Chapter Summaries

Katrana visited her captured brother Nefarian and told him that Neltharion had been corrupted by the Old Gods, while Rowan prepared to seize Lordaeron’s noble merchants’ guilds amid Arthas’s crackdown. As Comecon’s withdrawal and Rowan’s planned operation brought the conflict into the open, Arthas focused on converting the Silver Hand’s remaining paladins into Mawsworn.

• Katrana rejected Nefarian’s attempts to appeal to their family bond, explained that their father had gone mad under the Old Gods’ influence, and left him alive in captivity.
• Katrana activated a Dream Portal at Menethil Harbor and traveled with Illucia to Lake Fenris.
• Rowan ordered Lucille to coordinate with the Silver Hand and planned to arrest the old nobles after their meeting in Tarren Mill, while Jaina prepared to evacuate personnel and support the operation.
• Comecon-affiliated businesses and trading channels across Lordaeron began shutting down and withdrawing people through the Teleportation Hall.
• Arthas learned of Rowan’s actions, declared Rowan his true enemy, and went to the Silver Hand to convert its remaining paladins into the Mawsworn Army.

After losing his Holy Pact, Tirion Fordring returned to Hearthglen and spent time with his son Taelan, but Kreus attacked and killed Lady Calandria and Taelan. As Tirion lay near death, a fragment of a soul urged him to keep fighting, and Darion arrived to strike Kreus.

• Tirion Fordring watched Taelan demonstrate his Paladin abilities and told him that his own Holy Pact had shattered.
• Kreus confronted Tirion in Hearthglen and overpowered him, but Taelan returned to attack her.
• Kreus killed Lady Calandria, then struck Taelan down as he tried to protect his parents.
• Tirion offered to go with Kreus if she spared Taelan, but Taelan urged his father to stop the Mawsworn before dying.
• Tirion charged Kreus in a final attack and fell, then heard a soul fragment tell him to hold on.
• Darion arrived and called down the Hammer of Sentence toward Kreus.

Rowan used intelligence from Khadgar’s mission to assess Arthas’s rule and began a plan to undermine Lordaeron’s economy. In Tarren Mill, the Barov brothers withdrew while Simmons and the Venture Company’s Razdunk tried to recruit the Noble Guild to help rebuild the kingdom’s trade.

• Rowan learned from Khadgar’s report that Arthas had used the Maw to terrorize Lordaeron’s court and that forces from Revendreth were cooperating with the Jailer.
• Rowan decided to warn Ysera and Devos about the betrayal and began his next plan after severing Lordaeron’s political ties with Stormwind.
• Weldon and Alex were driven from their guild building by Mawsworn Soldiers, but Alex stopped Weldon from attacking them with a Mage Hunter Grenade.
• Simmons addressed the Noble Guild in Tarren Mill, but its members showed little interest in his call for revenge against Comecon.
• Razdunk offered the guild the Venture Company’s services, promising gold without risk if they supplied resources.

The Lordaeron guild agreed to cooperate with Razdunk and wage a trade war against Kul Tiras's Comecon, but Rowan arrived and forced the guild members to choose whether to obey him or Arthas. After evacuating the meeting hall, Ysera brought the Winter Queen a bloodstained letter from Revendreth, whose contents enraged her.

• Razdunk persuaded the Lordaeron guild members that cooperation with the Venture Company could protect their wealth, and Simmons led them in planning to seize Southshore and challenge Kul Tiras's trade dominance.
• The guild members voiced their hatred of Rowan and Comecon until Rowan revealed himself, protected the meeting hall with a barrier, and killed two Mawsworn Soldiers with an Arcane Blast.
• Rowan ordered the guild members to choose sides, and Simmons and the others stood with Rowan; Rowan also confronted Razdunk over the Venture Company's dealings and threatened to take him to Kul Tiras for questioning.
• Senior Skevyn's barrier was destroyed by Garus's shadow magic, but Rowan and the others had already escaped through mass teleportation.
• Ysera delivered a bloodstained letter from Revendreth to the Winter Queen, who read it and became furious.

The Winter Queen brought Ysera to Oribos to investigate the Anima crisis and summon the Eternal Ones, while revealing that the Maw could consume the Shadowlands if its connections were severed. At the council, she accused Sire Denathrius of aiding Zodick, and he reacted with shock before suggesting his rebellious prince was involved.

• The Winter Queen showed Ysera the Shadowlands from the Chaos Realm and warned that the Maw would spread if Zodick took control.
• The Winter Queen and Ysera reached Oribos, where Tal-Inara reported that the Arbiter remained dormant after chaotic energy from the Maw attacked her will.
• The Winter Queen summoned the Eternal Ones, but only Kyrestia the Firstborn and Sire Denathrius answered; the Primus did not respond.
• The Winter Queen questioned Denathrius about the flow of Anima, and he claimed it was stored in Revendreth while his prince plotted a coup.
• The Winter Queen presented a letter claiming Denathrius's forces had joined Zodick's army in the world of the living, and Denathrius feigned surprise before blaming his prince.

Rowan persuaded Al'Dimor to cooperate by offering help with his ambitions in exchange for information about the Maw. Meanwhile, Dathrohan struggled to decide whether the Silver Hand should attend Arthas's coronation, and Faria pressed him for an answer.

• Rowan questioned Al'Dimor in the Menethil Harbor dungeon and challenged his loyalty to Denathrius and the Jailer.
• Al'Dimor admitted he wanted respect and power, then agreed to share information about the Maw that would not compromise his loyalty to Denathrius.
• Dathrohan discussed Arthas's return from the Maw with Maxwell and recognized that the Silver Hand faced mounting pressure to attend the coronation.
• Faria asked Dathrohan where the Silver Hand would stand in the coronation procession, forcing him to answer whether the order would attend.

Devos and Vesiphone allied to challenge the Archon and restore the Ascended’s lost memories, setting out to enlist other Paragons. Meanwhile, Tirion Fordring awakened the Holy Light within the Rizebu Crystal and charged Kreus as Darion lay gravely injured.

• Kleia escorted Devos to the Temple of Purity after learning she was a Paragon.
• Devos apologized to Vesiphone for judging her doubts a thousand years earlier and asked her to help persuade the Archon to ally with the living world.
• Devos proposed returning the Ascended’s former memories, and Vesiphone agreed to stand with her despite the risk of exile.
• Devos and Vesiphone decided to seek support from the other Paragons and flew toward the Temple of Wisdom to find Sene.
• Tirion Fordring shattered the shadows in the Rizebu Crystal with Holy Light and charged Kreus while Darion lay badly wounded.

The chapter traces Reno's rise from an overlooked paladin to a philosopher who embraced Arthas's rule, then shows him trying to persuade Dathrohan to support Arthas. A red-cloaked highlord interrupts Reno's argument and accuses him of dishonoring his dead father.

• Reno chose the difficult path of becoming a paladin and endured years of criticism and blame in the Order of the Silver Hand.
• After seeing corruption within the order, Reno developed theories about human nature and sought reforms, but Alexandros declined to advance his proposal.
• Reno opposed Rowan's political vision and allied himself with Arthas, who promised him a chance to pursue his ambitions through the Maw.
• Reno helped Arthas resolve problems in Lordaeron and brought Faria to meet with Dathrohan about the order's role in the accession ceremony.
• Reno argued that Dathrohan should trust Arthas as an ally, persuading him to consider supporting the king.
• A red-cloaked highlord entered the command hall and accused Reno of dishonoring Alexandros.

Khadgar activated the Light-Energy Crystal and discovered it could open a passage to another world, but Alodi stopped him from proceeding until Lord Rowan could convene a meeting. Meanwhile, Tirion Fordring returned to the Order of the Silver Hand and, urged by Reno, resolved to confront Arthas alone, leaving Reno to see an opportunity for himself.

• Khadgar charged the Light-Energy Crystal with Medivh’s help, and it revealed a passage to another world.
• Alodi halted Khadgar before he could open the passage, and the Guardians agreed to wait for Lord Rowan’s return.
• A crimson light surrounded the crystal, and a voice beyond it ordered someone to provide kaldorei crystal technology and guide the Guardians toward the naaru.
• Tirion Fordring returned to the Order of the Silver Hand, and Faria left after Tirion demanded he depart.
• Reno argued that Tirion should take action against Arthas, and Tirion accepted that he would confront the king despite the danger.
• Tirion left the Order of the Silver Hand with his sword, while Reno watched him go and welcomed the prospect of his own era.

On the day of Arthas’s coronation, Rowan and Tirion challenged his right to rule and pressed him to prove he still wielded the Holy Light. Arthas prepared to expose Rowan’s involvement, and Rowan openly declared that Arthas belonged in the Maw, beginning their confrontation before the gathered crowd.

• Lordaeron prepared for Arthas’s coronation as Reno ensured the Order of the Silver Hand took over the honor guard from Blackmoore.
• Rowan attended the ceremony with Jaina and Lucille while nobles speculated about Varian and Liam’s absence and Kul Tiras’s influence.
• The Mawsworn Army sealed Lordaeron City, and Arthas proceeded with the coronation despite knowing Rowan had disrupted his plans.
• Tirion stopped Terenas from crowning Arthas and demanded that Arthas demonstrate his Holy Light power before becoming king.
• Arthas called on Rowan to reveal his role in the confrontation, and Rowan declared that Arthas’s coronation belonged in the Maw with Zovaal.

Lady Coldnight, Thalara, and Moonberry entered Revendreth and agreed to accompany the Chancellor’s convoy to the Sanguine Depths while investigating its anima shipment. At Arthas’s coronation, he used Uther’s voice to provoke Tirion Fordring into attacking him, then turned the attempted regicide against Tirion before Rowan’s allies rescued him.

• Lady Coldnight, Thalara, and Moonberry waited out a landslide, then watched the Chancellor’s convoy arrive and explode after Lady Coldnight triggered an anima vessel.
• The Chancellor invited the Ardenweald visitors to Darkhaven, explained that Revendreth’s anima reserves were being sent to sustain the anima torrent, and revealed that his group was headed to the Sanguine Depths.
• Lady Coldnight said she wanted to purchase anima, and the Chancellor agreed to take the visitors along.
• Arthas accused Kul Tiras of ties to the Burning Legion and transformed executed sailors into Dreadlords to support his claim.
• Arthas used Frostmourne to make Tirion Fordring hear Uther’s voice, prompting Tirion to stab him and attempt to expose him as a demon.
• Arthas’s guards surrounded Tirion, but Rhonin used Arcane Explosion to break their formation and rescue him at Rowan’s signal.

Rowan exposed Arthas's lack of concern for Lordaeron's people during the coronation, then left with Tirion Fordring as Arthas ordered Stratholme's entire population harvested for the Maw. In Silverpine Forest, Illucia's recruitment effort stalled until news arrived that many people from Lordaeron City were traveling to visit relatives.

• Rowan rescued Tirion Fordring and challenged Arthas to explain what he had done to improve the people's lives, prompting Reno to promise reforms and land redistribution.
• Rowan departed with Fordring and the Kul Tiras representatives, and Terenas crowned Arthas as Lordaeron's people watched without their earlier enthusiasm.
• After more than four thousand people left the city, Arthas ordered Faria to tell Helya to open Gorgoa and harvest the souls of everyone in Stratholme.
• Illucia and Capernian struggled to recruit workers in Silverpine Forest, where only twenty people had signed up in two days.
• A scout told Illucia and Capernian that many people from Lordaeron City had arrived nearby to visit relatives.

Illucia organized the evacuation of forty thousand people from Lordaeron to Kul Tiras as Arthas lost the people’s trust. In Tirisfal Glades, Rowan and Darion found the unfinished Ashbringer and learned that the Rizebu Crystal might complete it and help Tirion awaken.

• Illucia decided to take as many refugees as possible to Kul Tiras and sent urgent letters to Rowan as the fleet departed with forty thousand people and Aemeth’s grain.
• Darion told Rowan’s companions that Arthas had tried to assassinate Tirion Fordring and murdered his wife and child, leaving Tirion near death in an Ice Coffin.
• Rowan urged Darion to regain his resolve and focus on the wider fight against the Maw as they traveled to Cold Hearth Manor.
• At the abandoned camp, an elderly armorsmith explained that he had waited for years to deliver weapons commissioned by Alexandros and Fordring.
• The armorsmith revealed the unfinished Ashbringer and said its plans called for a dark crystal, prompting Darion to show him the holy Rizebu Crystal.

Rowan learned how Tyr sacrificed himself to protect the Vrykul afflicted by the Curse of Flesh, and witnessed Darion place the Heart of Ash into the Ashbringer. Within the artifact, Tyr reforged Tirion Fordring’s Holy Pact and freed him to continue his mission, while Rowan and Tyr parted after affirming their shared responsibility to protect Azeroth.

• Rowan recalled how Tyr brought the Curse-afflicted Vrykul to the Eastern Kingdoms, defended them from Loken’s agents, and died defeating Yogg-Saron’s lieutenants in Tirisfal Glades.
• Darion placed the Heart of Ash into the Ashbringer and laid the weapon across Tirion Fordring, but Tirion did not immediately awaken.
• Tyr’s soul appeared through the Ashbringer and brought Rowan into the Hall of Souls, where Tirion was restraining a dark soul.
• Tirion told Tyr he wanted to live so he could avenge the fallen and help the suffering souls trapped in the Maw, and Tyr reforged his Holy Pact.
• Rowan told Tyr they were all the same people, and Tyr urged Rowan to defeat Azeroth’s invaders and draw strength from all living beings.

In Revendreth, Lady Coldnight discovered that a cake Moonberry bought contained anima from souls protesting their treatment, while Rowan recruited Tirion for a mission to the Maw and learned Illucia had helped thousands flee Lordaeron. The chapter ended with Rowan reuniting with Illucia at her quarters and putting business aside for intimacy.

• The Chancellor ordered the Fearstalker to stall Lady Coldnight and her companions until Sire Denathrius returned, while preparing to take them to the Sanguine Depths.
• Moonberry bought anima-infused cakes from a Darkhaven merchant, and Lady Coldnight used one to reveal souls protesting that their anima was being drained and their Sinstones ignored.
• Tirion agreed to join Rowan's planned mission to the Maw, then stayed in Lordaeron to protect its people from the Mawsworn.
• Rowan learned that Illucia had arranged for nearly thirty thousand people to leave Lordaeron and found her asleep at her quarters on the Northflow Coast.
• Rowan and Illucia reunited, but after she insisted on attention before discussing business, their conversation turned intimate.

Malon learned that Comecon had withdrawn from Stratholme and tried to help residents flee the danger gathering there, while Rivfley refused to leave without him. Rowan planned to evacuate more people from Lordaeron and spread the news of the Royal Capital’s exodus as he traveled to Menethil Harbor to gather intelligence on The Maw.

• Malon told Harmon and local merchants that Comecon had withdrawn from Lordaeron’s Northern Lands, and Joanna suspected the rumors about Arthas were true.
• Malon confirmed Rivfley’s fears, but insisted on staying in Stratholme to help residents escape; Rivfley chose to remain with him.
• Rowan and Illucia discussed recruiting more workers and transporting refugees from Lordaeron in separate batches to reduce the risk of Arthas interfering.
• Rowan told Illucia that he had acted against the Venture Company after discovering its agents in Boralus, then prepared to leave for Menethil Harbor.
• Rowan teleported to Menethil Harbor, where Lucille was intensifying efforts to spread news of the Royal Capital’s residents leaving for Kul Tiras.

Nefarian remained confined in Menethil Harbor while Rowan and Katrana reviewed intelligence about the Maw and prepared to send him back to Kul Tiras. Meanwhile, Thrall’s New Horde sailed for Kalimdor, and Sene joined Devos and Vesiphone in questioning Bastion’s Path and planning to bring their doubts to the Archon.

• Nefarian returned from clearing Bluegill Marsh and argued with Katrana about being kept in Menethil Harbor, but he fell silent when Rowan arrived.
• Rowan and Katrana reviewed Al'Dimor’s map and report on the Maw, then decided to send the intelligence to the Guardian Temple and take Nefarian back to Kul Tiras.
• Brannon and Faye brought a fleet of retired merchant ships to Dun Garok, where Thrall and Zuluhed loaded food and supplies before sailing with the New Horde for Kalimdor.
• Sene reflected on how the Anima drought had left Bastion’s people focused on their duties to the Path rather than solving the shortage.
• Devos and Vesiphone told Sene they wanted the Paragons to share their doubts with the Archon and correct the Path, while Sene warned that questioning it could cause internal chaos in Ascension.

Helya brought Sire Denathrius to the Runecarver’s prison, where Denathrius freed the Primus and urged him to help overturn the rules of the world. Meanwhile, Thalara defended her feelings for Rowan to Lady Coldnight as the Ardenweald convoy reached Castle Nathria on its way to the Sanguine Depths.

• Helya and Sire Denathrius entered the hidden prison in Torghast, where Denathrius recognized the Runecarver as the Primus.
• Denathrius shared his memories of the Primus, freed him from one of his runic chains, and promised to restore his memories in installments.
• The Primus refused to forge weapons for Denathrius, but Denathrius insisted that he would help overturn the world’s rules.
• Moonberry teased Thalara about missing Rowan, and Lady Coldnight warned Thalara that a mortal romance could bring endless suffering.
• Thalara said she would give up her place in the cycle for a lifetime of happiness with Rowan, while Lady Coldnight doubted he could change the world’s rules.
• The Ardenweald convoy reached Castle Nathria, where Moonberry accepted a pass to explore before they continued to the Sanguine Depths.

Rowan learned that the Burning Legion had paused its advance against his forces and brought Xal'atath a letter revealing the Twilight's Hammer's resistance in Silithus. In Ascension, Devos rejected Kyrestia's restrictive interpretation of the Path of Righteousness, gained new power, and persuaded the Archon to let the Paragons reclaim their memories.

• Rowan ordered Lucille to reinforce intelligence operations in Lordaeron, then learned Gul'dan had withdrawn from Silverpine and conquered much of southern Kalimdor before meeting resistance in Silithus.
• Rowan gave Xal'atath a seized Twilight's Hammer letter, and she chose to help the Burning Legion target the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj for its ancient Aqir treasures.
• Kyrestia convened Bastion's Paragons to discuss the anima drought and the dangers posed by the Maw, while Devos and Vesiphone urged the Kyrian to help Azeroth.
• Devos challenged Kyrestia's prohibition against recovering memories and relinquished her Ascended status, but the Path of Righteousness empowered her with new wings and greater strength.
• Kyrestia accepted that the Path of Righteousness could change, permitted the Paragons to reclaim their memories, and asked Devos to help restore her own.

Helya learned that Zovaal had absorbed the Primus's power, while Rowan mobilized Kul Tiras to produce arcane nuclear bombs. In Lordaeron, Arthas prepared to sacrifice Stratholme, attacked his father, and was briefly awakened by Alonsus Faol before killing Terenas with Frostmourne.

• Denathrius revealed to Helya that the captive she had mistaken for the Runecarver was the Primus, whose power Zovaal had absorbed.
• Rowan approved a live test of the successful arcane fission project and directed Kul Tiras to expand its factories and recruit Lordaeron's refugees for weapon production.
• Arthas cut off Stratholme's supplies and prepared to slaughter the city's people, while Reno warned Terenas and Calia Menethil.
• Terenas confronted Arthas over the planned massacre, and Arthas threw him down and declared that the former Arthas was dead.
• Calia intervened as Arthas moved to kill Terenas, and Alonsus Faol arrived with holy light that destroyed over a thousand Mawsworn Soldiers and briefly awakened Arthas's humanity.
• Arthas drove Frostmourne through Terenas's chest, killing his father.