Chapter Summaries

Karin found the others trapped in Karazhan’s illusion after the group entered the apparently abandoned tower. Lothar experienced a vision of Stormwind facing an overwhelming orc army before Karin woke him, while the rest of the party remained unconscious.

• The gryphons fled from the Observatory, and Karin’s assessment showed that his chance of dying in Karazhan was low.
• Reginald Windsor entered Karazhan and reported no danger, so Karin and the others followed him inside.
• Karin found Aegwynn’s Song at the entrance to Medivh’s study and told Khadgar to keep her safe.
• Karin discovered that the others had frozen under Karazhan’s illusion while he remained unaffected by Kuke’s Black-Frame Glasses.
• Lothar saw a vision of himself defending Stormwind with Varian against a vast orc army, then saw Medivh arrive as a raven.
• Karin woke Lothar and explained that he had experienced an illusion, while the rest of the party remained trapped in it.

Reginald Windsor, Khadgar, and Kel'Thuzad each experienced visions of possible futures. The chapter left Kel'Thuzad watching a magical experiment unleash a blast called the “eternal blazing sun.”

• Reginald Windsor watched a vision of his older self serving as marshal and confronting Onyxia in Stormwind Keep.
• Khadgar witnessed an army fighting orcs and demons at a dark portal, led by a plate-armored mage who noticed him.
• Kel'Thuzad recognized that he was trapped in a powerful illusion above Stratholme and saw the floating city Naxxramas.
• Kel'Thuzad heard his older self lend Naxxramas to a young mage and prepare protective magic for an experiment.
• A spark from Naxxramas exploded over the Great Sea in a blast of fiery light, and the young mage said their mentor would name it the “eternal blazing sun.”

Windsor experienced an illusion in which his future self used Draconic Magic against Onyxia, while Karin warned the expedition to keep their visions secret and protected Khadgar from further illusions. As the group searched Karazhan, a fire-scorched skeletal dragon attacked, and an ancient spell began behind Karin.

• Windsor saw an illusion of his future self exposing Onyxia and using Draconic Magic to make her reveal her dragon form, and he remembered the spell.
• Anduin Lothar warned the soldiers not to fall into illusions or speak about what they saw, and Karin blindfolded Khadgar.
• Karin told Kel'Thuzad and the others that Medivh was likely absent from the tower, then the All-Knowing Eye warned him of a fast-moving dragon behind the left wall.
• Karin warned the group, Kel'Thuzad dodged, and the dragon burst through the wall and killed Warrior Lori.
• Anduin Lothar wounded the dragon with Quel'Zaram, and Karin cast a Fire Protection Barrier as it prepared to breathe flames at Lothar.
• The dragon stopped its attack and retreated in fear as someone behind Karin began chanting an ancient spell.

As Lothar’s party descended through Karazhan, Reginald Windsor used Draconic magic to drive back a dragon, and Khadgar sensed an unsettling energy in the cellar. Karin opened a hidden stone door beneath the cellar, where Kel’Thuzad warned that a terrifying enemy awaited them.

• Reginald Windsor repeated a Draconic spell he had heard in an illusion, forcing the dragon to retreat as Lothar led the others onward.
• Khadgar sensed a faint, unsettling energy in the cellar and persuaded the group to investigate it.
• Karin and Lothar found the cellar filled with demon corpses, and Lothar praised Karin for killing them.
• Kel’Thuzad spotted bloodstains leading to a cellar wall, and Karin used the Unlock spell to open a hidden stone door.
• Kel’Thuzad sensed a terrifying enemy waiting in the depths beyond the door.

After Durotan exposed Gul'dan's pact with demons, Orgrim Doomhammer and Varok Saurfang plotted to kill Gul'dan and Blackhand while trying to secure the Horde's future. Gul'dan then received orders from Medivh to attack human cities, but Medivh noticed that his assistant had arrived with visitors.

• Durotan accused Gul'dan of serving demons, and Gul'dan exiled the Frostwolf Clan and sent assassins after Durotan, his wife, and their newborn child.
• Orgrim Doomhammer told Varok Saurfang that Durotan and his wife had been murdered, while their child, Go'el, was missing.
• Orgrim and Saurfang resolved to kill Gul'dan and Blackhand, and considered recruiting Grommash to help them.
• Gul'dan told Medivh that every clan except the hidden Mag'har had passed through the Dark Portal.
• Medivh ordered Gul'dan to attack human cities, saying the human king would soon die, then noticed that his assistant had brought visitors.

Karin and his companions descended through a horrifying mirror image of Karazhan, where they encountered the evidence of Medivh’s atrocities and a chamber packed with demons. Lothar stayed behind to hold the demons off while Karin, Kel'Thuzad, and Khadgar continued downward and found an Astral Plane Mage waiting in Medivh’s study.

• Lothar led Karin and the others down the sinister stairway, where they discovered a reversed Karazhan filled with torture devices, bones, corpses, and signs of demon summoning.
• Karin and his companions reached the mirror-image Library, opened its iron door, and found it swarming with demons.
• Lothar used Quel'Zaram to block the demons while his warriors fought beside him, urging Karin, Kel'Thuzad, and Khadgar to continue toward Medivh’s study.
• Karin led Kel'Thuzad and Khadgar down to the study, where they found an elegant Astral Plane Mage who greeted Karin.

Karin, Khadgar, and Kel'Thuzad confronted Medivh in his tower, where he revealed his plan to use the Orcs to reach the Tomb of Sargeras and be reborn. Aegwynn, the Shade of Aran, and Lothar tried to reach Medivh, but he unleashed flames that engulfed the room.

• Medivh praised Karin's attempt to distract him with Moroes and Kuke's deaths, then described his plan to control the Orcs through Gul'dan and enter the Tomb of Sargeras.
• Karin revealed Aegwynn's Song, allowing Aegwynn to appear and confront her son.
• Medivh blamed Aegwynn for making him a tool of her power and revealed that Fel power had saved him from the harm caused by the Tirisfal power she placed in him.
• Aegwynn summoned the Shade of Aran, who pleaded with Medivh to stop, while Kel'Thuzad prepared to attack.
• Lothar entered and urged Medivh to stop, but Medivh recognized Karin's tactic and engulfed the room in flames.

Sargeras, controlling Medivh, overwhelmed the defenders and began draining Karin’s life force and magic. Karin remained conscious as he waited for his last, unreliable ally to act.

• Kel'Thuzad warned the others about Medivh’s bronze flames while Anduin Lothar attacked, but Medivh knocked Lothar down.
• Medivh restrained Aegwynn and burned away the Shade of Nielas Aran after Aran attacked him with fire.
• Medivh repelled Khadgar’s spell, knocked him unconscious, and defeated Kel'Thuzad when he rushed to protect Karin.
• Medivh pulled Karin close and began stripping away his life force, youth, and magic, while Karin stayed conscious and counted on his last ally.

Gul'dan secretly turned against Sargeras, using the Shadow Council and a crystal ball to attack him during his battle with Karin. The attack briefly exposed Medivh, allowing Karin to stab him with Glamdring.

• Gul'dan summoned Talongor, Cho'gall, Giselda, and the other Shadow Council warlocks to prepare a magic circle.
• Gul'dan recalled how Kil'jaeden had betrayed him and decided he would not trust Sargeras, whom he hoped to kill and replace with the power hidden in the Tomb of Sargeras.
• After a fugitive invited him to help fight Sargeras, Gul'dan agreed and ordered the Shadow Council to pour its power into the crystal ball he had given Sargeras.
• Gul'dan's mental attack struck Sargeras through the crystal ball, briefly revealing Medivh's face to Karin.
• Karin thrust Glamdring into Medivh's heart.

Karin and the others defeated Sargeras by killing Medivh, then buried Medivh, Moroes, and Kuke near Karazhan. After learning that Medivh had left his property to them, Karin promised to honor his final wishes and help drive back the orcs and close the portal.

• Medivh briefly regained control before Karin killed him, and Lothar beheaded him to ensure Sargeras was gone.
• Karin, Lothar, Kel'Thuzad, and Khadgar confirmed they had won, while Aegwynn had disappeared and Nielas Aran's soul was gone.
• Karin buried Medivh, Moroes, and Kuke near Karazhan as Lothar arranged the fallen soldiers' graves and burned the unburied corpses.
• Lothar gave Karin Medivh's will, which left his property to Moroes, Kuke, and Karin, the only heir still alive.
• Karin vowed to carry out Medivh's wishes, drive back the orcs, and close the portal before saying goodbye at the graves.

Garona assassinated King Llane Wrynn, leaving young Varian and Stormwind in mourning. Anduin Lothar and Karin arrived at the city three days later and learned of Llane’s death, as Stormwind called on Lothar to take charge.

• Garona told King Llane that the orc clans had united under Blackhand, then stabbed him with a poisoned dagger.
• Garona disappeared into the shadows, and Varian watched his father die as Bolvar returned too late to stop the assassination.
• After traveling on foot from Karazhan, Anduin Lothar and Karin reached Stormwind and saw white flags flying over the city walls.
• Lieutenant Marcus Jonathan told Lothar that Garona had killed Llane three days earlier and that Bolvar and Varian needed him to take charge.
• Lothar sank to his knees in grief after learning that his friend Llane was dead.

After Gul'dan collapsed, Orgrim used the chance to accuse him of betraying the Horde and seized the Shadow Council. The chapter ended with Orgrim challenging Blackhand to a Mak'gora.

• Talongor discovered that Gul'dan was unconscious, while Grieve slipped away to report the news to Orgrim.
• Orgrim told Blackhand that Gul'dan had secretly made a deal with demons, and Blackhand authorized him to bring Gul'dan in for questioning.
• Orgrim led his allies to the Shadow Council, where Talongor surrendered the warlocks and Orgrim killed him before ordering his followers to kill the rest.
• Orgrim ordered his guards to bind Gul'dan, then confronted Blackhand over the massacre.
• Orgrim threw down a glove and challenged Blackhand to a Mak'gora.

After King Llane's death, Lothar and Karin warned King Varian and the nobles that the Orcs vastly outnumbered them and urged them to flee north. The nobles rejected the plan, and Karin revealed his authority as the Guardian of Azeroth.

• King Varian vowed to avenge his father, and Lothar promised to fight the Orcs.
• Karin told Lothar that the Orcs had at least ten times as many combat-ready soldiers and that Medivh's death had lifted his restraints on them.
• Lothar proposed relocating north, but the Council of Nobles opposed abandoning their lands and titles.
• Karin warned the Duke of Shadunbrook that staying meant death and threatened him with his power.
• Karin declared that he was the Guardian of Azeroth.

Garona was captured by the Horde after fleeing Stormwind and tortured into revealing what she knew about Gul'dan and the Shadow Council. Orgrim Doomhammer prepared to launch a major assault on the humans, while Garona was left injured in the Blackblood River and approached by an unknown figure.

• Garona fled through the Black Morass, but Broxigar and other orcs recognized her as Gul'dan's servant and captured her.
• Orgrim Doomhammer revealed that he was the new Warchief and ordered Kilrogg Deadeye to interrogate Garona about Gul'dan and the Shadow Council.
• Kilrogg tortured Garona until she revealed everything she knew, then ordered her thrown into the Blackblood River.
• Orgrim reviewed Garona's information, noted that the human mage and King Llane were dead, and ordered the clans to muster for war against the humans.
• Garona drifted down the river with broken limbs until a figure with a skeletal hand examined her injuries.

Karin traveled north to seek aid for Stormwind’s evacuation, warning the human kingdoms about the Horde. Terenas agreed to shelter Azeroth’s refugees and summon neighboring kings, while Derek Proudmoore promised Kul Tiras’s fleet would help rescue them.

• Karin arrived at Lordaeron with Lothar’s token and told Terenas that King Llane had died and Stormwind’s people needed shelter.
• Karin showed the court an illusion of the Orcs, and Terenas recognized the threat, agreed to take in refugees, and urged Karin to seek Kul Tiras’s help.
• Karin reached Kul Tiras with Terenas’s letter and explained the Horde’s attack to Rear Admiral Derek Proudmoore.
• Derek promised that Kul Tiras’s fleet would sail to rescue Azeroth’s refugees and fight the Horde.

The Horde captured Cho'gall, who promised to summon a powerful ally for Orgrim Doomhammer. The ally revealed a Golden Disk buried beneath the Redridge Mountains and identified himself as the Black Dragon Deathwing.

• Orgrim Doomhammer ordered the burial of three militia who died defending Eastvale Keep as the Horde destroyed it.
• A Dragonmaw scout captured Cho'gall, and Orgrim demanded that the warlock share his valuable information.
• Cho'gall offered to summon a powerful ally, and Orgrim agreed to hear him out.
• The summoned figure told Orgrim and Varok Saurfang that a Golden Disk lay beneath the Redridge Mountains and could grant control over servants and the skies.
• The figure revealed that Lord Dav al Prestor was his human name and that he was the Black Dragon Deathwing.

Karin sailed with Derek Proudmoore’s fleet toward Stormwind City as the orcs advanced on the kingdom. Stormwind’s defenses prepared for an assault while more than a hundred priests remained trapped at Northshire Abbey.

• Karin and Derek discussed the orcs’ strength and whether they might have allies in the air as the fleet neared Stormwind City.
• Durris reported that the orcs had captured Eastvale Keep, Goldshire’s civilians had evacuated, and the road to Northshire was blocked with over a hundred priests still at the abbey.
• Varian asked Anduin Lothar to send troops to rescue the priests, but Lothar said Stormwind had no forces to spare.
• Lothar and Varian watched the orc army approach Stormwind’s walls, and Lothar raised Quel'Zaram to face the attack.

Orgrim Doomhammer led the Horde’s assault on Stormwind, and Lord Prestor caused an earthquake that forced the defenders off the city walls. As the Horde pressed into the city, human reinforcements arrived and Orgrim ordered a retreat.

• Grommash Hellscream led the Warsong Clan’s charge against Stormwind’s walls, while human weapons inflicted heavy casualties on the Horde.
• Orgrim ordered more clans to support the attack, then called on Cho'gall to summon Lord Prestor after Eitrigg warned that the walls had to be brought down.
• Lord Prestor flew above the battlefield and caused an earthquake, forcing the human defenders to abandon the walls.
• Orgrim led the Horde’s final assault into the exposed human forces and fought a white-haired human warrior who was protecting a boy.
• An elven mage appeared above the battlefield, explosions sounded from within Stormwind, and Orgrim ordered the Horde to fall back as reinforcements arrived.

Anduin Lothar and the refugees from Stormwind arrived in Southshore aboard Kul Tiras's enormous fleet after escaping the Horde. Lothar set out for Lordaeron to meet the king, while Karin returned to Dalaran to report what had happened.

• Herni Mareb spotted a vast fleet approaching Southshore and raised the alarm, prompting the militia and residents to prepare for danger.
• Southshore's people realized the ships carried disciplined refugees, including Anduin Lothar, Varian, Derek Proudmoore, and Karin.
• Lothar told Derek that Kul Tiras's help had saved the Kingdom of Azeroth, and he identified himself to Southshore's mayor as the kingdom's regent.
• The mayor offered the refugees temporary shelter and arranged horses for Lothar's journey to Lordaeron.
• Lothar departed for Lordaeron with Varian and a small retinue, while Karin left for Dalaran to inform its mages about Karazhan and the events in the south.

Karin returned to Dalaran, where Antonidas tested his strength and heard his account of Karazhan and the orcs. Antonidas said the seven human kingdoms would meet in five days and planned promotion ceremonies for two students.

• Karin took a boat across Lake Lordamere and returned to Dalaran, where Khadgar told him Antonidas was waiting.
• Antonidas tested Karin’s mental strength and confirmed that he had reached the Sixth Ring.
• Karin recounted his experiences in Karazhan, including defeating Sargeras with the help of the Astral Plane Mage’s soul.
• Antonidas said he would take no more students, and Karin reported that the orcs threatened their world and that Lothar was organizing an Alliance.
• Antonidas revealed that King Terenas had invited him to a summit of the seven human kingdoms in five days and that he planned two student promotion ceremonies.