Chapter Summaries

Nathanos urged Sylvanas to persuade Jaina to save Theramore’s people by transporting the city, while Garrosh delayed the Horde’s attack and rejected advice from Baine and Vol’jin. As Sylvanas began reconsidering the war with Jaina, Nathanos visited Tiroya’s tomb and learned his brother knew of him.

• Nathanos told Sylvanas to convince Jaina to accept a plan to transport Theramore and minimize casualties, then thanked her for caring for his father.
• Garrosh ordered the Blood Elf fleet to land at Ratchet and travel overland, dismissing Dezco and Volas’s calls for an immediate attack.
• Sylvanas arrived at Theramore and told Jaina and the council they should reconsider their approach to the war.
• Nathanos knelt at Tiroya’s tomb, where an unidentified visitor told him his brother had recognized him.
• Nathanos questioned whether his brother had reacted with shock or fear.

Jaina asked the Kirin Tor to help defend Theramore and revealed Sylvanas’s warning that the Horde posed an imminent threat. The Council of Six agreed to help defend the city, while Alleria received an urgent message from the Argent Crusade bearing the name Stephen Maris.

• Jaina contacted Khadgar and asked the Kirin Tor to protect Theramore from the Horde.
• Jaina told Khadgar that Sylvanas believed the threat was greater than an attack on Theramore, and Khadgar brought the warning to Dalaran’s Sky Council.
• Khadgar, Aethas, and Karlain supported aiding Theramore, and Modera changed her position; the Council decided to help defend the city without taking offensive action.
• Vareesa urged Alleria to warn Sylvanas about Garrosh’s army, but Alleria said Sylvanas would not retreat.
• Liadrin announced that an Argent Crusade messenger had arrived with an urgent letter from Stephen Maris, and Alleria immediately ordered him brought in.

Alleria received a message suggesting that her husband was alive and resolved to investigate Marius Farm, while Nathanos entered a mysterious fog alone and the Horde advanced on Theramore. Khadgar’s mages arrived to help defend the city, but tensions between Sylvanas and the Sunreavers threatened to disrupt the alliance.

• A messenger delivered Alleria an arrow marked with a Sauras phrase and a letter from Stephen Maris stating that her husband was alive, leaving her shaken and determined to visit Marius Farm.
• Nathanos reached a strange fog bank by sea, instructed Onyxian to protect the Forsaken and hide the Prism of Focus, then went into the mist alone.
• Garrosh ordered the Horde to march on Theramore, and Malkorok reported that the Alliance fleet and Dalaran mages had arrived, including a Horde spy among the mages.
• Khadgar arrived at Theramore with several mages, including Saren Songweaver and Akazamzarah, to join Jaina and Sylvanas’s defense.
• Sylvanas challenged Saren over Aethas’s absence and warned him to ensure the Sunreavers were genuinely helping Theramore.

Sylvanas organized Theramore’s defenses while Akazamzarah prepared a teleportation array to evacuate the city, and the Horde launched a two-front assault. Saren Songweaver discovered the plan and escaped after Akazamzarah and Lansber exposed him, leaving him able to warn Grommash.

• Sylvanas gave Akazamzarah a teleportation spell and ordered him to prepare an array capable of transporting everyone in Theramore to the Eastern Kingdoms.
• Sylvanas watched Jaina’s war council and ordered Lansber to secretly keep Saren Songweaver under surveillance.
• The Horde attacked Theramore from the north and west, and Sylvanas led the defense at the main gate while Jaina and Khadgar fought at the west gate.
• Garrosh ordered the Horde to withdraw temporarily and send assassins toward Theramore’s defenders during the next assault.
• Saren found Akazamzarah setting up the teleportation array, but Akazamzarah struck him with Arcane Energy and Lansber caught him at swordpoint.
• Saren escaped by detonating a smoke bomb, and Akazamzarah urged Lansber to warn Sylvanas that the Sunreaver could reveal the evacuation plan to Grommash.

Theramore faced Garrosh’s attack after Salen exposed its defenses and Grommash ordered the bomb dropped despite Horde soldiers remaining outside the city. As the mages activated their teleportation array, Nathanos arrived alone on a mysterious continent beyond the mist.

• Sylvanas survived an explosion on Theramore’s wall, learned that Salen had escaped, and killed an orc assassin sent after her.
• Salen told Grommash that Theramore planned to teleport the city away, and Grommash ordered the airship to drop its bomb anyway.
• Dezco protested that Horde soldiers were still outside the walls, but Grommash dismissed their deaths as an acceptable sacrifice.
• Jaina and Khadgar saw the bomb approach and realized the mages had not had time to prepare their barrier.
• Akazamzarah, Vargoth, and the Covenant mages activated the teleportation array as Sylvanas ordered everyone to be taken away.
• Nathanos stepped through the mist onto a lush, unfamiliar continent and wondered whether Wrathion had come there too.

Jaina woke after the destruction of Theramore and learned that Sylvanas had teleported the city to Dalaran Crater, saving most of its people. Meanwhile, Baine condemned Garrosh’s attack and warned that the Tauren would not support another atrocity.

• Jaina and Khadgar realized they could not warn the mages in time, and Lansber told them Sylvanas was preparing to teleport Theramore.
• The Horde celebrated what it believed was Theramore’s destruction, while Jaina was pulled away by Arcane Energy and lost consciousness.
• Jaina woke two days later and learned from Baine that Sylvanas had moved Theramore to Dalaran Crater, though some people had died.
• Jaina embraced Baine, expressed gratitude to Sylvanas, and asked to meet her after recovering.
• Baine questioned Dezco and Hamuul about Theramore’s fate and denounced Garrosh for sacrificing Horde soldiers in the attack.
• Baine ordered messengers to tell Garrosh that the Tauren would not support him if he made another bomb.

Alleria learned that Belorell had seen Nathanos alive as an undead and confronted her about his past, leaving her to consider whether he might seek revenge against her and Quel'Thalas. In Theramore, Sylvanas told Jaina that an undead friend had given her the teleportation spell, and Jaina realized the friend was connected to Alleria.

• Alleria searched the ruins at Marius Farm for Nathanos's remains and discovered that someone had already searched them.
• Belorell confronted Alleria, revealed that he had seen Nathanos alive as an undead, and accused her of abandoning his father.
• Alleria recognized that Nathanos might belong to the Forsaken and feared that his return could endanger Quel'Thalas.
• Jaina visited Sylvanas, who explained that an undead friend had given her the spell that moved Theramore to the former site of Dalaran.
• Sylvanas revealed that the undead friend loved her sister, and Jaina identified her sister as Alleria Windrunner and her partner as Nathanos.

Vesetus asked Nathos whether the Forsaken had any reason to keep living as their bodies gradually deteriorated, and Nathos was summoned to a private meeting of Forsaken leaders. In Stormwind, Sylvanas visited Bred Maris, who remained unaware that his son Nathanos was the Forsaken leader, and found comfort in tending flowers because they reminded him of his child.

• Vesetus told Nathos that he felt lost in his undead body and questioned how long the Forsaken should endure to keep existing.
• Meryl summoned Nathos to a private meeting among several Forsaken leaders, separate from the Withering Council.
• Sylvanas visited Bred Maris in Stormwind and brought him moonberries and sour milk.
• Bred asked Sylvanas about Theramore and Jaina, while Sylvanas hesitated to tell him that Nathanos had been identified as the Witherer.
• Bred told Sylvanas that his nephew had visited and that he might eventually be the only member of his family left.
• Bred said that planting flowers made him think of his child.

Jaina attended Varian’s war council, where the Alliance debated the Horde’s strength and the bomb used against Theramore. Meanwhile, Forsaken leaders gathered in Maraudon to discuss their absent master and form a temporary political organization to govern in his absence.

• Varian convened Alliance leaders and envoys, and Shandris reported that Horde forces were shifting toward its navy while Orgrimmar’s military activity surged.
• Jaina told the council that Garrosh could not use another bomb like the one that devastated Theramore, prompting Rogers and Genn to challenge her before Varian redirected the meeting toward preparations for war.
• Varian called on Shaw to report his findings as the Alliance discussed its military position and the loss of Theramore’s strategic role.
• Nathos arrived at a meeting of Forsaken leaders in Maraudon, where Belmont explained that the Witherer had left secretly and that a temporary political system would be established during his absence.
• Veronalara, Nathos, and Prefist questioned the proposed council’s purpose and the Witherer’s departure, while Meryl raised concerns about Forsaken civilians and Veronalara warned that the master’s changed appearance would trouble his people.

The Forsaken debated how to respond to a letter from Grommash while the Alliance learned that their leader, the Witherer, was Nathanos Maris. Jaina defended the Forsaken and their aid to Theramore, but the council rejected her appeal and left her facing the risks of pursuing diplomacy.

• Belmont presented Grommash’s letter to the Forsaken, and Veronalara said they needed to decide how to reply without clear instructions from their master.
• Shaw told the Alliance council that the Witherer was Nathanos Maris, shocking Muradin, Genn, Varian, and Jaina.
• Jaina revealed that a Forsaken messenger had warned Theramore about Grommash’s attack, but she withheld Nathanos’s role in relocating the city.
• Varian declared the Forsaken enemies of the Alliance, while Jaina argued that they had saved Theramore and deserved recognition.
• Tyrande and Velen rejected Jaina’s defense of the Forsaken, and Shandris warned that failed diplomacy could provoke a war.

Jaina reconsidered the aftermath of the meeting while Nathanos encountered Bwonsamdi, who offered cooperation in exchange for starting a total war across Azeroth. The chapter left Nathanos demanding to learn about the Otherworld, despite Bwonsamdi warning that its secrets could destroy him.

• Jaina overheard Bred asking to visit his old home and considered seeking others’ opinions about Tyrande’s proposal.
• Bwonsamdi summoned Nathanos and his mother Daphne, then made Daphne fade until Nathanos agreed to hear him out.
• Bwonsamdi offered to cooperate with Nathanos if he started a total war involving the Horde, Alliance, Forsaken, and Pandaren.
• Nathanos rejected the idea of fighting for profit, but Bwonsamdi argued that war could help him fulfill his own needs and warned that the Forsaken could not wait.
• Nathanos learned that Daphne’s soul belonged to the Otherworld and demanded to know more, so Bwonsamdi warned him about the danger of probing death’s secrets.

Alleria relived her guilt over shooting Nathanos and witnessed the memories of his sacrifice and transformation into an Undead. She woke from the nightmare in her bedchamber and broke down, regretting what she had done.

• Alleria pursued Nathanos through a dark forest and faced a vision of him alive, then shot him after repeating the words “Vendel'o eranu.”
• Alleria heard memories of Nathanos refusing to abandon her during the battle against Arthas and saw him die while protecting her.
• Alleria watched the three black-armored figures torment Nathanos and saw him kneel before the Death Knight, saying, “At your service, Prince.”
• Alleria woke screaming, dismissed Mareia, and sobbed as she questioned her actions.

At dinner in Stormwind, Sylvanas and Jaina discussed the Alliance’s refusal to trust the Forsaken and their uncertainty about Nathanos’s intentions. A messenger from Quel’Thalas delivered Alleria’s pendant to Sylvanas, who decided to meet her sister at Windrunner Tower despite Jaina’s warnings.

• Jaina told Sylvanas that Varian, Tyrande, and Velen believed the Alliance could only tolerate the Forsaken, not ally with them.
• Jaina and Sylvanas discussed whether Nathanos had saved Theramore to build friendship or pursue another plan.
• A Theramore scout reported that a messenger from Quel’Thalas had delivered an item specifically for Sylvanas.
• Sylvanas recognized the jade pendant as one shared by the Windrunner sisters and guessed that Alleria wanted to meet her about Nathanos.
• Jaina warned Sylvanas that Alleria might pressure or even threaten her, but Sylvanas decided to return to Windrunner Tower as a Windrunner and meet her sister.

Alleria abandoned her attempt to meet Garrosh and returned to Quel'Thalas, where she arranged to meet Sylvanas at Windrunner Tower. After the sisters confronted their painful past, Sylvanas agreed to help Alleria reconnect with Nathanos, though she warned that he would resent them discussing his secrets.

• Alleria waited two hours for Garrosh, then left Orgrimmar and returned to Silvermoon after Elisia told the Kor'kron guards the Sin'dorei were departing.
• Alleria received Vareesa's message that Sylvanas agreed to meet, destroyed the scroll, and changed into her Ranger attire before heading out.
• Sylvanas crossed into Quel'Thalas at night, fought the undead around Windrunner Tower, and met Alleria there.
• Alleria admitted that she had been wrong to hurt Nathanos and asked Sylvanas to help her get to know him again.
• Sylvanas agreed to tell Alleria what she knew about Nathanos, while warning that he would not be pleased by their conversation.

Belorell attended Baron Satherril’s extravagant banquet to meet Quel'Thalas’s nobility and confront talk about his father. The evening took an unsettling turn when a guest loudly asked for Alleria’s son.

• Belorell finished a magic lesson with Hassel, who praised his talent and progress.
• Vareesa told Belorell that his mother supported his choice of a Sunreaver tutor and urged him to attend Baron Satherril’s banquet.
• Belorell arrived at Satherril Manor and saw nobles reveling in scant clothing and luxury.
• Baron Satherril and the baroness welcomed Belorell and led him inside to dine.
• Satherril served Belorell his favorite foods and surrounded him with scantily clad attendants.
• An unseen guest interrupted the gathering by asking where Alleria’s little brat was.

Belorell confronted Liandara Sunstrider, who accused Alleria’s rule of erasing the Sunstriders and challenged the Windrunner family’s authority. After Liandara tried to stab him, Belorell subdued her with hidden gravity magic and carried her out of the banquet, leaving the nobles with a warning.

• Liandara Sunstrider burst into Belorell’s tower and accused the Windrunners of usurping the Sunstriders’ place.
• Belorell listened as Liandara described her family’s shame and demanded that another Sunstrider be made Elf King.
• Belorell defended his mother’s regency and challenged Liandara over the Sunstriders’ failure to oppose Kael’thas.
• Liandara tried to ambush Belorell with a fruit knife, but he restrained her with gravity magic.
• Belorell knocked Liandara unconscious, carried her through the gathered guests, and told Baron Satherril the banquet had left a deep impression on him.

Alleria learned that Belorell had brought Liandara Sunstrider to Sunfury Tower after meeting her at Sathalir's banquet, and she confronted him over the political risks. Belorell proposed sending the Sunstriders to the Isle of Quel'Danas for atonement, then admitted Liandara reminded him of his father, prompting Alleria to decide they would find him at once.

• Vareesa told Alleria that Liandara Sunstrider had appeared at Sathalir's banquet and targeted Belorell, who brought her to Sunfury Tower.
• Alleria ordered Vareesa to investigate the banquet guests and planned to move Liandara somewhere more suitable, but Belorell stopped her.
• Belorell argued that Liandara should not be driven away and proposed allowing the Sunstriders to seek atonement near the Sunwell on the Isle of Quel'Danas.
• Alleria questioned Belorell's motives, and he revealed that Liandara's situation reminded him of his father.
• Alleria embraced Belorell and said they would go find his father at once.

Sylvanas delivered two sealed letters to Dark Ranger Liana for Veronalara, insisting that Belmont’s spies must not see them. Veronalara read Alleria’s proposal to reunite her with her lost fiancé and realized the second letter was for Nathanos, but she decided it was not yet time to give it to him.

• Sylvanas reached Shadowfang Keep’s forest and persuaded Liana to deliver both letters to Veronalara unopened and away from Belmont’s spies.
• Liana brought the letters to Veronalara in private, where Veronalara read Alleria’s account of her regret and her proposal to reunite Veronalara with her fiancé.
• Veronalara recognized that Sylvanas’s second letter was intended for Nathanos, but said it could not be given to him yet.
• Liana told Veronalara that Sylvanas was waiting for her reply in Theramore, and Veronalara clarified that she meant the Theramore in Kalimdor.

Aeridiel learned that his dead fiancée, Veronalara, had been raised as a Forsaken and was now free, but he could not accept the possibility of seeing her again. The chapter ended with Aeridiel rejecting the idea of reuniting with her, leaving Alleria’s attempt to understand his feelings unsuccessful.

• Aeridiel delivered food to Liandara at Sunwell Plateau and listened as she spoke about her past and her abandoned arranged marriage.
• Halduron summoned Aeridiel to meet Alleria, who questioned him about his family and his former fiancée, Veronalara.
• Alleria revealed that Veronalara had died defending Quel'Thalas, become one of the Scourge, and later regained her freedom as a Forsaken.
• Vareesa asked whether Aeridiel would want to see Veronalara if she remained herself, while Rommath described the horrors of her undead body and past.
• Aeridiel said he did not want to see Veronalara and would rather remember her as she had been, leaving Alleria pained and Vareesa helpless.

Alleria abandoned her plan to arrange a reunion between Aeridiel and Veronalara after Rommath warned that contact between the living and the Forsaken could bring pain and violence. At the foggy coast, Veronalara gave Sylvanas a portrait for Aeridiel and urged him to forget her, leaving Sylvanas shaken by the possibility that Nathanos had hidden his true condition from her.

• Rommath argued that Aeridiel and Veronalara’s reunion would cause suffering, and Alleria admitted that a reunion with Nathanos might reveal how badly he had been changed.
• Alleria decided not to pursue contact between the Sin'dorei and the Forsaken, while Vareesa agreed to tell Sylvanas the outcome.
• Veronalara and Liana waited by the ruins of Theramore for Sylvanas, and Veronalara said she wanted to bring her past with Aeridiel to an end.
• Sylvanas told Veronalara that Aeridiel was alive and well, but Veronalara said she was glad he had not come and asked Sylvanas to give him her portrait to burn.
• Veronalara suggested Sylvanas become Forsaken, prompting Sylvanas to wonder whether Nathanos had concealed the truth about his condition.