Recaps

The chapter recounts how the Night Elves’ magical expansion brought the Burning Legion to Azeroth, shattered Kalimdor, and ended the ancient empires. The Trolls, Aqir, and Night Elves all rebuilt after the catastrophe, though their former civilizations had been broken.

• The Night Elves expanded across Kalimdor and used magic to dismantle the Troll empires and destroy the Aqir Empire.
• The Night Elves’ unrestrained magic summoned the Burning Legion, which devastated their civilization and engulfed the continent in war.
• The Well of Eternity exploded at the end of the War of the Ancients, tearing Kalimdor apart and sinking its center beneath the sea.
• The Amani and Gurubashi remnants remained in Quel'Thalas and Stranglethorn Vale, while the Aqir cities of Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'Qiraj survived in Northrend and Tanaris.
• The Troll civilizations declined, then began rebuilding their ruined cities and restoring their former glory.

The human kingdoms and dwarven clans rose and divided while the Guardians of Tirisfal secretly fought the Burning Legion, but Aegwynn unknowingly carried Sargeras’s spirit into Medivh. Kil'jaeden corrupted the orcs into the Horde, whose invasions devastated Azeroth and Draenor; Ner'zhul became the Lich King and began spreading the Undead Plague across Northrend.

• The Council of Tirisfal and the elves established the Guardians to secretly defend the world from the Burning Legion, while the dwarves awakened and built Ironforge and the human empire of Arathor fractured into kingdoms.
• Aegwynn defeated Sargeras’s physical form in Northrend, but his spirit possessed her and later entered her unborn son, Medivh.
• Kil'jaeden corrupted Ner'zhul and Gul'dan, who helped turn the orc clans into a warlike Horde that destroyed the Draenei and invaded Azeroth through the Dark Portal.
• Medivh helped the Horde invade Stormwind, but Khadgar and Lothar killed him; Orgrim Doomhammer then overthrew Blackhand, and the Horde conquered Stormwind City.
• Lothar united the human kingdoms into the Alliance of Lordaeron, which defeated the Horde in the Second War and destroyed the Dark Portal, but Ner'zhul later reopened it and Draenor was destroyed as Khadgar and Turalyon cut off the invasion.
• Kil'jaeden transformed Ner'zhul into the Lich King, sent him to Northrend within the Frozen Throne, and watched as Ner'zhul spread the Undead Plague and raised his first undead army.

The chapter recounts the aftermath of the Lich King's victory and the settlement of the Horde and Alliance in Kalimdor. Jaina helped Thrall defeat her father, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, and the account ends with Diago Asnar arriving in Azeroth.

• Arthas became the new Lich King after reaching the Frozen Throne before Illidan.
• The Horde settled in Kalimdor and named its new homeland Durotan, while Jaina Proudmoore's Alliance survivors founded Theramore.
• Admiral Daelin Proudmoore arrived with an Alliance fleet and prepared to destroy the orcs.
• Jaina chose to support Thrall and helped the Horde defeat her father, who died in battle.
• The orcs let Jaina's forces return safely to Theramore, and Diago Asnar arrived in Azeroth.

The chapter described the Elemental Plane, its four realms, and the Elemental Lords who ruled them. It ended with a note questioning the claim that Ragnaros wanted to return to the Firelands, since the Titans had imprisoned him there.

• The chapter explained that the Titans created the Elemental Plane to imprison the elementals after defeating the Old Gods.
• It described Skywall and Al'Akir, whose rule over the skies was unpredictable and whose attacks relied on speed and storms.
• It described Deepholm and Therazane, who protected the life in her realm and avoided fighting unless challenged.
• It described the Abyssal Maw and Neptulon, who guarded the ocean and fought constantly against Ragnaros's flames.
• It described the Firelands and Ragnaros's absence from the plane after the Dark Iron Dwarves summoned him to Azeroth.
• Well-behaved Little Bunny questioned whether Ragnaros would want to return to the Firelands, which had been his prison.

Dong Zhe’s final raid attempt against Gul’dan ended with a curse that no one else seemed to hear. Later, a green bolt burst from his frozen game screen and struck him, leaving him unconscious as the loading bar remained stuck.

• Dong Zhe wandered through his fully upgraded garrison, then headed to log off after finding all his friends offline.
• Dong Zhe’s game froze during the loading screen, and he struck his desk in frustration.
• Two hours earlier, Dong Zhe’s guild finally defeated Gul’dan on their eleventh attempt.
• Gul’dan cursed Dong Zhe, but the other raiders heard only his ordinary defeat line, and Dong Zhe dismissed the strange words.
• A ball of green light shot from the monitor and hit Dong Zhe, making him pass out.

Dong Zhe woke in a cage in Azeroth, realizing he had transmigrated into a battered, muscular body. After meeting a captured Night Elf, he learned his new name was Diago Asnar and introduced himself to the druid Masley Bearhide.

• Dong Zhe awoke bruised and trapped in an iron cage, then discovered his unfamiliar body was far stronger than his old one.
• Dong Zhe recognized the Night Elf in a nearby cage and realized he was in Azeroth, the world from the game he had played for ten years.
• Dong Zhe greeted the Night Elf and claimed that a head injury had left him unable to remember his past.
• Dong Zhe recalled that his new name was Diago Asnar and learned that the Night Elf was Masley Bearhide, a druid who grew a shoot from a seed in his palm.

Diago Asnar and Masley Bearhide escaped their cages at Ragefang Camp after Masley healed Diago and transformed into a great bear to kill the Orc guard. Armed with the guard’s axe, they headed off to carry out a larger plan.

• Masley Bearhide used plant magic to unlock his cage and later healed Diago Asnar while the Orc guard slept.
• Diago identified the Dragonmaw Orc camp as Ragefang Camp and learned that the other prisoners had died.
• As night fell, Masley and Diago left their cages and crept toward the guard’s tent.
• Masley transformed into a great bear and crushed the Orc guard beneath the tent.
• Masley told Diago to take the guard’s axe, and they moved on to their larger objective.

Diago Asnar joined the Druid bear Masley Bearhide in attacking a Dragonmaw Orc camp, discovering his hunter instincts as he fought with an axe and then an Orc bow. He left the camp’s attackers devastated and stood over the battlefield proclaiming that the Alliance would not fall while he lived.

• Diago Asnar wiped blood from an axe and grew accustomed to wielding it as he followed Masley Bearhide toward the Orc camp.
• Masley Bearhide charged into the camp, scattering Orcs and setting tents alight while Diago attacked Orcs from the shadows.
• Diago found an Orc bow and quivers, climbed a nearby mound, and began shooting arrows into the camp.
• The Orcs rallied against Masley Bearhide, but Diago’s arrows opened a gap in their formation and helped Masley break free.
• Diago’s hunter skills awakened as he shot with growing accuracy, then used an Arcane Shot to pierce an armored Orc through the heart.
• Diago proclaimed that the Alliance would not fall unless he was already dead as the camp fell silent.

After destroying Ragefang Camp, Diago and Masley Bearhide recovered what they could and rested nearby while Diago assessed his new life in Azeroth. Learning that the year was twenty-one after the Dark Portal opened, Diago chose to travel south to Stormwind City, and Masley decided to go with him.

• Diago and Masley searched the ruined camp, where Diago found two dwarven hand axes and leather armor while Masley collected objects he believed were antiques.
• At a nearby stream, Diago treated his injured arms, and Masley washed off the blood from the battle.
• While camping near Ragefang Camp, Diago asked Masley what year it was and learned that the victory at Mount Hyjal had come the previous year.
• Diago ruled out Darnassus, Theramore, and Lordaeron, then chose to head south to Stormwind City, and Masley agreed to join him.
• Diago tested whether Masley had encountered players by speaking Chinese, then asked about human access to Druid magic; Masley said humans could study it but struggled to live in harmony with nature.

Diago and Masley traveled from the Wetlands through Dun Algaz to Loch Modan, reaching Thelsamar and settling into the Stoutlager Inn. After a midnight alarm revealed Orcs near the village, Diago suspected they had come for him and Masley and prepared his weapons before sleeping again.

• Diago and Masley fought giant spiders on the road, then continued south after Diago thought he saw figures following them.
• After seven days, Diago and Masley reached the Stonewrought Dam, crossed Dun Algaz, and traveled through Loch Modan to Thelsamar.
• Diago and Masley visited the Stoutlager Inn, where Diago recognized the townspeople and chose a quiet room on the third underground level.
• An alarm woke Diago, and Mountaineer Kaldrel reported that Langar had spotted Orcs north of the village.
• Diago suspected the Orcs had come for him and Masley, so he restrung his bow and kept it and his hatchet beside his bed.

Diago searched Thelsamar for a way to reach Ironforge and spent the morning inspecting the town’s weapons and shops. He bought a fine silkworm-thorn bow from Cliff Hardin, then returned to the inn disappointed that he could not find mail armor, while Masley Bearhide was still asleep.

• Diago asked Soggram Boryson about riding a gryphon to Ironforge, but Soggram said Mayor Ero'en had barred non-military flights because the Dragonmaw Orcs were acting strangely.
• Diago visited Verok Wildgun’s shop, admired the dwarven guns, and decided not to buy one because their slow rate of fire made them impractical for adventuring.
• Diago provoked Cliff Hardin into showing him a fine silkworm-thorn bow, then bought it for twenty-five gold coins and traded in his yew bow for half a gold coin.
• Diago found no shop selling mail armor and returned to the Stoutlager Inn at noon, where Masley Bearhide was still asleep after drinking.

Diago Asnar and Masley Bearhide were ambushed by Dragonmaw Orcs while traveling toward Ironforge, and Diago fought their leader, Gorfork Nuya. After Gorfork disarmed and knocked Diago unconscious, Masley rescued him and fled into the darkness with the Orcs in pursuit.

• Diago Asnar and Masley Bearhide left Thelsamar for Ironforge, and Diago insisted they keep watch while camping overnight.
• Masley sensed danger in the silent woods, and Diago exposed the approaching Orcs by throwing an ember into the darkness.
• Diago's traps and arrows felled several attackers while Masley transformed into a bear and charged the Orcs.
• Diago recognized the red-armored leader as Gorfork Nuya and fought him with hatchets as the Orcs surrounded them.
• Gorfork used Bloodlust to overpower Diago, knocking away his hatchets and sending him unconscious to the ground.
• Masley broke through the Orcs, carried Diago on his back, and escaped into the darkness as Gorfork's forces pursued them.

Diago and Masley escaped the Dragonmaw Orcs into the Badlands, where Diago recovered enough to consider their next move. He agreed to head south with Masley and began devising a way to deal with their pursuers.

• Diago woke on the great bear's back and learned that Masley had treated his injuries while carrying him away from the Orcs.
• Diago recognized the rocky desert as the Badlands, gathered snakes for supplies, and checked that his bow and a few arrows remained.
• Diago and Masley agreed not to fight the pursuers until Diago's arm healed, then debated whether to return to Loch Modan or continue south.
• Diago decided to travel south, partly because he wanted a new life of adventure and hoped to find the hunter pet Broken Tooth.
• Diago said he had an idea for dealing with the Orcs following them, while Masley went back to sleep.

After a beast attacked the Dark Iron excavation site at Uldaman, enslaved workers fled and the guards called for reinforcements. The patrol discovered a marked black panther as well, then split up to pursue the beasts and recapture the slaves.

• Sel Dulin watched the slaves work and prepared to punish them when a huge beast rampaged through the excavation site, crushing Dark Iron guards.
• With the guards overwhelmed, human and Bronzebeard Dwarf slaves fled north while Troggs scattered and the ogres kept digging.
• Sel Dulin rang the alarm bell, and a patrol from the Fortress of Anguish arrived to investigate the massacre.
• The patrol found claw marks and bristles near a statue, then heard that a marked black panther with ornaments was attacking nearby.
• The lieutenant sent half the patrol after the escaped slaves and led the rest in pursuit of the bear and panther.

Masley Bearhide lured the Dark Iron Dwarves into the Dragonmaw Orcs’ camp, where a misunderstanding sparked a bloody battle. After the Orcs won at terrible cost, Diago Asnar killed the wounded survivors and Masley called him over to see what he had found deeper in the stone forest.

• Masley Bearhide led the pursuing Dark Iron Dwarves to a stone forest, where Sel Dulin accidentally shot an Orc sentry and the patrol opened fire on the Dragonmaw Orcs.
• The dwarves and Orcs fought fiercely, but the Orcs eventually prevailed, leaving only Gorfork Nuya and three wounded warriors standing.
• Diago Asnar taunted Gorfork Nuya, who answered in fluent human speech and declared that death could not take his honor.
• Gorfork Nuya and the other Dragonmaw Orcs charged Diago, who shot them with arrows as they advanced.
• Masley Bearhide appeared and called Diago deeper into the stone forest to show him what he had found.

Diago and Masley freed the slaves captured by the Dark Iron Dwarves, then traveled to Dustwind Gulch so Diago could tame the elusive leopard Broken Tooth. Diago finally subdued the beast by clinging to it through a brutal chase, but he lost consciousness with severe injuries, leaving Masley to assess how long their journey would be delayed.

• Diago tested the magical Felcloth Bag and discovered it could store many items in a seemingly limitless space.
• Diago and Masley ambushed returning Dark Iron Dwarves near Uldaman and freed the escaped slaves they had captured.
• Diago tried to lure Broken Tooth into a Freezing Trap, but the leopard avoided the bait and Masley grew angry when Diago joked about making him a pet.
• After Broken Tooth appeared near their camp on the third morning, Diago leaped onto its back and held on through a punishing chase while trying to tame it.
• Broken Tooth collapsed from exhaustion, and Diago lost consciousness after releasing his grip; Masley found him badly injured and said they would have to delay their departure.

After recovering from his injuries, Diago named the leopard Khanifa and set out with Masley Bearhide. He gained a cheetah guardian spirit, defended his bond with it to Masley, and earned the Druid’s agreement that hunters and guardian spirits could coexist as equals.

• Masley Bearhide treated Diago’s severe wounds while Diago discovered that the leopard had survived and bonded with him.
• After two weeks of recovery, Diago named the female leopard Khanifa, and she eagerly accepted the name.
• On their journey, Diago encountered a cheetah spirit and successfully invited it to become his guardian spirit.
• Masley objected that binding a beast spirit violated the Druidic way, but Diago explained that guardian spirits chose to aid hunters as equals rather than servants.
• Masley Bearhide accepted Diago’s explanation and bowed to him respectfully.

Diago Asnar and Masley Bearhide tried to pass through Kargath, but the orc guards refused them entry and reinforced the mountain trail. That night, Diago crawled past the camp under cover of a Sand Lizard-hide cloak, only to find orc soldiers blocking the trail ahead.

• Masley Bearhide and Diago Asnar arrived at Kargath seeking supplies and passage to Searing Gorge, but the sentries turned them away despite learning they were Night Elves.
• Diago used Eagle Eye to spot orcs reinforcing the mountain trail and warned Masley that his confrontational approach had put them on guard.
• Diago, Masley, and Khanifa waited for nightfall and attempted to slip past Kargath rather than fight the orcs.
• Diago crawled through the exposed stretch under his camouflage cloak while the guards fired illuminating arrows, reaching a hollow near the mountain.
• Diago spotted orc soldiers gathered around a campfire and blocking the narrow trail, leaving him unsure how to proceed without a fight.

Masley used the Moonshadow Staff to summon a cyclone that let Diago and Khanifa slip past twelve Orc guards. Their escape was exposed when they encountered a tethered Worg, and Diago ran to draw the Orcs away while Masley remained behind.

• Masley revealed that the Moonshadow Staff could boost his mana enough to cast Cyclone, and Diago reluctantly agreed to let him try.
• Masley summoned a growing cyclone that swept through the narrow mountain path, scattering the Orcs and lifting one into the air.
• Diago and Khanifa crawled past the distracted Orcs while Masley maintained the spell, then Masley turned into a black panther and disappeared into the night.
• Diago and Khanifa found a tethered Worg, which sensed them and howled, alerting the Orc guards and Kargath Camp.
• Diago kicked the Worg aside, activated Cheetah Aspect, and sprinted away to draw the Orcs after him.

Diago and his companions escaped their orc pursuers by joining a Thorium Brotherhood ambush, where Diago discovered the dwarves’ advanced ammunition and helped rout the worg riders. The survivors welcomed him and Masley at their outpost, while Diago considered developing cartridge ammunition himself.

• After running through the night, Diago and his companions encountered armed Dark Iron dwarves waiting behind a fallen tree as more than fifty orc worg riders approached.
• The dwarven commander ordered a volley, and Diago examined the dwarves’ unusual cartridges before using their muskets to shoot down charging orcs with deadly accuracy.
• After losing over half their force, the orc riders retreated, and Masley and Khanifa returned from briefly following them.
• Masley transformed back into a night elf, and Diago explained that the dwarves belonged to the Thorium Brotherhood rather than the Dark Iron forces they had fought before.
• Jack Rockleg introduced himself as head of the Thorium Outpost, welcomed Diago and Masley, and led his celebrating musketeers back to the outpost.

Diago learned that the Thorium Brotherhood’s conflict with the Orcs of Kargath stemmed from the blockade of their only supply route and their growing food shortage. He fed the Dark Iron Dwarves with dishes made from Lava Crabs and Lava Spiders, then began teaching their cook as he settled into life at the outpost.

• Jack Rockleg told Diago that the Orcs of Kargath had blocked the mountain trail, worsening the Thorium Brotherhood’s shortages and prompting the border clashes.
• Diago and Masley left the outpost to hunt, then returned with Lava Crabs and Lava Spiders for a feast.
• Diago cooked an array of dishes from the local creatures, and the Dark Iron Dwarves praised the meal and drank heavily.
• The next morning, Diago offered to teach the dwarven cook, who bowed and accepted him as his master before being told to wash the dishes.
• Over the following days, Diago hunted with dwarven firearms and taught cooking while the dwarves eagerly anticipated his meals.

Kordaz Blackhammer and the Dark Iron Dwarves forged a mithril scale armor for Diago and presented it as a gift from the Thorium Brotherhood. After Diago tested its protection with Masley, the group celebrated, delaying Diago and Masley’s departure by three days.

• Kordaz Blackhammer poured a glowing mass of molten metal onto a plate, where it cooled into a silver mithril scale armor.
• Kordaz Blackhammer formally gave the armor, named “Asnar’s Gourmet,” to Diago in recognition of his help and swore the Thorium Brotherhood’s resolve to reclaim Shadowforge City.
• Diago accepted the armor and pledged to answer the Thorium Brotherhood’s call in its fight against the fire elementals.
• Masley transformed into a bear and struck Diago to test the armor, leaving Diago bruised but unharmed and the armor pristine.
• Jack Rockleg led the Dwarves and their guests in a drinking celebration, and Diago and Masley postponed their departure by three days.

Diago and Masley Bearhide traveled to the Great Forge to kill Foreman Maltorius and win the Thorium Brotherhood’s support for Diago’s plan. They descended into the mine and began searching for a stealthy route, with Diago discovering that the darkness left him unable to see clearly.

• Diago and Masley Bearhide crossed Searing Gorge, while Masley destroyed Dark Iron mining equipment by rolling rocks into the Great Divide.
• Diago led Masley to an abandoned derrick and explained that they needed to kill Foreman Maltorius to deepen their friendship with the Thorium Brotherhood.
• Diago left Khanifa to guard the rope as Masley and then Diago rappelled into the Great Forge.
• Diago and Masley observed the slave laborers and mining machinery, and Diago realized he could not see well enough in the dim light to aim his bow.
• Diago pointed Masley toward the darker passage on their left, farther from the Cauldron, to help them stay hidden.

Diago and Masley infiltrated the Great Forge mine, where a Bronzebeard Dwarf slave silently allowed them to pass. After wrestling with whether to abandon the enslaved miners, Diago chose to help them, and the pair headed back to find allies and plan a rescue.

• Diago and Masley crept through the mine beneath the Lizard-skin Cloak, avoiding the slaves as they worked.
• A Bronzebeard Dwarf noticed them but chose not to report them, urging them to strike back at their captors.
• The dwarf’s quiet defiance stirred Diago to consider rescuing the miners, though he doubted that he and Masley could do it alone.
• At the northern edge of the mine, Masley urged Diago to help the enslaved workers, invoking Elune’s teachings against imprisonment for personal gain.
• Diago agreed to make a plan, and he and Masley turned back to find helpers.

Diago and Masley recruited Tharnok Frosthammer to help them escape the mine and free its enslaved workers, then began their attack on the Dark Iron Dwarves. Diago reached the barracks and survived a struggle with a guard before discovering the dead dwarves Masley had left behind; the chapter ended as Masley was thrown through a doorway by an unseen opponent.

• Diago asked Tharnok Frosthammer to help rescue the slaves, and the dwarf pledged his support and accepted a rifle and ammunition.
• Diago, Masley, and Tharnok agreed that Diago and Masley would attack Foreman Maltorius while Tharnok caused chaos below, with the signal left deliberately vague.
• Diago and Masley returned to the stone steps, and Masley vanished into the shadows as they climbed toward the barracks passage.
• A Dark Iron Dwarf spotted Diago and tackled him, but Diago grabbed a hard object from the floor and struck the dwarf until he stopped moving.
• Diago found several dead Dark Iron Dwarves in the room, realized Masley had killed them, and rushed into the passage after hearing a fight break out.
• A wooden door burst open at the far end of the passage, and a black shape tumbled out as someone shouted that Masley was finished.