Chapter Summaries

Aaron escaped Xavius after discovering that Xavius had merged with Shaladrassil and become linked to the Emerald Dream. Ysera and Freya arrived, but Xavius warned that killing him could threaten the Dream, leaving Ysera alarmed by the connection he had created.

• Xavius revealed himself in Shaladrassil's trunk and bound Aaron, threatening to kill him once he had mastered his new body.
• Aaron used a light-made arm and greatsword to cut the vine, then flew away from Xavius.
• Aaron remembered that he was waiting for Ysera and Freya, and they emerged from the dream portal.
• Ysera learned from Aaron that Xavius had merged with Shaladrassil and said she would kill him.
• Xavius claimed he had become one with the Emerald Dream and warned Ysera that killing him could cause a disaster like the one after Aviana's death.
• Ysera noticed Xavius's link to the Emerald Dream and demanded to know how he had created it.

Aaron deduced that Xavius had stolen part of Ysera’s power and linked his soul to the Emerald Dream to make her afraid to kill him. Ysera found a way around the danger by transferring Xavius’s soul into a sapling, leaving him easier to deal with.

• Aaron suggested that Xavius had gained authority over the Emerald Dream by stealing some of Ysera’s power.
• Freya recalled that Xavius could have stolen Ysera’s power while ambushing her, then moved his soul into Shaladrassil’s projection and linked it to the Emerald Dream.
• Aaron asked whether Ysera and Freya could sever Xavius’s connection without harming the Emerald Dream, and Freya said the consequences would be similar to killing him.
• Ysera breathed on Shaladrassil, causing a sapling with Xavius’s face to grow from the ground.
• Ysera pulled Xavius’s soul from Shaladrassil and transferred it into the sapling.

Aaron returned from Kalimdor with the Kul Tiras fleet, then traveled with Vereesa to Covenant City. On arriving, he learned that a Blood Knights induction ceremony was being held in his territory.

• Aaron told Vereesa about Xavius's fate after Ysera separated his soul from Shaladrassil and left him under watch in the Emerald Dream.
• Aaron joined Kul Tiras's returning fleet, which charted a direct route from Azshara and passed the Maelstrom before reaching the Broken Isles.
• Aaron parted ways with the Kul Tiras fleet and sailed with Vereesa toward Quel'Thalas, reaching Covenant City after stopping at Sunsail Anchorage.
• Illucia handed Aaron an invitation to a Paladin induction ceremony, and he realized it was the Blood Knights' ceremony in his territory.

Aaron returned to Covenant City and visited Liadrin ahead of the Blood Knights’ first induction ceremony, which was scheduled for the following day. Liadrin welcomed him and left Illucia to guide him through meeting the attending nobles.

• Aaron reviewed the invitation and noted that the Blood Knights’ induction ceremony was two days away.
• Liadrin finished preparations for the ceremony and rested at her desk after most guests had arrived.
• Illucia brought Aaron to greet Liadrin and told her he had returned to Covenant City in time to attend.
• Vereesa hugged Liadrin, who warned her that Sylvanas had complained about her absence.
• Aaron asked Liadrin what to expect at the ceremony, and she told him not to bother with empty pleasantries.
• Illucia agreed to advise Aaron on meeting the Quel'Thalas nobles, and Vereesa offered to help.

Aaron watched the Blood Knights' initiation ceremony and learned that Lor'themar had been barred from Covenant City by Liadrin. After leaving the camp with Vereesa, he noticed the first snow of winter and invited her for a walk.

• Aaron watched the initiation ceremony with Kael'thas and Halduron, who explained that few people knew him because he rarely attended Silvermoon City's social events.
• Halduron said Lor'themar had been forbidden from entering Covenant City while Liadrin was angry with him.
• High Priest Vandellor guided the recruits through the ceremony, and most received the Holy Light's blessing and joined the Blood Knights Legion.
• Aaron left the camp with Vereesa after the first batch of recruits completed the ceremony.
• Aaron saw snow falling and asked Vereesa to take a walk with him.

Aaron met Arthas, Jaina, and Muradin in Covenant City and learned why they had come. He invited them to his residence to hear about the continent to the west that Arthas wanted to explore.

• Aaron and Vereesa spotted Arthas, Jaina, and Muradin leaving a shop and went to greet them.
• Arthas said he had delivered New Year's greetings to Anasterian for Terenas and had detoured to see Covenant City, while Muradin explained that Terenas had asked him to accompany Arthas.
• Jaina said she had arrived with Antonidas, who was visiting the magic academy, but she did not know why he had come.
• Arthas asked Aaron about the continent to the west, and Aaron invited Arthas, Jaina, and Muradin to his residence.

Aaron returned to his residence with Arthas, Jaina, and Muradin, hoping to build a closer relationship with Arthas, but found Sylvanas waiting to confront him about Vereesa joining the fleet to Kalimdor. After Sylvanas scolded Vereesa, Aaron entertained his guests and reunited with Arator before preparing to speak with Sylvanas.

• Aaron invited Arthas, Jaina, and Muradin to his residence, where Muradin rushed ahead after hearing about Aaron's wine cellar.
• Aaron found Sylvanas waiting at the residence, and she angrily questioned him about taking Vereesa to Kalimdor.
• Sylvanas greeted Aaron's guests before pulling Vereesa away to scold her.
• Arator ran to Aaron and complained about how difficult things had been while Aaron was away.
• Sylvanas and Vereesa returned, and Aaron left his guests with Vereesa before approaching Sylvanas to talk.

Aaron spoke with Sylvanas about Vereesa, and Sylvanas warned him not to mistreat her sister before explaining that she planned to take Vereesa home for Winter Veil. Aaron invited the Windrunners to celebrate in Covenant City instead, and Vereesa, Arator, Arthas, and Jaina supported the idea.

• Aaron confirmed to Sylvanas that the events he had described were true, and Sylvanas asked whether Vereesa had faced danger.
• Sylvanas warned Aaron that she would kill him if he wronged Vereesa, then said Vereesa needed to come home with her for Winter Veil.
• Aaron realized the Windrunners would return to Windrunner Village, where Vereesa and Arator disliked the family's treatment of them.
• Aaron invited Sylvanas to celebrate Winter Veil in Covenant City, and Vereesa and Arator eagerly agreed.
• Arthas and Jaina joined the invitation, with Jaina agreeing to stay rather than return to Dalaran.

Aaron and his companions prepared to celebrate Winter Veil in Covenant City, and his lord’s manor grew unexpectedly crowded with guests. Liam explained that he had come to purchase construction machinery for the Greymane Wall, while Tess had joined the festivities.

• Vereesa brought Sylvanas and Arator back inside, and Aaron set aside his awkward attempt to speak privately with Vereesa.
• Muradin told Arthas and Aaron that drinking was Winter Veil’s most important tradition, while Vereesa and Jaina helped plan the celebration.
• When Winter Veil began a few days later, Aaron found his manor filled with festive decorations and far more guests than he had expected.
• Aaron asked Liam why he had come, and Liam said he was in Covenant City to purchase machinery for the Greymane Wall.
• Liam revealed that Tess had persuaded him to join the Winter Veil gathering after she learned about it from Arthas and Jaina.

Aaron hosted a lively Winter Veil banquet and learned why Liadrin had been avoiding Lor'themar. As the guests gathered for dinner, Aaron reflected on the friends around him and wondered whether he could someday bring everyone he knew together.

• Aaron said goodbye to Liam and Tess after helping them decorate the Christmas tree, then excused Liam for indulging his sister.
• Aaron found an exhausted Liadrin resting in a corner, where she explained that she was avoiding Lor'themar.
• Illucia arrived to thank Liadrin, and their conversation revealed that Illucia had advised her to send Blood Knight recruits to fight the Frostwolf Clan in Alterac.
• The guests gathered around the dining table, and Aaron announced the start of the Winter Veil banquet.
• Aaron smiled at the gathering and wondered whether the hall would be large enough if he brought all his friends together.

After the banquet, Arthas confided in Aaron that he doubted he could become a Paladin, so Aaron gave him a strand of Holy Light to reassure him. Muradin revealed he planned to return to Ironforge and shared news of an undiscovered artifact in Dragonblight before Aaron welcomed the new year with his family and friends.

• Arthas asked Aaron whether he could truly become a Paladin and explained that he feared the Holy Light would not accept him at the induction ceremony.
• Aaron placed a strand of Holy Light inside Arthas, showing him that he could become a Paladin even if the Holy Light rejected him.
• Muradin promised to bring Arthas an artifact from Northrend and said Brann had found clues to an ancient axe in Dragonblight.
• Muradin told Aaron and Arthas that he would leave his ambassador post and return to Ironforge the following year.
• Aaron spent the days after the banquet with the Windrunner Sisters and Arator, then welcomed the fifteenth year after the Dark Portal.

Aaron spent most of the year running Ya-Mei Trading Company and Covenant City, believing the threats to Azeroth had largely passed. When Illucia revealed that her parents had joined the Cult of the Damned, Aaron realized the cult had appeared unexpectedly and wondered what was behind it.

• Aaron focused on Covenant City and Ya-Mei Trading Company while hearing reports that threats across Azeroth were being contained.
• Aaron attended Arthas's Silver Hand induction ceremony in Stormwind City, where Arthas became a Paladin and received Holy Light's Vengeance.
• Aaron returned to Covenant City after using Truthguard to confirm that the Black Dragon Princess had not returned to Stormwind City under a new identity.
• Illucia asked to go home because her parents had joined the Cult of the Damned, which worried her.
• Aaron recognized the cult as an unexpected development and considered whether the Bronze or Infinite Dragonflight had caused it.
• Illucia asked Aaron whether he knew something about the Cult of the Damned.

Illucia told Aaron that her family was considering lending Caer Darrow to the Cult of the Damned, and Aaron feared the Barov Family faced the fate he remembered from history. He arranged for VanCleef to manage Covenant City and left with Illucia for Caer Darrow.

• Illucia explained that the Cult of the Damned had contacted her family the previous year and that her parents had grown favorably disposed toward it.
• Illucia showed Aaron a letter saying her father planned to lend Caer Darrow to the Cult of the Damned as a base.
• Aaron recognized the danger to the Barov Family, but Illucia feared the letter was already two weeks old and insisted on returning home.
• Aaron told Illucia he would accompany her because traveling alone would be too dangerous.
• Aaron arranged for VanCleef to temporarily manage Covenant City and notified Sicco Thermaplugg that he would miss scheduled work.
• Aaron and Illucia set out for Caer Darrow.

Aaron learned that Covenant City had a portal to Lordaeron and used it to hurry toward Caer Darrow to investigate the Barov Family’s possible ties to a secret cult. Kael'thas sent Salorian Dawnseeker with him, and Aaron stopped at Terenas’s palace before continuing his journey.

• Illucia reminded Aaron that Covenant City had a portal to Lordaeron, which could bring them to Caer Darrow within two days.
• Kael'thas learned Aaron wanted to investigate the Barov Family’s possible connection to a secret cult and assigned Salorian Dawnseeker to accompany him.
• Aaron recognized Salorian’s sword as Quel'Delar and accepted Kael'thas’s offer of assistance.
• Aaron, Illucia, and Vereesa traveled through the portal, and Aaron asked Salorian to hire two carriages for the trip to Caer Darrow.
• Aaron went with Illucia and Vereesa to greet Terenas at the royal palace, where the king waited in the main hall among his nobles.

Aaron warned Terenas that the Cult of the Damned might be plotting around the Barov Family’s lands, and Terenas sent Uther with him to investigate Caer Darrow. The party reached Lake Darrowmere, where Illucia spotted her family’s apparently intact castle before Vereesa noticed the lake smelled foul.

• Aaron told Terenas that the Cult of the Damned might be trying to seize the Barov Family’s lands, but admitted he had no proof.
• Terenas consulted Uther, who agreed to accompany Aaron to Barov Castle and investigate.
• Terenas authorized the investigation and promised to send support if the danger proved real.
• Aaron met Salorian, assembled his party, and set out for Caer Darrow with Uther.
• At Lake Darrowmere, Illucia felt relieved to see smoke rising from her family’s intact castle, but Vereesa remarked that the lake water smelled foul.

Aaron and the party investigated the foul smell around Lake Darrowmere and discovered that the Cult of the Damned was draining corrupted wastewater near Caer Darrow. Aaron found that the plague was already draining the land’s vitality, and the party turned toward an even more afflicted area to the east.

• Vereesa and Salorian smelled rotting corpses near Lake Darrowmere, and Aaron used his vision to trace the lake’s declining vitality to the island’s north side.
• Aaron redirected the party toward the north rather than approaching Caer Darrow by its southern bridge, and Illucia explained that her family crypt lay beneath the castle.
• Vereesa confirmed the stench was growing stronger, and Aaron spotted a hidden sewer outlet releasing grayish-green wastewater from the Barov castle area.
• Uther sensed evil and questioned what the Barov Family was doing, while Illucia defended her family but privately recognized its dishonorable dealings with the Cult of the Damned.
• Vereesa and Aaron saw that the wastewater had blackened lakebed soil and dulled nearby weeds, and Aaron realized the Cult had already begun spreading the Plaguelands.
• Uther called for them to stop the cultists, but Aaron pointed east, where the land’s vitality was even more depleted.

Aaron investigated the strange decay around Darrowshire’s cemetery and discovered a hidden underground passage beneath a ruined house. At its end, he found red-robed figures gathered around a bloodied table as a Lich emerged from the shadows.

• Aaron sent Illucia and the others ahead to the bridge, then flew alone to Darrowshire’s cemetery.
• Aaron searched the cemetery and a dilapidated house, where Truthguard reacted despite finding no undead above ground.
• Aaron cleared debris from the collapsed room and uncovered a concealed passage that resembled a Nerubian tunnel.
• Aaron followed the passage underground and found red-robed figures working around a blood-drenched table.
• Aaron prepared to attack, but stopped when a black-robed skeleton floated from the shadows.

Aaron ambushed the Cult of the Damned’s research group, killed Rage Winterchill and the acolytes, and interrogated the sole survivor about their plague experiments. He learned the cult had recently gained support from nobles and asked where they kept the Source of the Plague.

• Aaron hid near the cavern entrance and overheard Rage Winterchill tell the acolytes to improve the plague while concealing traces of death magic.
• Aaron killed Rage Winterchill with Holy Light, knocked down the approaching acolyte, and fought the others when they attacked.
• Aaron used Holy Light to interrupt the acolytes’ spells, killed all but one, and questioned the survivor.
• The acolyte said they were using the Source of the Plague to spread plague through Lordaeron and that the cult had recently gained support from nobles.
• Aaron asked where the Source of the Plague was kept.

Aaron questioned a Cult of the Damned acolyte about the Source of the Plague and learned the cultists had made little progress studying it. He recruited the acolyte and left the hideout with the Source of the Plague and a pendant from Rage Winterchill.

• Aaron found the Source of the Plague and asked the acolyte how long the cultists had studied it.
• The acolyte told Aaron they had spent about three months underground and had only learned how to use and control the artifact.
• The acolyte revealed that Rage Winterchill had been an Orc Shaman and knew little about death magic research.
• Aaron offered the regretful acolyte a chance to leave the Cult of the Damned and work for him, and the acolyte agreed.
• Aaron used Holy Light to clear the acolyte's death-energy influence, then took the Source of the Plague and a pendant and left the hideout with the acolyte and his unconscious companion.

After destroying a Cult of the Damned base, Aaron recruited Andrew and Edward to help him find a way to stop the Source of the Plague. He sent them to Darrowshire under Xal'atath's mind-control spell, then flew to meet Vereesa and the others and investigate Caer Darrow.

• Aaron collapsed the underground entrance to the Cult of the Damned base and covered it with boulders.
• Aaron learned the acolytes were named Andrew and Edward, healed Edward, and asked them to work for him.
• Aaron told Andrew and Edward to research how to stop the Source of the Plague, not how to create a plague.
• Aaron had Xal'atath mind-control the acolytes and send them to Darrowshire to wait for him.
• Aaron buried the Source of the Plague and flew toward his rendezvous with Vereesa and the others to investigate Caer Darrow.