Chapter Summaries

Delandon and Lilian schemed to use Dalaran’s forced entry into the Alliance to send Kel'Thuzad to war and secure a share of Medivh’s legacy. Dalaran joined the Alliance, but news that the orcs had crossed the Thandol Span brought the threat to Stromgarde’s doorstep.

• Delandon told Lilian that Kel'Thuzad planned to rejoin the Alliance, and she explained that Dalaran could not refuse the last Ashira heir’s plea for help.
• Lilian proposed that Dalaran send Kel'Thuzad to lead its reinforcements, leaving his faction’s mages exposed to wartime danger.
• Lilian urged Delandon to claim a share of Medivh’s treasures, and Delandon united the Council of Six to press the matter before the speaker.
• The Kirin Tor Council agreed to join the Alliance and appointed Kel'Thuzad as Dalaran’s representative for wartime discussions.
• Allen saw prices rise as factions stockpiled supplies, while the cost of his Healing Potions climbed from 800 to 1,300 silver coins.
• The human kings joined the Alliance, then news arrived that the orcs had crossed the Thandol Span, prompting Stromgarde’s king to request reinforcements.

Allen traveled with the mages to Lordaeron, where Khadgar revealed that he had inherited the role of Guardian from Medivh. Khadgar began explaining how mages could expose their world to demons, then asked Allen about the origins of the High Elves.

• Kel'Thuzad led the mages through a long-distance portal to Lordaeron, where they were housed in the royal court.
• Allen attended a welcoming banquet and met the aged Khadgar, who said his mentor Medivh's final gift had cursed him.
• Khadgar took Allen to a quiet room and explained that the Guardians of Tirisfal protected the world from demons from the Twisting Nether.
• Khadgar told Allen that demons could detect mages using magic and enter their world, then asked where the High Elves came from.

He studied the incomplete books about souls and concluded that power, personal will, and the influence of other souls could all shape a person's soul. He left off considering how different people strengthened themselves through magic, will, and soul resonance.

• He found a diary describing a difficult technique for separating a person's personalities into independent consciousnesses, but it offered no further details.
• He organized his notes and concluded that the soul governed thought and will and could be altered by magic.
• He reasoned that demonic power could corrupt people over time, while other powers, such as mana and the Holy Light, had different effects on the soul.
• He identified personal will and the influence of stronger souls as further forces that could shape a soul.
• He compared how mages, warriors, and himself increased their strength through magical power, tempered will, and soul resonance.

Allen joined Jerris’s regiment as its mage adviser and marched with Lordaeron’s troops toward Stromgarde. After sensing chaotic magic near Thoradin’s Wall and warning Jerris, Allen halted the army in the Arathi Highlands, leaving Jerris demanding an explanation.

• Allen met Jerris, the young commander of the Third Regiment of the First Burning Legion, and introduced himself as the regiment’s adviser.
• Jerris assembled his troops, punished soldiers who failed to form ranks, and ordered the company commanders to prepare for departure.
• Jerris’s regiment marched through Balnir Farmstead and Kaltz, where Allen learned that Hannes had been transferred elsewhere.
• A month later, Allen sensed chaotic magic near Thoradin’s Wall, but Jerris said his scouts had found no enemies.
• Three hours after entering the Arathi Highlands, Allen shouted for the troops to stop, and Jerris angrily demanded to know what he was doing.

Jerris’s night raid on the Orc camp turned into a rout, and Allen rescued him with a spell before Klatt’s sudden death let the survivors escape. The chapter left Allen and Jerris with just over a hundred men, while Jerris angrily questioned why Allen had ordered the retreat.

• The old priest returned to Warlord Klatt after casting an illusion, endured Klatt’s insults, and secretly cursed Orgrim and the Horde.
• Jerris led a night raid against the Orcs, but their swift response and combat skill routed the human soldiers.
• Allen prepared and released a powerful wind spell to blind the fighters, then pulled Jerris away from the battle.
• Klatt pursued Allen, but Allen struck him with Soul Scorch, and the old priest drained Klatt’s life force with a spell.
• Allen and Jerris fled with the survivors until they were no longer pursued, then discovered that only a little over a hundred men remained.
• Jerris angrily demanded to know why Allen had stopped him from continuing after Klatt died.

Allen learned that the Alliance was divided over how to respond to the orcs targeting its reinforcements, and Khadgar invited him to a military meeting. The meeting began with Lothar urging an immediate offensive, but an officer challenged whether the Alliance could defeat the orcs.

• Khadgar told Allen that Jerris would likely face only minor punishment and warned that Allen could also be punished as the regiment's adviser.
• Khadgar described the Alliance's coordination problems, the orcs' attacks on reinforcements, and the opposing strategies of Lothar and Stromgarde.
• Khadgar invited Allen to attend the next day's meeting because he valued Allen's ideas.
• Allen recalled the orc warlord killed by magic that drained life force and planned to ask Khadgar about it.
• At the meeting, Lothar called for an immediate attack on the orcs, and an officer questioned whether the Alliance could win.

Allen learned that the Orc priests wielded Fel magic and suspected that a recent struggle for leadership had divided the Horde. He kept his theory to himself and turned his attention to preparing for the coming battle.

• Khadgar explained that the life-draining magic Allen had encountered was Fel, which Gul'dan and Orc priests wielded.
• Allen and Khadgar discussed Garona's role in King Llane's assassination, and Allen suggested she might have been controlled.
• Khadgar described the Orcs as a clan-based society united under one Warchief.
• Khadgar recalled that the Orcs had recently become much smarter, prompting Allen to suspect a change in leadership and a purge of the former Warchief's faction.
• Allen kept his speculation to himself and focused on preparing for the coming battle.

Lothar led a coordinated raid on the Orc camp, using Rogues, soldiers, and mages to annihilate the force before it could respond. After the Orcs were defeated, Lothar organized care for the wounded while Allen went to inspect the camp.

• Lothar and the officers planned a surprise attack designed to prevent any Orcs from escaping.
• Khadgar explained Lothar's humility and concern for ordinary people to Allen, who then watched Lothar lead the infiltrating teams.
• Lothar's soldiers attacked the camp as Allen, Khadgar, and the other mages cast Blizzard, breaking the Orcs' morale.
• Lothar killed the Orc warlord, and the Orcs fled into an ambush before making a desperate counterattack.
• Khadgar and Allen supported Lothar's forces with spells, and the attackers eliminated the remaining Orcs.
• Lothar directed the Priests to treat the wounded and counted his men while Allen inspected the corpse-filled camp.

Lothar led a hundred and thirty-seven humans in a dawn assault on a thousand orcs, routing them after Allen and Khadgar helped defeat their shamans and Lothar killed their warlord. After the battle, Khadgar praised Allen’s battlefield command and suggested he learn from Lothar.

• Lothar and his officers planned to neutralize the wolf riders, disrupt the orcs with magic, and send their highest-ranking Professionals in a spearhead assault.
• Before sunrise, Rogues killed the wolf mounts, mages unleashed repeated Blizzard spells, and Lothar led the charge into the orc ranks.
• Allen used Soulburn to stop a high-ranking shaman, allowing Khadgar to kill him with Lightning Bolt and leaving the orcs without magical support.
• Khadgar struck the orcs with a High-Rank Fire Dragon Spell as Lothar fought their warlord, who entered a life-burning frenzy before Lothar killed him.
• Allen shouted that human reinforcements had arrived, prompting the orcs to flee, and Khadgar later praised Allen’s quick thinking and suggested Lothar could teach him command.

Lothar praised Allen for his role in the raid, while Terenas confronted Alterac and Gilneas over their limited support and approved the creation of the Order of the Silver Hand. Allen’s forces then struck Orc ambush squads around Stromgarde, prompting Orgrim to confront his chieftains as Kilrogg dismissed the humans’ strength.

• Lothar told Allen he would report his actions to the Alliance, and the troops returned to Stromgarde after their night of fighting.
• Terenas demanded military support from Alterac and Gilneas, but their envoys defended their countries’ limited contributions.
• Chancellor Delania proposed sending Uther and a squad of Paladins as reinforcements, and Terenas approved the creation of the Order of the Silver Hand.
• Allen and the veteran generals organized night raids that destroyed nearly every nearby Orc squad and inflicted heavy losses.
• Orgrim berated the Orc chieftains over the attacks, but Kilrogg insisted the Horde would defeat the humans through superior strength.

Orgrim worried that the Horde had been corrupted by Gul'dan's blood magic and feared its growing war with the humans, while Lothar welcomed reinforcements and prepared the Alliance's defenses. Allen reunited with his apprentices and told George he would support him if he chose to become a Warrior.

• Orgrim told his adjutant that the Horde's bloodlust and dependence on Warlocks left him unable to oppose the war against the humans.
• Lothar announced that Uther and the Order of the Silver Hand were coming to reinforce the Alliance at Thoradin's Wall, then warned that the Orcs were gathering their troops.
• After several days of planning defensive sectors, Lothar welcomed Uther, who explained that his Paladins were already stationed at Thoradin's Wall.
• Allen found Ailand with Rivis and the other apprentices, arranged their lodging, and listened as George praised the generals and asked whether he could become a Knight.
• Allen told George to consider the choice carefully and promised to respect and support him if he chose the path of a Warrior.

Allen checked on his apprentices and prepared his people for war before attending Uther’s welcoming banquet, where he met Turalyon. Afterward, Khadgar examined Allen’s red crystal and identified it as neither a true Soul Crystal nor an ordinary crystal, but possibly a Soul Shard from a Mind Flayer.

• Allen reassured George and his other apprentices that they should decide for themselves whether to pursue the difficult path of forming a Soul Space, then discussed Rivis’s training and reading.
• Allen ordered Ailand to intensify the guards’ training and George the butler to buy supplies in Stromgarde for a march and war.
• Allen attended Uther’s welcoming banquet, met Turalyon, and joined the gathered soldiers in welcoming Uther and declaring their support for the Alliance.
• Allen showed Khadgar a red crystal, and Khadgar explained that it was not a true Soul Crystal because its soul power was weak and incomplete.
• Khadgar recalled a rumor about evil monsters called Mind Flayers that dropped Soul Shards, and Allen lent him the crystal to study.

At the war council, Lothar’s forces settled on defensive deployments before debating where to strike the orcs. Allen proposed feinting at Stonefist Hold to draw the orc main force away from Boulder'gor, but Lothar doubted that Orgrim would be fooled so easily.

• Lothar outlined the Alliance’s forces and the orcs’ positions, and the council agreed that Uther would defend Thoradin’s Wall while Stromgarde pinned down the enemy at Boulder'gor.
• Lothar proposed attacking Boulder'gor Outpost, but Remus questioned how many troops it would take to capture the heavily defended position.
• Lothar suggested a joint attack on Northford Farm, but the Stromgarde officers could not agree on their response.
• Remus asked Allen for advice, and Allen warned that the orcs were stronger, more experienced, and led by a cunning Warchief.
• Allen proposed feigning an attack on Stonefist Hold to lure the orcs away, then seizing Boulder'gor so Uther could advance there.
• Lothar recognized the plan’s intent but doubted Orgrim would leave Stonefist Hold or fall for the deception.

Lothar approved Allen’s military proposal and invited him and Turalyon to study command under him. After accepting books from Lothar, Allen reunited with Khadgar and prepared to introduce him to his apprentices.

• Turalyon supported Allen’s plan to draw the orcs away from Stonefist Hold, and Remus revealed Stromgarde’s secret passage to Faldir's Cove.
• Varian suggested attacking Stonefist Hold directly, and Lothar explained why a leader had to weigh the costs and consequences of every decision.
• Uther agreed to send half his troops while keeping Thoradin's Wall defended, and the officers settled the operation’s basic arrangements.
• Lothar praised Allen’s proposal and offered to teach Allen and Turalyon military command; both accepted books to study.
• Khadgar told Allen that he had praised him to Lothar, then eagerly asked to meet Allen’s apprentices.

Allen introduced Khadgar to his young apprentices, then explained why he valued character over magical talent. Meanwhile, Lothar sent Uther toward Stromgarde discreetly, and Orgrim deduced that the humans were targeting Stonefist Hold.

• Khadgar gave Rivis a notebook and promised George and Baze that he would take them to meet Lothar and Uther.
• Allen told Khadgar that he chose apprentices for their connection and character rather than their aptitude for magic.
• Khadgar reported that the orders would arrive within three days, but they came the next day and directed Uther to reach Stromgarde discreetly.
• Lothar rejected a conspicuous troop movement because he expected Orgrim to recognize the deception and ordered Uther to conceal his advance.
• Orgrim's council debated the human movement, and Orgrim concluded that Lothar was targeting the under-supplied Stonefist Hold.

Lothar and his allies used false reports and staged reinforcements to draw Orc forces toward Stonefist Hold while secretly withdrawing their army. When Orgrim grew suspicious and sent probing units, Lothar ordered a deliberately disorderly retreat to exploit the Warchief’s caution and buy time to escape.

• Orgrim secretly sent five thousand Orcs to reinforce Stonefist Hold, while Lothar’s army prepared to march openly and Allen proposed disguising covered equipment as siege engines.
• Lothar’s forces spread claims that two hundred thousand men and siege machinery were advancing, prompting Orgrim to send another fifty million Orc soldiers toward the hold.
• Allen suggested disguising civilians as additional troops, and Remus went to seek Stromgarde’s cooperation as both sides continued to reinforce.
• Lothar’s army reached Stonefist Hold, pretended to surround it, and secretly withdrew troops while using extra campfires and staged arrivals to conceal their departure.
• After Orc scouts began probing the camp, Lothar’s council learned that fewer than twenty thousand allied troops remained; Allen proposed a disorderly retreat, and Lothar ordered the army to withdraw.

Allen and Turalyon learned how to manage a retreat under Lothar’s guidance, while Allen uncovered serious problems with the army’s grain records. Orgrim suspected the human withdrawal was a trap, but Kilrogg led his Orcs into the woods to attack anyway.

• Lothar assigned Turalyon to relay the retreat order and put Allen in charge of preparing the supplies.
• Allen discovered the supply records were unreliable and found that the army had only a week’s worth of grain.
• Lothar explained how to maintain order during a retreat and led the troops toward the woods.
• Orgrim suspected the humans were setting an ambush, so the Orcs agreed to send Kilrogg’s force to probe them.
• Allen spotted Kilrogg’s battalion approaching and warned Lothar, but Kilrogg ordered his Orcs to charge into the woods.

Lothar’s forces ambushed Kilrogg’s Orcs, then realized the deception had been exposed and prepared to strike Boulder'gor. Orgrim discovered the human camp was empty and ordered Gul'dan to warn Boulder'gor to hold until reinforcements arrived.

• Khadgar, Lothar, and Uther’s Paladins attacked Kilrogg’s force, but Lothar ordered his soldiers not to pursue when the Orcs retreated.
• Allen apologized for misjudging Kilrogg, and Lothar explained that Kilrogg was a reckless warmonger who was difficult to predict.
• Lothar ordered the army to return to Stromgarde and prepare a swift surprise attack on Boulder'gor, while Khadgar prepared to teleport a small group there.
• Orgrim welcomed Kilrogg at Stonefist Hold and learned that the humans had ambushed his force with only a little over a thousand soldiers.
• Orgrim’s men found the human camp abandoned and discovered that the crates supposedly holding siege engines contained only stones.
• Orgrim realized Boulder'gor was the humans’ likely target and ordered Gul'dan to warn its defenders to hold for three days until reinforcements arrived.

Lothar tasked Khadgar and Allen with disrupting the Orcs’ magical communications, and the mages created a mana-stabilizing circle outside Stromgarde. Gul'dan attacked the circle with fel, leaving Khadgar and the other mages struggling to hold it together as Lothar prepared to strike in two days.

• Lothar asked Khadgar to block Gul'dan’s magical communications, and Khadgar enlisted Allen to help.
• Allen suggested using concentrated mana to create a chaotic zone, and Khadgar proposed stabilizing it with a magic circle he had learned from his teacher.
• Khadgar and the mages gathered outside the city and formed the circle, disrupting Gul'dan’s attempt to contact the Orcs.
• Gul'dan used enslaved souls and fel to try to detonate the gathered mana, but Khadgar ordered the mages to maintain its flow and the circle held.
• Gul'dan sacrificed the souls in the skulls to strengthen himself and launched another attack, pushing Khadgar and the mages toward the limits of their control.

Khadgar and the mages disrupted Gul'dan's spellcasting, then joined Lothar's assault on Boulder'gor with three unstable Nefal Spheres. Khadgar detonated the spheres at the fortress gate, stunning both armies as the battle continued.

• Khadgar redirected the mages' magic against Gul'dan, and their outnumbering force defeated him, shattering most of his soul-filled skulls.
• Gul'dan reported his failure to Orgrim and promised to create powerful warriors from ogre slaves; Orgrim spared him but gave him a deadline.
• After Lothar ordered the assault on Boulder'gor, Khadgar absorbed the gathered chaotic mana into three Nefal Spheres and teleported the mages to the battlefield.
• Allen realized that residual soul power from Gul'dan's duel had rapidly restored his soul space and strengthened his mental power.
• Turalyon and the soldiers protected Khadgar while he prepared the Nefal Spheres, and Khadgar launched them at the fortress gate, producing a tremendous explosion.