Chapter Summaries

Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained his plan to conceal Quel'Danil's vulnerability and use the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps to seize the Durnholde Region and draw orc forces away from other fronts. Mez'dra suspected Yu Lin was secretly hoping the corps would suffer losses, and Yu Lin's own doubts about the deal left Mez'dra wondering whether he had misread him.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Mez'dra he wanted to keep Quel'Danil's weakened defenses and plans secret until the Valley Entrance Fortress was completed.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained that the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps would attack the Durnholde Region while local Hinterlands troops withdrew to defend Aerie Peak.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk said holding Durnholde would force the orcs to divert troops and ease pressure on the Allied Army's other fronts.
• Mez'dra suspected Yu Lin Bloodhawk wanted the Restoration Corps to die, but Yu Lin denied it and blamed Mez'dra's imagination.
• Mez'dra pointed out that Yu Lin had given Lothar a full-strength corps for little in return, making Yu Lin wonder if he had made a bad deal.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk defended his decision to support Lothar and the Kingdom of Stormwind, arguing that it was both a risky business investment and necessary for the Alliance’s defense. After returning to the Seaside Plain, he ordered the formation of the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, whose promised status under Lothar and the Little Prince stirred officials with hopes of advancement.

• Mez'dra questioned why Yu Lin Bloodhawk had made a deal with the weakened Kingdom of Stormwind, and Yu Lin defended it as a worthwhile risk and a way to protect the Alliance and Hinterlands.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk and his companions left Southshore, returned to Aerie Peak, and then flew back to the Seaside Plain.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk informed the refugee officials of his arrangements with Lothar and ordered them to form the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps as soon as possible.
• Human officials grew enthusiastic when they learned the Corps would come under Lothar and the Little Prince, seeing a chance for soldiers and officers to earn status and future noble titles.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk watched the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps expand rapidly after its allegiance to Lothar and the Little Prince became clear. He concluded that inherited prestige and legacy wielded more lasting power than individual strength, while he had none of that legacy himself.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk allowed human officials to join the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps if they first registered so replacements could be found for their administrative posts.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk decided to keep the Seaside Plain outside the Quel'Danil Council's control and planned to replace departing human administrators with High Elves.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk observed that the Seaside Plain's human administrators worked diligently and that the Restoration Corps began forming much faster after his return from Southshore.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk attributed the surge in enlistment to refugees learning that Lothar and the Little Prince controlled the Restoration Corps and intended to restore the Kingdom of Stormwind.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk reflected that royal and noble legacy could command loyalty and bring down even the powerful Medivh, and lamented that he possessed no such legacy.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned that Lothar planned to send established Stormwind nobles to command the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, threatening the ambitions of the human administrators who had served him. He summoned the Seaside Plain administrators and revealed the plan, leaving them to recognize what the nobles’ arrival could mean for their futures.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk received Lothar’s letter saying Little Prince had accepted the Restoration Corps conditions and that Lothar wanted to send established nobles as its officers.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk warned Lothar that the nobles could constrain Lothar and Little Prince, promised the High Elves would surrender command after the end of the year, and insisted they did not seek control.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk decided to protect the chances of his human subordinates rising through the corps rather than let established nobles take its leading positions.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk summoned the Seaside Plain administrators and told them Lothar and Little Prince planned to send noble officers, prompting them to understand the threat to their ambitions.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk urged the human administrators to stand up to Stormwind’s old-guard nobles, who wanted influence over the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps. He promised to shield them from interference until the end of the year and left their future control of the army in their own hands.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk scolded the administrators for fearing the nobles and warned that they could become expendable if they did not challenge them.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk said the Hinterlands would provide weapons, armor, rations, and recruits but would not control the Restoration Corps.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk offered to let the administrators appoint officers, promising their appointments would remain valid until at least the end of the year.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the administrators to fill the officer posts with their own people before the nobles arrived and said the army’s commanders would ultimately depend on who could keep the troops obedient.
• After Yu Lin Bloodhawk left, the administrators erupted into fierce debate.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk prepared to avoid the incoming nobles from the former Kingdom of Stormwind while giving his former subordinates time to gain control of the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps. He left for Quel'Thalas, both to sidestep the diplomatic dispute and to attend to business with Alleria and Sylvanas.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk worried that the old-established nobles would use the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps to build their own prestige if its officers failed to assert themselves.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk transferred authority over the corps to its human administrators and placed trusted High Elves in the Seaside Plain's vacant administrative posts.
• After estimating that the noble delegation would arrive soon, Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the High Elf administrators to host the visitors politely but avoid involvement in the corps or the nobles' disputes.
• The High Elf administrators agreed to stay out of the conflict while protecting the High Elves from diplomatic repercussions.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk packed his things and left for Quel'Thalas to avoid the nobles and handle business with Alleria and Sylvanas.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk planned to draw the Royalist Party Faction into a coordinated campaign against the Zul'Aman Trolls while forcing the Orcs to withdraw from Quel'Thalas. He left the timing and details unspoken in letters, convinced that secrecy was essential, and blamed Alliance command for Quel'Thalas's devastation during the Second War.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk planned to coordinate with Alleria and Sylvanas, secure Lireesa Windrunner's signature on an agreement with Lothar, and win the southern lords' support for a feigned retreat.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk intended to lure the combined Orc and Troll army north, then strike the Orcs from the Hinterlands and encircle the Troll main force near Zul'Aman.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk withheld the full plan from Alleria and Sylvanas in their letters because he feared that a careless disclosure could ruin the operation.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk recalled the devastation of southern Quel'Thalas and argued that the Alliance Supreme Command's failures had left the kingdom exposed.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk criticized the Alliance's excuses for the Orc surprise attack, saying that warfare depended on deception and that commanders had to be capable of detecting it.

After absorbing the Dragon Soul, Yu Lin Bloodhawk broke free of his misfortune and traveled back to Quel'Thalas, where Alleria met him in secret. He told her that Lothar had sent officers to take over the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk reflected on the Alliance’s extraordinary luck and realized the Dragon Soul had freed him from his golden finger’s restrictions, letting him learn Hunter skills far faster.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk reached Quel'Thalas, where Alleria secretly met him at sea and took him aboard her ship to Shalandis Isle.
• Alleria questioned Yu Lin Bloodhawk about leaving Lirath Windrunner in the Hinterlands, and he assured her that the Old Cleric was watching over him.
• Alleria pressed Yu Lin Bloodhawk to explain why he had returned, and he told her Lothar’s officers were trying to take over the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps.

Alleria explained that Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s attempt to help his former human subordinates by placing them in officer roles could make Lothar and the Little Prince suspect the High Elves wanted control of the Kingdom of Stormwind. Yu Lin Bloodhawk wrote letters to limit the damage while Alleria planned to explain the situation to Lothar.

• Alleria accused Yu Lin Bloodhawk of appearing to seek control of the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, and he insisted he only wanted to help his former human subordinates.
• Alleria warned Yu Lin Bloodhawk that Lothar and the Little Prince could interpret the appointments as a High Elf attempt to control the Kingdom of Stormwind and replace the officers.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Alleria he had instructed the Hinterlands High Elves not to interfere in the corps and to provide Lothar’s delegation with supplies without helping them carry out their work.
• Alleria told Yu Lin Bloodhawk to warn his subordinates not to antagonize Lothar’s officers and to help coordinate relations after he returned.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk wrote letters to the High Elf administrators and his former human subordinates, while Alleria left to check the ship and planned to write to Lothar herself.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk presented his plan to Quel'Thalas, and Lireesa Windrunner agreed to sign an agreement with the Kingdom of Stormwind but hesitated over the military operation. Alleria urged Lireesa to travel to Southshore and sign in the Windrunner family's name, while Yu Lin privately held to his plan to evacuate the high elves rather than fight the undead head-on.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk arrived at Shalandis Isle, where Alleria sent his letters and summoned Sylvanas; Lireesa Windrunner came with her.
• Yu Lin explained his proposed campaign, and Lireesa said she could sign an agreement with Stormwind but could not yet approve such a vast battle plan.
• Lireesa praised Yu Lin's strategic thinking, while Sylvanas mocked him as a fugitive and leader of fugitives.
• Lireesa asked whether she should go to Southshore to sign with Lothar, and Alleria urged her to go without involving the Silvermoon Council.
• Alleria, Sylvanas, and Yu Lin supported signing jointly with the Quel'Danil Council in the Windrunner family's name.
• Yu Lin privately reasoned that the high elves should evacuate when the undead came, since they could not defeat Arthas and then withstand Archimonde alone.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk rejected using his promise from Lothar and the Little Prince to counter the coming undead invasion, believing the high elves had to save themselves through their own strength. Lireesa Windrunner agreed to travel to Southshore to sign an agreement in the Windrunner family's name, while the group discussed Yu Lin Bloodhawk's risky five-step plan against the orcs and Zul'Aman trolls.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk dismissed using his promise from Lothar and the Little Prince against the undead because he feared Archimonde would come to Quel'Thalas.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained that the high elves needed their own strength and could not rely on alliances to survive.
• Lireesa Windrunner agreed to go to Southshore to sign an agreement with the Kingdom of Stormwind in the Windrunner family's name, though she had to settle her duties first.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk outlined a plan to lure the orcs and Zul'Aman trolls into southern Quel'Thalas, redirect their attack, and secretly reposition the ranger forces.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk planned for the Hinterlands forces to strike Durnholde Region, then for the southern rangers to seize Zeb'Nowa and Zeb'Sora and encircle the troll army.
• The group discussed the plan's risks, including damage to southern Quel'Thalas, uncertainty over the Royalist Party Faction's response, and whether Yu Lin Bloodhawk could hold Durnholde Region.

Lireesa Windrunner, Alleria, Sylvanas, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk debated how to make the Royalist Party Faction commit troops to a plan against the Zul'Aman Trolls. Lireesa worried that Sylvanas's ruthless proposal ignored the consequences after victory.

• The leaders agreed that the battle plan's risks were worth trading devastation in southern Quel'Thalas for a chance to destroy the Zul'Aman Troll threat.
• Lireesa Windrunner proposed seeking Silvermoon Council approval, while Alleria urged them to negotiate with the southern nobles at the same time.
• Sylvanas argued that the southern nobles should act as soon as they agreed, forcing the Royalist Party Faction to send troops by letting the enemy approach Silvermoon City.
• Sylvanas proposed capturing Zeb'Nowa and Zeb'Sora, then taking the undermanned city of Zul'Aman to cut off and trap the invading Trolls.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk supported Sylvanas's proposal after recognizing its strategic advantage, while Lireesa Windrunner worried that Sylvanas was too reckless and focused only on the war.

Lireesa Windrunner failed to secure agreement from the Silvermoon Council and decided to seek the King and Queen’s support for Sylvanas’s battle plan. Sylvanas recognized her mother’s likely move and pressed ahead with recruiting the southern lords, while joking that she might flee to The Hinterlands if things went badly.

• Lireesa Windrunner concluded that the councilors would not agree and decided to take the battle plan to the King and Queen, accepting that the Windrunner family would owe them a favor.
• After Lireesa left, Sylvanas told Yu Lin Bloodhawk to contact the southern lords and disregard the Silvermoon Council.
• Alleria warned Sylvanas that, as Burning Legion Commander, she had to represent the Windrunner family rather than act on her own.
• Sylvanas argued that the opportunity to eliminate the Zul'Aman trolls was too important to miss and joked that she could flee to The Hinterlands if she failed.
• Sylvanas told Alleria and Yu Lin Bloodhawk that Lireesa had gone to seek the King and Queen’s support, then said she had guessed and urged them to contact their allies quickly.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk saw Lireesa Windrunner evacuate the civilians from southern Quel'Thalas ahead of the growing orc threat and believed the order would save the kingdom from lasting devastation. As the troops watched the south and the island filled with displaced villagers, he reflected on how the evacuation could prevent the region from becoming the Ghostlands.

• Sylvanas told Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Alleria that she would become the military commander of his territory if Lireesa did not.
• Lireesa Windrunner went to Silvermoon City, while Yu Lin Bloodhawk dealt with the crowded Shalandis Isle and the relocated villagers from Windrunner Village.
• The high elf Expeditionary Army Corps and Bloodhawk Burning Legion moved to Southern Eversong Woods, while gryphon riders and gunboats monitored the region and guarded the island.
• Lireesa Windrunner ordered civilians throughout southern Quel'Thalas to relocate north, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk welcomed the mass evacuation.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk recalled that the southern settlements had become the Ghostlands after the war and reasoned that saving their inhabitants would make rebuilding possible.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk left the handling of Lothar’s officers and his former human subordinates unresolved while hiding on Shalandis Isle, where his self-proclaimed “governing through inaction” amounted to drinking and eating. Lireesa Windrunner arrived to take him directly to Southshore to sign an agreement with Lothar, and Yu Lin accepted the changed plan despite the unequal status of their delegations.

• Quel'Thalas relocated civilians across Eversong Woods as it prepared Southern Eversong Woods for battle.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk avoided dealing with Lothar’s officers and his former human subordinates by staying on Shalandis Isle.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk spent his time drinking and eating while waiting for a solution that never came.
• Lireesa Windrunner arrived on the tenth day to take Yu Lin Bloodhawk to Southshore to sign an agreement with Lothar.
• Lireesa Windrunner chose to sail directly from Sunsail Archorage, while Alleria and Sylvanas stayed behind to command troops.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk accepted signing the agreement in his own name and Lireesa Windrunner’s, reasoning that Lothar and the Little Prince would still receive a favorable bargain.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Lireesa traveled to Southshore to sign an agreement establishing the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, while Quel'Thalas faced a growing orc threat. Lireesa suggested the orcs were reaching Quel'Thalas through a smaller portal, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk began considering whether he could capture one.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Lireesa sailed from Shalandis Isle to Southshore aboard Thirteen's warship after Lireesa rejected a carrier escort.
• Lothar welcomed Lireesa and Yu Lin Bloodhawk at the docks, then learned they had come without the Silvermoon Council or the Quel'Danil Council because Quel'Thalas was on high military alert.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Lothar puzzled over how large orc armies had appeared in Quel'Thalas despite the kingdoms and regions between it and the main battlefield.
• Lireesa proposed that the orcs were using a small portal in Southern Eversong Woods rather than a second Dark Portal.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk recalled possible ruined portals near Zul'Aman and planned to ask Lireesa and the Old Charlatan whether he could capture one.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Lireesa Windrunner warned Lothar that the Orcs might attack Lordaeron, but Lothar hesitated to spare troops from the front. After Lireesa returned to Quel'Thalas, Yu Lin explained problems with the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps, and Lothar offered to write Turalyon a letter to help resolve them.

• Lireesa Windrunner warned Lothar that the Orcs allied with Zul'Aman might threaten Lordaeron, but Lothar doubted the speculation and feared weakening the Allied Army's front lines.
• Lireesa Windrunner and Lothar signed the agreement, after which Lireesa returned to Quel'Thalas aboard Thirteen's gunboat.
• Lothar asked Yu Lin Bloodhawk about the problems facing the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps in The Hinterlands, and Yu Lin said the High Elves would not interfere or seek control.
• Lothar offered to write Turalyon a letter to help resolve the Restoration Corps' troubles, and Yu Lin was surprised to learn Turalyon was in The Hinterlands.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk returned to the Seaside Plain and met Turalyon’s officer delegation, which wanted his help taking control of the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps. Yu Lin refused to interfere in Stormwind’s internal affairs, but the delegation challenged his explanation by pointing to the corps’ current officers.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk left Lothar to handle the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps and returned to Aerie Peak, where he exchanged intelligence with Mez'dra.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk traveled to the Seaside Plain, where Turalyon’s delegation had been waiting after failing to displace the corps’ current human officers.
• Turalyon and several representatives met Yu Lin Bloodhawk and complained about the obstacles they faced in the Restoration Corps.
• Yu Lin told the delegation that authority over the corps belonged to Lothar and the Little Prince and that the High Elves would not interfere.
• An officer representative challenged Yu Lin’s claim by asking why High Elves were serving as officers in the corps.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk tried to avoid involvement in the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps dispute, but Turalyon asked him to mediate on Marshal Lothar’s behalf. Yu Lin Bloodhawk suspected Lothar was testing whether the High Elves intended to control the corps and struggled to decide how to respond.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Turalyon and the officers’ delegation that his former subordinates now belonged to the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps and handed Turalyon Marshal Lothar’s letter.
• Turalyon read the letter, then revealed that Marshal Lothar wanted Yu Lin Bloodhawk to mediate between the delegation and the corps’ current officers.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk questioned how he could mediate and considered whether Lothar had sent the delegation to test the High Elves’ intentions.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk decided he did not want control of the corps and regretted letting personal feelings lead him into the dispute.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk weighed the dangers of favoring either side in the Kingdom of Stormwind Restoration Corps dispute, realizing his earlier schemes had put his former human subordinates and the High Elves at risk. When Turalyon asked him to mediate without offering terms, Yu Lin Bloodhawk suspected Lothar had not ordered it and felt relieved.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk recognized that supporting either the established nobles or his former subordinates could deepen distrust and put both groups in danger.
• Turalyon told Yu Lin Bloodhawk that the men would listen to him and left him to mediate their dispute.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk suspected Turalyon was really demanding that he remove the current officers and satisfy the established nobles.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked whether Lothar had instructed Turalyon to make that demand.
• Turalyon hesitated, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk concluded that Lothar had not ordered it and sighed with relief.