Chapter Summaries

Arthas joined forces with Dwarves to fight the undead in a village, but the black-robed mages escaped through a portal. At a nearby farm, Jaina and Nathanos confronted Kel'Thuzad, who revealed that plague-infected grain created the undead and summoned a monstrous abomination to attack them.

• Arthas met a Dwarf cannon crew and combined their forces to attack the skeletons overrunning a village.
• Arthas and the Dwarves discovered black-robed mages controlling the undead, but the mages opened a portal and escaped.
• Nathanos and Jaina found Kel'Thuzad at a farm, where he admitted that the plague came from the grain.
• Jaina froze two undead attackers, and Kel'Thuzad summoned a huge stitched-together abomination to face her and Nathanos.

Nathanos, Jaina, and Arthas confronted Kel'Thuzad, who revealed that the plague served the Demon Lord Mal'Ganis and urged Arthas to come to Andorhal. Arthas rushed there despite Nathanos's warnings, while Jaina returned to Dalaran and Nathanos followed to protect him.

• Kel'Thuzad sent Abomination and animated corpses against Nathanos and Jaina, but Jaina destroyed them with a massive fireball.
• Arthas arrived with his army, and Kel'Thuzad admitted spreading the plague-tainted grain and serving Mal'Ganis before teleporting away.
• Nathanos warned Arthas that Kel'Thuzad had lured him toward Andorhal, but Arthas insisted on going to protect its people.
• Arthas rode toward Andorhal with his soldiers, and Jaina agreed to return to Dalaran to report Kel'Thuzad's actions.
• Nathanos tended to his wounds and ran after Arthas, determined to help him.

Arthas killed Kel'Thuzad during the attack on Andorhal, but learned that the contaminated grain had already been distributed. He ordered his soldiers to hurry to Hearthglen, while Stratholme was also among the destinations receiving the grain.

• Arthas and his soldiers entered Andorhal and fought the undead attacking the city.
• Arthas charged Kel'Thuzad and struck him down, but Nathanos stopped him from delivering another blow.
• Kel'Thuzad died after warning that the land's cleansing had already begun, and his corpse decayed into sludge.
• Marvin told Arthas that the warehouses were empty, and Arthas realized the contaminated grain had been sent away.
• Nathanos named Capital City, Hearthglen, Darrowshire, and Stratholme as destinations for Andorhal's grain, and Arthas ordered his men to Hearthglen.

Arthas raced to Hearthglen to warn its people, only to find an undead army approaching. Nathanos sent Arthas to seek reinforcements and stayed behind to defend the town as the battle began.

• Arthas hurried toward Hearthglen while Nathanos ordered Farek to search the road to Stratholme for grain from Andorhal, then rode after the Prince.
• Arthas reached Hearthglen at dawn and learned that contaminated food had raised the dead; a scout reported that an undead army was advancing.
• Nathanos urged Arthas to leave and bring reinforcements, and Arthas silently accepted as Nathanos put him on a fresh horse and sent him away.
• Nathanos faced the approaching undead army with his hounds and the defenders, then ordered everyone to prepare for battle.

Arthas chose to lead Uther and the Order of the Silver Hand to Stratholme, leaving Nathanos and Hearthglen without the promised reinforcements. As Hearthglen’s defenders faced poison-gas catapults, Nathanos led a desperate charge to destroy them.

• Arthas told Uther that Stratholme was in danger from the plague and concealed the crisis at Hearthglen, choosing to go to Stratholme instead.
• Uther gathered the Order of the Silver Hand to support Stratholme, and Arthas insisted on going with him despite his exhaustion.
• Nathanos and Hearthglen’s defenders fought off waves of undead while he urged them to hold until Arthas returned with reinforcements.
• The undead launched poison-gas barrels at Hearthglen, killing and trampling defenders as they tried to evade them.
• Nathanos charged the undead with his hunting hounds, killed a necromancer, and rallied the defenders to attack the catapults.

Arthas reached Stratholme, learned its people had eaten contaminated grain, and ordered the city purged after Uther refused to help; he then led the remaining soldiers inside. At Hearthglen, Nathanos waited in vain for reinforcements as another undead assault began.

• Arthas dreamed that Nathanos accused him of betrayal, then told Farek to gather his soldiers at Stratholme's gate.
• Arthas detected the scent of bread made from contaminated grain and declared that Stratholme had to be purged.
• Uther refused Arthas's order, and Arthas declared the Order of the Silver Hand disbanded; Uther and his knights left.
• Arthas persuaded Farek and the remaining soldiers that the infected people had to die, then charged into Stratholme.
• Nathanos endured a day and night of fighting at Hearthglen without reinforcements, and the undead army attacked again.

Jaina and Antonidas realized that magic could not restore the undead to life, while Nathanos and Hearthglen's defenders survived a siege after Uther arrived with the Order of the Silver Hand. After waking from a disturbing vision, Nathanos learned that Arthas had gone to Northrend after ordering Stratholme purged, and collapsed in shock.

• Jaina asked Antonidas whether the plague's victims could be brought back to life, and they concluded that neither magic nor The Holy Light could do it.
• Nathanos led Hearthglen's exhausted defenders against another undead assault until Uther and the Order of the Silver Hand arrived and defeated the attackers.
• After Nathanos collapsed, he dreamed of a Lordaeron soldier killing a woman and saw a mysterious figure atop a tower before waking in a panic.
• Nathanos learned from Erigor and Uther that Arthas had left for Northrend three days earlier with a small force.
• Uther told Nathanos that Arthas had purged Stratholme and stripped Uther of his position, and Nathanos collapsed in disbelief.

After waking from his wounds at Hearthglen, Nathanos reunited with Alleria and told her what had happened during the battle. They agreed to marry, while Nathanos remained troubled by Arthas’s fate and his pursuit of Mal’Ganis in Northrend.

• Alleria told Uther she had come to investigate Stratholme and bring Nathanos home to Quel'Thalas for their long-delayed wedding.
• Alleria found Nathanos awake, embraced him, and listened as he recounted his mission and the battle at Hearthglen.
• Nathanos and Alleria discussed Mal’Ganis, Arthas’s massacre of Stratholme, and how Arthas’s isolation and lack of trust had led him toward ruin.
• Nathanos and Alleria each prepared to raise the subject of marriage, and Nathanos asked her to hold a wedding with him.

Terenas faced questions from Kul Tiras and Dalaran about Arthas’s massacre at Stratholme and heard their plans to investigate the plague. Uther arrived to speak with him, leaving Terenas relieved to face answers instead of more accusations.

• Lord Ashvane and Archmage Kalai pressed Terenas to explain Arthas’s actions at Stratholme.
• Terenas defended Arthas and said he had sent his son north with fewer than two hundred men rather than protect him.
• Lord Ashvane said Daelin Proudmoore would place Kul Tiras’s ships in Lordaeron under Jaina Proudmoore’s command.
• Kalai announced that Archmage Antonidas would send mages to investigate and study the plague.
• A soldier announced Lord Uther’s arrival, and Terenas ended the meeting with the emissaries.
• Uther met Terenas at the palace training grounds, and Terenas joked that Uther would give him answers rather than ask questions.

Jaina met the Raven Prophet, who urged her to lead people to Kalimdor to face the coming darkness, and she agreed to try. In Stratholme, Nathanos witnessed the devastation left by Arthas and told Larein he planned to marry Alleria and go with her to Quel'Thalas.

• Jaina watched a raven transform into the Raven Prophet, who warned that the dead would rise and that Arthas and Nathanos faced grim fates.
• The Raven Prophet told Jaina to lead willing followers to Kalimdor and fastened the Heart of Kul Tiras around her neck.
• Jaina agreed to gather others and persuade them to leave, despite the Prophet's warning that time was short.
• Nathanos walked through Stratholme and blamed himself for letting Arthas go, while Alleria urged him not to dwell on the devastation.
• Larein told Nathanos that he, Kasha, and Bigal were searching for survivors and that the Silver Hand would seek to strip Arthas of his paladin status.
• Nathanos told Larein he would marry Alleria and go with her to Quel'Thalas.

Nathanos and Alleria traveled away from Stratholme, where Jaina appeared and told him she was leaving for the western continent Medivh had spoken of. Nathanos asked Jaina for a favor before she left, then reunited with a jealous Alleria.

• Alleria told Nathanos she would inform his parents and teased him about their engagement as they rode away from Stratholme.
• Jaina arrived through a portal and met Alleria, who introduced herself as Nathanos's fiancée.
• Nathanos told Jaina he had recognized the prophet as Medivh from Atiesh and his raven-form magic.
• Jaina said she planned to travel to the western continent, and Nathanos asked her for a favor before she left.
• Alleria questioned Nathanos about touching Jaina's shoulders, and he teased her by promising to explain that night.

Nathanos dreamed that Arthas asked him to retrieve a sinister Rune Sword, which transformed Arthas and began spreading a deadly corruption through Nathanos. He woke beside Alleria after their night together, hopeful that they would have a child.

• Nathanos found Arthas kneeling in a snowy landscape beside the expeditionary force’s ships and heard him ask for his sword.
• Nathanos touched the Rune Sword despite sensing danger, then tore his hand free as it tried to take something from him.
• Arthas pulled the Rune Sword from the snow, revealed his changed appearance, and told Nathanos that they were the same.
• A spreading black line appeared in Nathanos’s palm before Arthas’s words overwhelmed him and he woke from the dream.
• Nathanos found Alleria asleep in his arms and thought happily about the child they hoped to have.

Arthas returned to Lordaeron and murdered Terenas, then declared that the kingdom would be destroyed and remade under a new order. In Ironforge, Magni completed the weapon he named Ashbringer.

• Arthas arrived in Lordaeron to cheers and entered the throne room to meet Terenas.
• Arthas killed Terenas with Frostmourne while Marvin and Farek dispatched the guards.
• Arthas left the throne room as his returning procession turned into a massacre, then proclaimed that a new order would rise from the kingdom’s ruins.
• Magni finished forging a powerful weapon in Ironforge’s Great Forge and shouted its name: Ashbringer.

Nathanos learned that Arthas had destroyed Lordaeron and struggled between going to stop him and staying with Alleria to protect Quel'Thalas. Arthas raised his beloved horse as an undead steed and named it Invincible.

• Nathanos tore up Uther's letter and the Farstrider reports, then learned from Lor'themar that refugees were fleeing Lordaeron after Arthas's betrayal.
• Nathanos resolved to go stop Arthas, but Alleria pleaded with him to stay, warning that Arthas might target Quel'Thalas next.
• Nathanos decided to remain with Alleria and promised he would never leave her again.
• Arthas visited a grave in the pasture and used Frostmourne's power to raise the horse buried there as an undead steed.
• Arthas reunited with the skeletal horse and called it Invincible.

Arthas attacked the paladins guarding Kel'Thuzad's remains in Andorhal, then confronted Uther over the urn containing Terenas's ashes. After killing Uther and taking the urn, Arthas left to carry out Kel'Thuzad's resurrection, while Nathanos felt a sudden pain as he trained in Eversong Forest.

• Arthas and his undead followers attacked the paladins guarding Kel'Thuzad's grave, and Frostmourne consumed their souls.
• Arthas killed Gavinrad but did not raise his former comrade, then recovered Kel'Thuzad's corpse and saw the mage's ghost appear.
• Tichondrius told Arthas to take Uther's urn and use it to preserve Kel'Thuzad's remains for the journey to Quel'Thalas.
• Uther revealed that the urn held Terenas's ashes and fought Arthas to protect them.
• Arthas overcame Uther with Frostmourne, killed him, and took the urn.
• Nathanos felt a sudden pain in his finger while making a bow and wondered how he would face Arthas if he came to Quel'Thalas.

Nathanos and Sylvanas spoke about the approaching undead invasion, while Arthas marched east toward Quel'Thalas with a growing army and new Crypt Lord allies. The chapter ended with Arthas nearing the border after encountering Elf scouts, intent on reaching the Sunwell.

• Sylvanas reassured Nathanos that she and Alleria would stand with him against Arthas, then embraced him and asked him to call her Sylva.
• Arthas learned that the Lich King had sent Crypt Lords, including Anub'arak, to join his army.
• Arthas searched Marius Farm for Nathanos but found no trace of him, then said he intended to defeat him and make him the Lich King's servant.
• Arthas ordered Marvin to bring a woman into Quel'Thalas alive, while Kel'Thuzad warned him not to speak with the necromancer near anyone else.
• Arthas continued toward Quel'Thalas with his undead army and encountered Elf scouts near the border.

Nathanos tried to convince the Silvermoon Council to prepare for Arthas’s invasion, but they trusted the South Wall and the Sunwell to protect Quel'Thalas. As he and Alleria inspected the wall, Arthas secretly approached Thalassian Path with Kel'Thuzad and relied on Crypt Lords to hide his forces underground.

• Alleria told Nathanos that His Majesty had ordered increased Ranger patrols but had refused to mobilize troops or supplies.
• Nathanos argued that the South Wall could not stop the plague, then persuaded Alleria to inspect the defenses and place her Farstriders on alert.
• At the South Wall, Nathanos warned Alleria that Arthas could conceal his army in plain sight, while she reassured him that she trusted him.
• Arthas secretly visited Thalassian Path and saw that the Crypt Lords could burrow underground without leaving noticeable traces.
• Kel'Thuzad told Arthas to save the few Crypt Lords for a critical moment, and Arthas worried that his inner agent might make a mistake.

Arthas learned that Dath'Remar Sunstrider was secretly helping him and planned to use the South Wall gate’s three key fragments to invade Quel'Thalas. Nathanos confronted Arthas, but the Prince rejected his appeal and declared himself the Lich King's servant.

• Kel'Thuzad told Arthas that Silvermoon Council member Dath'Remar Sunstrider was his informant, and Arthas reflected on how easily mortals could be corrupted.
• Dath'Remar warned Alleria that Nathanos could not command troops and insulted him, prompting Nathanos to suspect that the councilor had come to warn the enemy about the South Wall gate.
• The Lich King told Arthas to wait, and Dath'Remar arrived to reveal that the gate's three key fragments were held at the Sun Temple, Moon Temple, and Morningstar Tower.
• Nathanos shot Dath'Remar and the undead escorts, then confronted Arthas and asked whether he was still Lordaeron's Prince or merely Frostmourne's slave.
• Arthas overcame his hesitation, declared himself the Lich King's servant, and raised Frostmourne against Nathanos.

Arthas defeated Nathanos and revealed that Crypt Lords had gathered and assembled the key to the South Wall gate. Alleria arrived with a group of Rangers to rescue Nathanos, and the two left to warn the elves as Arthas held the key.

• Arthas told Nathanos that he had killed Uther and his father, then charged him on Invincible.
• Nathanos crippled Invincible and struck Arthas, but Frostmourne defended its master against Nathanos's arrows.
• Arthas summoned Crypt Lords from beneath the ground and assembled the key fragments they had retrieved from three locations.
• Alleria and more than twenty Rangers attacked the Crypt Lords, and Nathanos warned her that Arthas had the key.
• Nathanos and Alleria left together to report the danger to the elves.

After Arthas’s undead army overwhelmed the South Wall gate and secured a foothold, Nathanos inspected the enemy fortress and judged that Quel'Thalas had missed its chance to defeat him. He asked Vareesa to help with a plan whose purpose he had not yet revealed.

• Alleria learned that Arthas had taken the key fragments, opened the gate, and advanced through Quel'Thalas, while Sylvanas reported that the South Wall gate had fallen.
• Alleria urged Sylvanas to trust in Quel'dorei strength and the Sunwell, then asked where Nathanos had gone.
• Nathanos watched Arthas’s fortress from a tree, and Vareesa joined him and suggested attacking the seemingly unguarded enemy camp.
• Nathanos explained that Arthas had built the fortress to block escape and reinforcements, and that the undead could raise fallen soldiers to swell their ranks.
• Nathanos asked Vareesa whether she could make simple magical items and whether she knew of a hidden cave or cabin, then asked her to promise him a favor concerning their lives.