Chapter Summaries

Krasus arrived at the dragons’ meeting and tried to warn the Aspects about Neltharion’s betrayal. As he began to name the threat, Neltharion’s voice interrupted him.

• Krasus recalled becoming Alexstrasza’s consort as he and Rhonin flew toward the dragons’ meeting.
• Krasus told Rhonin he intended to expose Neltharion’s betrayal and protect Alexstrasza and the dragons.
• The Red Dragon brought Krasus and Rhonin to the cave where the Guardian Dragons were meeting.
• Malygos, Ysera, and Alexstrasza discussed the danger posed by the Elves of Sintalari and noted the absences of Nozdormu and Neltharion.
• Krasus entered the meeting and began warning the Aspects about the Black Dragon Aspect, but Neltharion’s voice called out.

Neltharion used his power to silence Krasus before he could warn Alexstrasza about the future. Meanwhile, Nathanos and his companions planned to rally allies against Azshara, as Archimonde welcomed a new champion through the portal whom Azshara mistook for Sargeras.

• Neltharion invaded Krasus's mind, bound his tongue, and left him babbling and collapsing before Malygos and Alexstrasza.
• Nathanos told Malfurion, Tyrande, and Cenarius that Azshara was summoning the Burning Legion, and they decided to seek influential allies.
• Tyrande planned to approach High Priestess Diganah, while Malfurion, Broxigar, and Nathanos set out for Blackrock Spire to find Lord Ravencrest and Illidan.
• Azshara learned from Varos that Archimonde had arrived to assist the Legion, though Sargeras could not yet pass through the portal.
• Archimonde announced that the Legion's new champion would emerge, and Azshara saw the goat-legged figure appear and cried out, mistaking him for Sargeras.

Malfurion, Illidan, Nathanos, and Broxigar reached Blackrock Spire to warn Lord Ravencrest about the demons destroying Sintalari. Nathanos withheld the truth about Azshara’s betrayal and focused his account on the demonic invasion, leaving Malfurion puzzled about his motives.

• Malfurion led Nathanos and Broxigar toward Blackrock Spire, where they waited for Illidan to secure them an audience with Ravencrest.
• Illidan told Malfurion that injured, traumatized sentinels had returned from the palace reporting demons, and that Ravencrest was preparing for an attack while still believing Queen Azshara was in danger.
• Illidan escorted the group into Blackrock Spire, where Malfurion told Ravencrest that demons were destroying Sintalari.
• Nathanos stopped Malfurion before he could reveal Azshara’s betrayal and told Ravencrest that the Supreme God and armed demonic soldiers were behind the crisis.
• Nathanos explained how he had learned about the invasion, deliberately focusing on the demons and leaving Azshara out of parts of his account.

Malfurion kept Azshara’s betrayal secret after Nathanos warned that the truth could cause panic, while Ravencrest prepared Blackrock Spire for an attack. As Nathanos and Broxigar waited under guard, Illidan revealed doubts about the queen and his desire for what she possessed.

• Nathanos warned Malfurion that revealing Azshara’s betrayal could cause panic and endanger him, and Malfurion chose not to tell Ravencrest.
• Ravencrest locked down Blackrock Spire, evacuated nearby civilians, and kept Nathanos and Broxigar waiting under guard.
• Nathanos told Broxigar that he had no master and that his soul remained trapped in his undead body; Broxigar’s hostility toward him eased.
• Illidan visited Nathanos and Broxigar, recognized that Nathanos was dead, and described his condition as a painful sacrifice.
• Nathanos asked Illidan about Azshara, and Illidan admitted he did not worship the queen but coveted what she possessed.

At Blackrock Spire, Ravencrest organized a resistance after hearing that Sintalari was being massacred, while Malfurion questioned the blame placed on the High Elves and Sargeras. The chapter ended with Ravencrest assigning Illidan to lead the Moon Guard and allowing Malfurion’s Undead and Orc companions to defend the Spire independently.

• Elisana Ravencrest reported that survivors said Sintalari was being massacred, and Ravencrest blamed the High Elves and Sargeras.
• Malfurion argued that Azshara must have consented to the attack, while Garrid Shadowsong urged the council to investigate how the demons entered their world.
• Ravencrest ordered the Moon Guards and spellcasters to assemble, directed Malfurion to infiltrate the Eternal Palace, and tasked Destrol Star-eye with completing the Spire’s defenses within a day.
• Ravencrest placed the Moon Guard under Illidan’s command despite Elisana’s doubts, and Malfurion worried that Illidan’s radical nature could endanger their allies.
• Malfurion asked Ravencrest to let Broxigar and the Undead stay behind to defend Blackrock Spire, and Ravencrest agreed to let them act freely as long as they fought the enemy.

Blackrock Spire faced the Burning Legion as demons poured through the Throat of Fel and a giant Hellfire disrupted the defenders. Nathanos and Broxigar fought together to hold a narrow bridge against the advancing demons, where an Abyssal Lord joined the attack.

• Broxigar complained to Nathanos that Ravencrest had dismissed his warnings about the Legion and its tactics.
• The Throat of Fel opened inside Blackrock Spire, and the Legion's demons emerged as the Night Elves formed battle lines.
• Ravencrest's archers killed many felhounds in their first volley, but the demons raised shields and pressed forward in formation.
• A giant Hellfire erupted from the arena, blasting apart the courtyard and throwing the defenders into chaos as an Eredar appeared with demon guards.
• Nathanos and Broxigar moved to defend the bridge, where Broxigar knocked a charging Felguard back and Nathanos shot at flying demons.
• An Abyssal Lord stepped onto the bridge and blocked the passage as Broxigar and Nathanos continued to fight.

Broxigar relived the slaughter of his comrades and fought Mannoroth, seeking a glorious death to escape his guilt. Nathanos finally stopped his frenzy, and Broxigar realized he was alive and had nearly attacked him.

• Broxigar remembered surviving the battle that killed his comrades and recalled Thrall telling him he had fought bravely.
• Broxigar taunted Mannoroth and charged, driving the Abyssal Lord back with his attacks.
• Broxigar wounded Mannoroth repeatedly, growing more frantic as he begged to die gloriously in battle.
• Nathanos tried to stop Broxigar, who turned on him and clashed with Sulfuras.
• Nathanos called Broxigar back to his senses, and Broxigar looked at the badly wounded Mannoroth and asked what he was doing.

As the Burning Legion overran Blackrock Spire, Illidan attacked the Eredar Sorcerer Balathur while Broxigar and Nathanos tried to reach the courtyard. Broxigar feared Mannoroth’s influence had returned, and the chapter ended with Nathanos saving him from a collapsing stairway.

• Broxigar recognized that Mannoroth’s influence had awakened the Demon Blood in the Orcs, but Nathanos warned him that confronting the Abyssal Lord would make him a slave.
• Illidan appeared in the courtyard with greatly enhanced power and began fighting Balathur, the Eredar Sorcerer protecting a portal.
• Illidan shattered Balathur’s energy barrier, but Balathur deflected his spells and resisted his magic.
• Broxigar hurried toward the courtyard to help Illidan, and Nathanos followed as demons continued attacking the elves.
• The stone steps collapsed beneath Broxigar, but Nathanos caught and saved him.

Nathanos and Broxigar survived the tower’s collapse and found Illidan victorious over Balathur, though Illidan had used the Moon Guard’s lives to gain the power to win. The defenders then faced the nearly invulnerable Hellfire in the arena, leaving Illidan to consider drawing on the Moon Guard once more.

• Nathanos held Broxigar until the tower stopped shaking, then pulled him up from the ledge.
• Broxigar found Illidan alive in the courtyard, while Nathanos realized Illidan had drained the Moon Guard to defeat Balathur.
• Ravencrest’s troops arrived, and Ravencrest, Illidan, Nathanos, Broxigar, and their allies entered the arena to fight the Hellfire.
• The Hellfire shrugged off their attacks and injured the Elves in the stands with flying debris.
• Illidan struck the Hellfire with Wrath of the Universe, but the blast only cracked its body, so he considered asking the Moon Guard to help him again.

After Illidan sacrificed the Moon Guard to destroy the Hellfire, Nathanos wrestled with whether his actions were justified. Illidan then rode into Sintalari and offered his service to Queen Azshara and the Burning Legion.

• Illidan drained the Moon Guard to destroy the Hellfire, killing the mages and provoking Ravencrest, Garrid, and others to condemn him.
• Illidan argued that he had made the sacrifice necessary to stop the Legion, then teleported away after denouncing Ravencrest.
• Nathanos struggled to decide whether Illidan had been right, while Broxigar insisted that victory bought with the lives of comrades was shameful.
• Nathanos guessed that Illidan had gone to Sintalari to seek fel power.
• Illidan drained attacking felhounds, reached the palace gates, and declared that he had come to serve Queen Azshara and the Burning Legion.

Azshara inspected her ruined city and questioned Varos about the delayed purge of her kingdom. After revealing that she knew of the resistance at Blackrock Spire, she ordered Varos to deal with Ravencrest and the rebels, leaving him to promise he would obey.

• Azshara walked through the ruined city with Varos and asked whether Sargeras would arrive soon.
• Azshara took Varos aside and demanded to know why the purge had not been completed before Sargeras's arrival.
• Azshara used a crystal sphere to reveal the battle at Blackrock Spire and asked Varos about the rebels, including Nathanos and two twin brothers.
• Varos explained that Ravencrest led the resistance, and Azshara declared that Ravencrest had offended her.
• Azshara ordered Varos to solve the problem, and he promised to complete the task.

Broxigar, Nathanos, and Garrid fought to hold the Elven line as Ravencrest led his troops. Nathanos recognized the assassin who stabbed Ravencrest as Varos, Azshara’s lackey.

• Broxigar and Nathanos questioned Ravencrest’s decision to attack Sintalari with a depleted army.
• Ravencrest fought at the front, rallying the Elves around him as demons pressed the line.
• Nathanos spotted a suspicious cavalryman approaching Ravencrest, and Broxigar rushed to warn the lord.
• The assassin stabbed Ravencrest in the back of the neck and tried to escape through the crowd.
• Nathanos and Broxigar stopped the assassin and knocked off his mask.
• Nathanos recognized the assassin as Varos, Azshara’s lackey, whom he had seen in Suramar.

Nathanos confronted Varos after the assassination of Ravencrest and fought Azshara’s guard while Broxigar led the troops toward Blackrock Spire. Nathanos disfigured Varos with Sulfuras’s twin blades, and a red dragon’s attack forced Varos to retreat.

• Varos admitted that Azshara had sent him to assassinate Ravencrest and declared that he would kill Nathanos for the queen.
• Nathanos sent Broxigar to gather the army’s leaders and lead the troops back to Blackrock Spire, then stalled Varos as they withdrew.
• Nathanos exploited Varos’s defensive habits and split Sulfuras into twin blades, slashing a deep scar across Varos’s face.
• Varos ordered the demons to kill Nathanos, but a red dragon burst through the clouds and scorched the demons.
• Varos retreated from the battlefield under Felguard protection, still shouting, “Long live Azshara!”

After Ravencrest's death and Desdiel Star-eye's poor leadership drove Nathanos and Broxigar to seek allies beyond the Night Elves, they planned to search for the Tauren and Dwarves. Meanwhile, Garrid Shadowsong saw the defenders weakening under relentless demonic attacks and recognized that Star-eye had driven their reliable allies away.

• Nathanos stopped Broxigar from criticizing Desdiel Star-eye and worried that the noble's incompetence would endanger the Night Elves.
• Nathanos and Broxigar agreed that they could no longer rely on the Night Elves and decided to search for the nomadic Tauren on the plains west of Blackrock Spire.
• Nathanos proposed looking south for the Dwarves, hoping to recruit more allies against the Burning Legion.
• The Burning Legion renewed its attacks, exhausting the Night Elf defenders while the demons fought without rest.
• Garrid Shadowsong learned that Nathanos and Broxigar had left and concluded that Star-eye's prejudice had driven them away.

Broxigar met Huun Highmountain, the last survivor of his village, and directed him toward Blackrock Spire to fight the demons. Meanwhile, Nathanos explored a desolate land, discovered Mantis Demons, and followed them after a strange monkey fell from the sky.

• Broxigar encountered Huun Highmountain and learned that Huun had never heard of the Horde or Orcs.
• Huun told Broxigar that the Burning Legion's minions had destroyed his village and left him as its sole survivor.
• Broxigar recognized Cenarius's name and urged Huun to take Eagle's Spear to Blackrock Spire as a reinforcement.
• Nathanos found enormous amber-like hunting traps in a bleak land and narrowly avoided one falling from a tree.
• Nathanos watched three Mantis Demons investigate the broken trap, then saw a monkey-like creature fall from the sky.
• Nathanos followed the Mantis Demons toward the fallen creature, hoping they might become allies.

Emperor Shaohao overcame his fear of the Mantis Demons and helped Nathanos rescue Monkey King. Xuan Niu Xizao revealed to Nathanos that nothing he did in Pandaria would change history.

• Shaohao crossed the Great Wall despite his fear after Xuan Niu Xizao urged him to follow his feet.
• Nathanos freed Monkey King by bringing down amber from a Kaipa Sacred Tree, then Shaohao knocked down another tree to drive off the Mantis Demons pursuing them.
• Shaohao and Nathanos introduced themselves through gestures because they could not understand each other's languages.
• Nathanos told Shaohao that he had come from the Night Elf realm, and Xuan Niu Xizao appeared to speak with him.
• Xuan Niu Xizao told Nathanos that Shaohao was undergoing a trial and revealed that nothing Nathanos did there would change history.

Archimonde’s Doomguards devastated the Night Elf army with jars of fel venom, throwing its defenses into chaos and killing Desdiel Star-eye. Garrid Shadowsong took charge of scattered units and improvised a response as the eastern wall came under threat.

• Archimonde watched the demons’ failing counterattack and sent Doomguards carrying jars toward the Night Elf forces.
• Garrid Shadowsong rode to warn Desdiel Star-eye as the Doomguards poured fel venom onto the defending soldiers, breaking their formation.
• Star-eye refused Garrid’s warning and was struck by the venom, while Garrid escaped the attack.
• Garrid organized waiting bow and arrow users to shoot down the Doomguards and directed a messenger to seek reinforcements from Archmage Elisande in Suramar.
• Garrid responded to further requests for aid by ordering a small unit drawn from a crowded force to protect the Moon Guard.

Garrid Shadowsong led Blackrock Spire’s forces into battle after reinforcements arrived, while Cenarius and the demigods of Kalimdor joined the fight against the Legion. Cenarius accepted Garrid’s command, and the allied army prepared to keep defending Azeroth.

• Garrid realized Suramar’s reinforcements had not arrived, then spotted Broxigar and the allied forces and ordered Blackrock Spire’s troops to charge.
• Huun Highmountain bandaged an injured white stag while Broxigar fought off demons nearby.
• Rhonin and Calygros fought from the air as Cenarius’s horn summoned Night Elves and forest allies to the battlefield.
• Huun charged toward Tichondrius with the white stag Aethel following him, while Rhonin and Calygros spotted new Legion forces approaching.
• Cenarius arrived with demigods, forest creatures, and elementals, then pledged to follow Garrid Shadowsong’s orders.

Illidan awakened with fel powers and accepted Azshara’s command to capture the Undead from Blackrock Spire. After the resistance regrouped and welcomed Huun Highmountain as an ally, Garrid learned that the Undead had returned.

• Illidan adapted to his spectral sight, accepted a blindfold from Fashki, and met Queen Azshara.
• Azshara questioned Illidan about surviving Sargeras’s fel power and ordered him to learn what magic bound the Undead’s soul.
• Captain Varos reported that the attack on Blackrock Spire had failed and that Tichondrius had been lost.
• Illidan promised to bring the Undead to Azshara and set out for Blackrock Spire.
• Garrid spoke with Cenarius and welcomed Huun Highmountain, who agreed to follow his command.
• A soldier told Garrid that the Undead who had disappeared had returned.

Nathanos and Broxigar learned that Malfurion had gone with a dragon to steal the Dragon Soul from Neltharion, hoping to recruit the dragons against the Burning Legion. Cenarius asked them to help, and Broxigar agreed while Nathanos said he would go if he could get a bow.

• Nathanos and Broxigar mocked each other over their failure to bring reinforcements, and Garrid welcomed them back.
• Cenarius explained that Malfurion had gone to Neltharion's lair with a dragon to steal a powerful artifact.
• Calygros revealed that Neltharion had betrayed the other Dragon Aspects and seized the Dragon Soul, while Queen Azshara was using the Well of Eternity to build a portal.
• Nathanos realized the plan was to use the Dragon Soul to persuade the dragons to join the war against the Burning Legion.
• Cenarius asked Nathanos and Broxigar to help Malfurion, and Broxigar agreed because Malfurion had once saved him.
• Nathanos agreed to go but asked for a bow.