Chapter Summaries

After negotiating permission to land in Feralas, Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered scouts to investigate a wild hippogryph breeding ground, prompting Sylvanas to hint that she might claim the mounts. Sylvanas and Onyxia then began arguing, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk tried to stop them from fighting.

• Sylvanas reported that the Night Elves had allowed the High Elf fleet and troops to land in Feralas, but imposed a three-day limit and restricted the liaison camp to two hundred soldiers.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered a Gryphon Rider Bodyguard to tell the scouting team that the fleet was sailing to the harbor on Feralas's Darkshore.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Sylvanas about the wild hippogryph breeding grounds in Feralas's High Wilderness, and Sylvanas asked to be notified when the scouts returned.
• Onyxia teased Yu Lin Bloodhawk that Sylvanas planned to steal the hippogryphs, then mocked Sylvanas until Sylvanas threatened to beat her.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk stepped between Sylvanas and Onyxia and urged them not to fight while the Night Elves were still nearby, but Onyxia challenged Sylvanas anyway.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s fleet landed at Darkshore and established a crude transit station while he waited for the gryphon rider scouts. The scouts returned with news of a large ogre force heading south, and Yu Lin suspected they were displaced Gordunni fleeing the orcs.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk promised Sylvanas a natural hippogryph breeding ground, and she agreed to let her quarrel with Onyxia go for his sake.
• The fleet landed at Darkshore, where two hundred soldiers built a crude transit station and the troops camped for the night.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk waited ashore for the gryphon rider scouting squad, then prepared to leave with the troops the next day.
• The gryphon rider scouting squad returned with the Gryphon Rider Bodyguard and reported an ogre force of about two thousand traveling south along the main road.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk suspected the ogres were Gordunni remnants fleeing the defeated Orcs Forces and seeking somewhere to settle.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk planned to let the Gordunni ogres attack Dire Maul before his troops intervened, hoping to trap them after they fought the Highborne high elves. He left Sylvanas concerned that the plan would cost the elves inside their lives.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk considered the ogres’ fighting strength and ordered the fleet to anchor near the Highland Wilds while instructing Sylvanas to lead the troops.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk and his bodyguards scouted ahead for three days, tranquilizing wild bears as the high elves continued through the Lowland Wilds.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s forces reached Feralas’s central region on the final day of their agreement with the night elves and made camp after climbing the escarpment.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Sylvanas they would wait for the Gordunni ogres to reach Dire Maul rather than hurry there to defend it.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk said his troops would attack from behind after the ogres had fought the Highborne high elves, and Sylvanas warned that elves inside might die.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s forces advanced toward Dire Maul after the Ogres began fighting the Highborne High Elves inside, while Sylvanas hurried the troops forward and Yu Lin wanted to watch the battle. On the way, Yu Lin and Onyxia joked about his “melon” and their growing closeness, while Onyxia’s rivalry with Sylvanas remained unresolved.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s troops waited near Dire Maul until the Ogres arrived, then packed up and set out as Gryphon Riders flew to a nearby vantage point.
• Yu Lin explained that the Highborne High Elves’ weakness and need for magic could make Sylvanas’s Sunwell negotiations more successful.
• A Gryphon Rider reported that the Ogres and Highborne High Elves had begun fighting, so Sylvanas ordered the troops to move faster.
• Yu Lin grumbled that Sylvanas should let the battle continue longer, then said he was going to watch the fighting.
• Onyxia asked Yu Lin what melon meant, and he explained it was a phrase for watching the fun; she recalled enjoying his grilled fish and meat.
• Yu Lin reflected that he and Onyxia had grown closer, while Sylvanas and Onyxia still distrusted and disliked each other.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk left with Onyxia and Soross to watch the battle between the ogres and the Highborne High Elves in Dire Maul. As the High Elves’ thin defensive line faltered and civilians suffered heavy casualties, Soross demanded that Yu Lin Bloodhawk send help.

• Sylvanas allowed Onyxia to go with Yu Lin Bloodhawk but sent Soross along to protect him.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk, Onyxia, and Soross flew to a high point in Dire Maul to watch the battle below.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk identified the Highborne High Elf civilians’ illness as arcane addiction.
• The ogres pressed their attack across the High Elves’ undermanned defensive line, breaking through and killing civilians.
• Soross urged Yu Lin Bloodhawk to send help, but Yu Lin Bloodhawk told him the battle had only begun.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk waited for Sylvanas while the battle for Dire Maul continued, then ordered gryphon riders to rescue the weakening Highborne elf Morina. After learning her name, he revealed that he knew Prince Setore had made the elves channel their magic into the archdemon, leaving Morina stunned.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the Old Charlatan that he would wait for Sylvanas and that sacrifices were necessary to meet Quel'Thalas's demands for Eldre'Thalas.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk pointed out that Eldre'Thalas's library remained intact and ordered two gryphon riders to rescue a Highborne elf in danger.
• The gryphon riders killed the ogres around the elf and carried her back to Yu Lin Bloodhawk, prompting him to tease the rescuer about his romantic luck.
• The rescued elf introduced herself as Morina and explained that the Highborne were too weak to hold Dire Maul.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked whether Prince Setore had made the Highborne channel their magic into the archdemon, and Morina stared at him in astonishment.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned that Prince Setore had forced Dire Maul’s civilians to feed magic power to the Archdemon while his Guard hoarded it and killed those who resisted. He sent Morina and the Old Charlatan to organize the civilians’ defense as Sylvanas’s army prepared to attack, and resolved that Kael'thas would be the only High Elf prince.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk questioned Morina about the civilians’ declining strength and learned that Setore’s Guard had killed many people who resisted feeding magic power to the Archdemon.
• Morina told Yu Lin Bloodhawk that Setore had just over a thousand strong guards in the Western District, while civilians were confined to the Northern District.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk promised to help the Highborne High Elves and said Setore and his followers would face judgment for their actions.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered Morina to rally the civilians, defend the Library, and avoid attacking until his army dealt with the Ogres.
• After a Gryphon Rider reported that Sylvanas was near Dire Maul, Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered a full-scale bombardment and sent Morina and the Old Charlatan into the Northern District under guard.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk watched the Gryphon Riders head toward the Ogres and decided that Kael'thas would be the High Elves’ only prince.

The Gryphon Riders bombed Dire Maul’s ogre forces, while Sylvanas’s troops sealed the gate and wiped out the guards outside. Sylvanas entered to find the main force scattered and ordered her Rangers to clear the square alongside the Steel Torrent.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered the Gryphon Riders to bomb the ogres while minimizing damage to the city.
• The Gryphon Riders killed the two-headed ogres, but many single-headed ogres ignored the attacks and refused to gather; the riders bombed or shot them down while driving the others toward the square’s center.
• Sylvanas arrived at Dire Maul after her ground forces, led by the City Lord's Household Guard and the Frostwolf Clan Regiment, slaughtered the four hundred ogres guarding the gate.
• Sylvanas saw that the Gryphon Riders had shattered the ogres’ organization in the central square and ordered two squads of Frostwolf Rangers to follow each Steel Torrent squad and clear the square by sectors.

Sylvanas agreed to let Yu Lin Bloodhawk pursue Prince Setore and his confidants while prioritizing the rescue of Dire Maul from the ogres. She ordered the rangers to keep fighting after learning Setore’s guard was negotiating with the ogres, and ended the chapter furious at their conduct.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told Sylvanas about the plan to kill Prince Setore and put him on trial, and she reluctantly agreed to target him and a few confidants.
• Sylvanas ordered the rangers to clear the ogres from Dire Maul, gather captured and wounded ogres in the Central Plaza, and avoid fighting the Highborne High Elves unless necessary.
• Sylvanas, Yu Lin Bloodhawk, and the others advanced into the Northern District to meet the Old High Priest Sorens.
• A ranger commander reported that Prince Setore’s guard was negotiating with the ogres to hand over parts of Dire Maul.
• Sylvanas ordered the rangers to defeat the ogres regardless of the negotiations, then cursed Setore’s guard for negotiating with them.

Sylvanas and her companions secured Dire Maul’s Library and negotiated the Resistance Organization’s allegiance to Quel’Thalas while Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned how to absorb and convert fel. The chapter ended with Sylvanas declaring that Setore must die and Yu Lin considering the risks of leaving him and his soldiers alive.

• Sylvanas led her group to the Library, secured it with the help of Morina and the Resistance, and stationed guards to protect its records.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned Smoke-Absorbing Magic from Morina after repeated attempts to absorb fel and convert it into magical energy.
• Sylvanas negotiated with the Resistance Organization, whose members agreed to join the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas.
• Sylvanas said Setore must die after hearing the Highborne commoners’ accusations and lamented that Quel'Thalas had not come sooner.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk reasoned that Setore and his thousand guards had to be eliminated to prevent future unrest.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk discussed delaying the attack on Setore and persuading members of Prince Setore’s Guard to defect while Sylvanas reinforced the civilian quarters. He went to oversee the Ogre prisoners and proposed turning them into heavy infantry, but the chapter ended with a Ranger commander questioning whether the Ogres were intelligent enough to serve.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk tried to persuade Sylvanas to arrange more Teleportation Orbs, but she refused because they were rare and prohibitively expensive.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk suggested that the Resistance Organization persuade soldiers in Prince Setore’s Guard to defect, and Sylvanas agreed to move troops to protect the Northern District.
• Sylvanas stopped Yu Lin Bloodhawk from claiming her Hippogryphs and assigned him to watch for Satyrs using the Ogre prisoners to hold them off if needed.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk requested fifty Dire Wolf Rangers and decided to recruit the Ogres as warriors by equipping them with heavy armor and training them.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained his plan to the Ranger company commander, who doubted the Ogres had enough intelligence to follow orders.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered the Elves to secure the Ogres’ submission with food and force, but the Ogres agreed to obey as soon as they heard they would receive meat. He arranged their recovery and daily training while continuing to monitor the Satyrs, and Sylvanas came to remind him of his real assignment.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the Elves to use food, beatings, and discipline to make the Ogres submit.
• The Ogres agreed to obey in exchange for meat, leaving the Dire Wolf Rangers surprised and mocked by the Gryphon Riders.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk arranged for Healing Mages to treat the Ogres, promised them meat, and ordered daily formation and command training while keeping their weapons guarded.
• The Ogres trained in groups in the Central Plaza, attracting amused Elves, while Yu Lin Bloodhawk monitored the Satyrs in the Eastern District with the Gryphon Riders.
• Sylvanas came to see the training and went to remind Yu Lin Bloodhawk to focus on watching the Satyrs.

Sylvanas overheard Yu Lin Bloodhawk explain why the ogres had joined them, using the history of a powerful, expansionist race called the Han. His story ended with the Han people’s fierce belief that they would ultimately prevail, while Sylvanas sensed deep regret beneath his calm expression.

• Sylvanas overheard Yu Lin Bloodhawk promise the Gryphon Rider Bodyguards that they would return to The Hinterlands through the Portal in Trial Valley after Sylvanas finished her work.
• Sylvanas decided that her Frostwolf Clan Regiment should also get a chance to visit home once matters at Dire Maul were settled.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the gathered listeners that the ogres had joined them because they had once served and been enslaved by the orcs.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk described how the Han had expanded their territory, subdued other peoples, and claimed all lands and inhabitants as their own.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained that the Han believed they would win in the end even after defeats, and Sylvanas sensed hidden regret in his expression.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the others how an empire weakened as its nobles and ministers smuggled weapons to northern barbarians for profit. He left them angry and saddened by the empire’s betrayal and the emperor’s capture.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk described the empire’s growing conflict between the emperor and the powerful noble houses, whose ministers controlled much of its wealth.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk condemned the great houses’ leaders for smuggling advanced weapons to two rising northern barbarian powers, and Sylvanas sensed his grief for his former people.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained that the emperor’s northern campaign faced years of opposition from ministers whose profits depended on the barbarians.
• The emperor led an army north, but his forces were betrayed and defeated, and the barbarians captured him within the empire’s borders.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk told the listeners that the emperor and his soldiers had fallen to their own people’s schemes, leaving the group shocked and furious.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk recounted how the Empire fell twice to the Barbarians after its rulers chose tribute, corruption, and surrender over resistance. He explained that the first betrayal weakened the people’s resolve, making the second conquest easier, as happened when the Ogres submitted to the Orcs and then to his group.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk explained that the Empire paid the Barbarians tribute after the emperor was captured, while court officials abandoned him and persecuted generals who urged resistance.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk recounted how the Barbarians united, conquered the Empire, and used local traitors to rule and exploit its people.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk said heroes later overthrew the Barbarians and restored the Empire, whose first emperor issued an injunction against tribute, submission, marriage alliances, and ceding land.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk described how the restored Empire’s ruling families drained its treasury, leaving the army underfunded as a new Barbarian threat grew.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk said the Empire fell again because its people had already accepted surrender once, then compared their weakened resistance to the Ogres’ submission first to the Orcs and then to his group.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk discussed how repeated moral compromises could erase a person's limits, then spoke with Sylvanas about Quel'Thalas's plans for Dire Maul. Sylvanas planned to bring in reinforcements, deal with Setore and every other threat, and restore Eldre'Thalas, while the Windrunner family would retain the Hippogryph grounds.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk warned those present that crossing a moral line once made it easier for individuals and nations to cross it again.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk headed for the Eastern District to check on the Satyrs and test his fel-conversion spell, and Sylvanas joined him.
• Sylvanas told Yu Lin Bloodhawk that two regiments of the Windrunner Burning Legion would arrive and that Setore had to be killed for slaughtering High Elf civilians.
• Sylvanas planned to activate the Teleportation Orb to bring in troops, send Highborne High Elf civilians back to Quel'Thalas, and reopen it only after Dire Maul's problems were resolved.
• Sylvanas said Quel'Thalas wanted Dire Maul restored and that the Windrunner family would keep the Hippogryph breeding and training grounds, irritating Yu Lin Bloodhawk.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk captured a Satyr and tested Morina’s Fel Absorption and Conversion Magic on him. The spell drained the Satyr’s fel and slightly increased Yu Lin Bloodhawk’s magical power and strength.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk learned that the Satyrs had made no major moves and went with the Gryphon Rider Commander to see a captured Satyr.
• The Gryphon Rider Commander explained that interrogation had yielded no useful information, and Yu Lin Bloodhawk and Sylvanas discussed the Satyr’s origins and appearance.
• Sylvanas urged Yu Lin Bloodhawk to kill the Satyr, but Yu Lin Bloodhawk kept him alive to test Morina’s spell.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk cast Fel Absorption and Conversion Magic, draining the Satyr’s fel until the spell broke at a range of about eight yards.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk found that the spell had slightly increased both his magical power and his strength.

Sylvanas tested Yu Lin Bloodhawk's fel absorption and conversion spell on a Satyr, confirming that it strengthened her and converted fel without harmful effects. Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered the elves of The Hinterlands to learn the spell.

• Sylvanas rapidly drained the Satyr's fel while studying the changes in her body, leaving him near death.
• Sylvanas found slight improvements in her body and energy, and said the Satyr had been too weak to reveal more.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered the Gryphon Rider Commander to have the Satyr taken outside and killed.
• Sylvanas told Yu Lin Bloodhawk that the spell converted demonic fel into pure arcane energy and something that could strengthen the body, with no harmful effects she could detect.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered every elf in The Hinterlands to learn the spell, directing them to the War God Temple or the Highborne High Elves in the Western District.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk arranged for the War God Temple to teach the Highborne High Elves’ Fel Absorption and Conversion Magic to Quel'Danil’s forces. He and Sylvanas agreed to support Sorens as he stayed in Dire Maul to preserve its books and build a library for Quel'Danil City.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk ordered the Gryphon Riders to learn the spell and said the War God Temple would teach the City Lord's Household Guard and the Hinterlands elves.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk found Sorens in the library, and Sorens agreed to send clerics to teach the spell while explaining its importance as a foundation for further magical research.
• Sorens declined to return with Yu Lin Bloodhawk because he wanted to copy the library’s books and establish a War God Temple library in Quel'Danil.
• Yu Lin Bloodhawk asked Sylvanas to help Sorens, and Sylvanas agreed to support his efforts.
• Sylvanas recognized that the library could give Quel'Danil City lasting cultural and intellectual foundations.

Yu Lin Bloodhawk left Dire Maul after the Windrunner Burning Legion took over its defenses, while Sylvanas stayed behind to deal with Setore and shield him from political fallout. As Yu Lin led his slow-moving column toward the harbor, Sylvanas launched her assault and he remained unaware of the burdens she had taken on for him.

• Yu Lin Bloodhawk decided to leave Dire Maul once the Windrunner Burning Legion arrived, avoiding further involvement in Quel'Thalas's affairs.
• After the Teleportation Orb was installed, Yu Lin handed over the defenses and departed with the City Lord's Household Guard and six or seven hundred Ogres, while the Gryphon Riders stayed behind.
• Sylvanas waited until Yu Lin had left before moving against Setore, hoping to keep him clear of the political consequences of the trial and executions.
• Sylvanas shut down the Teleportation Orb after sending the Highborne High Elf commoners back and prepared to deal with visiting nobles' subordinates herself.
• Yu Lin led the return march at a slow pace, as the disarmed Ogres repeatedly tried to chase wild animals and the Rangers had to keep them in line.