Chapter Summaries

Herad opened a channel into the magma beneath Un'Goro Crater to extract obsidian, frightening the local animals with what looked like a volcanic disaster. As a pursuing Devilsaur ran past Fire Plume Ridge, Herad spotted its valuable hide and decided to stop it.

• Herad discovered a shallow magma pool beneath Un'Goro Crater and opened a channel through Fire Plume Ridge, allowing magma to flow out under his control.
• Herad cooled extracted obsidian with summoned water, while the animals mistook the magma and white smoke for a natural disaster and fled.
• The displaced animals turned on one another, and a group of Devilsaurs ran past Fire Plume Ridge while fleeing a pursuing Devilsaur.
• Herad noticed the pursuing Devilsaur and decided not to let the valuable beast escape.

Herad trapped a Devilsaur in a mire near Fire Plume Ridge while extracting obsidian, and the ravasaurs it had chased returned to harass it. After Herad let the Devilsaur kill two ravasaurs, he widened the mire and trapped the entire pack.

• The Devilsaur chased the ravasaurs toward Fire Plume Ridge, where Herad trapped it in a mire with the Hammer of Khaz'goroth.
• The ravasaurs returned, circled the immobilized Devilsaur, and bit its tail and thighs while it failed to reach them.
• Herad loosened the Devilsaur's restraints enough for it to turn and kill two ravasaurs.
• The surviving ravasaurs kept taunting the Devilsaur but stayed cautious after seeing their companions die.
• Herad expanded the mire, causing all the ravasaurs to sink into it.

Herad had Xal'atath carve up a trapped Devilsaur for its hide while he continued refining Un'Goro Crater's magma into obsidian. As his plans for a massive obsidian warship grew, Herad speculated that the Titans had created the crater by draining its magma.

• Herad teleported Xal'atath from the Storm Peaks to drain the trapped Devilsaur's vitality and cut its hide into manageable sections.
• Herad used a rocky hand to choke the Devilsaur unconscious, summoned Arcane Golems to help Xal'atath, and returned to refining obsidian.
• Herad used his water-powered cooling system to turn extracted magma into obsidian blocks atop Fire Plume Ridge.
• Herad considered using long-range spells to refine magma directly underground and reduce the time and mess involved in collecting obsidian.
• Herad estimated that a million-ton obsidian warship would be needed to withstand over a thousand Burning Legion Warships.
• Herad speculated that the Titans had formed Un'Goro Crater by draining magma and reflected that they valued order and their own kind over mortal lives.

Herad used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to master spellcasting across hundreds of kilometers and continued gathering obsidian while exploring Un'Goro Crater for Titan secrets. He found a mysterious Permanent Portal atop a cliff and searched for the three Energy Crystal Spires.

• Herad demonstrated that the Hammer of Khaz'goroth could extend his effective spellcasting range to hundreds of kilometers and considered how it could devastate cities.
• Herad decided the Hammer was better suited to gathering obsidian than fighting powerful enemies, and continued drawing useful substances beneath Fire Plume Ridge.
• Herad explored Un'Goro Crater with the power of the earth, hoping to uncover knowledge left by the Titans.
• Herad found a Titan-built Permanent Portal high on a cliff north of Marshal's Refuge and examined its rings and flowing nebulae.
• Herad searched underground for the three Energy Crystal Spires he remembered from the game.

Herad found three Energy Crystal Spires around Un'Goro Crater and sent arcane golems to collect their crystals, hoping to uncover a renewable energy source. He also completed the laborious transfer of nearly five hundred thousand tons of obsidian, pushing his Million-Ton Obsidian Battleship Plan more than halfway toward its goal.

• Herad used the Power of the Earth to find an Energy Crystal Spire and examined it with a Spatial Window.
• Herad decided the Energy Crystals could power the Giant Arcane Golem and sent arcane golems to gather them.
• Herad searched Un'Goro Crater and found three Energy Crystal Spires, then confirmed there were no more.
• Herad opened a Portal and spent a day moving nearly five hundred thousand tons of refined obsidian through it with Mage Hand and earth elemental creatures.
• Herad finished transferring the obsidian, bringing his Million-Ton Obsidian Battleship Plan more than halfway to completion.

Herad searched the Tanaris Desert for obsidian to build a million-ton obsidian warship and encouraged the Druids to green the desert by digging irrigation canals. Tanaris held far less obsidian than he had hoped, leaving Uldum as the likeliest source for the rest he needed.

• Herad decided to keep gathering obsidian before upgrading his warship to the million-ton class, and he planned to rest while studying a map of Kalimdor.
• Herad concluded that the Scarab Wall's obsidian constructs had come from Uldum, while Silithus and Tanaris likely held too little obsidian to meet his goal.
• Herad proposed that the Druids irrigate Tanaris with seawater, and Tauren, Centaurs, and Quilboar apprentices began digging canals and planting trees along the East Coast.
• Herad searched Tanaris and found little obsidian beyond the area near Un'Goro Crater, with deposits dwindling farther north.

Herad arrived at Zul'Farrak with a Rock Stone Giant and told the Sandfury guards he wanted to discuss a deal with their chieftain. After he offered them water while he waited, the Sandfury warlord Antu'sul came to meet him.

• Herad reached Zul'Farrak and faced wary Sandfury guards at the city entrance.
• Herad said he had come to discuss a deal with the chieftain, and the guards sent Lok'On to report his arrival.
• Herad set up tea in the Rock Stone Giant's shadow and offered the guards bottles of water.
• An older Sandfury guard accepted the gift and hurried into the city to pass word along.
• Antu'sul, warlord of the Sandfury clan, arrived at the gateway with several Basilisks.

Herad negotiated with Antu'sul and Ukorz Sandscalp to trade supplies for Sandfury obsidian. Ukorz also asked Herad to kill Gahz'rilla, the tribe's divine guardian beast, which had been eating Sandfury Trolls.

• Antu'sul met Herad outside the city, and Herad confirmed that Antu'sul could negotiate on behalf of Chieftain Ukorz Sandscalp.
• Herad offered Antu'sul a large Enamel Mug, then Antu'sul agreed to trade obsidian for weapons, equipment, water, and canned food.
• Ukorz Sandscalp arrived, examined a tin can, and praised the canned fish Herad gave him to taste.
• Ukorz Sandscalp asked Herad to help kill Gahz'rilla because the hungry guardian beast had been eating Sandfury Trolls.

Herad accepted Ukorz Sandscalp’s offer to kill Gahz'rilla in exchange for the Abyssal Crown, then sent Xal'atath to attack during the temple sacrifice. Xal'atath killed Velesa’s guards and wounded Gahz'rilla, which fled underwater as the Holy Pool began draining into the sand.

• Herad agreed to hunt Gahz'rilla for the Abyssal Crown and gave Ukorz Sandscalp food and water for the operation.
• Several days later, the Sandfury Trolls gathered in Zul'Farrak for a temple sacrifice while Velesa performed divination beside the Holy Pool.
• Xal'atath emerged through a gateway and killed Velesa’s temple guards before Velesa summoned Gahz'rilla.
• Xal'atath slashed Gahz'rilla’s necks, dodged its attacks, and followed it underwater.
• Gahz'rilla tried to use the pool to escape, but an unknown force drained the water into the surrounding sand.

Ukorz Sandscalp discovered that Gahz'rilla had been slain and planned to use the freed Holy Pool to improve Zul'Farrak. In the Caverns of Time, Herad had Nozdormu verify the Abyssal Crown, then used it to strengthen himself for the coming threat of Sargeras.

• The patrol reported Gahz'rilla's death, and Ukorz Sandscalp led his followers to the drained Holy Pool.
• Ukorz examined the wounds on Gahz'rilla and concluded that a powerful night elf warrior had killed the loa.
• Ukorz ordered Gahz'rilla's corpse prepared for a meal and had the Holy Pool cleaned, imagining its water would help turn Zul'Farrak into an oasis.
• Herad asked Nozdormu to inspect the Abyssal Crown, and Nozdormu confirmed it was made by the ancient night elves and safe to use.
• Herad put on the Abyssal Crown and found that it multiplied his mental power several times over.
• Herad resolved to acquire more powerful equipment and mine obsidian to build Obsidian Warships before Sargeras arrived.

Herad asked the Bronze Dragonflight for permission to enter Uldum, a sealed region whose Forge of Origination could destroy Azeroth. After the flight overwhelmingly approved his request, he received a passage item and reached Uldum's battered gate.

• Herad asked Nozdormu for the item that would let him enter Uldum, and Nozdormu explained that the Bronze Dragonflight had to decide together.
• Nozdormu summoned the flight's important members, who debated Herad's request and voted by more than ninety percent to allow him in.
• Nozdormu handed Herad a palm-sized Hourglass and warned him not to explore the Halls of Origination or touch the Forge of Origination.
• Nozdormu instructed Bronze Dragons assigned to monitor Uldum to keep a close eye on Herad.
• Herad reached Uldum's battered gate and flew over it with the passage item.

Herad crossed the Bronze Dragons’ temporal traps into Uldum, where the Tol’vir had survived and rebuilt their settlements under the protection of the seal. He reached the riverside oasis to search for obsidian, but realized he would need to mine carefully to avoid endangering the Tol’vir.

• Herad used the Hourglass to pass through the temporal turbulence traps and flew past the bones of earlier explorers.
• Herad saw the Tol’vir living among Uldum’s ruins and learned that the Bronze Dragons’ seal had helped them survive the catastrophe.
• Herad followed the river south to the desert near the restored Sun Obelisk and took out the Hammer of Khaz'goroth and the Abyssal Crown.
• Herad used his enhanced power to locate abundant obsidian deposits beneath Uldum.
• Herad recognized that unsafe mining could create sinkholes and harm Tol’vir restoring ruins across the desert.

Herad used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to mine obsidian, create channels and a dam across Uldum, and record Titan magical knowledge from Tol'vir structures. The bronze dragons realized he was mining, reported his haul to Nozdormu, and he returned to sleep.

• Herad devised a safe plan to mine underground obsidian by triggering controlled collapses that formed channels across Uldum.
• Tol'vir workers welcomed the channels as routes for boats and places to grow crops, while elders in the southern city recognized that an earth spellcaster had created them and built a dam.
• Herad used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to locate Titan structures and collect the magical knowledge preserved in the Tol'vir's bloodlines, storing it in his arcane golem's database.
• The bronze dragons watched Herad appear to sit idle, then saw heaps of obsidian arrive through a portal and realized he had been mining with the Hammer.
• The bronze dragons reported Herad's activity to Nozdormu, who briefly remarked on the mining and went back to sleep.

Herad gathered obsidian across Kalimdor, Northrend, and the Eastern Kingdoms, raising his planned Obsidian Warship to two million tons. At Blackrock Mountain, he manipulated the magma to extract obsidian, prompting the Dark Iron Dwarves and Black Dragonflight to flee while the Firelord remained dormant.

• Herad collected more than one and a half million tons of obsidian from Uldum, Kalimdor, Northrend, and the Eastern Kingdoms, then raised his warship target to two million tons.
• Herad surveyed Searing Gorge and used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to heat and redirect Blackrock Mountain's magma so obsidian-bearing material would erupt for collection.
• The Dark Iron Dwarves and Black Dragonflight panicked as the magma grew more active and began evacuating Blackrock Mountain.
• Herad held back the magma from erupting while the Dark Iron Dwarves packed their belongings and fled to the Burning Steppes.
• The Dark Iron Dwarves looked back in fear and wondered why the Firelord and the fire elemental creatures had not emerged from the Molten Core.

Herad used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to restrain Ragnaros and his fire elementals, then channeled the released magma into a cooling and obsidian-harvesting system. The eruption drove Nefarian and the Dark Iron Dwarves from Blackrock Spire, while Herad prepared to store the obsidian on Mardum.

• Ragnaros struggled against the Hammer of Khaz'goroth's earth-energy chains, while his fire elemental followers were drained and sent back to the Fire Elemental Plane.
• Herad released the magma through a passage toward Searing Gorge, where rain cooled it into obsidian in a collection pool.
• Nefarian saw Herad's controlled eruption and led the black dragons away, intending to return to Blackrock Spire afterward.
• Herad watched the black dragons seek shelter and blocked the passage to the Burning Steppes, leaving the Dark Iron Dwarves with no way to reclaim their home.
• Herad's Rock Stone Giants hauled the obsidian to a Portal Array so it could be transported to Mardum for storage.

Herad gathered enough obsidian to build a 2.8-million-ton Obsidian Warship and designed it with thirty-six energy cannons. After checking on Stormwind City and arranging aid for the displaced Dark Iron Dwarves, he submitted the design to the Island Armory’s magical supercomputer for analysis and optimization.

• Herad spread rain across Blackrock Mountain after collecting its obsidian, while the Dark Iron Dwarves gathered water in the Burning Steppes.
• Herad mined obsidian in the Burning Steppes, the Redridge Mountains, and southern regions, raising the warship’s planned tonnage to 2.8 million tons.
• Herad checked Stormwind City’s growing population in Elwynn Forest and asked Sir Lothar to gather supplies for the homeless Dark Iron Dwarves.
• Herad designed a long, slender Obsidian Warship armed with thirty-six energy cannons.
• Herad uploaded the design to the Island Armory’s magical supercomputer for analysis and optimization.

Herad reviewed the Obsidian Warship’s magical-circuit plans, then built the colossal vessel on Mardum with the aid of two powerful artifacts. After Arcane Golems took control alongside its central system, he sent the warship through the Portal toward the Burning Legion.

• Vereesa visited Herad, admired the mysterious ship blueprint, and left to inspect the Devilsaur hide.
• Herad checked the super magical computer’s plans for the Obsidian Warship’s magical circuits and found them sound.
• Herad traveled to Mardum and completed the nearly kilometer-long Obsidian Warship in less than two days.
• Herad brought dozens of Arcane Golems aboard to share authority over the warship’s central control system.
• Herad commanded the Obsidian Warship to rise and fly toward the Portal in the sky.

Herad brought Vereesa, Alleria, and Sylvanas aboard the Obsidian Warship and led it to Nasrei, the Dreadlords’ homeworld, to attack the Burning Legion. After destroying the Legion ships that tried to ram them, the warship entered Nasrei’s atmosphere and began blasting demon strongholds.

• Vereesa admired the stars from the Obsidian Warship’s botanical hall while Alleria and Sylvanas realized the vessel was enormous.
• Herad selected Nasrei on the Star Map, and the warship traveled through a gateway toward the fel planet.
• Burning Legion Warships attacked the Obsidian Warship as it approached Nasrei, but their fel beams could not damage it.
• Herad ordered the warship to destroy enemy ships attempting to ram it, and its energy cannons blew apart more than a dozen vessels.
• The Obsidian Warship entered Nasrei’s atmosphere and fired multicolored beams at demon gathering places on the surface.

Herad’s Obsidian Warship devastated Nasrei and fought off the Burning Legion fleet, destroying thousands of its warships while spores and bombardment drove the ground forces into hiding. The Windrunner Sisters watched the battle grow routine as Vereesa wondered how many more warships the Burning Legion had.

• The Obsidian Warship bombarded Nasrei, reducing buildings to ruins and killing Dreadlords who failed to escape its attacks.
• Herad’s ship scattered deadly spores across its route while the Dreadlords fled and the Burning Legion fleet failed to damage the warship.
• The fleet commander kept sending warships into battle, and the Obsidian Warship destroyed them while targeting the Legion’s important facilities.
• Herad planned to keep destroying the fleet and nearby demons rather than the planet, forcing the Burning Legion to keep responding.
• After a day of fighting, the Windrunner Sisters counted the Burning Legion warships lost until Vereesa grew bored and asked how many remained.
• Herad told Vereesa that he did not know how many warships the Legion had, but said they would destroy every one that came.

Kil'jaeden watched the Obsidian Warship devastate Burning Legion worlds and prepared Argus for its arrival, while Sargeras urged him to keep fighting and provided a powerful trump card. Confident in that weapon, Kil'jaeden sent Argus's warships out to intercept the enemy.

• Kil'jaeden examined the battle footage, noticed the Obsidian Warship's armor had taken on a faint green tinge, and gathered over ten thousand Burning Legion Warships near Argus.
• Herad continued destroying Burning Legion warships and facilities across the planets, while demons and stranded structures were lost in the chaos.
• Sargeras questioned Kil'jaeden about the worsening situation, then inferred the Obsidian Warship's material might have come from a planet with great potential.
• Sargeras chose to continue toward Azeroth and persuaded Kil'jaeden to defend Argus, giving him a powerful trump card.
• Kil'jaeden sent the Burning Legion Warships near Argus out to intercept the Obsidian Warship, confident his trump card would destroy it.