Recaps

After Deathwing handed over the dragon eggs and revealed that the Burning Legion was behind the orcs, Karin refused Alexstrasza’s appeal and used the Dragon Soul to punish the red dragons who had fought for the Horde. He allowed the surviving dragons to live near Grim Batol, but required them to supply flames as energy for the Floating City and future machines.

• Deathwing returned the six dragon eggs to Alexstrasza, then warned that the Burning Legion was present among the orcs and departed with the Black Dragonflight.
• Alexstrasza urged Karin to put down or destroy the Dragon Soul, while Krasus and Tiranastasz argued that the red dragons had acted under threat.
• Karin rejected their pleas, ordered Ruin to kill every red dragon that had fought for the Horde, and gained the support of Ansirem Runeweaver and Kurdran.
• Karin had the red dragons’ heads cut off for transport to Quel'Thalas, Dalaran, and Aerie Peak.
• Karin promised the surviving red dragons freedom and food near Grim Batol, but demanded that they provide flames to power the Floating City and future machines under the Dragon Soul’s watch.

After the Black Dragons destroyed the Horde’s Wetlands outposts, Orgrim Doomhammer faced mounting defeats, war-weariness, and a nearly trapped army. Drek'Thar arrived with news that the Frostwolf Clan had survived and had saved Durotan’s infant son, Go'el.

• Black Dragons burned the Horde’s peons and outposts in the Wetlands, and Eitrigg told Orgrim Doomhammer that Cho'gall had lost contact with the dragon.
• Varok Saurfang warned Orgrim that Grommash, Kilrogg, Kargath, and other clan chieftains wanted to know how the Horde would continue the war as its warriors grew weary.
• Orgrim studied the map and realized the Horde was trapped in the Hillsbrad Foothills, with its Wetlands base destroyed and the Alterac Mountains blocking its retreat.
• Eitrigg brought Drek'Thar to Orgrim, who recognized his old friend and learned that the Frostwolf Clan had survived beyond the mountains.
• Drek'Thar told Orgrim that the Frostwolf Clan had suffered heavy losses but had saved Durotan’s son, Go'el.

The Horde launched a desperate assault on Thoradin’s Wall, forcing the Alliance to rush to defend it. Kilrogg Deadeye continued the attack despite devastating losses, buying time for the Warchief’s operation as the battle intensified.

• Anduin Lothar ordered the Alliance army to pursue the Horde and join Stromgarde at Thoradin’s Wall, while Hass and Alterac’s army stayed near the Alterac Mountains.
• Fandral Staghelm Stormpike and King Thoradin Trollbane led the wall’s defenders as the Horde advanced through cannon and rifle fire without slowing.
• Thoradin spotted Lothar’s approaching forces, while Kilrogg Deadeye ordered Kargath Bladefist and Mug’thol to delay the Alliance troops behind the Horde.
• After learning that several clan chieftains and their forces had been lost, Kilrogg committed the Bleeding Hollow Clan to the assault to buy time for the Warchief’s operation.

Thoradin Trollbane killed Kilrogg Deadeye during the fighting at Thoradin’s Wall, while Anduin Lothar realized the Horde was using the battle to hold the Alliance in place. Orgrim Doomhammer led the Horde’s hidden army through the Alterac Mountains toward Lordaeron for a final attack.

• Kilrogg Deadeye fought Thoradin Trollbane atop Thoradin’s Wall after the Bleeding Hollow Clan’s assault was driven back.
• Thoradin wounded Kilrogg and ran him through, but Fandral Staghelm Stormpike shot the dying chieftain before he could strike again.
• Anduin Lothar suspected the Horde was trading lives for time and ordered Turalyon to warn Hass to watch the Alterac Mountains.
• Led by Drek’Thar’s Frostwolf Clan, the Blackrock and Warsong clans crossed the snowy mountains and reached Lake Lordamere.
• Orgrim Doomhammer urged the Horde army to seize Lordaeron and plant its battle standard in the heart of the Alliance.

King Terenas learned that the Horde had reached Lordaeron after crossing the Alterac Mountains, and he went to the walls to steady the city’s inexperienced defenders. As Orgrim ordered the death knights to kill Terenas, Talon Bloodmaw’s group debated how to reach him, and a female death knight volunteered to try.

• Terenas received Mollef’s warning that the Horde had reached Lake Lordamere and was approaching Lordaeron.
• Terenas went to the city walls, saw the Horde army, and drew his sword as Mollef urged him to raise the defenders’ morale.
• Orgrim spotted Terenas on the wall and ordered the death knights to eliminate him before the Horde attacked.
• Talon Bloodmaw discussed how to kill Terenas with his subordinates, and a female death knight volunteered to make an attempt.

The Horde attacked Lordaeron, and King Terenas died when an Infernal struck the city wall. As fear weakened the defenders, Grommash Hellscream led the Warsong Clan onto the wall and raised a Horde banner.

• A messenger informed Anduin Lothar that the Horde had crossed the Alterac Mountains and was advancing on Lordaeron, so Lothar ordered the Alliance cavalry to ride there at full speed.
• King Terenas rallied Lordaeron's defenders and refused to leave the wall as the Horde began its assault.
• An Infernal landed on the wall and engulfed Terenas in flames, killing him before the defenders could destroy it.
• The Death Knights' skeletal steeds spread fear among Lordaeron's soldiers, while Grommash Hellscream climbed the wall despite being burned by boiling oil.
• Grommash killed the warrior who poured oil on him and planted a scarlet Horde banner atop the wall.

After the Horde broke through Lordaeron’s walls and King Terenas died, Varian Wrynn refused to retreat and took command of the city’s defense. He rallied Lordaeron’s forces and civilians to fight the Horde in the streets while allowing Queen Lianne, Calia, and Arthas to leave.

• Orgrim Doomhammer watched the Horde pour through Lordaeron’s breached defenses and saw the city’s fall as a chance for the Horde to survive.
• Guard Captain Mollef told Queen Lianne and Calia that King Terenas had died and urged them to evacuate; Arthas learned he had become king.
• Varian Wrynn recalled his family’s history of dying in battle, rejected retreat, and ordered Mollef to rally his soldiers.
• Varian told Arthas to take Queen Lianne and his younger sister to safety while he stayed to fight for them.
• Varian imposed strict orders, armed Lordaeron’s adult men, and sent soldiers and civilians to resist the Horde throughout the city.

The Horde struggled to conquer Lordaeron as Alliance defenders delayed them and reinforcements closed in. Orgrim Doomhammer reached the Royal Palace and attacked Varian Wrynn, while Uther Lightbringer and the Silver Hand fought the Horde in the south as Lothar arrived with more cavalry.

• Orgrim Doomhammer learned that the Alliance commander was near the Royal Palace and led Blackrock warriors there.
• Varian Wrynn ordered his forces to avoid pitched battles and buy time, then prepared to face Orgrim's approaching troops.
• Orgrim and Varian confronted each other as the Horde attacked the Royal Palace and a fierce battle began.
• Uther Lightbringer and twelve paladins charged into the Horde position south of Lordaeron while Alterac's soldiers made way.
• General Merrick Hass welcomed Lothar's arriving cavalry and urged them to attack before Lordaeron fell.

Anduin Lothar arrived with Alliance reinforcements as Varian Wrynn fought Orgrim Doomhammer, then defeated Orgrim in a duel. Varok Saurfang told Grommash that the Warchief was dead and ordered the Horde to retreat and survive.

• Anduin Lothar led Uther and the Silver Hand, followed by tens of thousands of cavalry, into Lordaeron to drive out the Horde.
• Orgrim Doomhammer wounded Varian Wrynn and nearly defeated him, but Lothar arrived on horseback and rescued the boy.
• Varian asked Lothar whether he had proved himself a true king of House Wrynn, and Lothar affirmed that he had.
• Lothar and Orgrim fought a brutal duel, and Lothar ran Quel'Zaram through Orgrim's chest after Orgrim faltered from exhaustion.
• Varok Saurfang pulled Grommash away from the battle and told him that the Warchief had died in Lordaeron and ordered the Horde to survive.

After the Alliance defeated the Horde at Lordaeron, Karin and the Dragon Queen destroyed the Dark Portal to cut Draenor off from Azeroth. Khadgar then Blinked into the ruins to search for something.

• Anduin Lothar defeated Orgrim Doomhammer, and Uther Lightbringer killed Talon Bloodmaw as the Horde fled.
• The Alliance crushed the Horde across the North and South, while Grommash Hellscream and Varok Saurfang escaped with scattered survivors.
• Karin, Alexstrasza, Kurdran, and the gryphon riders reached the Blasted Lands and cleared the orcs guarding the Dark Portal.
• Alexstrasza unleashed her flames on the Dark Portal, which exploded and shattered.
• Khadgar cast Blink into the ruins of the Dark Portal to search for something.

Lordaeron hosted a new Alliance summit after the Second War, with Karin, Khadgar, Kurdran, and Alexstrasza arriving as representatives and guests. The gathering assembled around Anduin Lothar, with young kings Arthas and Varian present as the meeting was about to begin.

• Arthas inherited Lordaeron’s throne at age ten, with Lia Menethil and Uther serving as regents, while Othmar Perenolde became king of Alterac under General Hass’s regency.
• Karin, Khadgar, Kurdran, and Alexstrasza arrived at Lordaeron’s Royal Palace for the Alliance summit.
• A Lordaeron Court Mage welcomed Karin and Khadgar but failed to recognize Kurdran, who angrily complained about the slight.
• Karin asked Alexstrasza about the journey, and she reflected that her life among the Alliance had been far better than her enslavement by the Orcs.
• Karin and Kurdran took their seats in the meeting hall as Khadgar stood behind Karin, and the assembled leaders included Anduin Lothar, Varian, and Arthas.

Karin attended the Alliance summit, where the leaders settled disputes over the captured orcs and Stormwind’s reconstruction. The meeting ended with Stormwind tasked with rebuilding its city and constructing a fortress at the Dark Portal.

• Karin recognized Alterac’s young king as Othmar Perenolde and noted how badly Stromgarde and Kul Tiras had suffered in the war.
• Brann Bronzebeard invited Karin to explore Titan ruins, while Karin quieted Brann, Kurdran, and the curious Khadgar during the meeting.
• Varian Wrynn called for the captured orcs to be killed, but Uther the Lightbringer warned that doing so would make escaped orcs hostile to the Alliance.
• The Alliance decided to send more than twenty thousand captured orcs south to help rebuild Stormwind City, with the other ten nations contributing funds.
• Karin proposed building a fortress at the Dark Portal, and the Alliance assigned Stormwind responsibility for its construction alongside the city’s reconstruction.

Karin accepted Varian’s offer of a more prosperous fief in the rebuilt Kingdom of Stormwind and pledged to help if the kingdom faced a crisis. Varian then learned that Anduin Lothar had decided to remain in the north rather than return home.

• Karin met Varian privately, and Varian thanked him for helping the Alliance and Stormwind survive the war.
• Varian offered Karin a prosperous fief, explaining that he wanted to reward him personally and win his support for the Kingdom of Stormwind.
• Karin accepted the reward and promised to answer Stormwind’s call in a future crisis.
• Karin chose a fief on the plain west of Grim Batol Mountain.
• Varian found Lothar packing and urged him to return south, but Lothar said he would stay in the north and asked Varian to honor his final request.

Anduin Lothar chose not to return to Stormwind City because his fame and authority could overshadow King Varian, and he wanted Varian to rule without his interference. After explaining his decision to his companions, Lothar asked Karin whether he could serve as a gate guard and look after the place.

• Anduin Lothar rejected Reginald Windsor's plea to return to Stormwind City and told him to put loyalty to the kingdom above loyalty to Lothar.
• Reginald Windsor decided he would protect his kingdom with his life.
• Anduin Lothar visited Khadgar and Kurdran Wildhammer, drank Lordaeron rice wine, and told them he would not return to Stormwind City.
• Karin realized Lothar was staying away so his standing would not obstruct King Varian's rule.
• Anduin Lothar asked Karin if he could guard the gate and look after the place.

Karin and Khadgar returned to Dalaran with Alexstrasza, where she asked them to let Sekrystasa’s remains rest in peace. After Karin reported the Lordaeron summit to Antonidas, Khadgar volunteered to serve at Nethergarde Keep and promised to reach the Eighth Ring.

• Lothar agreed to travel with Kurdran to Grim Batol while Karin and Khadgar went to Dalaran with Alexstrasza.
• Alexstrasza saw Sekrystasa’s head displayed at Krasus’ Landing and quietly asked Karin to stop desecrating her remains.
• Karin learned that Ruinweval had ordered Sekrystasa’s head displayed, then had it taken down and stored in the Violet Citadel.
• Karin reported to Antonidas that the Alliance had approved sending orcs to rebuild Stormwind City and building Nethergarde Keep in the Blasted Lands.
• Khadgar volunteered to go to Nethergarde Keep as Dalaran’s representative and said he might reach the Eighth Ring before they met again.

Karin left Dalaran with Alexstrasza and flew with her toward Grim Batol, while learning how the Red Dragon Queen understood duty, humiliation, and hatred. The chapter left Karin taking notes about her outlook as they traveled.

• Karin embraced Khadgar and wished him luck before leaving Dalaran alone, while Khadgar prepared to go to Nethergarde Keep.
• Karin found an apprentice talking to Alexstrasza and hurried over, only for her to ask whether the mage had been courting her.
• Karin and Alexstrasza set off for Grim Batol, with Karin flying as a raven before Alexstrasza revealed her dragon form and carried him.
• Karin questioned Alexstrasza about whether serving as his mount or obeying the orcs had humiliated her, and she said protecting her eggs had been her duty.
• Alexstrasza said she hated Neltharion because he sought to dominate the world, and Karin began taking notes about her sense of duty.

Karin returned to Naxxramas, heard Kel'Thuzad's news, and learned that Kurdran wanted to bring the Wildhammer dwarves back to Grim Batol. Kurdran explained that a curse laid by Modgud had driven his people from their homeland, leaving their return dependent on Karin's help.

• Alexstrasza brought Karin to Grim Batol, and he flew to Naxxramas to meet Kel'Thuzad.
• Kel'Thuzad told Karin that Khadgar had gone to Nethergarde Keep and that Daisy was pregnant.
• Kel'Thuzad said Kurdran had been looking for Karin, so Karin went to the Wildhammer camp beside Grim Batol.
• Kurdran asked Karin for help moving the Wildhammer dwarves from Aerie Peak back to Grim Batol.
• Kurdran recounted how the Wildhammers left Ironforge, fought the Dark Irons, and abandoned Grim Batol after Modgud cursed the city.

Karin, Kurdran, and Anduin Lothar investigated Grim Batol and discovered that the curse still existed but was being suppressed by the red dragons living there. Kurdran learned that the Wildhammer dwarves could return to their homeland as long as the dragons remained.

• Karin warned Kurdran that he might not be able to lift Grim Batol’s curse, which he suspected came from Ragnaros.
• Karin, Kurdran, and Anduin Lothar flew to Grim Batol and entered the city.
• Kurdran and Lothar were surprised that they could not feel the curse, while Karin examined traces left by the Dragonmaw orcs.
• The All-Knowing Eye told Karin that another powerful force was suppressing the curse, and Karin realized the red dragons’ life magic was responsible.
• Karin told Kurdran that the red dragons’ presence would keep the curse at bay, allowing the Wildhammer dwarves to return home.
• Kurdran wept with joy at the prospect of bringing his people back to Grim Batol.

Karin surveyed the Wetlands and returned to Naxxramas, where Kel'Thuzad showed him the orc warlocks’ magical scrolls. Karin considered whether the spells should be banned and argued that the morality depended on who used them.

• Kurdran led tens of thousands of Wildhammer Dwarves from the Hinterlands to Grim Batol, while Falstad stayed behind to lead those who remained and raise gryphons.
• Karin toured the Wetlands, met Muradin Bronzebeard, and learned the dwarves could hand over the surrendered orc peons to help establish his domain.
• Karin returned to Naxxramas and offered to take over guarding the Dragon Soul so Kel'Thuzad could leave the floating city.
• Kel'Thuzad showed Karin orc warlock scrolls describing necromancy and accelerated maturation, and lamented that he had found no information on how the orcs made the Dark Portal.
• Kel'Thuzad asked Karin whether he should ban the magic after Ruin raised concerns about its harmful effects, and Karin said its morality depended on its user.

Karin experimented with accelerated maturation magic and discovered he could use it to raise large, plump boars for food. Alexstrasza objected to the magic as a desecration of life, but after tasting the meat, she struggled to reject the method.

• Karin adjusted the spell's intensity on white mice, finding that one could survive after growing to five times its normal weight, though it was barely able to move.
• Arugal brought Karin a larger animal, and Karin revealed that he intended to use accelerated maturation for peaceful purposes rather than to create weapons.
• Alexstrasza confronted Karin after sensing the magic used on her offspring, but Karin showed her an enormous, plump boar he had raised.
• Karin took Alexstrasza to a Wildhammer Dwarf slaughterhouse, where the boar was prepared for a meal.
• Alexstrasza questioned whether the method was cruel, then tasted the boar meat and ate more.

Karin arranged to employ former Horde peons in raising boars accelerated by magic, arguing to Kel'Thuzad that mass production could make meat highly profitable. The peons began life in their new camp with food and shelter, while Karin said a friend could supply the young boars they would need.

• The Bronzebeard Dwarves handed over their captured orc peons to Karin in exchange for a token payment.
• Boya recalled his years of hunger and forced labor, then watched the Horde lose and was taken from the dwarves’ dungeon by new masters.
• Boya and the other peons received a tent, quilts, bread, and meat, and Boya was moved to tears by his first taste of happiness.
• Kel'Thuzad questioned Karin’s plan to employ the peons raising boars with modified Growth Acceleration Magic.
• Karin explained that wizards could accelerate hundreds or a thousand boars each day, creating a profitable supply of meat.
• Karin told Kel'Thuzad that a friend would help provide the young boars.

Karin persuaded Alexstrasza to have the Red Dragons bless female livestock in exchange for food, then recruited Dalaran mages to teach Growth Acceleration Magic at Grim Batol. The chapter ended with Boya witnessing the spell turn young boars into enormous animals in just three days.

• Karin asked Alexstrasza to bless female boars, and she agreed after he offered the Red Dragons a steady supply of food.
• Ansirem Runeweaver brought over a hundred Dalaran mages, and Karin selected fifty to work for him under a one-year contract.
• Karin named the spell Gul'dan's Growth Spell and dismissed Ruin's concerns about keeping it secret.
• Boya fed young animals grain in Grim Batol's pens while a human Warlock cast spells on them.
• Three days later, Boya and the other Peons hauled enormous boars to the slaughterhouse, and the Dwarves brought in another group of young animals.

Varian praised Edwin VanCleef’s work rebuilding Stormwind City and welcomed Karin’s shipments of affordable preserved meat, which began supplying markets across the region. Karin inspected the growing Wetlands settlement and named its planned harbor Antonidas Harbor.

• Varian toured Stormwind City’s reconstruction with his knights and praised Edwin VanCleef and the Stonemasons’ Guild.
• Gavinrad Doom presented Varian with boar meat and a letter from Karin, who offered large quantities of inexpensive smoked and cured meat.
• Windsor explained that Stormwind’s soldiers were short of fresh supplies, and Varian announced that Wildhammer convoys had delivered forty tons of preserved meat.
• Wildhammer transport convoys brought popular preserved meat to markets in Stormwind City, Ironforge, and Booty Bay.
• Karin surveyed the Wetlands fishing village and its natural harbor, where workers were beginning plans for a harbor, shipyard, and salt-drying field.
• Karin named the harbor Antonidas Harbor.

Antonidas Harbor became a busy trade hub as Ranch meat shipments expanded, while Boya and the Dwarves fought off Murlocs attacking a boat. The Murlocs retreated after their leader was killed, and large birds swooped in after them.

• Karin praised the Orc Peons’ hard work building Antonidas Harbor and proposed rewarding them with an extra meal.
• Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver researched accelerated growth for other livestock as meat exports from Grim Batol expanded.
• Boya rode a boat carrying cured boar meat and reflected that the Orc Peons’ lives were better than they had been under the Horde.
• Murlocs attacked the boat, and Boya joined the Dwarves and Orc Peons in defending it.
• Boya struck the leading Murloc with a hammer, a Dwarf shot it dead, and the remaining Murlocs fled.
• Someone shouted from the sky to catch the fleeing Murlocs as several large birds swept past Boya.

Karin and Kurdran hunted down murloc lairs in the Wetlands, while Karin infiltrated the Mossflayer gnolls’ camp and killed their chieftain, Bustak. The chapter left Kurdran leading another bombing raid against a gnoll settlement.

• Kurdran bombed a murloc group, but Karin stopped him from killing the survivors and ordered the gryphon riders to follow them to their lair.
• Kurdran’s riders doused the murloc lair with oil, and Karin used Forbidden Flame to destroy it.
• Bustak fell in love with Karin while Karin was disguised as a female gnoll named Sylvanas, then died when Karin revealed his true form and enchanted him.
• Karin set Arcane Nodes in the gnoll lair and left under Invisibility.
• Kurdran followed a glowing map to another gnoll settlement and ordered the gryphon riders to raze it with explosives.