Chapter Summaries

The Shivarra Coven broke Lakish the Butcher through torture and revelations about Velen, while Kil'jaeden tried to turn him toward vengeance. Elsewhere, Tichondrius revealed that Sorellon had located the Titan Soul, and the Nathrezim celebrated their plans for the coming upheaval.

• Mother Noura and the other Shivarra tortured a young Eredar prisoner, then provoked him by telling him that Prophet Velen had betrayed his people.
• The prisoner succumbed to rage and became Lakish the Butcher as Kil'jaeden offered him vengeance and welcomed him as family.
• The Nathrezim argued over their idleness until Tichondrius announced that Sorellon had found the Titan Soul.
• Tichondrius said he would deliver the news to Kil'jaeden before sunrise, setting events in motion while the Nathrezim planned to exploit the Burning Legion.
• Tichondrius toasted Emperor Denathrius and Revendreth with the Nathrezim, while Mal'Ganis discovered that his wine had expired.

Amid a three-year drought and famine, Cairne Bloodhoof led a hunting party toward the western coast to seek survival for the Bloodhoof Tribe, despite breaking the Tauren’s promise to leave the land untouched. Seeing a distant blaze and sensing war had begun, Cairne prepared his people to face the Centaurs’ attack.

• Cairne Bloodhoof sensed ash on the wind, declared that war had begun, and Hamuul Runetotem sounded the kodo horn to alert the party.
• The Tauren abandoned their game, armed themselves, and hurried across the plains as Cairne recalled the drought, famine, and Centaur massacres that had driven his people to desperation.
• Cairne had chosen to lead the party west toward the fertile coast, breaking the Tauren’s ancient commitment to leave that land for nature.
• Cairne looked to Mu'sha and the Blue Child as he heard the Earth Mother's whisper and reflected on the unending struggle and war across the land.

Eight-year-old Sai'an Whitehorn and Baine Bloodhoof shared cookies and jokes atop a totem pole while imagining their futures in Bloodhoof Village. Their playful evening ended when the Kodo Beasts warned that danger was approaching, and a black tide swept into the darkness.

• Sai'an agreed to take Baine adventuring after Baine pressured him into helping him climb the totem pole.
• Sai'an and Baine shared grass and cookies, teased each other, and talked about becoming a great hunter and High Chieftain.
• Sai'an described the Kodo Beasts and reflected on their bond with the Tauren and their sacred journey at the end of life.
• Sai'an and Baine heard the Kodo Beasts roaring in warning that danger was coming.
• An'she's light disappeared as a black tide, pounding hooves, and desolate horns erupted in the night.

Sian and Baine survived a Centaur arrow attack and decided to return to the village, while a Centaur servant of the Nightmare Lord received orders to target Sian. Elsewhere, Tamara Bloodhoof and Xiao Na failed to save a wounded Tauren, who warned them to beware of something deep within the earth before he died.

• Sian shoved Baine off the totem pole to save him from the arrow barrage, then pulled him into cover and identified the attackers as Centaurs.
• Sian decided he and Baine had to return to the village, and Baine promised to stand behind him as they set off together.
• A hidden Centaur worshipped the Nightmare Lord through a Nightmare Flower and accepted the task of tormenting Sian before killing him.
• A female Tauren archer killed a Centaur who had shot a Tauren in the throat, but Xiao Na could not heal the wounded man.
• Before dying, the Tauren warned Tamara Bloodhoof to beware deep within the earth, and Tamara led the tribe's farewell rites.

Tamara and Aldo organized Bloodhoof Village’s defenses while Bashana investigated a Centaur corpse for clues to the attack. With the Water Spirit’s guidance, Bashana discovered the body was not truly a Centaur, revealing a frightening new mystery.

• Tamara overcame her despair and ordered Aldo to organize hunters, move supplies, and seek more healers while the Centaurs remained strangely inactive.
• Tamara and Aldo suspected the Centaurs’ attack was part of a conspiracy and agreed to protect Bashana as their best hope of uncovering it.
• Bashana summoned the Water Spirit, which cleansed and empowered her before directing her to look beyond the corpse’s surface.
• Using Far Sight, Bashana saw that twisted blackness had nearly replaced the Centaur’s body and cried out that the corpse was not a Centaur.
• Tamara and Aldo rushed into the tent, ready to defend Bashana as she recoiled from the mutating body.

Baine and Sian escaped the Centaur pursuer again, but Sian’s injured shoulder left him convinced that they should split up. Baine refused to abandon his best friend, and the two made up before Sian proposed a dangerous plan that required finding Boss Stonehoof.

• Baine and Sian dodged the Centaur’s arrows and escaped through the alleys, while the frustrated pursuer vowed to torment them and kill them later.
• Sian treated his arrow wound and realized his arm would not recover soon, then suggested that he and Baine split up to improve their chances of survival.
• Baine grabbed Sian and refused to let him go, recognizing that Sian wanted to draw the Centaur away from him.
• Sian admitted that the Centaur was targeting him, and Baine insisted they face the danger together as best friends.
• Sian apologized for trying to separate from Baine, then proposed a risky plan that began with seeking help and borrowing supplies from Boss Stonehoof.

Bashana gathered her courage to explain that the Centaur corpse had been transformed from a person by a cruel corruption of the elements. Tamara connected the transformation to something Moon had brought back, and Bashana joined Tamara and Aldo on their journey to find the High Priestess and uncover the truth.

• Aldo comforted Bashana until she overcame her fear and described the corpse as a person transformed into a terrifying creature.
• Bashana said the transformation had desecrated the elements and twisted life, and Tamara recalled that Moon had brought back something dangerous.
• Bashana explained that Moon had entrusted the dangerous object to the High Priestess, and Tamara proposed that they go find her and Tally.
• Tamara agreed to take Bashana along, and Bashana insisted she could not stop searching for Sian or ignore her responsibility in the disaster.
• Tamara sent Bashana to prepare her apprentice's Kodo Beast and bring his bow and arrows, while Aldo recalled that he became a Shaman to protect the young Tauren as his teacher had.

Magatha Grimtotem fought the Centaur warlord Gelk during the attack on the Tauren village, surviving a deadly ambush with help from Dezco Dawnstrider. After learning that reinforcements were coming and the village was holding, she killed Gelk before he could reveal the Centaur purpose and returned to the battlefield.

• Magatha Grimtotem battled Gelk and used Stormstrike to badly wound him, but hidden Centaur attackers ambushed her with elemental transformations.
• As an attacker’s daggers closed in, Magatha remembered her father’s prophecy and drew strength from the elements, rising to fight again.
• Dezco Dawnstrider arrived and knocked away one ambusher with his golden warhammer, then told Magatha that the village was temporarily under control and reinforcements were coming.
• Magatha ordered Dezco to help buy time and confronted the injured Gelk, who offered to reveal the Centaur purpose in exchange for his life.
• Magatha noticed Gelk’s concealed hooked blade and killed him before he could explain, then ran back toward the fighting with Dezco following.

Magra Khan saw Witch Doctor Vel'th transform a scout into an earth elemental and learned that Vel'th intended to end their undertaking. Meanwhile, Baine Bloodhoof and Sian fought Stone Spear, who grew alarmed by their rapid improvement and used his earth-gift to disappear into the ground.

• A scout told Magra Khan that Warlord Gelk had died, and Vel'th dismissed the report before arranging for the scout to be carried outside.
• Vel'th caused the scout to swell and explode, creating an imperfect earth elemental, then told Magra Khan that the undertaking had to end.
• Magra Khan attacked the elemental in rage, while Vel'th walked away and declared that he would end the undertaking himself.
• Baine Bloodhoof's warrior instincts awakened as he fought Stone Spear, while Sian used his crossbow to protect him despite his injuries.
• Stone Spear recognized that Baine and Sian were improving quickly, gathered his new power, and melted into the ground before Baine.

Sian and Baine fought Stone Spear, whose earth magic made him nearly impervious to their attacks, then fled after Sian marked him with a scented herb. In a flashback, Sian recalled how he became a hunter after failing to connect with the elements; back in the blacksmith shop, he began preparing a plan and asked Baine if he yearned for power.

• Stone Spear outmatched Sian in close combat, and Baine arrived and used War Stomp before the Centaur merged with the earth again.
• Sian and Baine evaded Stone Spear’s coordinated attack and escaped, leaving a scented herb mark on his bloodied spear.
• Stone Spear realized the blood carried a faint herbal scent, broke his spear after transforming his body with Earth’s Gift, and declared that he would finish the fight.
• Earlier, Sian and Baine hid in Serag Stonehoof’s blacksmith shop and discussed Stone Spear’s Shaman-like magic.
• Sian remembered failing his elemental affinity test and beginning his hunter apprenticeship with Tamara Bloodhoof, which also began his friendship with Baine.
• Sian gathered charcoal and other supplies, reasoned that Stone Spear had a weakness, and asked Baine whether he yearned for power.

Sian and Baine reflected on how great power could corrupt those who feared their own weakness, then put a plan into motion against Stone Spear. Stone Spear severely wounded Sian, but Sian crawled toward the designated location and completed his mission just as Stone Spear attacked him.

• Sian asked Baine how he would feel if he gained immense power, and Baine said he would fear the responsibilities and the possibility of becoming a monster.
• Sian explained that Stone Spear’s fragile heart made him afraid of his limits, and he and Baine planned to use Stone Spear’s own power against him.
• Stone Spear overwhelmed Sian with earth spells, struck his thigh with a spike, and left him unable to walk.
• Baine watched from the tower and held back as Sian crawled toward the designated location.
• Stone Spear teleported beside Sian and thrust his earthen spear at him, but Sian reached the location and completed his mission.

Sian trapped Stone Spear in tar and set it ablaze with molten iron, but the Centaur survived and declared himself a god. Sian signaled Baine to unleash water on the superheated Stone Spear, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Baine hurled a warhammer at Stone Spear, but the Centaur barely reacted and threatened Sian to force Baine to surrender.
• Sian stepped out of Stone Spear's reach and triggered hidden tar traps, immobilizing the Centaur and preventing him from merging with the earth.
• Sian poured molten iron onto the tar, engulfing Stone Spear in flames, but the Centaur survived and proclaimed himself Nightmare's perfect creation.
• Sian signaled Baine, who opened the water tower valve as Sian released water from nearby waste barrels, sending two torrents crashing onto Stone Spear.

After defeating the Centaur, Sian and Baine received recognition for their courage and growth from Aldo and Tamara. Baine was given the spear his father had saved for him, and Tamara offered Sian a bow.

• Tamara arrived and shot the still-living Centaur, then a Kodo Beast charged into him and shattered him completely.
• Bashana treated Sian's wounds while Baine stayed beside them, and Sian reunited happily with his Kodo Beast, Liman.
• Aldo praised Sian's tactics and declared him a hunter capable of standing on his own.
• Aldo told Baine that he had found his conviction and urged him to face his anger rather than embrace it.
• Aldo gave Baine the spear Ice Spike, and Tamara told him how Cairne had waited to give it to him himself.
• Tamara offered Sian a recurved longbow.

Tamara gave Sian the Green Guardian bow and led the group toward Elder Rise Heights. Behind them, Vel'th killed Stone Spear and used his core to unleash chaos.

• Tamara gifted Sian the Green Guardian and urged him to honor a guardian’s duty and a hunter’s heart.
• Tamara told the group to rest, then set out for Elder Rise Heights with Xiao Na expected to explain what had happened.
• Aldo sent his exhausted bird companion to scout while Sian thought of his missing parents and prayed for his loved ones’ safety.
• The Centaur’s remains reassembled into a slime, but it could not regain its proper form after Tamara’s Arcane Shot.
• Vel'th mocked Stone Spear, killed him, and extracted his elemental core.
• Vel'th infused Stone Spear’s core with shadow energy and released a vast ripple of chaos.

Dezco Dawnstrider and Magatha Grimtotem recognized that the berserk Centaurs were dragging the Tauren into a deadlock, and Magatha urged the warriors to counterattack. As her call spread across the battlefield, the Tauren rallied and prepared to drive the Centaurs from their homeland.

• Dezco Dawnstrider fought through the Centaur ranks and realized their berserk attacks were part of a larger scheme.
• Dezco joined Magatha Grimtotem, and they agreed the battle was more than a simple attack.
• Magatha challenged Dezco to look beyond defense, prompting him to recognize that the Tauren needed hope of victory and a counterattack.
• Gudar Bristleman and Rune Bristleman joined forces with the hunters and cut down waves of Centaurs.
• Chieftain Eaglewind summoned a Water Elemental and continued fighting despite her injuries, while her son urged her to withdraw.
• Magatha summoned an Air Spirit to carry her call across the battlefield, and the Tauren raised their spears and roared as they began their counterattack.

Magatha Grimtotem drove back the Centaurs and confronted Magra Khan, whose memories revealed how Nightmare’s agent Vel'th had deceived the Magram Clan into corrupting their land. Magatha nearly killed a Centaur child, but Cairne Bloodhoof returned in time to block her hammer, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Magatha Grimtotem led the Tauren counterattack, fought Magra Khan, and pursued the civilians he was trying to protect.
• Magra Khan used Intervene to take Magatha’s attacks and became trapped by her Earthbind Totem as she advanced on his people.
• Magra Khan remembered how Vel'th had promised the Magram power, turned them against the elements, and led them to pollute their land.
• Magatha raised her hammer against a terrified Centaur child but hesitated when she saw the child’s eyes.
• Cairne Bloodhoof returned and blocked Magatha’s hammer with a runed spear.

Tamara’s group searched the ruined Spirit Rise for survivors and freed High Priestess Sauna Rivermane from corrupted vines. After she apologized to Sian, he was overwhelmed by a terrifying vision and despair, while Tamara mourned the loss of his mother.

• Tamara, Sian, and Aldo found Spirit Rise devastated and split up to search for survivors.
• Sian and Baine discovered thorny vines wrapped around someone, and Tamara and Bashana helped weaken them with Arcane magic and Purification.
• The group freed the gravely wounded High Priestess Sauna Rivermane, who recovered enough to awaken under Bashana’s care.
• Sauna Rivermane looked at Sian with guilt, apologized, and triggered a disorienting vision that left him convinced something terrible had happened.
• Tamara held Baine’s hand and grieved that she had failed to comfort the child who had lost his mother.

Cairne Bloodhoof let the Centaur children and other noncombatants retreat, then faced Magra Khan, who killed himself on Cairne’s spear and exposed a conspiracy involving a devil. As Cairne tried to alert Hamuul, a crimson canopy appeared over Bloodhoof Village.

• Cairne Bloodhoof held back the Tauren warriors as the Centaur elderly, weak, women, and children retreated.
• Magra Khan condemned Cairne’s mercy and charged, then deliberately exposed his chest to Cairne’s spear.
• Dying, Magra Khan revealed that he had made a deal with a demon and raged against the one who had used his people.
• Cairne lowered Magra Khan’s corpse and ordered a signal sent to Hamuul.
• A crimson canopy spread over Bloodhoof Village, alarming Cairne.

After Tally Whitehorn died saving Bloodhoof Village, the High Priestess and Tamara grieved while Sian lay injured with Baine and Bashana. The chapter revealed how Vel'th had lured Tally into a trap and transformed her into a corrupted elemental as part of his plan to exploit the Ascension Ritual.

• The High Priestess said Sian was out of danger, while Tamara, Sauna, and Aldo mourned Tally Whitehorn and worried about Sian.
• Sauna recalled how she and the Shamans had believed the Satyr was targeting her, so Tally carried away the crystal core Moon had left behind.
• Vel'th revealed that he had lured Tally away, then a hidden force field engulfed her and vaporized the two Shamans beside her.
• The crystal core embedded in Tally's chest remade her burned body into an elemental, and the High Priestess was wounded when she rushed to help.
• Vel'th explained that he had spent ten years experimenting with Ascension to turn assimilated elementals into vessels for power, and Tally began to show signs of corruption.

The High Priestess recalled Tally’s death and Vel’th’s threat, while Sian shared a dream in which his mother comforted him and urged him to look ahead. The survivors took comfort in one another as a faint red glow appeared in the black sky before dawn.

• Vel’th raged after Tally reclaimed her will and died, then attacked the High Priestess and threatened a cruel revenge at a familiar place.
• The High Priestess mourned Tally’s body and defied Vel’th, who vanished with Tally’s corpse and left her unconscious.
• The High Priestess remembered the tragedy as Sian comforted her and described a dream in which Tally told him not to blame her or the High Priestess.
• Sian said Tally had urged them to grieve less and look ahead, and the High Priestess wept as she listened.
• Aldo watched his closest companion cross the dark sky while Tamara comforted Baine and Xiao Na, and a faint red glow appeared before dawn.