Chapter Summaries

Garrosh, Dranosh, Hemet II, and Baron defeated Heimdall and the Spirits by securing Heimdall’s golden horn. As the contestants celebrated, the Lich King Arthas launched a full-scale Undead Scourge assault on Wyrmrest Temple and the surrounding forces.

• Baron dispelled Heimdall’s golden rage, giving Hemet II a chance to shoot the strap holding Heimdall’s horn.
• Hemet II’s bullet severed the strap, and Garrosh claimed the horn to win the battle for the contestants.
• Heimdall conceded the victory, and the contestants received cheers as the defeated Spirits vanished from the hall.
• Tirion Fordring began praising the contestants before crashes shook Wyrmrest Temple and two wounded Red Dragons fell into the hall.
• Mograine tried to counter the attack, but an ice-blue barrier stopped his Holy Light as a giant Bone Dragon and the Lich King appeared.
• The Undead Scourge poured through Angrathar and attacked the Alliance Forces near Fordragon Hold and Warsong Hold.

Arthas and his death knights ambushed the heroes at Wyrmrest Temple, forcing them into battles across the temple and nearby snowfields. Dick confronted Arthas while Rhonin and Jaina exposed the identity of their powerful black-robed opponent, who was revealed to be their former mentor.

• Mograine, Tirion Fordring, and Varian attacked Arthas, but Arthas wounded Varian and summoned Sindragosa to fight the Red Dragon Queen.
• Arthas’s allies ambushed Kael'thas, but Dick arrived and engaged Arthas in a clash of Holy Fire and deathfrost.
• Arthas tried to persuade Dick to join him, and Dick demanded to know whether he was fighting Arthas or the Lich King before the two renewed their battle.
• Mograine, Tirion Fordring, Saurfang, Varian, Thrall, Kael'thas, Magni, Daelin, Rhonin, and Jaina fought Arthas’s remaining champions across the temple and snowfields.
• Rhonin and Jaina worked together against a black-robed mage, whose time magic was exposed when Jaina’s ice barrage forced him to reveal his face.
• The black-robed mage addressed Anna and Rhonin as former companions and declared that they were now enemies.

Dick Tang fought Arthas across Dragonblight, where the Lich King froze him and pierced his heart before Dick broke free and struck back with a devastating blow. Both survived the clash, and Arthas withdrew as Dick learned that something had happened to Anna.

• Dick Tang discovered that his Order power gave him no special advantage against Arthas, and Arthas's strength overwhelmed his defenses.
• Arthas froze Dick in a massive block of ice, then pierced his chest and declared that he would raise Dick as his weapon.
• Anveena lent Dick her power, allowing him to break free and blast Arthas with a tremendous strike of Holy Light.
• Dick and Arthas both remained capable of fighting, but Sindragosa's arrival and Arthas's decision to withdraw ended their clash.
• Liadrin contacted Dick to say that something had happened to Anna, and Dick prepared to return.

Arthas’s assault on Wyrmrest Temple left Jaina unconscious and Rhonin badly wounded after Arthas desecrated Antonidas’s soul. As Dick and Velen headed to the overwhelmed battlefield at Angrathar, Garrosh faced a deadly strike from a Scourge Necropolis.

• Dick found Liadrin, Jaina, Rhonin, and other wounded survivors in the ruined Wyrmrest Temple.
• Rhonin told Dick that Arthas had resurrected Antonidas and desecrated his soul, while Velen said Jaina needed time to recover.
• Liadrin reported that the Scourge had overrun Fordragon Hold and Warsong Hold, killing more than fifteen hundred soldiers.
• Dick set out for Angrathar with Velen, and Rhonin followed to bring his mentor to the battlefield.
• Alliance, Horde, and Dragon forces fought to hold back the vast Scourge army, while Garrosh charged its commanders.
• A Scourge Necropolis targeted Garrosh, Dranosh rushed to save him, and a beam of dark-green energy pierced the sky.

The Ebon Blade arrived at Angrathar and turned the battle against the Scourge, allowing the Alliance and Horde forces to charge. Dick then joined Velen and used Anveena to channel their combined Holy Light toward the gate as a lure.

• Garrosh saw the Ebon Blade's four floating cities destroy a Scourge necropolis and realized the reinforcements were allies.
• Uther led the Ebon Blade in a devastating attack that cut through the undead and halted their advance, while Thassarian sounded the horn.
• Varian ordered the forces to charge, and the Alliance and Horde armies advanced as dragons and Ebon Blade fighters attacked the Scourge.
• Dick explained to Velen why Azeroth's leaders and warriors fought to protect their home, then asked him to help cut through Apocalypse Gate · Angrathar.
• Anveena converted Dick's Holy Light for Velen, and their combined power surged into the sky, drawing attention toward the gate.

Dick and Velen combined their holy power to attack Angrathar, forcing Arthas to defend the gate and then retreat when their strike opened a breach beside it. Their power also bathed the battlefield in healing light, leaving the living forces victorious for the moment.

• Velen controlled Dick’s holy power and shaped it into a massive sword of light aimed at Angrathar.
• Arthas gathered Icecrown’s dark energy and clashed with the sword, freezing the gate’s lower structures as its upper structures melted.
• Dick and Velen redirected their final strike, carving a vast hollow through Angrathar’s wall and the adjoining mountainside, while the effort left them both weakened.
• Velen released a rain of holy light that healed the living, honored the fallen, and purified undead across the battlefield.
• Mograine, Saurfang, and Cairne led the forces forward as Arthas ordered the undead to retreat, and Mograine challenged the Lich King.

After the Alliance Forces reclaimed Fordragon Hold and Warsong Hold, Garrosh considered whether to become Chieftain of the Warsong Clan before he and Jorin received a secret mission from Saurfang. They boarded an Engineering Submarine with Dranosh and Brigadier General Matthew, bound for a destination Matthew called hell.

• The Alliance Forces strengthened their defenses and morale after recapturing Fordragon Hold and Warsong Hold, while leaders resolved to send more troops and prisoners to Northrend.
• Garrosh told Dranosh and Jorin that Warsong warriors had asked him to become their Chieftain, and Dranosh urged him to accept the responsibility.
• Saurfang assigned Garrosh, Jorin, and Dranosh a confidential mission that could affect the war, warning them to withdraw if it risked failure.
• Saurfang told Dranosh that his performance had earned him one of the world's finest weapons, intended for warriors.
• At New Hearthglen's harbor, the three Orcs boarded an Engineering Submarine with Brigadier General Matthew, who said their destination was hell.

Stormwind blamed the Lich King for Archbishop Benedictus’s death and sent a second expeditionary corps to Northrend. Meanwhile, Dick and Muradin forged Shadow’s Edge, and Uther set out to meet Dick after hearing the weapon could oppose a runeblade.

• Archbishop Benedictus was killed during an attack in Westfall, and Stormwind’s reports blamed the Lich King’s death knights after investigators found shadow energy, insectoid remains, and a shattered runeblade.
• King Varian held Benedictus’s funeral, vowed to fight Arthas, and sent Stormwind’s Second Expeditionary Corps to Northrend.
• Stormwind’s authorities silenced people who questioned the official account, while Cathedral of Light priests and soldiers helped suppress the Twilight’s Hammer cultists.
• Dick and Muradin completed the war axe Shadow’s Edge using water from a glacier near Frosthold, and Dick said he meant to give it to someone who could earn its recognition.
• A messenger told Uther that Dick was waiting at K3 Base with a weapon capable of opposing the runeblade, and Uther left to meet him.

Dick gathered Illidan, Senegos, and Uther to imbue Shadow's Edge with fel, frost, and blood so it could counter Frostmourne by trapping souls. The weapon awakened with a greedy soul of its own, but neither Uther nor Dick could wield it, leaving Dick to seek it another master as he promised to aid Illidan's war later.

• Dick learned that the quest system had identified the crystal Anduin found after Helya's death as an unknown special rule item required for the Darkness Overturned quest.
• Dick asked Illidan to infuse Shadow's Edge with fel flame, and Illidan agreed after Dick explained that the weapon needed the power to trap souls and oppose Frostmourne.
• Uther arrived and approved Dick's plan, then added the power of blood and hatred while Senegos infused the axe with frost.
• Shadow's Edge transformed into a soul-manipulating weapon, but its greedy spirit resisted Uther, and Dick said neither of them could become its master.
• Dick promised Illidan he would eventually help in Draenor, said he would join the war later, and asked him to take something to Sylvanas.

Dick unveiled Shadowmourne, a dangerous axe modeled after Frostmourne, and explained that it could help prevent powerful Scourge undead from being resurrected. Tirion Fordring volunteered to test whether he could wield it, despite Dick warning that the weapon would be especially difficult for him to control.

• Dick brought a chained wooden box to the Alliance Forces' headquarters, where Tirion Fordring welcomed him and Mograine and other leaders gathered to inspect its contents.
• Dick explained that Frostmourne preserved the souls of dead Scourge leaders, allowing them to return, and said the Alliance needed a way to counter that threat.
• Dick opened the box and revealed Shadowmourne, describing its soul-absorbing powers and saying it could oppose Frostmourne.
• Dick warned that Shadowmourne might influence its wielder and that only someone able to master its will could use it safely; Cairne Bloodhoof stressed that the wielder needed a strong will to face Arthas.
• Tirion Fordring asked whether Shadowmourne would affect its wielder's thoughts, then volunteered to try it, saying he wanted to end the war and had already lost too much.

Tirion Fordring took hold of Shadowmourne and fought its power as Holy Light and death energy clashed within him. He persuaded the weapon’s newly born soul to accept him as its wielder, then joined its power with his own and prepared to strengthen it with Dick’s “Feast of a Thousand Souls.”

• Tirion Fordring grasped Shadowmourne, and its power surged through his body as his Holy Light fought against it.
• Mograine, Dick, and Saurfang urged Fordring to hold on while he struggled against the weapon in his mind.
• Fordring confronted Shadowmourne’s soul and convinced it to obey him until it found a more suitable wielder.
• Shadowmourne accepted Fordring, and the two energies reached a balance that left his left hand in constant conflict between regeneration and destruction.
• Dick proposed strengthening Shadowmourne with a “Feast of a Thousand Souls.”

Hemet Nesingwary and Hemet II sabotaged the undead’s defenses around the Shadow Vault by intercepting and altering messages, then ambushed a scouting party. After revealing that he had joined the expedition to obtain the Titan-powered Eye of the Eagle, Nesingwary called for Rexxar, Rogério, and Theron as a major hunt approached.

• Hemet II and Hemet Nesingwary captured a bone raven outside the Shadow Vault and replaced its encrypted message with altered information.
• Nesingwary explained that Arthas received information through layers of command, allowing them to weaken the undead defensive line without attracting his attention.
• Sensing danger, Nesingwary and Hemet II concealed themselves and attacked a lich and five death knights who arrived through a portal.
• Nesingwary killed the fleeing lich with a long-range shot from the Eye of the Eagle, while Hemet II learned why his father had joined the expedition.
• Nesingwary told Hemet II to signal Rexxar, Rogério, and Theron, declaring that a vast organized hunt was about to begin.

Dick showed Tirion Fordring, Mograine, and Uther how Arthas’s forces were raising Frost Giant corpses at Lightning Ledge to create Bone Behemoths. He sent the Alliance Forces to clear the undead operation, leaving Tirion to fight a powerful target with Shadowmourne.

• Dick explained that the Frost Giants of Dun Niffelem had yielded to his forces, while the Mogu Burning Legion had destroyed Brunnhildar Village and captured Thorim’s surviving followers.
• Dick brought Mograine, Tirion Fordring, and Uther to Lightning Ledge to show them a troubling discovery made by his scouts.
• The group saw undead raising Frost Giant corpses and assembling them into Bone Behemoths for Arthas’s army.
• Dick suspected Arthas had approval from powerful figures in Ulduar, and Tirion Fordring demanded that they destroy the site.
• Dick opened the Storm Peaks’ rear areas to the Alliance Forces and led the group in an attack, assigning Tirion a target to feed to Shadowmourne.

Valanar reflected on his transformation into a San'layn prince before Lightning Ledge came under attack by Dick, Mograine, and Uther. Tirion Fordring confronted Valanar inside the fortress, and their battle ended with both still fighting.

• Valanar remembered his former life in Quel'Thalas and how he had become one of Arthas's San'layn princes.
• Dick, Mograine, and Uther attacked Lightning Ledge with Holy Light, lightning, and dark powers, prompting Valanar to watch from the fortress.
• Tirion Fordring broke into Valanar's room and attacked him with Shadowmourne, cracking Valanar's crimson shield and nearly severing his arm.
• Valanar fought back with blood blades, crimson chains, and his claws, wounding Tirion and healing himself by drinking the paladin's blood.
• Tirion broke free of Valanar's chains and prepared to continue the fight as Valanar declared that Tirion's blood would be his.

Tirion Fordring defeated Valanar in the fortress at Lightning Ledge, and the dying San'layn remembered his lost love, Vanessa. After promising to bury him beside her in Fairbreeze Village, Tirion watched Valanar die and burned his body and blood-soaked letter in Holy Light.

• Valanar used Blood Magic to exploit Tirion Fordring's wound, but Tirion healed it with Holy Light and countered Valanar's attacks.
• Tirion unleashed the bound souls around him and struck Valanar with Shadowmourne and a powerful burst of Holy Light.
• Valanar, mortally wounded, remembered Vanessa and asked Tirion to bury him beside her in Fairbreeze Village.
• Tirion promised to honor Valanar's request, and Valanar died peacefully while reaching toward the memory of Vanessa.
• Tirion recited Holy Script and burned Valanar's corpse and blood-soaked letter in golden flames.

As war spread across Northrend, Dick joined Brann Bronzebeard, Tirion Fordring, Lor'themar Theron, and Rogelio Starstrider in the ruins of Azjol-Nerub. The group chose to pursue Anub'arak while Dick headed toward the passage leading to Ahn'kahet for his own business.

• The Alliance Forces began a dawn counterattack at Angrathar as battles continued across Northrend.
• Brann Bronzebeard warned the group about venomous Nerubian spiderlings and told them that the Nerubian Krik'thir had sought protection after Arthas's assault.
• Brann identified the three passages as routes to Ahn'kahet, Anub'arak's throne, and the Pit of Narjun, while Lor'themar Theron advised them to avoid Hadronox's lair.
• Lor'themar revealed that his giant plague spider Maexxna came from the Pit of Narjun and had once been Hadronox's rival.
• Tirion Fordring's group headed toward Anub'arak's throne, while Dick burned away the webs blocking the passage to Ahn'kahet and told them to call for help if needed.

Anub'arak recalled his defeat, resurrection, and role in destroying the Nerubian kingdom before facing Tirion Fordring, Lor'themar Theron, and Rogério Starseeker in Azjol-Nerub. The battle began in earnest, leaving Anub'arak wounded and the Suspended Throne cracking beneath them.

• Anub'arak remembered how Ner'zhul's forces defeated him at the Frozen Throne and raised him to lead the Scourge against his own kingdom.
• Tirion Fordring, Lor'themar Theron, and Rogério Starseeker broke into the Suspended Throne while Maexxna fought the Nerubian undead outside.
• Lor'themar fired a Chimera Shot at Anub'arak, but the Crypt Lord deflected it with a forelimb.
• Tirion struck Anub'arak with Shadowmourne, cutting his forelimb and shattering its armlet as the throne's floor cracked.
• Rogério and Lor'themar hit Anub'arak with arrows, piercing his carapace and abdomen as the battle intensified.

Tirion Fordring, Lor'themar, and Rogério fought Anub'arak on the suspended throne, coordinating their attacks to overcome the Crypt Lord. They killed him, and as his vision faded, Anub'arak remembered his innocent childhood before lamenting Nerub's fall.

• Anub'arak burrowed beneath the throne and impaled Tirion Fordring, but Tirion's Shadowmourne soul fragments wounded the Crypt Lord.
• Lor'themar shot Anub'arak with a powerful Black Arrow, binding one forelimb in shadow energy, then climbed onto his back and attacked with his greatsword.
• Rogério drew Thori'dal and fired a star-infused arrow while Tirion Fordring and Lor'themar restrained Anub'arak.
• Rogério's arrow struck Anub'arak between the eyes, and Tirion Fordring and Lor'themar drove their weapons into his throat and forehead.
• Anub'arak fell and died as Shadowmourne drained his soul, and he remembered his childhood before declaring that Nerub had fallen.

Dick entered Ahn'kahet to confront the Twilight Cultists worshipping Yogg-Saron. After killing Yoggoda Shadow Seeker and a chosen cultist, he announced that the survivors would be exiled to another world.

• Dick passed through a hidden tunnel into Ahn'kahet's depths, where he found the Twilight Cultists living in a concealed camp.
• Yoggoda Shadow Seeker led nearly a thousand cultists in prayers and prepared to grant a Dark Iron Dwarf power from Yogg-Saron.
• Dick's holy fire killed the Dark Iron Dwarf and burned Shadow Seeker to dust, destroying their souls as well.
• Dick emerged before the stunned cultists and sentenced them to exile in another world, while watching the road toward a deeper source of chaos.

Dick entered Ahn'kahet's ritual hall and fought the Faceless Ones serving Yogg-Saron. After killing three guardians, he confronted Yogg-Saron's enormous messenger, who warned him to turn back.

• Dick left Anveena and Lei Shi to watch the Twilight Cultists while he explored deeper into Ahn'kahet.
• Anveena killed a cultist who tried to escape, then promised Lei Shi she could drown the next one who moved if she first learned to take human form.
• Dick entered a dark Nerubian ritual hall, revealed his armor Redemption, and drew out three Faceless Guardians and their enormous leader.
• Dick swiftly killed the three Faceless Guardians as the Faceless Ones Squire emerged from a black vortex.
• The Squire spoke in the Old Gods' language, and Dick answered in Titan language before the Squire warned him to turn back.