Chapter Summaries

Karin joined Vereesa Windrunner’s Ranger Squad as its instructional mage, surprising her with how much he had advanced since their last meeting. After settling their past disagreement, he met the squad and drew the anger of two Rangers who defended Vereesa.

• Vereesa recognized Karin as the Sunfury mage from the Midsummer Festival and questioned why he had come to her squad.
• Karin learned from the All-Knowing Eye that he had a 31.1% chance of surviving a fight to the death with Vereesa.
• Karin and Vereesa agreed to leave their past behind and not use their positions to settle personal grudges.
• Vereesa introduced Karin to the Ranger Squad, where Brew and Morgan confronted him over his past insult to her.
• Vereesa ordered Brew and Morgan to show Karin the common room and give him a tour.

Karin followed Morgan and Brew into the Men's Lounge, where they attacked him over his earlier insult to Vereesa. He subdued them with binding spells, then released them after Vereesa lowered her bow, leaving the two at odds over his demand to be left alone.

• The All-Knowing Eye warned Karin that Morgan and Brew remained hostile and were much weaker than the female Ranger he had faced earlier.
• Morgan and Brew cornered Karin in the lounge and attacked him, claiming they wanted to punish him for insulting Vereesa.
• Karin repelled the Rangers, trapped Morgan in a Binding Spell, then blasted Brew with a Fireball and bound him too.
• Vereesa kicked open the door and aimed her longbow at Karin, demanding that he release Morgan and Brew.
• Karin threatened to kill the two Rangers if Vereesa attacked, and they agreed to lower their weapons and release the bindings at the same time.
• Vereesa promised to keep Morgan and Brew from troubling Karin again, while Karin insisted he would not tolerate being provoked.

Karin taught the Rangers simple spells, especially Melf's Acid Arrow, which could counter Troll regeneration and be learned by less experienced casters. He joined their demanding training for over a month, leaving Orisha impressed by his potential as a Ranger while Karin reflected on his ideal life as a mage.

• Karin began teaching spells to the Rangers, though Morgan, Brew, and Vereesa kept their distance.
• Several Rangers eagerly learned Melf's Acid Arrow, but many struggled because they had forgotten the fundamentals of spellcasting.
• Karin joined the Rangers' daily training and continued for more than a month, surprising Vereesa and the others.
• Orisha asked Karin why he trained so hard, and he said he wanted to strengthen his naturally frail body.
• Orisha told Karin he could have become an outstanding Ranger Lord or Ranger-General, while Karin considered the kind of mage he wanted to be.

Karin learned that his spell control had become proficient enough for him to attempt the third ring, though the All-Knowing Eye warned that reaching it required rare inspiration. He joined Vereesa's Ranger Squad to escort Myra Dawnblade's caravan through the Ghostlands, and sensed something strange about the group.

• The All-Knowing Eye told Karin that his spell control had reached the proficient stage and explained that inspiration was needed to advance from the second ring to the third.
• Orissa summoned Karin to a meeting where Vereesa announced that the squad had orders to escort a caravan to Quel'lithien through the Ghostlands.
• Karin agreed to accompany the Rangers rather than remain alone at camp.
• The squad met Myra Dawnblade and his diverse caravan at a way station in the southern Eversong Woods.
• Orissa told Karin that the Dawnblade Family was powerful in Silvermoon City, and Karin recognized Solarian's name.
• Karin followed Vereesa and the Rangers toward the caravan and felt that something about it was strange.

Karin joined Myra Dawnblade’s caravan and grew suspicious of its unusually large crew and powerful escorts. After getting Myra drunk, Karin learned the cargo belonged to a Goblin merchant named Mrs. Hoffman, and he left the tent with a plan forming.

• Karin used Troll Detection on Myra Dawnblade and his escorts, but the spell showed nothing unusual.
• The All-Knowing Eye estimated Karin’s chance of encountering danger was more than five times normal and identified Myra as a Mage Apprentice while judging his escorts capable fighters.
• At the caravan’s night camp, Karin entered Myra’s tent and used Touch of Fatigue while drinking with him.
• Karin questioned the drunken Myra and learned that Mrs. Hoffman, a wealthy Goblin merchant in Stratholme, owned the cargo and had assigned the two escorts to him.
• Myra revealed that his trips between Stratholme and Silvermoon City had earned him more than three hundred gold coins in six months, and Karin left the tent with a plan.

Karin exposed the caravan as bait for a Troll ambush and helped trigger an encirclement by elite Rangers. The Trolls were defeated, and the missing bodyguards were revealed as traitors, one dead and the other captured.

• Karin learned that 350 to 500 humanoids were hiding ahead and warned Myra to prepare for an attack.
• Karin discovered that the wagons contained granite rather than magical gems and explained that the caravan’s people were the real bait for the Trolls.
• Orissa’s arrow drew 413 Trolls from the forest, and Vereesa fired a signal flare to summon elite Rangers who surrounded them.
• The Rangers defeated the Trolls, killing or capturing nearly all of them.
• A female Elf emerged with Myra’s Dwarf bodyguard, who carried the dead human bodyguard, and she praised Vereesa.

Karin and the Rangers uncovered and defeated Mrs. Hoffman’s plan to sell the caravan’s people to the Trolls, then traveled to Tranquillien. There, Karin recorded his observations about the Forest Trolls before Vereesa introduced him to Sylvanas Windrunner.

• Karin learned that Mrs. Hoffman had arranged for Trolls to ambush the caravan and that Myra Dawnblade had helped her plan.
• Karin’s warning to Vereesa brought Rangers from Tranquillien, who turned the ambush against the Trolls and won a decisive victory.
• Myra directed the caravan to unload its granite, and the caravan members followed the Rangers to their camp in Tranquillien.
• Karin wrote notes about Forest Trolls and questioned why they still posed a threat to the High Elves.
• Vereesa entered Karin’s cabin with the Elf who had captured the caravan’s bodyguards, and the Elf introduced herself as Sylvanas Windrunner.

Sylvanas confronted Karin over his relationship with Vereesa, then assigned him to the Farstriders at Quel'lithien. A day later, Karin departed Tranquillien by dragonhawk with Halduron Brightwing, who revealed that the outpost near Zul'Aman had a high casualty rate.

• Sylvanas accused Karin of pursuing Vereesa and ordered Vereesa to fetch Lor'themar.
• Sylvanas promoted Karin to the Farstriders and ordered him to report to Quel'lithien within two days, while warning he could desert if he wished.
• Karin accepted the assignment and resumed recording his observations of troll habits.
• The next day, Karin boarded a dragonhawk in Tranquillien and discovered Halduron Brightwing was traveling to Quel'lithien too.
• Halduron told Karin that Quel'lithien was the Quel'dorei outpost closest to Zul'Aman and that its Farstrider detachment suffered a high casualty rate.

While flying over the Ghostlands, Karin learned from the All-Knowing Eye about the Twisting Nether and the barrier protecting Azeroth. A demon tried to tempt him into joining the Burning Legion, and Karin replied with an insult.

• Karin teased Halduron as the Dragonhawk flew high over the Ghostlands, while Halduron trembled from his fear of heights.
• The All-Knowing Eye explained that the Twisting Nether connected worlds and that a powerful barrier prevented outsiders from entering Azeroth freely.
• Karin learned that weak demons could slip through cracks in the barrier, while powerful demons needed someone inside to widen a breach.
• A demon projected its will into the void and tried to recruit Karin by promising power and authority.
• Karin told the demon, "Eat shit, you bastard!"

Halduron Brightwing and Karin arrived at Quel'lithien and met its leaders, Hawkspear and Aurora. Hawkspear explained the outpost’s strategic role near Zul'Aman and assigned Halduron to a vacant post, while Aurora took Karin to assist her.

• A dragonhawk rider dropped Halduron Brightwing and Karin at Quel'lithien, where Aurora welcomed them and led them to meet Hawkspear.
• Halduron excitedly praised Hawkspear and Aurora, while Karin recalled that the leaders and their Farstriders would eventually become Wretched.
• Hawkspear greeted Karin and Halduron, then showed them Quel'lithien's defenses and explained how the outpost threatened Zul'Aman and protected Tranquillien.
• Hawkspear assigned Halduron to Quinn's vacant post and said Quinn had been killed by a troll headhunter's spear during an ambush.
• Aurora asked Karin to accompany her because she needed his help.