Chapter Summaries

Ellen traveled to Stormwind City to drive up the price of grain for Rowan, while the Silver Hand killed Kel'Thuzad and Arthas prepared to open Andorhal's granaries. After a costly battle in Southern Eversong Woods, the Sun Sanctum exploded.

• Rowan sent Ellen to negotiate with Katrana and raise the grain price, and Ellen agreed to pay ten percent more if the Norwington Merchants' Guild became the sole supplier.
• Ellen met Katrana in Stormwind City, accepted her doubled grain price, and offered to raise it further in exchange for exclusive supply rights.
• Uther, Tirion, and Arthas cornered Kel'Thuzad; Jandice fled, and Arthas killed Kel'Thuzad after the mage's energy shield exploded.
• Uther purified Kel'Thuzad's remains, while Arthas proposed opening Andorhal's granaries and Uther agreed.
• Dathrohan and Mograine fought Nalorakk's Chosen One after two other Loa Chosen Ones died, and the exhausted survivors saw the Sun Sanctum explode.

Zul'jin captured the Sun Sanctum after destroying its teleporter, while Sylvanas's request for a counterattack was rejected amid Quel'Thalas's political divisions. In Lordaeron, Capernian used mental suggestion to make Garithos accept an overpriced grain deal, leaving him convinced it would help his kingdom and hurt Stormwind.

• Zul'jin ordered his forces to kill the surviving defenders, but Sylvanas led the remaining rangers in an organized retreat from the Sun Sanctum.
• Zul'jin proclaimed victory as the Amani Trolls celebrated their capture of the sanctum and the destruction of its defenses.
• Julia told Sylvanas that the Sunstrider Court had rejected her request for troops and temporarily stripped her of command; Sylvanas then sent an appeal to Lordaeron for aid to Lord Mograine.
• Capernian rejected Polina's trade agreement and demanded ten percent more for grain, then used mental suggestion to make Garithos sign the costly deal.
• Garithos accepted the purchase as a way to relieve the plague crisis, restore the Royal Court's standing, and retaliate against Stormwind and its merchants.

Rhonin encountered Medivh after exploring Karazhan, and Aegwynn reunited with her resurrected son before stepping down as Guardian. Meanwhile, Rowan learned that the Scourge was advancing from Northrend and began preparing to support the Alliance and defend against the threat.

• Aegwynn weakened herself freeing Eileen from the Helm of Domination, while Meryl helped Eileen rest and Rhonin explored Karazhan's library.
• Rhonin studied an unusual theory of linked arcane explosions, then encountered visions of a strange city in the tower's corridor.
• Rhonin met Medivh in Karazhan and agreed to share food with him before Aegwynn joined them and formally relinquished her role as Guardian.
• Number Zero reported Kel'Thuzad's death and Arthas's plan to open Andorhal's granaries, and Rowan ordered surveillance of the Order of the Silver Hand and support for Southern Eversong Woods.
• Jaina warned Rowan that the Scourge army had left Northrend, and she said the Kirin Tor intended to unite the Alliance against it.
• Rowan considered the Scourge's advance and relied on Kul Tiras's fleet and ongoing construction of the Sky Stronghold to prepare for the coming war.

Terenas secured Rowan’s agreement to transport the Order of the Silver Hand to Eversong Woods in exchange for economic concessions that would protect the Barov and Agamand families. As the fleet prepared to sail, Rowan learned Arthas had stayed behind in Andorhal, while Sylvanas and Capernian considered how to make Lordaeron’s reinforcements useful to the elves.

• Terenas asked Rowan for help rescuing the people of Stratholme, and Rowan agreed to send the Combined Fleet with the Order of the Silver Hand in return for reduced Lordaeron trade protectionism.
• Rowan’s negotiations secured Terenas’s promise to protect the Barov and Agamand families and encourage greater economic exchange between their kingdoms.
• The Combined Fleet sailed north with three thousand Silver Hand soldiers, and Rowan learned from Uther that Arthas had remained in Andorhal.
• Rowan, Uther, Tirion, and Jaina discussed how to draw the Amani Trolls within range of the fleet’s guns, but Tirion’s proposal to bait them with a supposed peace negotiation seemed unlikely to work.
• Capernian returned to Tranquillien and told Sylvanas that Silvermoon’s prince faction wanted her to take the blame for the defeat at the Sun Sanctum.
• Capernian urged Sylvanas to think of a way to make Lordaeron’s reinforcements help the elves in return for protecting the people of Stratholme.

Rowan met Sylvanas and the paladin leaders to discuss the campaign against the Amani Trolls and proposed trading captured bases to rescue Stratholme’s civilians. Sylvanas challenged his apparent willingness to leave Quel'Thalas behind, and Rowan said he would help retake the Sun Sanctum if Quel'Thalas rejoined the Alliance.

• Rowan joked with Valeera about staying in Silvermoon City, and her suggestion that they marry provoked Jaina’s jealousy.
• Sylvanas met Uther, Tirion Fordring, and Rowan at the Moon Temple and learned that the Alliance would cooperate with the elves after rescuing Stratholme’s people.
• Rowan asked about the Amani Trolls’ plans, then proposed trading bases with Zul'jin to free the civilians; Uther and Tirion objected to the proposal’s ruthless approach.
• Sylvanas privately accused Rowan of abandoning the elves after using them, and he said he would help retake the Sun Sanctum if Quel'Thalas rejoined the Alliance.

Sylvanas and Caponia discussed Rowan, romance, and Sylvanas’s determination never to marry. Later, Rowan led the joint force toward the Amani Kingdom, met Caponia, and was teased by Jaina as the campaign began.

• Sylvanas told Caponia that Rowan had demanded Quel'Thalas rejoin the Alliance, and insisted she would never marry.
• Lucille reunited with Rowan and Jaina, brought provisions and supplies, and reported that Lord Arthur’s curse had stopped spreading.
• Rowan and the joint force reviewed Tirion Fordring’s route into Zeb'Wanu and prepared to strike the Amani Kingdom if Zul'jin threatened civilians.
• Caponia approached Rowan during the march to discuss his Mage Hunter cannons and learned that Rhonin served as his Chief Archmage.
• Jaina rode up as Caponia said goodbye to Rowan, then warned him not to speak to another girl.

Rowan’s forces found thousands of Stratholme civilians alive in the Sun Sanctum region, while Sylvanas confronted Rowan over the costs of her choices. Elsewhere, Thassarian rescued most of a refugee group from troll captors but was nearly killed by Captain Baka before a Holy Light Smite struck.

• Ellen counted five thousand civilians rescued and escorted to the Moon Temple, while Sylvanas concluded that Zul'jin could use the remaining refugees as leverage and sought Rowan to demand an explanation.
• Thassarian settled several thousand civilians near the Farstriders' camp, then returned to search for the main force and encountered a troll squad holding refugees by a river.
• Thassarian attacked the trolls and urged the civilians to flee east; more than seventy escaped, though the trolls recaptured about twenty.
• Baka, empowered by the Death God, fought Thassarian and seized him by the throat after their weapons clashed.
• As Baka prepared to kill Thassarian, Holy Light Smite arrived and interrupted him.

Rowan's allied forces breached Zul'Aman's Royal City with the Mage Hunter Cannon, and Daakara surrendered after a brief battle. Meanwhile, Mograine learned that the Silver Hand's reinforcements were attacking Zul'Aman instead of rescuing the civilians at the Sun Sanctum, leaving him and Dathrohan to trust their commanders' plan.

• Daakara rallied Zul'Aman's fewer than three hundred defenders as Rowan approached with thousands of allied troops, then agreed to hear Rowan's offer to spare the city's people if they surrendered.
• Rowan ordered Risen to fire the Mage Hunter Cannon, which shattered the gate and walls; Daakara lost his will to fight as Sylvanas asked what kind of weapon it was.
• Mograine and Dathrohan arrived to help Thassarian fight Baka, who fled when he faced the two Paladin lords; Mograine had Thassarian taken to camp for care.
• A scout told Mograine and Dathrohan that Uther and Tirion's reinforcements were heading toward Zul'Aman rather than the Sun Sanctum, and the generals tried to understand the decision.
• The Silver Hand occupied Zul'Aman's Royal City, Daakara surrendered, and Rowan kept his promise not to harm the city's civilians or soldiers.

Rowan and Sylvanas discussed the cost of Kul Tiras’s aid and the reasons behind Zul’jin’s war, while Rowan comforted her during her despair. Three days later, the combined forces returned to the Sun Sanctum, where Sylvanas began arranging a hostage exchange with Zul’jin.

• Rowan found Zul'Aman’s royal city stripped of useful supplies and led the army onward with its inhabitants.
• Sylvanas pressed Rowan to help reclaim the Sun Sanctum, but Rowan refused to commit without compensation from Quel'Thalas.
• Rowan told Sylvanas that the Royal Court blamed her for the defeat, and she broke down over the deaths and lack of support.
• Rowan suggested Zul’jin had a stronger ally behind him and told Sylvanas to wait for a reason he could help her.
• Sylvanas and Rowan rejoined the army, and Capernian warned Sylvanas that Rowan was married.
• Three days later, Sylvanas sent Lor'themar into the Sun Sanctum with a letter proposing a hostage exchange to Zul'jin.

Rowan and Zul'jin signed a ceasefire to allow Stratholme's civilians to leave, but Rowan warned Zul'jin against relying on Zandalar, and Zul'jin insisted on expanding the war. Talanji brought Zandalari and Drakkari reinforcements into Eversong Woods, while the Silver Hand debated whether to aid the High Elves or escort the rescued civilians home.

• Rowan was appointed negotiator and signed a ceasefire agreement with Zul'jin, who opened the Sun Sanctum's passes for Stratholme's civilians and soldiers.
• Rowan warned Zul'jin that joining forces with Zandalar would make the Amani enemies of Kul Tiras, but Zul'jin declared that war and expansion were necessary.
• Talanji sailed the King's Fleet to Eversong Woods with Zandalari Golden Guard and Drakkari Frost Troll reinforcements.
• Uther and Tirion reunited with Mograine and Dathrohan after the civilians were accounted for, while Mograine objected to withdrawing most of the Silver Hand troops.
• Uther ordered two thousand Silver Hand soldiers to remain and assigned Dathrohan and himself to escort the civilians through Lordaeron's Northern Lands before seeking reinforcements.

Rowan and the defenders prepared for the Zandalari attack while Caponia persuaded Rommath to send Silvermoon Council archmages to Tranquillien. The battle began with aerial assaults, and it left Tirion facing Talanji as she summoned Hir'eek's power.

• Jaina reported that Talanji's five thousand reinforcements were advancing toward the Sun Sanctum, then rested with Rowan on the watchtower.
• Sylvanas asked Rowan for artillery cover, and he agreed to provide an initial volley before his Mage Hunters scattered; he rebuked her over Silvermoon's failure to send aid and reminded her that she owed him.
• Caponia confronted Rommath about abandoning Tranquillien, and he finally ordered every Silvermoon Council archmage to assemble and depart immediately.
• Talanji and Zul'jin prepared nearly ten thousand fighters to attack Tranquillien, while Talanji ordered General Drol'ti to carry Breath of Rezan for unexpected threats.
• The Zandalari Pterrordax Riders launched their assault; Halduron trapped Ral with Aerial Shackles, but the riders brought down Halduron's Dragonhawk and Ral's Pterrordax crashed into the forest.
• Talanji used Rezan's power against the Paladins, Tirion interrupted her with Repentance, and Dak'uru wounded Tirion before Talanji invoked Hir'eek and aimed Shadow Daggers at him.

Sylvanas and Tirion fought Talanji and Dak'uru as the troll assault threatened Tranquillien, but Rowan’s Mage Hunter cannons shattered the advance. Talanji then led a covert force to capture Rowan at his cannon position, where he feigned alarm and waited for her trap to unfold.

• Dak'uru’s poisoned dagger paralyzed Tirion, but Sylvanas disrupted Talanji’s Night Blade and Tirion cleansed himself before fighting Dak'uru.
• Sylvanas broke Talanji’s Torga shield, but the Bear Spirit God rescued Talanji and Zul'jin’s forces drove the defenders back.
• Rowan’s Mage Hunter shells killed scores of trolls and slowed their assault, while the Moon Temple interception force joined the battle.
• Talanji persuaded Deloti to give her an elite unit and led Vokaze and 110 soldiers toward Rowan’s cannon position.
• Talanji found Rowan without his usual companions and sent Vokaze to draw the human soldiers’ attention as he attacked the emplacement.
• Rowan called out for Jaina while secretly waiting for Talanji’s raiding force to take the bait.

Talanji ambushed Rowan during the retreat, but Rowan used the Abyssal Mists to turn the capture into a standoff. On the main battlefield, Zul'jin gathered the loa's power and attacked Sylvanas and Tirion, leaving the battle's outcome unresolved.

• Rowan ordered his forces to withdraw toward Tranquillien as Vokaze drew their attention, and Talanji concealed herself along the retreat route.
• Talanji seized Rowan and declared that she would take him to Zandalar, but Rowan activated Abyssal Mists and threatened her to prevent her escape with him.
• Talanji accidentally made Rowan pass out while restraining him, then treated him; Rowan revealed he had been pretending to be unconscious, and she tormented him before restoring him.
• Ral and Halduron recovered from their fall and resumed fighting when reinforcements arrived, while the main battlefield settled into a stalemate.
• Zul'jin had Malacrass transfer the loa's power from four Chosen Ones to him, then attacked Sylvanas and Tirion with the combined strength and speed of the loa.
• Tirion shielded Sylvanas from Zul'jin's blow, and Zul'jin turned on Tirion, preparing a powerful attack.

Zul'jin’s assault drove Tirion Fordring to the brink, but Silvermoon’s archmages arrived and helped restore the defenders’ line. In the abyssal mist, Rowan and Talanji negotiated over food and a possible alliance, leaving Rowan about to propose cooperation against a common enemy.

• Zul'jin weakened Tirion Fordring with cyclones and Flamestrike, but Tirion interrupted his casting and struck back with a Crusade and Judgment combo.
• Zul'jin transformed his arm with Nalorakk’s power, knocked Tirion into a tree, and nearly finished him before Liadrin and Vandellor intervened.
• Silvermoon Council archmages arrived, bombarded Zul'jin with Pyroblasts, and helped the defenders reform their line while Vandellor restored Tirion enough to wake him.
• Rowan woke in the abyssal mist, found himself hungry, and refused Talanji’s offer to trade food for dispelling the mist.
• Rowan asked Talanji to negotiate and said that Kul Tiras and Zandalar might cooperate against a powerful common enemy.

Talanji agreed to ally Zandalar with the Alliance against the Scourge while pursuing the Troll World Council’s own territorial interests, but Rowan teleported her to Tranquillien and kept her in comfortable custody. As the armies prepared to resume fighting, Rowan questioned her envoy and befriended Rommath, whose old grudge against Rhonin surfaced.

• Talanji offered Zandalar’s cooperation against the Scourge while warning Rowan that the Troll World Council would prioritize its own gains and might use Alliance forces as bait.
• Rowan’s teleportation spell carried Talanji to Tranquillien before she could attack him, and Vokaze informed Dreloti, who concealed the abduction and arranged a ceasefire with Zul'jin.
• Zul'jin withdrew his troops to camp near the Sun Sanctum, while Dreloti sent Dak'uru to meet Talanji and seek news of her.
• Rowan allowed Dak'uru to visit Talanji, then had Jaina, Mograine, and Lor'themar take the envoy to an interrogation room, where Dak'uru revealed Zul's whereabouts and Talanji’s recruitment plans before leaving unharmed.
• Rowan thanked Rommath for helping locate him and discussed politics, daily life, and magical power with him, then mentioned that Rhonin would visit.
• Rommath reacted with hostility to Rhonin’s name because Rhonin had once been involved with his childhood sweetheart, while Capernian invited Rowan and Rommath to dinner.

Arthas’s grain relief exposed the desperate poverty and corruption afflicting Felstone Field, and the deaths of Tina and her father drove him to vow that he could change the kingdom as Rowan had. Meanwhile, Rowan met Lana'thel near the Temple, prompting Capernian to urgently warn him away from her.

• Arthas delivered free grain to northern settlements and visited Tina, whose cursed father had been unconscious for six years.
• Arthas learned Tina had exchanged most of her flour for medicine, then used Flash of Light on her father and realized the man was beyond saving.
• Arthas returned at night and killed soldiers disguised as bandits who had attacked Tina and her father, then learned someone had ordered their deaths to conceal the interests exposed by Tina's household.
• Tina's father died, and Tina later died by suicide; Arthas buried them and burned their home before riding away.
• Rowan gambled with Lor'themar and Halduron before Lana'thel arrived and approached him.
• Capernian recognized Lana'thel and shouted at Rowan to get away from her.

Tichondrius forced Ner'zhul to redirect the Scourge toward Kul Tiras and seized Frostmourne, while Sargeras prepared to send power from Argus to Azeroth. After Arthas killed a group of Cult of the Damned followers, he discovered a young girl among the dead, leaving him stunned.

• Tichondrius entered Icecrown Citadel, ordered Ner'zhul to redirect the Scourge toward Kul Tiras, and took Frostmourne after Ner'zhul marked it with a Shadowmoon Curse Mark.
• Sargeras ordered Aggramar to activate the Seat of the Pantheon and send its teleportation energy through the Twisting Nether toward Azeroth.
• Arthas kept Kel'Thuzad's ashes as bait, then killed a group of Cult of the Damned followers who raided his camp.
• Arthas noticed a slender young girl's arm among the cultists' corpses and had a soldier remove her mask, leaving him shocked.

Lana'thel tried to persuade Sylvanas to leave Silvermoon City or become a bride in a marriage alliance with Rowan, but Sylvanas rejected the proposal even as she blurted that she would rather marry him. Meanwhile, Garithos's fleet came under attack by undead abominations and discovered Flying Citadels overhead, forcing him to order a retreat toward Boralus.

• Lana'thel urged Sylvanas to leave Silvermoon City or marry Rowan to strengthen ties with Kul Tiras, but Sylvanas refused before accidentally saying she would rather marry him.
• Caponia told Sylvanas that Solarian had applied to join Rowan's research institute in Morris, and Sylvanas asked what Rowan had said.
• Garithos sailed back toward Lordaeron with Polina after selling his grain to the Kul Tiras Merchants' Guild, but an enormous abomination attacked his fleet at night.
• Garithos killed the abomination on the flagship while similar monsters attacked other warships and consumed fallen soldiers to heal themselves.
• Garithos fired a flare that revealed Flying Citadels above the fleet, then ordered the ships to turn around and retreat to Boralus.

Arthas uncovered the Cult of the Damned’s influence among Lordaeron’s poor and discovered how hunger made a child accept undeath as an escape. Meanwhile, the Scourge invaded Kul Tiras, and its leaders debated how to defend the kingdom as the enemy advanced.

• Arthas learned that most of the supposed cultists he had found were ordinary civilians marked by necromantic energy, and he decided to purge the cult’s remnants.
• Arthas visited the Silver Hand Outpost, obtained a list from Commander Zodick, and found that Earl Baniel had taken a poor family’s land and grain.
• Arthas and Faria discovered an undead mage recruiting villagers, and Arthas killed him and purified the necromantic mark on a girl named Tiris.
• Tiris told Arthas that the cultist had promised she would never go hungry again if she became undead, and Arthas rushed toward Baniel Town in fury.
• Kainings ordered Kul Tiras’s guns to fire on the approaching flying citadels as the Scourge landed and corrupted the land south of Daelin’s Gate.
• Admiral Daelin, Aldrius, Lord Ashvane, and Lord Stormsong discussed defending Kul Tiras and whether Rowan should return.

After the Scourge invaded Kul Tiras, Rowan withdrew the Combined Fleet from Tranquillien and prepared his homeland for a prolonged war, while reassuring Jaina that Kul Tiras could hold out. Meanwhile, Arthas killed Baron Baniel and began a campaign against Lordaeron’s nobles, prompting the old noble bloc to organize against him.

• Rowan ordered the Combined Fleet to leave Tranquillien after learning the Scourge had established a foothold on Kul Tiras, and Sylvanas gave him an enchanted gem and wished him well before his departure.
• Sylvanas and Capernian agreed they would help Rowan if they could leave Tranquillien, while Sylvanas warned that Kul Tiras was in grave danger without Alliance support.
• Arthas struck Baron Baniel, ignored Faria’s warning to follow Lordaeron law, and killed him before ordering his assets and land distributed to the townspeople.
• The people of Baniel Town celebrated Baniel’s death as Arthas vowed to eliminate the kingdom’s bloodsuckers, while Lordaeron’s nobles began organizing against him.
• Rowan sent Lucille to buy supplies and told Jaina that the Alliance would wait to see whether Kul Tiras could contain the Scourge before offering aid.
• Zul’jin learned that Talanji was withdrawing because the Scourge had marched on Kul Tiras and recognized that the trolls would also be threatened if humanity fell.