llane, and the battered defenders, celebrating their victory as the leaders mourned the losses and recognized that the war continued.

Stormwind prepared for the Orcs’ next assault as Khadgar arrived with evidence that Medivh had summoned them to Azeroth. King Llane rejected the accusation, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• King Llane sought northern reinforcements and ordered civilians to build ships for transporting supplies or evacuating Stormwind.
• Khadgar arrived in Stormwind and revealed that Medivh had betrayed humanity by bringing the Orcs to Azeroth.
• King Llane held an overnight meeting with Khadgar, Anduin Lothar, Ye Ting, and Garona to hear the evidence.
• Khadgar described the visions and discoveries he had witnessed in Karazhan, including signs of Medivh’s role in the invasion.
• Ye Ting and Garona offered accounts that supported Khadgar’s claims, but King Llane insisted Medivh would never betray them.

Ye Ting, Lothar, Garona, and Khadgar reached Karazhan and found signs of demonic activity, leading Ye Ting to summon powerful help before they explored the tower. He left the group to descend while they waited for that help to arrive.

• During the flight, Ye Ting refused to cast Thermal Insulation on Khadgar, who defended the lesson as wise guidance, while Garona realized Ye Ting had been teasing him.
• The group arrived at Karazhan at sunset and entered through its rooftop, finding the tower dark and the surrounding land scarred by war.
• Ye Ting sensed the lingering fel energy of powerful demons and warned that Medivh was likely in trouble.
• Ye Ting used a golden scale to send a summons through the void, then told the others to explore Karazhan while they waited for help.

Lothar, Garona, Ye Ting, and Khadgar searched the deserted Karazhan and found its library ransacked but unchanged since Khadgar had left. There they learned Aegwynn had warned Stormwind about Medivh before Ye Ting greeted her sudden appearance.

• Lothar led the group down through Karazhan, but they found its halls and rooms deserted.
• The group reached the ransacked library, where Ye Ting became determined to acquire its rare books.
• Khadgar found a torn scroll titled "Aegwynn's Hymn" and explained that Aegwynn was Medivh's mother and the former Guardian.
• Lothar recalled that Aegwynn had visited Stormwind and warned that Medivh was controlled by demons, but he and Llane had dismissed her because she looked too young.
• Aegwynn appeared suddenly in the library and interrupted Ye Ting as he explained her true age.
• Ye Ting calmly greeted Lady Aegwynn while Lothar, Garona, and Khadgar prepared for a possible attack.

Ye Ting met Aegwynn, the former Guardian, and scolded her for the carelessness that let Sargeras deceive her. Their familiar exchange puzzled Khadgar and Lothar, while Garona grew quiet.

• Ye Ting recognized Aegwynn, and Khadgar and Lothar confirmed she was the woman from their visions and earlier meeting.
• Aegwynn challenged Ye Ting over his remark about her age, but he smoothly called her young, easing the tension.
• Ye Ting revealed that he had noticed Aegwynn's concealment magic and criticized her for being deceived by Sargeras.
• Aegwynn apologized and said she had come to make amends, while the others wondered how she and Ye Ting seemed so familiar.
• Khadgar and Lothar compared Ye Ting's scolding of Aegwynn to Llane scolding Talia, as Garona fell silent.