Chapter Summaries

Patrick recognized N'Zoth's concealed power within Anduin Wrynn and trapped him in a Coffin of Space during the Alliance and Horde meeting. He revealed a golden Spell Inscription on Anduin, leaving Varian and Medivh to confront the possibility that the prince had been influenced by the Old God.

• Varian welcomed Patrick and described the Alliance's plans to turn Auchindoun into a commercial city.
• Patrick noticed potent, concealed power within Anduin and identified it as N'Zoth's influence.
• Patrick trapped Anduin in a Coffin of Space, prompting Medivh and Garona to attack and Varian to threaten war.
• Patrick questioned whether Anduin had encountered the Twilight's Hammer or gone missing, and Medivh stopped Varian from retaliating.
• Patrick used Rend Space to tear Anduin's clothes and reveal a golden Spell Inscription on his body.

Patrick revealed that Anduin’s Holy Light mark concealed an Old God Spell Inscription, likely planted by Benedictus to threaten Stormwind. He could remove the corruption, but Arcane or Fel purification risked killing or transforming Anduin, so Varian sought a Holy Light solution in Shattrath.

• Patrick exposed the power of N'Zoth within Anduin’s Spell Inscription, and Varian and Medivh realized Benedictus had likely planted it as part of his betrayal.
• Varian asked Patrick to remove the Old God’s corruption from Anduin, and Patrick explained that Arcane purification could disintegrate him because he was not a demigod like Malygos.
• Medivh suggested using Fel, but Patrick warned that it could transform Anduin’s body, while Varian proposed the Holy Light.
• Patrick said the Holy Light might work, and Varian immediately urged everyone to leave for Shattrath.

Varian left the Pandaria expedition in Medivh’s hands and departed with Anduin and Khadgar, while the Alliance, Horde, and Patrick’s forces prepared to confront the Faceless Ones. Patrick and Elune could not determine what the enemy was plotting in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, leaving the invasion shrouded in mystery as the fleet headed for Pandaria.

• Varian entrusted the remaining Pandaria matters to Medivh, then boarded a ship for the Sha'tar camp with Anduin, Khadgar, and his bodyguards.
• Medivh and the leaders agreed on initial objectives, and Chen the Pandaren volunteered to guide them through Pandaria.
• Patrick brought the Floating City along with the fleet, which included the Alliance army and the Horde navy.
• Elune explained that N'Zoth had absorbed much of Y'Shaarj's power after the Old Gods fought over primordial Azeroth, and that Y'Shaarj's heart had been sealed away.
• Patrick learned that the Faceless Ones had taken the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, but Elune could not examine it because it was shielded from her power.
• Patrick and Elune remained uncertain about the Faceless Ones' purpose, but agreed they had to drive them out of Pandaria.

Patrick and the coalition forces arrived at Zouchin Village, where they learned the Zandalari Trolls were attacking and offered to fight the threats in Pandaria. With Elder Zhu as their guide, Patrick and the Covenant troops teleported onward to Ulduar to find a route toward the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

• Old Chen and the coalition fleet approached Zouchin Village, whose chief and Elder Zhu feared the newcomers might be allies of the Zandalari Trolls.
• Patrick caught a thrown Zandalari spear, bound nearby Troll scouts with Arcane Vines, and said he had come to eliminate the faceless ones and awakened sha.
• Medivh and Admiral of the Navy Taylor discussed anchoring the fleet near the village, while Garrosh asked how they would reach the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Patrick and Medivh proposed moving the floating city over the cliffs and creating a teleportation circle, and Elder Zhu agreed to guide them.
• Medivh opened the circle, Patrick added a spatial beacon, and Patrick led the Covenant troops, Old Chen, and Elder Zhu through to Ulduar while other forces stayed behind.

Patrick and the Coalition Forces freed Pandaren enslaved by the Yaungol and began establishing a forward camp near Kun-Lai Pass. Medivh, Rogers, and Garrosh arrived as Patrick prepared to investigate the chaotic power near the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

• Patrick offered to spare the Yaungol if they released the Pandaren and revealed the way to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, but they attacked instead.
• Patrick bound the Yaungol with Arcane Vines and burned them to ash, freeing the enslaved Pandaren.
• Xiao He warned Patrick that more Yaungol could arrive, while Elder Zhu explained that the reinforcements had come to eliminate the Sha.
• Patrick chose the open ground near Kun-Lai Pass for a temporary camp and sent the Rangers to survey the area as the troops prepared.
• Patrick summoned Medivh, who sensed powerful chaotic energy south of the camp, and Rogers and Garrosh arrived as Patrick ordered preparations before advancing.

Medivh killed Sha’ai Hu and cleansed the Waterspeaker’s Sanctuary, while Patrick and Medivh discussed the danger of sha corruption in Pandaria. Taran Zhu confronted the Coalition Forces, warning that their negative emotions would strengthen the Sha, and demanded that they lower their weapons.

• The Thornstaff Village Chief asked Patrick and Medivh to defeat Sha’ai Hu and cleanse the polluted Waterspeaker’s Sanctuary.
• Medivh traveled there alone, killed Sha’ai Hu with a Chaos Bolt, and removed the sha energy from the water and soil.
• Medivh warned Patrick that the corruption in Pandaria could rival the damage of a Burning Legion invasion, and Patrick sent the village chief to inspect the sanctuary.
• The Alliance, Horde, and Covenant began building camps around the floating city and teleportation circles.
• Taran Zhu appeared before Patrick, Medivh, and the Coalition soldiers, warning that their negative emotions would empower the Sha and demanding that they drop their weapons.

Patrick explained the Sha and Faceless Ones to Taran Zhu and persuaded him to support the Coalition Forces’ campaign in Pandaria. The chapter ended with Patrick asking Taran Zhu to help stop the Old Gods’ servants from growing unchecked.

• Patrick told Taran Zhu that the Sha fed on negative emotions and that the Coalition Forces might need his help studying Sha energy.
• Chen Stormstout explained that he had invited the Sha to Pandaria, and Taran Zhu agreed to the Coalition Forces’ actions against them.
• Patrick showed Taran Zhu an image of a Faceless One and explained that the Old Gods had transformed them and were directing the attack on the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Patrick warned Taran Zhu that the other Old Gods had designs on Pandaria and asked him to help deal with the Faceless Ones.

Patrick and his allies marched toward the Gate of the August Celestials to seek the August Celestials’ approval before entering the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Patrick destroyed a Yaungol force empowered by the Sha of Anger, and the coalition continued onward.

• Taran Zhu agreed to Patrick’s request but said the August Celestials’ approval was required before entering the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Patrick ordered Ulduar’s Four Guardians to bring Iron Giants and Iron Dwarves to camp, while he and Medivh swiftly wiped out two Yaungol squads.
• Taran Zhu introduced Lorewalker Cho, and Patrick prepared the Azeroth Coalition Forces and allied Pandaren troops to march.
• Taran Zhu recognized the Sha of Anger’s power among the Yaungol led by Erbatal, but Patrick pressed forward through their fireballs behind his Arcane Shield.
• Patrick trapped Erbatal and the Yaungol in Arcane Vines and burned them to ash before leading the coalition onward.

Patrick’s army reached the Gate of the August Celestials, where Emperor Shaohao warned that the Sha and the Mantid’s strange activity in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms posed a threat. Patrick identified the excavated object as the Heart of Y'Shaarj, but he could not explain why the Faceless Ones had not used it to corrupt the Vale.

• Patrick’s army reached the locked Gate of the August Celestials, and Patrick sensed a power calling to him.
• Patrick activated the gate’s mechanism and summoned Emperor Shaohao’s phantom, astonishing Taran Zhu, Lorewalker Cho, and the other Pandaren.
• Shaohao warned Patrick that entering the Vale without preparing for the Sha could strengthen them, and said the Mantid and Faceless Ones were behaving unusually and seemed to be preparing a ritual aimed at Patrick’s forces.
• Patrick told Shaohao that the Faceless Ones had excavated the Underground Palace beneath Midsummer Meadow, and Shaohao confirmed they had recovered a mysterious object and placed it in the meadow.
• Patrick identified the object as the Heart of Y'Shaarj and wondered why the Faceless Ones had not used it to corrupt the Vale and spread the Sha’s power.

Patrick and the Pandaren entered the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, where the Faceless Ones unleashed the Heart of Y'Shaarj's sha energy. The coalition attacked the invaders, but the remaining Faceless Ones and Mantid ignored them, leaving Patrick and his allies baffled.

• Shaohao and the Four August Celestials opened the Gate of the August Celestials, allowing Patrick and the Pandaren to enter the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Patrick saw that the Vale's Titan facilities had made it exceptionally rich in life and elemental energy.
• The Faceless Ones threw the Heart of Y'Shaarj into the spring at Midsummer Meadow, unleashing sha energy that rapidly corrupted the land.
• Patrick ordered the coalition to move out and attacked the Faceless Ones and Mantid near the Gilded Pavilion.
• The coalition killed or wounded many enemies, but the remaining Faceless Ones and Mantid ignored their attackers, even when a Cloud Serpent rider approached one closely.

The Coalition Forces entered Midsummer Meadow and discovered that N'Zoth had used Vara and the seven great Sha to drain their negative emotions. Vara revealed that N'Zoth wanted Patrick as the commander of a million-strong Faceless Ones army, then engulfed him in Sha energy.

• The Coalition Forces advanced through Midsummer Meadow with little resistance and confronted Vara, the six other great Sha, and a pillar of Sha energy.
• Vara drew Patrick's arrogance into himself, while the other Sha drained negative emotions from the Coalition Forces.
• Vara transformed into the Sha of Pride and ordered the Faceless Ones and Mantid to surround the army.
• Patrick questioned why N'Zoth had delayed attacking the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and suspected the invasion served a larger plan.
• Vara revealed that N'Zoth intended Patrick to command a million-strong Faceless Ones army, and the pillar of Sha energy engulfed him.

N'Zoth's trap left Patrick imprisoned in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms while the Coalition Forces escaped through a teleportation circle he activated. Medivh, Alleria, and Garrosh vowed to rally Azeroth and rescue him before N'Zoth corrupted him into the commander of the Faceless army.

• Patrick realized N'Zoth had targeted him all along and had manipulated the Coalition Forces into falling into a trap.
• Vara and the Sha encircled the Coalition Forces as chaos energy and Sha energy trapped Patrick, and Patrick teleported the others to safety.
• Vara and the six Sha placed Patrick inside the Sha Energy Pillar and began using its power to accelerate his corruption for N'Zoth.
• The Faceless Ones and Mantid attacked the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, destroying its shrines and massacring its inhabitants.
• Medivh, Alleria, and Garrosh arrived safely at the teleportation circle below Ulduar and promised to rally their factions to rescue Patrick.

The Horde leaders debated how to respond after Patrick Cabrolon was endangered by the Old Gods, while Vol'jin argued that saving him was essential to the Horde's future. The discussion ended with the group facing the danger of losing the Arcane Pact as a trade partner and provoking its members.

• Medivh summoned reinforcements to Karazhan, while Elune informed leaders and Animal Gods about the crisis in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Dranosh gave Garrosh's letter to Vol'jin and Bloodhoof, revealing the scale of the threat to Patrick Cabrolon.
• Gallywix argued that Patrick's death could weaken the Arcane Pact and let the Horde unite with it against the Alliance.
• Vol'jin rejected Gallywix's plan, explaining that the Pact would fracture and its members would have deep reasons to oppose the Horde.
• Vol'jin warned that the Horde depended on the Arcane Pact for affordable food and supplies, leaving the leaders to confront the consequences of Patrick's possible death.

The Horde and Alliance leaders agreed that Patrick Kabolon had to be rescued to prevent the Old Gods from controlling him and destroying Azeroth. Varian and Mathias Shaw also planned to use the operation as an opportunity to assassinate Patrick and weaken the Arcane Pact.

• Vol'jin, Saurfang, Cairne Bloodhoof, Hamul Runetotem, Dranosh, and Rexxar backed rescuing Patrick, while Gallywix set aside his plan to profit from the Arcane Pact's possible collapse.
• Varian gathered the Alliance leadership in Shattrath City after receiving Medivh's warning about the danger to Azeroth.
• Mathias Shaw revealed that the Old Gods were targeting Patrick and said the Night Elves were assembling to attack Pandaria on Elune's orders.
• Varian approved preparations for the war and considered whether Patrick could die in an accident during the operation.
• Mathias Shaw warned that the Alliance and Horde had previously left most of Azeroth's defense to the Arcane Pact and urged the Alliance to commit its full strength.
• Mathias Shaw announced he would lead a small team to seek a chance to assassinate Patrick while he was off guard.

Onyxia explained why the Black Dragons needed Patrick and the Arcane Pact, then joined Sabellian in preparing to rescue him. In the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, N'Zoth's corruption breached Patrick's weakening Arcane Shield, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Onyxia received news that Patrick was trapped and N'Zoth planned to return, then showed the message to Sabellian and Wrathion.
• Wrathion urged Onyxia to seize the chance to regain her freedom, but she argued that Patrick and the Arcane Pact gave Black Dragons protection, power, and authority.
• Onyxia announced that she, Sabellian, their Dragonkin, and their followers would join the rescue operation, while Wrathion remained doubtful.
• In the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, N'Zoth's power began breaking through Patrick's Arcane Shield as his energy ran low.
• Patrick asked the Goddess for help, and she said she was channeling Arcane and life energy into him to resist the corruption.

N'Zoth’s corruption of Patrick stalled at 77%, leaving him unable to control, kill, or split Patrick’s soul. As Patrick endured the Sha’s whispers, he resisted N'Zoth’s temptations and mocked his threats.

• The seven great Sha drew out Patrick’s anger, despair, doubt, violence, hatred, fear, and pride, while Elune struggled to slow N'Zoth’s corruption.
• N'Zoth discovered that his corruption of Patrick stopped at 77%, and the remaining 23% of Patrick’s soul repelled and purged his power.
• N'Zoth failed to separate Patrick’s corrupted soul from the rest, and he resolved to use the seven great Sha to sway Patrick while he planned to conquer Pandaria.
• Patrick resisted the whispers reaching him through a gap in his Arcane Shield and dismissed N'Zoth’s promises of war and enslavement as empty political tricks.

Patrick reflected on why he had saved Kael'thas and Illidan, concluding that each had acted according to his convictions while trapped by impossible circumstances. He rejected the Sha's attempt to manipulate him and reaffirmed his commitment to his own ideals.

• Patrick decided that killing Kael'thas would have prevented Quel'Thalas from overcoming its divisions and restoring unity.
• Patrick concluded that Kael'thas had cooperated with Kil'jaeden only because he was trapped, while resisting Kil'jaeden's demand to demonize Quel'Thalas and destroy Shattrath.
• Patrick explained that he had saved Kael'thas, set a trap for Kil'jaeden, and helped bring Kael'thas and Illidan back so Quel'Thalas could reform.
• Patrick reflected that he had spared Jaina despite his hatred of Dalaran, because he remained committed to justice and fairness.
• Patrick confronted his dark self in his sea of consciousness, rejected the Old Gods and Sha's attempts to control him, and shattered it with Arcane Flame.

Azeroth’s powers and the Arcane Pact mobilized their armies to rescue Patrick from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and stop the Old Gods’ threat. Illidan led the Covenant forces out from Netherwing Ledge as the campaign began.

• Varian committed the Alliance’s First Legion, while Thrall brought the Earthen Ring’s shamans and the Horde’s Kor’kron legion into the operation.
• Velen deployed the Hand of Argus, and the Four Dragon Aspects, the Earthen Ring, and the Cenarion Circle joined the coalition.
• The Arcane Pact assembled at Netherwing Ledge, using its harbor, airfield, and portals to prepare its forces for war.
• Illidan, Maiev, Kael’thas, High King Maulgar, and Vashj gathered with their troops, while Alonsus Faol brought undead forces and the Evil Citadel Malykriss.
• Illidan ordered the Covenant army to move out and flew over the sea toward the battle.

With Patrick missing inside the Sha-corrupted Vale of Eternal Blossoms, the Coalition Forces prepared to invade and destroy the Old Gods. Illidan’s Demon Hunters blasted open the Gate of the August Celestials, and the assembled forces began reshaping the mountains to bring their armies into the vale.

• Taran Zhu reported that the Mantid and Sha had overrun the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, while Kael'thas detected no trace of Patrick or Arcane activity.
• Alleria charged Thori'dal with the Sunwell’s energy and vowed to rescue Patrick.
• Illidan and four master Demon Hunters blasted the corrupted Gate of the August Celestials with Fel, destroying it.
• Thrall summoned Therazane as Kael'thas, Onyxia, Sabellian, and other Black Dragons lowered the surrounding mountains to open a route for the Coalition Forces.
• Ysera, Yu'lon, Hui Li, Netherkurse, and the Draenei led by Kierlas and Velen lent their powers to the army as it advanced into the vale.
• Illidan flew into the Mantid ranks first, attacking beneath the Coalition Forces’ cries of “For Azeroth!”

The Azeroth Coalition Forces fought their way through the Vale of Eternal Blossoms with help from Dragonhawk Riders and Arcane Bombs. At the Gilded Fan, the Seven Sha created Lesser Sha, while Alonsus Faol discovered that the Sha energy there corroded even the Scourge, leaving the Coalition Forces unable to cross.

• The Coalition leaders, Demon Hunters, Alleria, and their allies attacked the Mantid as the battle spread through the corrupted Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
• Verlin Sunstrider received Kael'thas's orders, and the Dragonhawk Riders bombarded the Mantid while dragons and helicopters destroyed their air force.
• Dranosh and Garrosh led the Coalition Forces toward Emperor's Reach and the Gilded Fan, where Grand Empress Shek'zeer and the Faceless Ones appeared.
• Murloc Vara used the Coalition Forces' negative emotions and the well water of Midsummer Meadow to activate the Heart of Y'Shaarj, allowing the Seven Sha to create Lesser Sha.
• Alonsus Faol watched his Abominations dissolve in the Sha energy at the Gilded Fan, revealing a deadly barrier the Coalition Forces could not cross.