Chapter Summaries

Old Wu was mauled by a tigress in the Red Candle Forest while gathering berries and later woke at the Temple of the Jade Serpent, bandaged and unable to remember who rescued him. Lin Rouzhang revealed that his wounds had been treated with an unfamiliar medicine, leaving Old Wu and Lin wondering who had saved him.

• Old Wu gathered red honeydew berries in the Red Candle Forest and was attacked by a tigress after his attempt to disguise himself failed.
• Old Wu fought the tigress, was wounded, and was dragged down as he called for help; he then heard a heavy impact and a fight before losing consciousness.
• Old Wu woke at home three days later, wrapped in bandages, and learned from Shang Long that someone had found him unconscious near the temple.
• Shang Long told Old Wu that Lin Rouzhang had treated him, while Lin later explained that an unknown medicine had been applied to his wounds.
• Old Wu told Lin he could not remember his rescuer, and Lin left holding the bloodstained bandage.

The narrator observed Pandaren society and wondered whether its apparent equality and peaceful stability could offer the Forsaken spiritual guidance. He remained eager to learn from the Pandaren, believing the Forsaken could change their present.

• The narrator studied Pandaren customs and began learning their language by observing their daily lives.
• He saw Pandaren children attending school and noticed that people of different means shared work and social life without obvious class divisions.
• The narrator learned that the Pandaren's last emperor had died ten thousand years earlier, yet their society had continued without another leader.
• He considered whether the Forsaken could learn from the Pandaren and find the spiritual fulfillment they lacked.
• The narrator began to believe that the Forsaken's present could be changed.

The Witherer explored the Emerald Forest, discovering evidence of an unknown intelligent race and observing the relationships among Pandaren, Hozen, and Murlocs. After rescuing a wounded Pandaren, he encountered a mysterious blight that vanished, then left the Pandaren at the Temple of the Jade Serpent, accepting that his presence would be discovered.

• The Witherer found a carved boulder and stone fragments that formed a giant head, suggesting an unknown race had lived in Pandaria.
• The Witherer described the mischievous Sprites, intelligent Hozen, and Murlocs, who cultivated streams, sought Pandaren wisdom, and fought the Hozen over habitats.
• The Witherer rescued a Pandaren wounded by tigers, but a black-and-white substance spread from beneath him and made the surrounding plants wither.
• The Witherer saw grotesque, rapidly healing monsters emerge from the blighted ground, then watched the blight retreat into the earth and disappear.
• The Witherer carried the wounded Pandaren to the Temple of the Jade Serpent and accepted that the Nathos medicine on his bandages could reveal him as an outsider.

Old Wu returned to Red Candle Forest to find the stranger who had saved him and met Nathanos the Witherer, an Undead from beyond Pandaria’s mists. After learning that Nathanos wanted answers about the continent, Old Wu invited him to the Temple of the Jade Serpent.

• Old Wu left the temple despite his injuries, and Elder Yunpu watched him go after failing to learn why he insisted on going alone.
• Old Wu found the withered patch where he had collapsed, then saw a tiger flee from a threat behind him.
• Nathanos revealed that he had saved Old Wu from the tigers and gathered berry juice for him.
• Old Wu explained that Pandaren knew about the outside world, while Nathanos admitted he had arrived by shipwreck and could not leave.
• Old Wu invited Nathanos to the Temple of the Jade Serpent, and Nathanos accepted the chance to learn about Pandaria.

Nathanos stayed at the Temple of the Jade Serpent, grew accustomed to the Pandaren, and learned that the black-and-white substance he had encountered in Old Wu was despair made manifest, known as the Sha. The chapter ended with Old Wu recognizing that his despair had drained the life from part of Red Candle Forest.

• Yunpu welcomed Nathanos to the Temple of the Jade Serpent and invited him to stay for the new disciple welcome feast.
• Nathanos endured a painful bath and changed into clothes from The Order of the Cloud Serpent, including a red scarf that hid his facial scars.
• Old Wu introduced Nathanos to Pandaren stories and helped him become familiar with the temple.
• Nathanos told Old Wu that a black-and-white substance had emerged from him in Red Candle Forest and caused hallucinations and despair.
• Old Wu explained that the substance was the Sha, despair made manifest, and realized it had drained the vitality from part of the forest.

Nathanos learned more about the Sha from a mysterious elder, who told him that understanding his emotions required experience. At the Temple of the Jade Serpent’s welcome banquet, the celebration descended into drunken chaos, and Nathanos watched Yunpu and Instructor Xia brawl.

• A mysterious elder told Nathanos that he had never understood his own emotions and that he would have to experience the darkness within to understand the Sha.
• Nathanos finished Old Wu’s chores, and Old Wu rewarded him with a meal and explained that many reclusive masters lived in Pandaria.
• At the welcome banquet, Nathanos watched disciples and instructors drink heavily while Hozen and Murlocs laughed together.
• The banquet grew disorderly as Pandaren fought and onlookers cheered, so Nathanos tried to intervene.
• Old Wu explained that Instructor Xia had won 999 martial contests in a row, but Yunpu had challenged him over the disputed thousandth match, and the two were now fighting.

Nathanos noticed the strange apprentice Zhaomo at a chaotic banquet, then the Temple of the Jade Serpent came under attack two nights later. He joined the Pandaren against the Mogu and defeated one of the stone-bodied invaders.

• Nathanos approached the muscular apprentice Zhaomo, who said the banquet-goers could distinguish reality from illusion.
• Two nights later, an explosion struck the Temple of the Jade Serpent, and Nathanos retrieved Sulfuras from Old Wu.
• Old Wu identified the attackers as the Mogu and rushed into battle with the temple disciples.
• Nathanos joined the fight and faced a Mogu warrior who recognized his robes as belonging to The Order of the Cloud Serpent.
• Nathanos wounded the Mogu with Sulfuras, then drove Elemeini into a crack in its neck and brought it down.

Nathanos witnessed the Mogu Soulbinders tear Pandaren souls from their bodies, stirring memories of his own torment and guilt over Rassuvios. When Old Wu was captured, Nathanos lost himself to a surge of power and transformed into a black-winged whirlwind, roaring at the Mogu to stop.

• Nathanos saved a Pandaren monk and learned that the Mogu Soulbinders could extract souls and bind them into stone statues.
• A Pandaren identified Dan Jitong as the sorcerer leading the Soulbinders at Ten Thunder Terrace.
• Nathanos recalled the suffering of his own soul and realized with horror that he had forced Rassuvios into service after freeing him from the Scourge.
• Dan Jitong captured Old Wu, and a distressed Nathanos struggled to remember what he needed to do.
• A surge of power transformed Nathanos into a crimson-and-black whirlwind with pitch-black wings, and he roared, "Enough!"

A stranger visited Megnos's tavern and stirred the Forsaken into debating their treatment by humans, their loyalty to The Witherer, and the prospect of conflict with the Alliance. The stranger slipped away as the patrons continued arguing.

• Megnos served a stranger Moonlight Wine after the man said he disliked humans, not human alcohol.
• The stranger said he had been abandoned, prompting the patrons to trade stories of rejection and mistreatment by humans.
• A Terror Guard warned the tavern against questioning The Witherer, but the stranger asked why their leader had not negotiated with the Alliance.
• The patrons debated the Alliance's claims to former human kingdoms, whether the Forsaken should seize Lordaeron, and the risks of another war.
• The stranger quietly left before finishing his drink, while the tavern's patrons continued complaining about humans.

Frederick reported to Songweaver that he had stirred hostility toward humans among the Forsaken, then received orders to discover Nathanos’s whereabouts. In dense fog at sea, Harkel’s ship, The Witherer, found the wreckage of the Forsaken vessel Shadowfang and was attacked by Alliance soldiers.

• Frederick met Songweaver near Razor Hill and reported that his tavern mission had encouraged resentment toward humans but had failed to undermine loyalty to Nathanos.
• Songweaver ordered Frederick to find out where Nathanos had gone, and Frederick agreed in exchange for the promised reward.
• Harkel and Bolilake argued over the fog and the ship’s navigation instrument as The Witherer lost its way and fell behind schedule.
• Harkel and Bolilake discovered the wreckage of the Shadowfang, including Forsaken corpses and a shattered flag.
• The crew spotted an Alliance ship in the fog, then prepared to fight as armed humans boarded The Witherer.
• Harkel shot one Alliance soldier and fought on as two more soldiers surrounded him.

Harkel and her Forsaken crew repelled an Alliance boarding attack on The Witherer, while the Forsaken leaders argued over responsibility and their response. The meeting ended with Tatsel sending the fleet to search Kalimdor’s coastline and Veronalara fearing that Nathanos’s disappearance had left the Forsaken divided.

• Harkel fought off the Alliance boarders, ordered the cannons fired, and stopped her crew from pursuing the retreating enemy through the fog.
• Harkel reported the casualties and deaths of the prisoners, then ordered the crew to recover Forsaken and Alliance bodies as evidence for Lady Tatsel.
• Tatsel demanded that the Alliance pay for attacks on Shadowfang and The Witherer, while Meryl and Belmont questioned whether the attacks had been ordered by the Alliance leadership.
• Veronalara offered to send Dark Rangers to investigate, but Tatsel rejected her warning and left to search Kalimdor’s coastline with the fleet.
• Meryl warned that the Forsaken had relied too heavily on Nathanos, and Veronalara realized that his absence had exposed divisions their political system could not contain.

Dark Rangers Marla, Calila, and Cleya investigated Captain Harkel’s account of the attack on The Witherer and found details that made the Alliance ambush seem suspicious. In the Redridge Mountains, Oslo discovered three Orcs at Stonehold’s ruins and prepared to watch them without alerting them.

• Veronalara sent Marla, Calila, and Cleya to investigate the attack on The Witherer and warned them that Commander Tatsel might retaliate against the Alliance.
• Harkel refused to cooperate with the Dark Rangers and showed them an Alliance Grand Marshal’s Sword as proof that she had killed a high-ranking Alliance officer.
• Cleya reported that the Alliance ship had approached through dense fog, fired arrows, and used harpoons to board The Witherer, leaving the Dark Rangers unsure how the attack had been organized.
• Oslo visited Stonehold to remember Company B’s victories and was shocked to find three Orcs among the ruins.
• Oslo untied his hunting rifle and prepared to observe the Orcs without revealing himself.

Oslo overheard Kor'kron Orcs plotting an attack to provoke conflict between the Forsaken and Alliance, but they caught and framed him before he could reach Lakeshire. Meanwhile, Marla's search for the Alliance ship stalled, and Frederick ambushed Alarick after the Death Killer tracked him to a hut outside Maraudon.

• Oslo recognized the Kor'kron armor and heard the Orcs discuss making the Forsaken and Alliance fight so the Horde would support the Forsaken.
• An Orc assassin struck Oslo with a dagger, and the Orcs caught him, put a bloodied dagger in his hand beside an Undead corpse, and shouted, "For the Horde!"
• Marla, Cleya, and Calila learned that the Forsaken had found no trace of the Alliance ship, so Marla proposed searching along the coast for a place it could be hiding.
• Alarick followed Frederick from Megnos's tavern to a hut outside Maraudon, where Frederick revealed he needed a more useful shell and attacked him with dark energy.

Dark Rangers investigating a Naga corpse suspected that pirates had disguised themselves as Alliance soldiers and identified Dusty Swamp's Okaz Island as a possible lead. In the Eastern Kingdoms, Shaw concluded someone had framed the Forsaken for Oslo's death, while Belmont learned that Forsaken discontent over Lord Witherer's absence was growing into challenges to his authority.

• Calila, Marla, and Cleya examined a mutilated Naga soldier, and Marla deduced that its wounds came from one opponent in a small conflict.
• Marla questioned whether the attackers who had targeted Harkel's group were really Alliance soldiers, and Calila revealed that the observer had only seen ships with blue lion flags from a distance.
• Marla and Calila concluded that pirates might have impersonated the Alliance and pinpointed Dusty Swamp's Okaz Island as their likely refuge.
• Shaw reached the Redridge Mountains, investigated the place where Oslo's body had been found, and concluded that someone had staged the scene to provoke conflict between the Alliance and the Forsaken.
• Shaw returned toward Lakeshire with Ambo Gilny to seek further clues from the bodies, while assigning his soldiers to rest and maintain order.
• Alaric told Belmont that some Forsaken demanded answers about Lord Witherer's departure and that some had begun questioning the legitimacy of Belmont and the other lords.

Marla and the Dark Rangers found Terror Totem refugees sheltering in an abandoned Theramore watchtower and learned that Alliance ships had attacked Naga on Okaz Island. Gogro revealed that three sailors in Alliance uniforms attacked him when he proposed an alliance, and Marla promised the refugees food, water, and help reclaiming their homeland.

• Marla, Calila, and Cleya followed smoke to an abandoned watchtower and discovered a small group of Terror Totem Tauren refugees.
• The Dark Rangers subdued the few armed Tauren, and Marla promised the refugees they would not be harmed if they answered her questions.
• Marla noticed the refugees were hiding the origin of an Alliance-marked cooking pot and asked to speak privately with the Tauren mother, but the shaman and Gogro intervened.
• Gogro agreed to explain the pot’s origin after the refugees ate, then told Marla that Alliance ships had attacked Naga on Okaz Island about a week earlier.
• Gogro said three sailors wearing old Alliance uniforms attacked him after he proposed an alliance, and confirmed their ships had flown Alliance sails.
• Marla thanked Gogro and promised to arrange food, water, and help for the refugees after the Dark Rangers finished their business.

Alarick Hawkins reconsidered how to secure control of the Forsaken without learning Nathanos’s whereabouts. In Ratchet, Gazlowe broke up a fight between Captain Harkel’s Forsaken crew and a human ore seller, but Harkel vowed the conflict was not over.

• Alarick Hawkins decided he might seize control of the Forsaken before Nathanos returned, without finding out where Nathanos had gone.
• Gazlowe learned that Harkel and a human seller were arguing over a shipment of poor-quality copper ore at Ratchet’s docks.
• The human insulted the Forsaken, and Harkel tackled him, triggering a brawl between their crews.
• Gazlowe summoned Ratchet’s guards and ordered both sides to stop, bringing the fight under control.
• After the Forsaken suffered heavy injuries, Harkel warned the human that the Forsaken would make him pay.

Marla, Calila, and Cleya uncovered evidence that the Horde had used pirates to provoke conflict between the Forsaken and the Alliance, then were ambushed by Vampyr who may have learned their route from inside the Forsaken. Meanwhile, Tatsel ordered a strike on Southshore, while Harkel secretly prepared to bring others aboard the Witherer.

• Marla explained that Gogro’s attackers had been pirates working for the Horde, which was trying to manipulate the Forsaken into conflict with the Alliance.
• Three Vampyr ambushed Marla, Calila, and Cleya; the Dark Rangers fought them off, and the attackers vanished after one was killed.
• Marla, Calila, and Cleya suspected that someone inside the Forsaken had leaked their route and decided to contact Veronalara secretly.
• After hearing that humans had killed seventeen of her people in Ratchet, Tatsel ordered the Wavebreaker, the Blade of the Witherer, and the Ragehowl to prepare for an attack on Southshore.
• Harkel secured permission for the Witherer to join the operation and planned to leave some crew behind while letting certain others board.

Harkel prepared to attack Southshore while working with the Vampyr, believing war against the Alliance would avenge the Forsaken and force her master to abandon his hopes for the living. Meanwhile, Marla returned to Maraudon with evidence of a Horde-backed plot and learned that Tatsel had already sailed for the Eastern Kingdoms with four warships.

• Harkel questioned the Vampyr about Blood Prince Delvin's promised Horde support as her fleet sailed toward the humans.
• Harkel accepted an alliance with the Vampyr, convinced that attacking the Alliance would make the living fear the Forsaken.
• Marla reported to Veronalara that disguised pirates had gathered on Okaz Island and that the Horde and Vampyr might be behind the plot.
• Meryl connected the Vampyr to the Horde, and Calila warned that a traitor had likely revealed Marla's itinerary to the attackers.
• Veronalara told Marla that Tatsel had left Maraudon the previous night with four warships bound for the Eastern Kingdoms.

Marla learned that Tatsel had taken the Forsaken warship Witherer to attack Southshore, and Meryl offered to buy time for the residents while Veronalara sought a way to expose the Vampyr among the Forsaken. In Orgrimmar, Farivell reported the fleet’s departure to Grommash and asked him to free the men imprisoned in Ratchet, but Grommash ordered him to shut up.

• Veronalara told Marla and the others that more than thirty Forsaken had died in a bloody clash in Ratchet after humans provoked them.
• Meryl revealed that Tatsel had gone to Southshore aboard the Witherer, prompting the group to fear an attack on the Alliance port and its civilians.
• Veronalara said Belmont had sent a warning to Lady Proudmoore, while Meryl offered to delay Tatsel and Veronalara promised to root out the Vampyr spies.
• Farivell told Garrosh and Malkorok that the Forsaken fleet had left Kalimdor and asked Garrosh to rescue his men from Ratchet's prison.
• Garrosh told Farivell to shut up before addressing his request.

Garrosh weighed his distrust of the Forsaken while Jaina learned that their ships were headed for Southshore and agreed to help evacuate its residents. Meryl reached Lordaeron and urgently sought the help of Voss.

• Garrosh told Malkorok he wanted personal control of the Forsaken but chose to wait and see what happened at Southshore.
• A Forsaken messenger warned Jaina that four ships were sailing to attack Southshore and asked her to evacuate its civilians to Theramore.
• Jaina agreed to act immediately, recognizing that a disagreement had arisen within the Forsaken.
• Meryl flew from Alterac to Lordaeron, met Voss, and urgently asked for his help.