Chapter Summaries

The Allied Forces defeated the undead in Southshore, then discovered that the Orcs had crossed into the eastern foothills through a hidden mountain trail. As the forces moved to intercept them, the Orcs and Forest Trolls advanced toward Hinterlands Forest while Red Dragons circled the Wildhammer Dwarves’ city, held off by Gryphon Riders and anti-aircraft guns.

• The Allied Forces bombarded Southshore’s walls and destroyed the undead pouring through the breach with artillery, muskets, and heavy infantry.
• The Allied Forces’ scouts found that the Orcs had gone east and discovered that Troll Rogues had wiped out the bridge guards.
• The Wildhammer Dwarves realized the Orcs could be using a hidden trail into Hinterlands Forest, so Falstad returned to the main city while the Allied Forces followed the trail.
• Guided by Forest Trolls, the Orcs crossed the mountain passage, and the Allied Forces found signs that a large army had passed through.
• Kurdran Wildhammer and his gryphon Skare brought down a Red Dragon, while the remaining Red Dragons kept their distance from the city’s Gryphon Riders and anti-aircraft guns.

Orgrim led the Horde to attack Aerie Peak after Zul'jin rallied the forest trolls and allied them with the orcs. The red dragons destroyed the Wildhammer Dwarves' mountain bunkers, allowing the Horde to storm the gates, but the dwarves' superior armor and spellcasters made the close battle costly for the attackers.

• Zul'jin gathered more than a hundred thousand forest trolls and allied with the Horde, which abandoned Southshore and marched on Aerie Peak.
• Orgrim ordered the red dragons to burn the Wildhammer Dwarves' bunkers, and the dragons destroyed them by igniting their ammunition magazines.
• The red dragons escaped the dwarves' anti-aircraft fire, clearing the way for the Horde's ground assault.
• Orcs and forest trolls charged Aerie Peak's open gates before the dwarves could close them, forcing the defenders into close combat.
• Wildhammer Dwarf heavy infantry used enchanted weapons and numerous shamans to wound the attackers, leaving the larger Horde army worse off overall.

Herad broke from Sir Lothar’s slow-moving Allied Forces and reached Aerie Peak, where the Wildhammer Dwarves were close to being overwhelmed by the vastly larger Horde army. After waiting for reinforcements and preparing his Arcane Scavenger, he led the High Elf Rangers in a charge toward the battlefield, startling Orgrim as Gul'dan quietly withdrew.

• Falstad and the Gryphon Riders arrived too late to turn the tide, and the Wildhammer Dwarves continued to suffer heavy casualties against the Horde and Forest Trolls.
• Herad urged Sir Lothar to send faster troops ahead, but Sir Lothar refused, so Herad set out alone and the High Elf Rangers, Wildhammer Dwarf Heavy Infantry, and knights followed at a faster pace.
• Herad reached the canyon exit, saw the immense Horde army besieging Aerie Peak, and retreated into the concealed canyon to await reinforcements.
• Herad prepared three Arcane Scavenger with spell-reinforced wooden clubs, and Alleria arrived with the High Elf Ranger troops.
• Herad rallied the Rangers to kill Zul'jin again, then led them and their Arcane War Machine in a charge from the canyon.
• Orgrim noticed the charging force and feared it was coming for him, while Gul'dan quietly slipped away.

Herad’s High Elf force tore through the Horde army with Arcane Scavengers, war machines, and Rangers, while Gul'dan empowered Orc warriors to charge into deadly gunfire. Zul'jin escaped into the Hinterlands Forest, and the arriving knights charged the shattered Horde forces.

• Arcane Scavengers and High Elf Rangers cut down Orcs and Forest Trolls, while Arcane War Machines drove Orgrim into a panicked retreat.
• Gul'dan enhanced nearby Orc warriors with Fel magic, sending them into a fearless charge that Herad’s machine guns blasted apart.
• Herad asked Alleria where Zul'jin had gone, and she pointed to the forest where he had fled.
• Herad judged the forest too dangerous to pursue Zul'jin and halted his troops at its edge.
• The knights arrived and charged the scattered Horde army, trampling Orcs and Trolls beneath their horses.

The Allied Forces routed the Horde at the city, where the Wildhammer Dwarves and Arcane Scavenger slaughtered the troops who could not retreat. After seeing the construct’s armor scratched by Orc weapons, Herad decided to reinforce it.

• High Elf Rangers supported the cavalry with gunfire and shells, disrupting the Horde’s command structure.
• Orgrim ordered a retreat as Wildhammer Dwarf Heavy Infantry reinforcements worsened the battle for the Horde.
• The Horde troops trapped inside the city gate were pushed into the Arcane Scavenger’s spinning blade and nearly all were killed.
• High Elf Rangers collected Forest Troll tusks from the battlefield while Herad watched and the Arcane Scavenger returned with two scratches on its mithril armor.
• Herad considered the difference in the armies’ equipment and decided to add armor to the constructs.

Herad planned to upgrade the Arcane Scavengers with thorium armor, while Orgrim withdrew after losing his chance to capture Aerie Peak and resolved to improve the Horde’s equipment. In Silvermoon City, news of the Burning Legion’s Infernals pushed the High Elf councilors to approve Herad’s long-delayed project to build demigod-level Arcane Golems.

• Herad decided to shrink the Arcane Scavengers’ energy tanks and cover their bodies, hands, and feet with thorium armor.
• Orgrim abandoned hopes of taking Aerie Peak, followed Zul'jin to a forest camp, and lamented the Horde’s poor equipment and failed campaign.
• Orgrim suspended the offensive and planned to wait for Blackrock Mountain’s smiths to equip elite Orc Heavy Infantry with steel armor.
• The High Elf councilors approved Herad’s god-making project after learning that the Burning Legion’s Infernals had appeared.

Herad and Alleria returned to Silvermoon City to recruit Rogues while the Silvermoon City Council prepared materials for a demigod-level Arcane Golem. Herad inspected its armor being forged and looked forward to seeing the giant construct in battle.

• Gryphon Riders confirmed that Orcs and Red Dragons had gathered in Grim Batol, prompting Herad and Alleria to hurry to Dalaran and return to Silvermoon City.
• Alleria took charge of recruiting a band of Rogues, while the White Hawkstrider carried Herad to Sunsail Anchorage and raced back toward the forest.
• Herad entered the foundry, where workers and Arcane Golems forged components for the Arcane Scavenger and the demigod-level Arcane Golem.
• Herad's design gave the ten-meter-tall golem an obsidian body reinforced with enchanted thorium armor, whose finished surface shimmered with shifting colors.
• Herad anticipated that the towering demigod-level Arcane Golem would dominate the battlefield.

Herad inspected the Demigod Arcane Golem’s newly forged enchanted thorium armor as the High Elves prepared to power the completed construct. After King Anasterian and Rommath filled its energy chamber with Sunwell water, the golem was ready to be sent to the Dawnedge Armory for its armor and weapons.

• Herad watched the arcane golems quench a piece of enchanted thorium armor and considered how the Demigod Arcane Golem’s size and bright appearance would draw enemy fire.
• The High Elf Council discussed how much Sunwell water to use and adopted Rommath’s recommendation to fill the golem’s storage capacity.
• King Anasterian crouched beside the Sunwell and filled several runic bottles with its golden water.
• Anasterian handed the bottles to Rommath, who installed them in the golem’s energy chamber until all two hundred slots were full.
• Rommath closed the chamber, and the completed golem was set to go to the Dawnedge Armory for its armor and weapons.

Herad oversaw the delivery of a Demigod Arcane Golem and learned that the Council was considering rewarding him for his work. He secretly skimmed Sunwell water from rune bottles and outfitted his upgraded Arcane Scavengers with a compartment to carry it.

• Mages brought the inactive Demigod Arcane Golem to the island pier while the Sea Sovereignty arrived to be converted into an ironclad.
• Herad considered the cost of Kul Tiras’s fleet and its potential as a customer for his golem and arms business.
• Rommath praised Herad’s progress toward becoming an Archmage and said the Council was discussing a treasure as a reward.
• After the golem was delivered to the warehouse, Herad skimmed excess Sunwell water from two hundred rune bottles and collected ten bottles’ worth.
• Herad installed the stolen Sunwell water in a compartment on one of his three upgraded, thorium-armored Arcane Scavengers.

Herad prepared an operation against Grim Batol, assembling a hundred Rogues and traveling by warship while keeping track of Deathwing. Deathwing remained distracted by his political struggle in Alterac, leaving Herad hopeful that the team could kill the Dragonmaw Clan and free the Red Dragon Queen without drawing his attention.

• Herad put away his modified Arcane Scavengers, then traveled toward Sunsail Anchorage on an ice boat propelled by Air Elementals, which crashed him onto the beach.
• Herad gathered with Alleria and the hundred Rogues she had selected, whose dragonhide armor and Dragonfang Daggers had been supplied for the mission.
• Herad led the Rogue band aboard the modern warship and contacted Dalaran's intelligence operatives for news of Deathwing.
• Krasus and Dalaran's Archmages kept Deathwing occupied with political pressure in the Kingdom of Alterac, delaying his plans for Grim Batol.
• Herad anticipated attacking Grim Batol while Deathwing remained distracted, with the goal of killing the Dragonmaw Clan and freeing the Red Dragon Queen.

Herad and a band of Rogues infiltrated Grim Batol and methodically killed the Dragonmaw Orcs occupying its upper level. With the upper level cleared, they prepared to face the more exposed Lower Area, where Red Dragons were kept.

• Captain Hank sailed the warship upriver, and Herad and the others traveled on foot to Grim Batol.
• Herad equipped the Rogues with Gnomish night-vision goggles and led them to the city after dark.
• The Rogues killed the Orc guards at Grim Batol's gates, and Herad told them to focus on quietly killing every Orc they could defeat.
• The Rogues divided into teams and assassinated Dragonmaw Orcs throughout the upper level while Alleria silently shot Orcs who came to investigate.
• Herad's group finished clearing the upper level and moved on to the more open Lower Area, where the Red Dragons were kept.

Herad and the Rogues infiltrated the Dragonmaw Clan’s lower level and found Nekros tormenting two Red Dragons with the Dragon Soul. After Herad seized the artifact and the Red Dragon Queen killed Nekros, Herad urged her to summon the other dragon monarchs to set a trap for Deathwing.

• Herad led the Rogues through the lower level, silently killing Dragonmaw Orcs while leaving sleeping Warlocks alive.
• The Rogues found a chamber of Dragon Eggs, but Herad warned them not to touch any of them.
• Herad identified a heavily guarded cavern as their destination, and the Rogues killed its guards.
• Herad sneaked up on Nekros as he used the Golden Disk to punish two Red Dragons, then took the artifact from him.
• Herad used a gale to send Nekros toward the Red Dragons, and the Red Dragon Queen crushed him with her claw.
• Herad proposed that the Red Dragon Queen summon the other dragon monarchs to ambush Deathwing, and she sent subordinates to call them.

The Red Dragon Queen destroyed the Dragonmaw Orcs’ experiments and rescued the dragon eggs while Herad prepared a trap to draw Deathwing to Grim Batol. Herad then questioned Nozdormu’s absence, prompting Malygos to demand answers from Soridormi, who contacted Nozdormu as the Aspects’ suspicions grew.

• The Red Dragon Queen burned the Dragonmaw Orc warlocks and trainers, then ordered adult dragons to incinerate the mindless, rapidly grown red dragons.
• Taranistaz grew agitated over the destroyed eggs, and Herad urged him to recover his strength for revenge against Deathwing.
• Red dragonkin carried the surviving eggs away from Grim Batol and disguised themselves as Orcs to stage a brutal-looking battlefield for Deathwing to discover.
• Herad expected Deathwing to come after the eggs and questioned why Nozdormu had sent Soridormi in his place.
• Malygos demanded to know what the bronze dragons were hiding, and Soridormi contacted Nozdormu to calm him.

Nozdormu revealed that Deathwing would move after the Horde’s defeat and that a human Mage would eventually break the Dragon Soul. While Herad’s allies prepared a trap with fake Dragon Eggs at Grim Batol, Deathwing learned of the attack and flew there to claim the eggs, unaware that he was being lured in.

• Nozdormu admitted he had held back his power and predicted the Horde’s defeat at Blackrock Mountain would give Deathwing a chance to break the Dragon Soul.
• Nozdormu said an inept human Mage would use an item belonging to Deathwing to break the Dragon Soul and rescue Alexstrasza.
• Herad and the red dragonkin prepared convincing fake Dragon Eggs at Grim Batol to lure Deathwing.
• Dalaran’s Archmages visited Lord Prestor and received news that the High Elves had attacked the Dragonmaw Clan’s Red Dragon breeding base.
• Deathwing slipped out of Alterac in his black Dragon form and flew to Grim Batol, where he waited for the Dragon Eggs to be brought out.

Deathwing attacked a convoy carrying dragon eggs, but the Dragon Aspects and other dragons ambushed him and fought a bloody battle. The Red Dragon Queen fell gravely wounded, the Aspect of the Blue continued trading bites with Deathwing, and Herad doubted the dragons could win.

• Herad learned from the river ship’s radar that Deathwing was near Grim Batol and alerted the Dragon Aspects.
• Deathwing swooped on the dragon-egg convoy, intending to steal eighty eggs, but the hidden Aspects revealed themselves and restrained him.
• The Aspects and other dragons surrounded Deathwing, using their claws and teeth as magic and dragonfire proved ineffective.
• Nozdormu opened wounds on Deathwing, whose magma-like blood flowed without clotting, while the dragons tried to wear him down.
• Deathwing attacked the Red Dragon Queen, leaving her gravely wounded, while the Aspect of the Blue bit him and continued fighting as Herad feared the dragons might lose.

Herad used the Dragon Soul to power an enchanted-thorium energy cannon, badly wounding Deathwing, who escaped underground. With the Dragon Aspects gravely injured, Herad and Nozdormu then struggled to destroy the Dragon Soul.

• Herad charged an enchanted-thorium energy cannon with the Dragon Soul and ordered the Arcane Scavenger to fire at Deathwing.
• The cannon beam pierced Deathwing's chest, and the Dragon Aspects and dragons attacked his wound as he fled underground.
• Herad examined the melted cannon and considered the Draenei technology on Draenor before returning to the battlefield.
• Herad tried to destroy the Dragon Soul by poking it with one of Deathwing's scales, but nothing happened.
• Nozdormu admitted he could not clearly see how Rhonin had destroyed the artifact in other timelines, leaving them without a solution.

Herad discovered that a processed Deathwing scale could activate the Dragon Soul and release the Dragon Aspects’ stolen essence power, then received their blessings after refusing their offer to transform him into a Dracthyr. He questioned Nozdormu about the End Time and urged him to prepare for the Burning Legion, though Nozdormu’s understanding of the future seemed limited.

• Herad tested Deathwing’s processed scales and found one that reacted to the Dragon Soul.
• Herad brought the reactive scale near the Dragon Soul, discovered how to release its power, and restored the essence power of the four Dragon Aspects.
• The Dragon Aspects thanked Herad and offered to transform him into a Dracthyr, but he refused because the transformation might not be reversible.
• Alexstrasza, Malygos, Ysera, and Nozdormu each blessed Herad with powers tied to their aspects.
• Herad asked Nozdormu about the End Time, learned he meant the second invasion of the Burning Legion, and urged him to prepare for war.

The Dragon Aspects discussed the threat of a Burning Legion invasion, and Herad urged Malygos to patrol Icecrown Glacier for signs of the Lich King. When Alleria learned the orcs were marching on Quel'Thalas, Herad hurried back to confront them, while the Dragon Aspects expected the orcs to suffer a crushing defeat.

• Ysera told Malygos that the druids had made no progress resurrecting the Wild Gods, and the Dragon Aspects agreed to warn the Night Elves that the Burning Legion might invade.
• Herad asked Malygos to patrol Icecrown Glacier for artifacts and bones, and Nozdormu explained that a Lich King might descend there within a year or two.
• Nozdormu and the other Dragon Aspects arranged patrols around Icecrown Glacier to prevent the undead Scourge from gaining a foothold.
• A High Elf rogue reported to Alleria that the orcs were marching toward Quel'Thalas.
• Herad declined the Red Dragon Queen's offer to help and ordered his warship to sail back toward Quel'Thalas.

Herad repaired the enchanted thorium energy cannon aboard the ship while Alleria organized forces for the coming Horde invasion. After reaching Quel'Thalas, Herad assembled the Demigod Arcane Golem's dazzling enchanted thorium armor as the Rangers and Rogues prepared for battle.

• Herad repaired the energy cannon's melted runes, and Alleria questioned where he had obtained its expensive enchanted thorium.
• Herad reassured Alleria that the cannon was a strategic weapon being tested, then finished repairing it before the ship reached Quel'Thalas.
• Alleria warned Herad not to borrow the weapon again, then gathered Farstrider Rogues to scout and attack isolated enemies near Zul'Aman.
• Alleria assembled the Ranger forces near Silvermoon City while Herad began fitting enchanted thorium armor onto the Demigod Arcane Golem.
• Herad and the workshop crew completed the armor assembly, leaving the Golem slender and gleaming with iridescent colors.

Herad demonstrated the Demigod Arcane Golem’s ability to cross fire and sea before it continued toward its deployment. Meanwhile, Orgrim’s Horde reached the ruined Zul'Aman and, with Gul'dan’s help, broke through the High Elf magical barrier to invade Quel'Thalas.

• Herad sent the Demigod Arcane Golem through a blazing fire road and across the seabed to Sunsail Anchorage, where spectators cheered its apparent resilience.
• The Demigod Arcane Golem continued inland as civilians wondered where it was going, unaware that the Horde was approaching Quel'Thalas through the mountains.
• Zul'jin described his plan to destroy the High Elf Kingdom, then return to attack the Wildhammer Dwarves and humans, and Orgrim approved it.
• Orgrim’s army reached Zul'Aman and found its capital reduced to ruins, prompting the Horde to question Zul'jin’s abilities.
• Gul'dan identified a weak point in the High Elf barrier and tore open a passage with his magic, after which the Horde warriors charged through.