Chapter Summaries

Rayana recalled the War of the Shifting Sands, Valstann’s death, and her distrust of Elune and Tyrande as the Qiraji returned. Fandral stayed behind rather than command the new campaign, leaving Varok Saurfang to lead the united army while Rayana cared for Istaria in Astranaar.

• Rayana recounted how Fandral and Valstann fought the Qiraji Swarm in the canyon as the Night Elf forces faced mounting losses.
• Fandral sent Valstann to aid Southwind Village despite signs that the Qiraji might be setting a trap, and Valstann promised to defend it.
• Rayana described her anger at Elune after Valstann was captured and her fear when Fandral came to see Istaria after the Qiraji returned.
• Rayana urged Fandral not to join the new campaign, and he ultimately refused to command the united army after quarreling with Tyrande.
• Varok Saurfang became commander, while Ohan Ogre's Sword proposed gathering the army in Feralas; Rayana criticized the leaders' decisions.
• Rayana finished writing in Astranaar, covered Istaria with a blanket, and wondered whether Valstann's spirit still raged against Elune, Tyrande, and Malfurion.

Veronalara led the Forsaken fleet toward Silverpine Forest while Nathanos traveled to Booty Bay to find a Goblin weapons craftsman. In Silvermoon City, Alleria reconsidered a proposal to seek Alliance support for reclaiming the Ghostlands after Vareesa warned that Prince Kael'thas might oppose it.

• Veronalara told Tatsel they would take the coast and kill every living thing there, while awaiting an unknown guide arranged by The Witherer.
• Nathanos traveled alone to Booty Bay, where Kala Cape told him Trade Prince Rivigaz had gone to Kezan.
• Nathanos asked Kala to take him to the Goblin craftsman he had come to find and warned that he would refuse to pay if Rivigaz had not followed his standards.
• Alleria gave Vareesa a proposal to seek allies for reclaiming the Ghostlands, and Vareesa cautioned that joining the Alliance could provoke Prince Kael'thas.
• Alleria agreed to reconsider the proposal but wondered whether Kael'thas would choose the people over his personal grudge.

Veronalara met Lilian Voss and learned that Worgen occupied Shadowfang Keep, prompting her to plan a reconnaissance mission. In Silvermoon City, Alleria pushed to seek outside aid for Quel'Thalas despite Rommath's objections, while Lor'themar questioned whether Kael'thas truly opposed the plan.

• Lilian Voss told Veronalara and Tatsel that Worgen occupied Shadowfang Keep and explained their origins.
• Veronalara decided to take Dark Rangers to test the Worgen's strength before launching an assault.
• Rommath rejected Alleria's proposal to seek allies, while Lor'themar warned that Quel'Thalas risked losing its southern territories without help.
• Alleria insisted that Quel'Thalas needed allies and ordered Rommath to inform Kael'thas of her decision.
• Lor'themar asked Rommath whether Kael'thas had ever clearly opposed seeking outside aid, and Rommath admitted that he had not stated his position.

Kael'thas rejected Alleria's plan to restore ties with the Alliance and told Rommath that any ally would do except them. Rommath returned to Silvermoon with a box and summoned Alleria and Liadrin, but he had not yet revealed the prince's full answer or the box's contents.

• Rommath told Kael'thas that Alleria wanted to reestablish contact with the Alliance to help rebuild Silvermoon City.
• Kael'thas rejected the Alliance and ordered Rommath to tell Alleria that any ally would do except them.
• Kael'thas gave Rommath a task and something to bring back to Silvermoon City.
• Vareesa told Alleria that Rommath had returned with something and had also summoned Liadrin.
• Alleria met Rommath and Liadrin in a concealed study, where Rommath said he would explain Kael'thas's answer after approaching a box on the table.

Rommath showed Alleria and Liadrin the Naaru M'uru and offered Liadrin a chance to wield the Holy Light by commanding it. After Liadrin underwent the process, Rommath named her the first leader of the Blood Knights and Countess Liadrin.

• Rommath revealed the Blood-Tempered Spear he had made for Liadrin, who accepted the weapon.
• Rommath asked Liadrin whether she would use the Holy Light again if she could command it, and she said no one could do so.
• Rommath teleported Alleria and Liadrin to Farstrider Square and showed them M'uru, a Naaru brought from Outland by Prince Kael'thas.
• Rommath explained that M'uru could let a willing participant command the Holy Light, and Liadrin accepted his offer.
• Rommath performed the process as Liadrin knelt before M'uru, and she gained the ability to wield the Holy Light.
• Rommath proclaimed Liadrin the first leader of the Blood Knights and gave her the title Countess Liadrin.

Alleria decided that the Sin'dorei had to join the Horde after Kael'thas rejected the Alliance, and she persuaded Vareesa to support her. The sisters then realized Sylvanas was the greatest obstacle to Alleria's plan.

• Alleria considered Liadrin's appointment as a Countess and warned her that accepting M'uru's Holy Light would place her fate in Kael'thas's hands.
• Vareesa asked Alleria about Kael'thas's attitude, and Alleria told her she intended to seek an alliance with the Horde instead of the Alliance.
• Alleria explained that the Horde could offer trade and military aid, while the Sin'dorei would give it a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms.
• Vareesa confronted Alleria about their parents, then embraced her and pledged her support.
• Vareesa warned Alleria that Sylvanas, not the nobles, Rommath, or Kael'thas, would be the greatest obstacle to the plan.

Deathstalker Alarick Hawkins returned from Silithus with an account of Varok Saurfang’s success and rousing speech, while Belmont struggled to deliver troubling news to Nathanos. Nathanos read Hawkins’s report and was left confronting an unfamiliar loneliness.

• Alarick Hawkins returned to Maraudon and told Belmont that Varok Saurfang had united the Alliance and Horde against the Qiraji with an impassioned speech.
• Belmont admitted that he had several pieces of bad news for Nathanos, and Hawkins urged him not to conceal them.
• Belmont delivered Hawkins’s Silithus report to Nathanos, who left it unread while he continued working.
• After Belmont left, Nathanos felt an unfamiliar loneliness and began reading the report about Saurfang’s campaign and speech.

Nathanos learned that the Blood Elves would join the Horde, while Alleria’s decision to bring Quel’Thalas into the alliance drove Sylvanas to break with her sister and the Windrunner family. The chapter ended with Alleria alone, questioning why Sylvanas could accept the Horde but not the person Alleria had chosen.

• Nathanos reviewed reports on Veronalara’s stalled campaign at Shadowfang Keep, the Alliance’s recovering stability, and Taelan Fordring’s death.
• Nathanos learned from intelligence sourced in Orgrimmar that Thrall, Vol’jin, and Cairne had agreed to accept the Blood Elves into the Horde, and he sank into grief and anger.
• Sylvanas confronted Alleria over the decision to join the Horde and destroyed a table while recalling the Orcs and Trolls’ past attacks on Quel’Thalas.
• Alleria defended the Horde’s Orcs and Darkspear Trolls, but Sylvanas demanded to know why Alleria could accept them yet reject him.
• Sylvanas declared that she would take those who opposed Alleria’s decision away, renounced the Windrunner family, and left Alleria alone with her questions.

Nathanos confronted his lingering feelings about Alleria and asked Meryl what sacrifice meant. He then revealed that four of the Twelve Withered Swords remained, though he had hidden most of them.

• Meryl found Nathanos atop a mountain in Wailing Caverns and told him that he had recovered the Moon God Scythe from Kites and given it to the Dark Ranger.
• Meryl challenged Nathanos to face his feelings for Alleria and the child they had together, provoking Nathanos's anger.
• Meryl argued that Alleria would never accept Nathanos because of her responsibilities to her family and people, and Nathanos realized his anger was directed at fate.
• Nathanos asked Meryl what sacrifice meant, and Meryl told him to consider why he was willing to sacrifice and to choose carefully at the crossroads ahead.
• Nathanos thanked Meryl and revealed that four of the Twelve Withered Swords remained: one had gone to Orgrimmar, while he had hidden the others.

Meryl revealed to Nathanos that a Demon Lord was inside him and warned that the Dark Portal might have developed a new anomaly. In Theramore, Sylvanas told Jaina that Alleria had become regent of Quel'Thalas and led its people to join the Horde, then asked for help for those who had fled with her.

• Meryl showed Nathanos his changing hand, spectral wings, and demonic shadow, and said a Demon Lord was inside him.
• Meryl warned Nathanos that the Dark Portal might have developed a new anomaly.
• Jaina received Sylvanas in Theramore after five years without contact and welcomed her as an ally from the Battle of Mount Hyjal.
• Sylvanas told Jaina that Alleria had become regent of Quel'Thalas and sent envoys to join the Horde.
• Sylvanas explained that she opposed Alleria and had fled with several ships of people unwilling to join her faction, then asked Jaina for help.

Sylvanas settled with her people in Theramore as Jaina’s advisor, while Nathanos and Meryl discussed the threat posed by the demon Kazzak. The chapter ended with Nathanos questioning where the Burning Legion’s next invasion would begin.

• Sylvanas asked to join Jaina’s faction as an advisor rather than join the Alliance, and Jaina welcomed her and her people to Theramore.
• Two hundred elves settled in Theramore, and Sylvanas visited Nathanos’s elderly father, Bred Marius, each day.
• An airship landed on Mielan Island, prompting Tyrande and Shandris to seek allies while Nathanos worried about the island’s resources and its proximity to the Night Elves.
• Meryl visited Nathanos and urged him to take seriously the appearance of Kazzak, leader of the Doomguards, and the possibility of another demon invasion.
• Nathanos asked Meryl where the Burning Legion’s invasion would begin.

Meryl persuaded Nathanos that the Forsaken could profit by investigating Kazzak’s plans and exploring Outland. Nathanos ordered intelligence-gathering and scouting, including attention to Quel'Thalas, and asked Meryl to investigate the unfamiliar race that fell from the sky.

• Meryl told Nathanos that Kazzak had appeared in the Blasted Lands and urged him to act against the demonic threat.
• Nathanos resisted committing the Forsaken, but Meryl argued that Kazzak’s interest in the Dark Portal could lead to valuable opportunities in Outland.
• Meryl revealed that Kael'thas and Illidan had fled to Outland in search of magical resources, convincing Nathanos to take the risk.
• Nathanos ordered spies to gather intelligence on demonic activity and sent Deathstalkers to the Blasted Lands and the Tower of Observation.
• Nathanos ordered the Forsaken to monitor the Blood Elves in Quel'Thalas and asked Meryl to learn more about the unfamiliar race that fell from the sky.

Sylvanas attended the Alliance leaders’ gathering in Theramore and clashed with Varian Wrynn over the Horde and her intentions. She clarified that she meant to join Theramore alone, leaving her allegiance separate from the Alliance.

• Sylvanas visited Nathanos’s father, Bred, and reassured him with prepared lies that Nathanos was doing well.
• At the banquet, Tyrande asked Sylvanas about a Blood Elf envoy to the Horde, and Sylvanas confirmed the envoy had come to join it.
• Sylvanas declared that the Horde had not paid for the damage it caused Quel’Thalas, prompting a human to mock her before Varian Wrynn revealed himself.
• Varian challenged Sylvanas’s presence and accused her of trying to use Jaina, while Jaina defended her role at Mount Hyjal.
• Sylvanas told Varian that she had never intended to join the Alliance and clarified that she meant to join Theramore alone.

Sylvanas asked to serve under Jaina in Theramore, prompting a tense dispute with Varian over the High Elves and Quel'Thalas. Jaina accepted Sylvanas's request after Varian left, and Sylvanas identified her people as Quel'dorei while expressing doubts about Kael'thas and Illidan.

• Sylvanas offered to strengthen Theramore's military and asked to serve under Jaina rather than join the Alliance.
• Jaina defended accepting Sylvanas, and Tyrande supported admitting the High Elves as potential allies.
• Magni urged Varian to prevent a rift in the Alliance, and Varian allowed Jaina to accept Sylvanas while warning her about Quel'Thalas.
• Sylvanas challenged Varian's accusations against Quel'Thalas and defended her people's past service to the Alliance.
• Jaina accepted Sylvanas's request, and Varian left the meeting with his attendants.
• Sylvanas told Magni she and her people remained Quel'dorei and warned that Illidan might influence Kael'thas harmfully.

Meryl revealed to Nathanos that Sylvanas had been the first to comfort him and had come to Theramore to care for his father, leaving him to reconsider his feelings and the Forsaken’s future. Meanwhile, Kil’jaeden ordered Kazzak to open the Dark Portal after Illidan destroyed Nazriza and obtained the Sigil of Argus.

• Meryl told Nathanos that Sylvanas led the Silver Covenant and had likely come to Theramore because his father lived there.
• Meryl revealed that Sylvanas—not Alleria—had first comforted Nathanos, and said she had come to care for his father.
• Nathanos, shaken by the revelation, sent Meryl away so he could think alone about the Forsaken’s future.
• Kazzak contacted Kil’jaeden at the Dark Portal and reported that he and Kurul had made progress toward reopening it.
• Kil’jaeden showed Kazzak the destruction of Nazriza and explained that Illidan had taken the Sigil of Argus.
• Kil’jaeden ordered Kazzak to open the Dark Portal so Azeroth’s people could confront Illidan and give the Legion another chance to destroy Azeroth.

Belmont and Nathanos met Xirezego Firefang near Orgrimmar, where Nathanos promised to help him return to his homeland in exchange for a guide familiar with Outland. The chapter ended with a possible future conversation in which Kael'thas reunited with Fashki in Revendreth and declined her offer to free him.

• Belmont's orders established intelligence operations across several cities, while a message directed Xirezego to meet Nathanos near Orgrimmar.
• Nathanos and Belmont surveyed Orgrimmar, and Nathanos pointed out that its gate could be vulnerable to cannon fire.
• Xirezego arrived, proved his identity, and asked Nathanos whether his promise to help him return home still stood.
• Nathanos told Xirezego to travel to Ratchet and then Booty Bay, promising changes in the Blasted Lands within half a month.
• Nathanos asked Xirezego to find him a guide familiar with Outland.
• In a possible later conversation, Kael'thas apologized to Fashki, who offered to free him from Revendreth, but he chose to remain.

Nathanos reviewed the Forsaken expedition’s plans for Outland and learned that the Draenei, led by Velen, had arrived on Azeroth. In Quel'Thalas, Alleria showed Horde ambassador Braggon Bloodfist the rebuilt port and offered to lead him to Silvermoon City.

• Nathanos admitted to Belmont that he feared the dangers of Outland and the possibility that the expedition might disappear like Turalyon and Khadgar’s.
• Belmont listed the expedition’s plans and goals, including gathering resources and seeking Gul'dan’s Curse Cipher and information about Ner'zhul.
• Belmont told Nathanos that the Draenei, led by Velen, had landed on Mielan Island, and Nathanos realized the Alliance was gaining an advantage over the Horde.
• Alleria showed Braggon Bloodfist the restored Sun's Reach port and described Quel'Thalas's revival.
• Braggon praised the port, and Alleria offered to take him to Silvermoon City.

Alleria swore that the Blood Elves would never betray the Horde after Braggon revealed that Sylvanas had joined the Alliance and warned that she would be treated as an enemy. In Shattrath, Adal told Khadgar that a gate to Azeroth would soon open.

• Braggon questioned Alleria about the Blood Elves’ military strength, and she cited their survival and victory against Dath'Remar as proof of their capability.
• Braggon told Alleria that Sylvanas had gone to Theramore and joined Proudmoore’s forces.
• Braggon warned that Thrall would show Sylvanas no mercy if she fought for the Alliance and demanded Alleria swear that the Blood Elves would not betray the Horde.
• Alleria swore that any Blood Elf fighting on the enemy side would be an enemy until death, while Vareesa struggled to contain her anger and grief.
• In Shattrath, Adal asked Khadgar if he missed home, and Khadgar admitted that he did.
• Adal told Khadgar that the gate to Azeroth would open before long.

Kazzak drove the spellcasters to open the Dark Portal and sent Kurul to recover and reforge the Dragon King's Battle Blade. At Zul'Gurub, Nathanos learned the portal was reacting and ordered his group to prepare for action.

• Kazzak forced the exhausted spellcasters to pour their magic into the Dark Portal as it began to glow with fel green energy.
• Kazzak sent Kurul to find the Dragon King's Battle Blade fragments and reforge the weapon, then dismissed concerns about the missing Kathra'natir.
• Nathanos entered Zul'Gurub with selected Deathstalkers, Xirezego Firefang, and Meryl Evilwind to examine the remains of Haka.
• Meryl Evilwind said Haka's influence lingered, and Nathanos asked where the souls of Troll Loa Spirits went.
• A Deathstalker reported activity in the Blasted Lands, and Nathanos told everyone to prepare for action.

Nathanos decided to send the Forsaken through the Dark Portal ahead of the Alliance and Horde, aiming to seize the opening before Illidan could respond. In Outland, Akama remained trapped under Illidan’s rule and questioned the fate of the Ashtongue Deathsworn as he remembered the moment his downfall began.

• Nathanos changed the plan and decided the Forsaken would enter the Dark Portal early, before Illidan could assemble a response.
• Nathanos learned from Xirezege that the portal stood in Tanaan Jungle and ordered him to draw a map before they crossed at midnight.
• Akama was refused an audience with Illidan and ordered by the Illidari Council to return to guarding the prisoners.
• Akama walked through Shadowmoon Temple’s Military District, where demon-blooded Orcs scorned him and the Ashtongue Deathsworn’s subjugation weighed on him.
• Akama reflected on becoming Broken and recalled that he knew the precise moment his fall had begun.