Chapter Summaries

Patrick planned to spread Eldre'Dani's specialist-led administrative model across Quel'Thalas, while preparations continued for a decisive advance against the Scourge. Onyxia arranged security at the Obsidian Sanctum and reported troubling clues about an attack on the Ruby Sanctum as the forces prepared to march from the Wrathgate toward Icecrown Glacier.

• Kael'thas agreed to introduce examinations and appointments for public offices gradually, while keeping the Silvermoon Council's structure and arcane foundation intact.
• Patrick argued that Quel'Thalas needed more specialized officials and proposed applying Eldre'Dani's efficient administrative model throughout the kingdom.
• Onyxia reported that the green dragons remained uninvolved, the red dragons and Dalaran had repelled iron dwarves, and the Obsidian Sanctum remained secure.
• Serinar told Onyxia that attackers at the Ruby Sanctum had left a strong black dragon aura resembling that of Illidan's void dragons, and Onyxia ordered extra precautions at the Obsidian Sanctum.
• Patrick ordered the armies to leave forces at the Wrathgate and advance through Crystalsong Forest into Icecrown Glacier, while Illidan offered his troops and demanded a chance to face the Lich King.

Patrick arranged the forces and allies who would remain behind while the main army advanced into Icecrown Glacier to destroy the Scourge. He tasked the six animal gods with helping defend the Wrathgate and Obsidian Sanctum, and they considered recruiting the wolvar as their followers.

• Patrick decided that Kael'thas, Vashj, and Illidan would join the main army, while Sylvanas and Jaina would face the Lich King in person.
• Patrick told the animal gods that their races could remain in suitable Northrend territories and use permanent portals to reach the Arcane Pact's other lands.
• Regba urged the animal gods to abandon their troll marks and voodoo ornaments so they could build ties with the High Elves.
• Patrick assigned the animal gods to help defend the area below the floating city while his troops held the Wrathgate; Alleria promised each god a dedicated attendant.
• Mamtoth asked to command local wolvar, and Patrick considered the Frenzyheart Clan a promising vassal race.

Patrick set strict terms for the Six Animal Gods and told them to handle the Wolvar while obeying the Arcane Pact’s laws. As the group prepared to defend the camp against the Scourge, Malygos arrived to fight alongside them and guard their rear lines.

• Patrick told the Six Animal Gods that they could recruit the Wolvar and Tuskarr but could not build an independent power or let religious authority interfere in the Arcane Pact’s politics.
• Patrick explained that the Arcane Pact punished anyone who broke its rules, regardless of their race or status.
• Alleria told the Six Animal Gods to manage the Wolvar and learn about the Covenant, while Rhunok agreed to pay attention to Patrick’s concerns.
• Sseratus worried that they could not withstand the Scourge, and Alleria ordered the group to hold the camp and retreat to the Floating City if necessary.
• Patrick announced a powerful ally’s arrival, and Malygos thanked Patrick for helping him break free of evil.
• Patrick asked Malygos to protect the rear lines during the battle.

Patrick confirmed that Coldarra and Sunlight City were secure, then prepared the Azeroth Arcane Covenant's forces to join the final siege of Icecrown Citadel. The army departed while trusted leaders and defenders remained behind to govern and guard Quel'Thalas and the floating city.

• Malygos told Patrick that he had eliminated the outside threats in Coldarra and secured its ley line nodes, and he vowed to avenge Sindragosa by helping destroy the Lich King.
• Patrick warned Malygos to watch for the Scourge's floating fortresses and felt reassured that the Aspect of the Blue would defend the rear.
• Yanida reported that the Alliance and Horde had sent small forces, while the Ashen Judgement Army, Dalaran, and the red dragons prepared to enter Icecrown Glacier.
• Patrick delegated supreme administrative authority to the councilors and Silvermoon Council while he, Kael'thas, Illidan, and Vashj were away.
• The Covenant's assembled forces, including naga, fel orcs, Demon Hunters, Highborne, humans, Wildhammer Dwarves, and high elves, marched out toward Icecrown.
• Regba stayed in Sunlight City to monitor the six animal gods, while Malygos and the animal gods helped defend the Obsidian Sanctum and floating city.

Patrick and the Arcane Pact joined the Alliance, Horde, and Ashen Verdict as they struggled to breach the spider-held pass into Scourge City. After the leaders rejected one plan after another, Onyxia offered a suggestion and asked Lord Kabolon to hear her out.

• Patrick led the Arcane Pact through the Crystal Vice and Forest of Despair to join Tirion Fordring's forces outside Echo Valley.
• Tirion Fordring explained that spider attacks had stalled the Coalition Forces and caused heavy casualties.
• Patrick proposed using Arcane Mass Point, but Illidan warned it would destroy the only pass and block their route.
• The leaders debated alternatives for hours but reached no agreement on how to cross the spider-held pass.
• Onyxia offered a suggestion and asked Lord Kabolon what he thought.

Patrick accepted Onyxia’s plan to widen the pass by melting the cliffs with lava and directing it toward Scourge City. Onyxia opened the route while Patrick shielded the Coalition Forces from the lava, leaving the army ready to advance.

• Onyxia proposed turning the cliffs around the pass into lava to widen the route and burn away Scourge City’s plague and spiders.
• Patrick asked the assembled leaders whether the plan would work, and Tirion supported it as a way to take Scourge City and target Mord'rethar: The Death Gate.
• Patrick and Onyxia approached the breach, where Patrick used his arcane domain to burn spiders that attacked them.
• Onyxia used arcane marks to conceal her earth magic as she melted the cliffs and widened the pass with lava.
• Patrick formed an arcane disc to block the lava from flowing toward the Coalition Forces, prompting the High Elves to cheer.

Patrick’s coalition forces used explosions and dragon breath to clear a path through the lava and quickly captured Scourge City. As the army prepared to advance toward the Broken Plains and investigate Sindragosa’s Fall, two airships arrived with reinforcements.

• Patrick’s forces blasted magma away from Scourge City, and the Blue Dragons froze it into a passable road.
• Salorian Dawnseeker, Kargath Bladefist, Kor'fax, and the other coalition leaders led their troops in a swift assault that captured Scourge City.
• Illidan ordered preparations to clear the Broken Plains after noting that the absence of Crypt Fiends would ease the coalition’s aerial forces.
• Valithria identified Sindragosa’s Fall as the resting place of the dragon mother, and Patrick agreed that troops should eliminate the Scourge there.
• Kor'fax spotted two approaching airships, and the Skybreaker and Orgrim's Hammer landed together to bring the Northern Expedition army much-needed air support.

The Alliance, Horde, and Blue Dragonflight prepared to clear Scourge forces from the area around Sindragosa's Fall. At Malykriss, the Death Knights plotted to exploit the mortals' assault on the Cult of the Damned and expand their own territory.

• Justin Barrett and Korm Blackscar arrived with the Skybreaker and Orgrim's Hammer to reinforce Bolvar and Dranosh.
• Dranosh learned that Garrosh would soon reach the front after Kel'Thuzad ambushed him in the Borean Tundra.
• Tirion Fordring called for the allies to clear Scourge forces from their rear and secure Sindragosa's Fall, while Saragoss promised the Blue Dragonflight's help.
• Rokir, Saff, and Belok discussed how the Death Knights could exploit a mortal attack on Mord'rethar: The Death Gate and the Cult of the Damned's internal rivalry.
• Rokir proposed waiting for the mortals to destroy Aldur'thar, then using that as a pretext to expand the Masters of Suffering into Lost Hope Valley and the Valley of Fallen Heroes.

Rokir and the other Death Knights planned to exploit the mortals’ assault on the Ironwall Rampart to crush them, while the chapter outlined the Cult of the Damned’s four branches and its declining influence. It left the Scourge’s internal rivalry between Kel'Thuzad and Lady Deathwhisper unresolved.

• Rokir proposed using the mortals’ breach of the Ironwall Rampart to trap and destroy them with Layshan’s forces.
• Rokir ordered the Death Knights in the Valley of Fallen Heroes and Malykriss to gather at Gezi and the Court of Bones, while Saff warned that construction of the floating city would be delayed.
• Rokir told Saff to assign the work to skeletons so the Lich King’s plans would stay on schedule, while insisting that the Cult of the Damned be suppressed.
• The chapter described the Shadow Envoy, Hand of Death, Lich the Council, and Resurrection Hall as the Cult of the Damned’s four organizations and explained their roles.
• The chapter noted that the Cult of the Damned had weakened after Patrick destroyed Scholomance and its Eastern Plaguelands influence faded, while Kel'Thuzad and Lady Deathwhisper continued to compete for power.

The Coalition Forces cleared the Broken Plains and Mord'rethar, with the Sunfury Legion proving its exceptional strength. As the army prepared to enter Lost Hope Valley, Illidan reflected on his defeat by the Lich King and the changes that had made him a more cautious leader with allies and a kingdom behind him.

• Kel'Thuzad and Lady Deathwhisper competed for influence, while the Death Knights saw their rivalry as a chance to gain greater authority.
• The Coalition Forces cleared the Broken Plains and Mord'rethar after several days of fighting.
• The Sunfury Legion distinguished itself in battle, impressing Patrick and drawing praise from Tirion.
• Patrick warned that the Scourge's main forces awaited in Lost Hope Valley, and Illidan agreed that the coming battles mattered most.
• Illidan recalled how his defeat at the Frozen Throne had changed his beliefs and resolved to fight this time with allies and subjects at his side.

Patrick and the Coalition Forces advanced into Lost Hope Valley to attack the Scourge at Aldur'thar, using their aerial forces and magic to counter the plague and enemy troops. The Coalition destroyed the plague wagons and freed enslaved souls, then charged into the disrupted Undead army.

• Patrick reassured Tirion and the Coalition leaders that their air forces, Spellbreakers, Paladins, and Priests could counter the Scourge's threats.
• Patrick ordered aerial units to carry supplies and fire Mages and Paladins to cleanse plague-contaminated areas as the army advanced into Lost Hope Valley.
• Foremen Shackle, Faedis, Viraen, and Shavier sent Undead troops and plague wagons through the Gates of Desolation: Aldur'thar to attack the Coalition Forces.
• Orgrimmar's Hammer and the Skybreaker led aerial riders in bombing the Scourge's plague wagons, destroying most of them.
• Patrick prompted Nochong to free the souls enslaved by the Scourge, and Nochong used mass control magic to break their shackles.
• The freed souls attacked the Scourge, and the Coalition Forces charged in to slaughter the disrupted Undead army.

The Coalition Forces reached Aldur'thar, where Patrick sent Leotheras to eliminate the Scourge commanders defending it. After Leotheras killed them, the army advanced into the Valley of Fallen Heroes, nearing the Court of Bones and the Gates of Terror: Korialstrasz.

• Ascendant Orumai and Garmek appeared on Aldur'thar's walls and rebuked the four overseers for letting the Coalition Forces advance.
• Garmek attacked Patrick with Shadow Bolts, but Patrick blocked them with his Arcane Shield.
• Leotheras transformed, flew to the wall, and killed three of the six Scourge leaders with a fel blast.
• Leotheras cut down the three surviving Scourge leaders, including Garmek, leaving the undead below without their controllers.
• Patrick and the Coalition Forces advanced through the Valley of Fallen Heroes toward the Court of Bones and the Gates of Terror: Korialstrasz.

The coalition planned how to approach Icecrown Citadel while dealing with Scourge forces threatening their flanks. Kaobokla prepared Orgrim's Hammer for its first solo strike on the Stitching Grounds.

• Patrick proposed that Darion send Ebon Blade knights to the Shadow Vault to persuade the Lich King's death knights to defect.
• Korm Blackscar reported that the Stitching Grounds threatened the coalition from the southwest and could attack them from behind.
• Patrick suggested an aerial bombardment, and Korm Blackscar volunteered Orgrim's Hammer for the mission.
• Patrick warned the crew to avoid a ground battle and focus on damaging the Scourge camp.
• Kaobokla revealed that he had prepared an enormous bomb for Orgrim's Hammer's first battle and hoped to impress Patrick.

The Northern Expedition rested near the Gates of Terror while Kaobokla promised a possible single-strike solution for the Stitching Grounds. Tirion Fordring then sought to bring Lordaeron into the Arcane Pact, and its leaders declared they were willing to accept the political consequences of opposing Dalaran and the Alliance.

• Patrick asked Kaobokla how long it would take to deal with the Stitching Grounds, and Kaobokla said a single strike might suffice.
• Tirion ordered the troops to rest and called for the contaminated land to be cleansed, while Patrick suggested the red dragons help.
• The Northern Expedition halted near the Gates of Terror as Scourge forces gathered in the distance, and Kael'thas prepared to settle his people's debts against the Scourge.
• Tirion Fordring and other Lordaeron leaders met with the Arcane Pact's leaders to discuss joining the Covenant.
• Kael'thas and Patrick warned that joining would mean hostility with Dalaran and the Alliance, but Tirion and Angela Dusatus affirmed Lordaeron's support for its high elf allies.

Patrick explained the Arcane Pact’s purpose and governing councils to the people of Lordaeron, while recalling Quel'Thalas’s aid and criticizing Dalaran’s treatment of Kael'thas. He warned that joining the Pact would limit Lordaeron’s independence and asked whether they had considered the consequences.

• Patrick said he had supported the people of Lordaeron since the Scourge outbreak because he remembered Terenas’s help and valued old ties.
• Taelan recalled Patrick’s efforts to help his family and the people of Lordaeron, while Demetria and Kael'thas discussed how Dalaran’s leaders had ostracized Kael'thas.
• Patrick outlined the Arcane Pact’s Supreme Council and its defense, administrative, foreign affairs, and legal bodies, describing their responsibilities and member-state representation.
• Patrick warned that joining the Arcane Pact would affect the Kingdom of Lordaeron’s independence and leave it bound by many Pact resolutions.
• Patrick asked whether the people of Lordaeron had thought through the decision to join.

Patrick warned Tirion Fordring and the Lordaeron delegation that joining the Arcane Pact would limit their sovereignty and would not secure Lordaeron City from the Forsaken. Tirion accepted the Pact’s terms while hoping Patrick would stay out of a future war, and Patrick left open the possibility of redeeming the Forsaken.

• Patrick explained that the Arcane Pact’s shared decision-making could restrict the authority of Lordaeron’s future monarch, and Tirion Fordring said Lordaeron had considered joining for years.
• Patrick declared that the Arcane Pact would not force the Forsaken to surrender Lordaeron City, angering the Scarlet Crusade soldiers.
• Patrick explained that the Forsaken had helped Quel'Thalas against the Scourge and said he would not betray them or their alliance with the Pact.
• Tirion asked Patrick not to intervene if Lordaeron and the Forsaken went to war, and Patrick said he had been searching for a way to redeem the Forsaken.
• Tirion wondered whether the people of Lordaeron would accept their undead former heroes, and Patrick replied that the future was impossible to predict.

Patrick Kabolon discussed the Kingdom of Lordaeron’s possible entry into the Arcane Pact, urging its leaders to prioritize recovery over reclaiming Lordaeron City. He left the decision to join pending review by the Covenant’s Supreme Council and described how Quel’Thalas and Patrick influenced the Pact’s member factions.

• Tirion Fordring and Demetria discussed Lordaeron’s possible membership, its roughly thirty-percent population recovery, and the need for restraint toward the Forsaken.
• Patrick advised Demetria and Brigitte Abbendis to restore livelihoods and reduce plague contamination before pursuing Lordaeron City, while Demetria acknowledged the city and Tirisfal Glades remained uninhabitable for the living.
• Brigitte questioned how Lordaeron could regain its glory without its capital, and Patrick warned that taking and holding the plague-ridden city would exhaust the surviving population.
• Patrick said he would submit Lordaeron’s proposed entry to the Covenant’s Supreme Council and expected its members to follow the Arcane Pact’s provisions if they joined.
• Patrick’s influence over the Arcane Pact’s factions was described, including the naga and Highborne following his decisions and Kul Tiras aligning with Quel’Thalas over naval supremacy.

Patrick and Kael'thas discussed Lordaeron's offer to restore their alliance and how the Arcane Pact could use human kingdoms to maintain order while Quel'Thalas ruled from behind the scenes. Kael'thas accepted Patrick's strategy, though the chapter left Quel'Thalas's population problem unresolved.

• Tirion Fordring said Calia would send a state letter to Patrick soon, and Patrick welcomed Lordaeron as a potential ally.
• Kael'thas warned that Lordaeron wanted peace for its own benefit and doubted that humans would honor their promises across generations.
• Patrick explained that Quel'Thalas lacked the population to govern its territories directly and planned to use Lordaeron's people to maintain order while the Arcane Pact directed events.
• Patrick argued that voting systems could enable division and described how the Sunstrider family had once ruled Quel'Thalas from behind the Silvermoon Council.
• Patrick said his reforms had opened paths for commoners to advance, but Quel'Thalas's population growth remained low because Elves, especially male Elves, had little interest in having children.
• Kael'thas agreed with Patrick's plan to keep Quel'Thalas closed and powerful while Lordaeron, Stromgarde, and Aerie Peak competed beyond its borders.

With the Shadow Vault captured and the Scourge’s Stitching Grounds destroyed, Patrick ordered the Coalition Forces to attack Icecrown Citadel. The assembled Alliance, Horde, and other armies prepared to storm the Scourge’s stronghold under a shared battle plan.

• Darion told Patrick that Baron Slyven’s forces had captured the Shadow Vault and killed Layshan Frostblade.
• Garrosh arrived with the Horde’s Kor’kron expeditionary force and reaffirmed the Mag’har’s friendship with Patrick.
• An explosion and mushroom cloud rose from the Scourge’s Stitching Grounds, and Tirion recognized that Korm Blackscar had completed his mission.
• Patrick ordered the Coalition Forces to attack, and its leaders returned to their camps to ready their armies.
• Rhonin and Bolvar agreed to join the assault, while each allied leader prepared to command their own troops under a unified plan.

Bolvar insisted on personally leading the Northern Expedition into battle, driven by guilt over his failures as Stormwind’s Regent. The Arcane Pact formed the center of the advancing force, with the Alliance and Horde on its flanks, as Patrick, Kael’thas, Illidan, Vashj, Garrosh, and Bolvar led the charge against the Scourge.

• Rhonin agreed with Bolvar that the factions should retain command of their own troops while coordinating their movements.
• Halv Vem Bane offered to take the field, but Bolvar insisted that he personally lead the battle as part of the mission entrusted to him by the king.
• Leorick reassured Bolvar that Onyxia’s deception in Stormwind had not been his fault, but Bolvar remained convinced that he had failed Varian and needed to seek solace in battle.
• Halv Vem Bane accepted Bolvar’s decision, and the Northern Expeditionary Force prepared to advance despite being greatly outnumbered by the Scourge.
• The Arcane Pact took the center while the Valiance Expedition and Warsong Expeditionary Force formed the flanks, and Patrick, Kael’thas, Illidan, Vashj, Garrosh, and Bolvar led their troops into battle.