Chapter Summaries

Nathanos prepared a ritual intended to give his decaying body a chance to destroy him, using the Rune Stone, the Prism of Focus, and Tethys’s blood. He waited for Onyxian to defeat Narax and for Lei Shen to fall before activating the Prism.

• Onyxian brought Nathanos a dragon egg from the past and shattered the Rune Stone into five pieces before luring Narax into the sky.
• Nathanos rejected Meryl Evilwind’s warning that the ritual might tear him apart, accepting death as preferable to his continuing decay.
• Nathanos refused the Valkyr sisters’ offer to repair his body because they could not perform the spell for every Forsaken, and Brynhildr offered to help stabilize his ritual circle.
• Nathanos assembled the Rune Stone and prepared the Prism of Focus, then visited the imprisoned Tethys to obtain her blood.
• Tethys refused to help, but Nathanos restrained her and took her blood, telling her he would give the Prism of Focus one chance to destroy him.
• Nathanos waited as Onyxian fought Narax and battles raged inside the Throne of Thunder, intending to act only after both Narax and Lei Shen fell.

After falling from the destroyed Storm Bridge, Sylvanas, Alleria, Jaina, and the surviving forces found a hidden route into Lei Shen’s palace and fought their way to the true Throne of Thunder. They battled Lei Shen, whose power overwhelmed them at first, but Jaina identified a way to weaken his devices; as they attacked him, his fury and lightning surged anew.

• Sylvanas, Alleria, and Jaina regained consciousness beneath the palace, treated the wounded, and followed a natural tunnel toward Lei Shen’s stronghold.
• Veronalara and Tatsel discussed Nathanos’s secret order to surround the Alliance and Horde, and Tatsel suggested the deployment was meant to guard against the Alliance and the Sin'dorei.
• Sylvanas and the forces defeated the palace’s guardians, including the Mogu Twin Queens, and reached the true Throne of Thunder, where Lei Shen drew power from four devices.
• Jaina’s spell failed to freeze Lei Shen, and Sylvanas saved her from a lightning strike before Lei Shen blasted several attackers into the abyss.
• Sylvanas ordered the spellcasters to destroy the corner devices while the others held back the elementals, and Jaina explained that the devices would eventually overheat.
• After Jaina destroyed one device and the others endured Lei Shen’s attacks, the devices began to fail, so Sylvanas called for an assault; Lei Shen roared as his fury unleashed more lightning.

After Lei Shen fell, Nathanos began a dangerous ritual using the Prism of Focus while Onyxian tried to keep Kalecgos away. As strange power gathered at the Throne of Thunder, the Forsaken surrounded the Alliance, and Alleria and Sylvanas raced toward Nathanos.

• Onyxian defeated Narax, then learned from the spreading silence that Lei Shen had fallen and left to intercept Kalecgos.
• Nathanos entered the ritual circle, reflected on his past, and activated the Prism of Focus with Tethys's blood.
• Kalecgos flew toward the Throne of Thunder but Onyxian stopped him, and the two dragons fought over the sea.
• A scout reported that the Forsaken had surrounded the Alliance camp, and Sylvanas and Alleria realized Nathanos was behind it.
• Alleria defied her promise to Sylvanas and set off toward Nathanos, while Sylvanas chased after her.

Nathanos emerged from the ritual changed but still Undead, then confronted Kalecgos, Alleria, and Sylvanas on the Isle of Thunder. Alleria chose not to kill him and left, while Nathanos and Sylvanas remained together.

• Nathanos ended the storm, appeared before Alleria and Sylvanas, and revealed that he had changed but was still dead.
• Nathanos defeated Kalecgos's challenge with Onyxian's help, returned the Prism of Focus, and demanded that the Dragon Aspects choose between hostility and neutrality toward the Forsaken.
• Nathanos sent Onyxian to visit her mother and asked Alleria whether she hated or feared him.
• Nathanos offered Alleria a chance to kill him and threatened to destroy the Alliance and Horde camps if she refused to answer.
• Sylvanas urged Alleria to believe Nathanos was still himself, and Alleria lowered Sathoryl and left without attacking him.
• Sylvanas asked Nathanos whether this was a good beginning, and Nathanos raised his hand as the Forsaken emerged from hiding.

Nathanos tested the Heart of Azeroth’s power in Alterac while the Forsaken prepared to attack Orgrimmar. Meanwhile, Gizzlok’s Undead forces captured Nethergarde Keep and prepared to take Raku on an air voyage to Azeroth.

• Nathanos ordered the Forsaken army to withdraw from the Isle of Thunder and return to Kalimdor to prepare for the attack on Orgrimmar.
• In Alterac, Nathanos used temporal power to draw an Azerite barrier around himself and named the effect Temporal Anomaly.
• Nathanos sent Sansa and Malcolm away after they interrupted him, then considered what he could create or destroy with the Heart of Azeroth.
• Raku dismissed concerns about Undead in Outland and went to sleep at Nethergarde Keep.
• Undead attackers captured Raku and took control of the keep’s control room under Gizzlok’s command.
• Gizzlok told Raku that the Forsaken had captured the prisoners and that she would travel with them to Azeroth.

Nathanos rejected a direct assault on Lordaeron and devised a plan to provoke the Scarlet Crusade into attacking the Forsaken at Alterac, where the terrain would favor them. He ordered the Forsaken to spread fear of an impending plague and ended by proposing the title “Dark Lord” for himself if they conquered Lordaeron.

• Prefist, Orisus, and Nathos reported that their forces were ready, and Nathanos asked Nathos whether he still knew how to concoct plague.
• Nathanos reviewed the defenses of Lordaeron and concluded that the Forsaken could not take the Capital City through a frontal assault.
• Nathanos learned that Garrosh had attacked the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and explained that the Forsaken needed to seize Lordaeron quickly before pursuing their deal with Vol'jin.
• Nathanos warned that the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade might intervene, then ordered Saurfang to be taken to an inn rather than turned away.
• Nathanos proposed making the Crusaders believe the Forsaken were preparing plague, then luring them into an ambush in Alterac after the Forsaken staged a retreat.
• Nathanos told his commanders to carry out the plan and asked what they thought of the title “Dark Lord.”

Saurfang met Nathanos at a Forsaken inn to discuss the Forsaken’s planned attack on Lordaeron and the Crimson Crusade. Nathanos revealed he had prepared a trap, while Saurfang left without judging whether it would succeed.

• Saurfang ordered Winterberry Firewine and identified Nathanos when the Witherer entered the inn.
• Saurfang told Nathanos that Highlord Mograine had sent him to learn about the Forsaken’s plans, and Nathanos admitted he wanted a witness to their strength.
• Reni discovered the inn had no Dalaran Red Wine and secretly mixed other drinks to serve Nathanos instead.
• Nathanos explained that he intended to lure the Crimson Crusade into a trap by keeping them uncertain about what they were facing.
• Nathanos asked Saurfang about Lirath, and Saurfang admitted he kept away because she had a new life without him.
• Saurfang left without giving Nathanos an opinion on the plan, and Nathanos warned Reni not to make the same mistake again.

Nathanos used rumors and a staged explosion to deepen the Crusaders’ fear that the Forsaken were preparing a plague attack, while secretly rushing supplies and preparations. The Crusaders failed to locate the plague operation, and Durand urged Whitemane to attack Forsaken territory first.

• Nathanos woke to find Saurfang had killed two Crusader spies who had infiltrated his room, then explained how enemy spies could be misled by their own assumptions.
• An explosion destroyed an herbal shop in Alterac, and Nathanos ordered it repaired within five days while prioritizing Apothecary Nathos’s orders.
• Prefist ordered the quartermaster to gather a large list of supplies within half a month, despite shortages and the quartermaster’s objections.
• Nathanos pressed Apothecary Nathos to prepare the remaining supplies quickly and refused to begin the attack before the Forsaken were ready.
• Interrogator Vesath told Durand and Whitemane that the Crusaders still could not find where the Forsaken were developing the plague.
• Durand urged Whitemane to order an attack on Forsaken territory before the plague could reach Crusader lands.

Nathanos prepared to trap the Crusaders at Strahnbrad while negotiating Forsaken aid for Vol'jin's rebellion against Garrosh. After agreeing to send at least three thousand troops, Nathanos left Vol'jin's allies weighing the risks of relying on the Forsaken as the Alliance fleet advanced.

• Nathanos ordered the Forsaken to conceal troops in Strahnbrad, strengthen the route leading there, and hold the defenses at Fenris Isle.
• Lok'han told Nathanos that Vol'jin's allies were ready to oppose Garrosh and that the Alliance fleet was nearing Draenosh's blockade line.
• Nathanos agreed to send at least three thousand Forsaken soldiers and supplies to support Vol'jin, with more troops to arrive later if needed.
• Lok'han reported Nathanos's offer to Vol'jin, Thrall, Baine Bloodhoof, and Varok Saurfang, who discussed whether to accept Forsaken help.
• Vol'jin argued that Nathanos would send fewer troops than the rebels had, leaving them in control of the battlefield, and warned that the Alliance posed the greater threat.

Nathanos oversaw the Crimson Crusade’s defeat at Strahnbrad and Finnis Island, then ordered the Valkyr to raise the fallen Crusaders as Forsaken. As the Forsaken prepared to advance on Lordaeron’s Capital City, a massive airship appeared before the dying commander Durand.

• Nathanos studied the Forsaken’s advances across Lordaeron as the Crimson Crusade’s resistance weakened.
• At Strahnbrad, Nathanos summoned Kira and three other Valkyr to raise the dead Crusaders, despite Saurfang’s unease.
• Nathanos shot Durand during the fighting at Finnis Island, breaking the Crusaders’ remaining resistance and sending the Forsaken toward Lordaeron.
• Durand confronted Nathanos about returning to fight the kingdom he had once defended, and Nathanos said he had brought its people home.
• A massive airship emerged from the gloom as Nathanos forced Durand to witness it before he died.

Nathanos infiltrated Lordaeron’s throne hall while the Forsaken attacked the city and confronted High Inquisitor Whitemane. After Lilian’s deception left Whitemane isolated, Nathanos’s hidden archers stopped her attempt to kill him, and he declared that the city would return to death.

• Whitemane ordered the palace guards to reinforce the city gates because the Crusaders had no fresh troops left.
• Nathanos revealed himself on Terenas’s throne and explained that he had entered through an old sewer passage.
• Whitemane attacked Nathanos with Holy Light, then tried to stab him with a dagger when he appeared unarmed.
• Hidden archers wounded Whitemane and disarmed her before she could reach Nathanos.
• Lilian revealed that she had disguised herself as a Crusader and reported that the guards were dead.
• Nathanos rose from the throne and declared that Lordaeron would return to death.

After the Forsaken captured the Capital City, Saurfang witnessed Nathanos establish control and learned that Whitemane and the other living captives remained alive for their strategic value. Nathanos prepared to leave for another war in Kalimdor, while Saurfang departed to report to Highlord Mograine.

• Saurfang surveyed the ruined city and followed Malcolm to the royal palace, where Nathanos received reports from Orisus, Prefist, Nathos, and Gizzlok.
• Gizzlok reported that the Draenei from Shattrath were imprisoned at Nethergarde Keep, and Nathanos ordered him to defend the Capital City until the Terror Guards arrived.
• Nathanos told Saurfang that Whitemane and the city's other living people were being kept alive because they still had value.
• Saurfang questioned Nathanos's motives, and Nathanos explained that raising the living as Forsaken could create future enemies like Arthas had.
• Nathanos announced that he was leaving for a war in Kalimdor and invited Highlord Mograine to send more people.
• Saurfang mounted Dusk and left the Capital City to report back to his Highlord.

Alleria joined Vol'jin and Baine to plan an assault on Orgrimmar, agreeing that the rebels should seize the coast while the Alliance supported them. The meeting was interrupted by the arrival of a Forsaken representative, who introduced himself as Rassuvios.

• Alleria woke from a painful dream of Nathanos and learned from Countess Liadrin that Grommash had not discovered the rebel forces.
• Alleria met Vol'jin and Baine, who discussed Orgrimmar's defenses, including the Heart of Y'sharrj and a Goblin-built mechanical scorpion.
• Alleria warned that General Nazgrim had ordered coastal towers armed with heavy cannons, but said she could seize the coast within two hours if the Dragonmaw Clan received no support.
• Vol'jin and Baine agreed to hold Orgrimmar's main gate while Alleria informed the Alliance of the coastal attack plan.
• Baine announced that a human Forsaken representative had arrived, and Rassuvios introduced himself as an instructor of the Forsaken Terror Guard.

Rassuvios delivered Nathanos’s pledge of support and secret intelligence about Orgrimmar to Vol’jin, revealing that the Forsaken had conquered Lordaeron and planted a spy beside Garrosh. As the Horde leaders reconsidered their assault plans, Alleria worried about Nathanos’s intentions and agreed to seek the Order of the Cloud Serpent’s aid.

• Rassuvios told Vol’jin that the Forsaken would cooperate with the war and had already taken Lordaeron, while Nathanos had arrived in Kalimdor but would not immediately join the fighting.
• Rassuvios said Nathanos had entrusted Vol’jin with command of the Forsaken forces and gave him scrolls detailing Orgrimmar’s defenses and a hidden fortress beneath The Drag.
• Vol’jin and Baine realized Garrosh’s underground stronghold contained his most valued troops and Pandarian treasures, and they decided to reconsider their battle plans while awaiting news from Thrall and Saurfang.
• Alleria wondered whether Nathanos might target Quel’Thalas after taking Lordaeron and reconsidered whether the Sin’dorei should remain in the Horde.
• Baine asked Alleria to seek the Order of the Cloud Serpent’s aid, and she agreed to depart at once.

Nathanos followed the Heart of Azeroth through Silithus, raised slain Twilight's Hammer cultists, and uncovered a buried Titan device. In Orgrimmar, Nazgrim ordered Heklar to provide more Iron Stars to defend the gates from the rebels, leaving Heklar to consider how to report the change to his true master.

• Nathanos followed the Heart of Azeroth's signal south through Silithus until it reacted near Grakkaron's Bone.
• Nathanos attacked a six-member Twilight's Hammer party, killed its members, and raised their corpses as servants.
• Nathanos ordered his servants to dig at the spot indicated by the Heart of Azeroth and uncovered a Titan device.
• Nazgrim asked Heklar for more Iron Stars to strengthen Orgrimmar's defenses against the rebels.
• Nazgrim insisted that Heklar obey his order, and Heklar began figuring out how to inform his true master of the changed gate defenses.

Nazgrim encountered Kor'kron soldiers abusing Ji Firepaw and challenged Overseer Kumak's claim that Ji had committed treason. He ordered Ji returned to his place and was left unsettled by the Pandaren's pitying gaze.

• Nazgrim inspected Orgrimmar and saw the Kor'kron's harsh preparations for the coming battle.
• Nazgrim found Overseer Kumak and Kor'kron soldiers dragging a bloodied Ji Firepaw through the streets.
• Nazgrim demanded to know Ji's crime, and Kumak accused him of treason because Fire Plume monks had joined Vol'jin's rebels.
• Nazgrim rejected Kumak's justification, struck him down, and berated the soldiers for abusing an innocent captive.
• Nazgrim ordered the guards to take Ji back, then wondered why Ji looked at him with regret and pity.

Nazgrim prepared Orgrimmar’s defenses as Vol’jin’s rebel army advanced, while privately recognizing that he and Sar'gath Steel-Fist were defending the city out of duty rather than loyalty to Garrosh. The battle began with the rebels testing Heklar’s Iron Star, which devastated their first assault, but Nazgrim knew the war had only just begun.

• Nazgrim asked Sar'gath Steel-Fist to repair his damaged breastplate with the best refined iron, and Sar'gath began work without questioning him.
• Sar'gath told Nazgrim that they were holding Orgrimmar to fulfill a soldier’s duty, and Nazgrim agreed with him.
• Vol’jin’s forces finalized their attack plan, but a returning scout revealed that Orgrimmar already knew of their advance, forcing them to abandon a surprise attack.
• Nazgrim saw the rebel army’s siege weapons and trained Undead as the battle began outside Orgrimmar.
• Vol’jin sent a small assault force to test Heklar’s Iron Star, and the war machine destroyed the first ground attack.
• Nazgrim ordered his troops to target the rebel siege weapons and conserve nothing as the battle continued.

Varian’s fleet fought through the Dragonmaw Clan’s aerial counterattack as it advanced on Orgrimmar’s docks. Varian defeated Warlord Zaela, and the Alliance ships pressed toward the beachhead.

• Varian ordered the ships to advance after learning that Garrosh’s dock reinforcements had been cut off.
• The Dragonmaw Clan sent Proto-Dragons against the fleet, trapping Sylvanas’s and Alleria’s ships and halting the advance.
• Warlord Zaela leaped onto Varian’s ship and attacked him, but Varian wounded her and kicked her into the sea.
• Varian ordered the fleet to take the beachhead and target the Proto-Dragons with the dock watchtower cannons.
• General Jerista steered the ship toward shore as the Druids summoned favorable winds.

Nathanos activated the Chamber of Heart with the Heart of Azeroth while the battle for Orgrimmar reached a stalemate. After the docks fell and rumors spread that Garrosh was studying the Old God's heart, Vol'jin announced that the beast had fallen.

• Nathanos entered the Chamber of Heart and used the Heart of Azeroth to activate its dormant mechanisms.
• Nazgrim maintained Orgrimmar's defenses as the battle stalled, then shot a Dragonmaw Orc returning on a Proto-Dragon to hide news that the docks had fallen.
• Vol'jin told Baine that the docks had fallen and chose to let the Horde warriors see the arriving reinforcements for themselves.
• Nazgrim heard soldiers discuss the loss of the docks and question where Garrosh had been, with one claiming he was studying the Old God's heart in Searing Gorge.
• Nazgrim heard an attack begin and Vol'jin shout, "That beast has fallen."

Nazgrim’s defenses failed when Vol'jin’s rebels destroyed the Iron Star, and he discovered that Heklar had betrayed the Kor'kron and leaked their secrets. Heklar confronted Nazgrim with a list of people and places his master wanted watched or captured, leaving Nazgrim’s fate uncertain.

• Nazgrim watched Vol'jin’s rebels attack Orgrimmar’s gate, then saw Tyrande and her Huntresses join the assault.
• Nazgrim ordered the Iron Star activated, but the rebels cleared a path that sent it into a pit, where it exploded.
• Nazgrim ordered the Kor'kron to hold the gate with their lives and headed to confront Heklar.
• Heklar burned contracts and blueprints, telling Shana Mars that their true master would reward them.
• Heklar admitted his betrayal and offered Nazgrim the choice to surrender or be forced to surrender.
• Heklar showed Nazgrim a list of people and places his master wanted watched and captured.