Recaps

After the battle, Jiang Jie warned Uther that Arthas was targeting the Sunwell and led the survivors back to Lordaeron. Meanwhile, Kael'thas drove off Tichondrius, learned that Jaina was safe, and turned his attention to the threat against the Sunstrider Dynasty.

• Jiang Jie told Uther to reinforce the defenses and return to Lordaeron while Arthas prepared to resurrect Kel'Thuzad with the Sunwell's power.
• Jiang Jie, Fenna, Uther, Jaina, and the others used a portal to leave the battlefield.
• Kael'thas fought the wounded Tichondrius at Solliden Farmstead, and his phoenix killed many of the dreadlord's bats as he fled.
• Kael'thas questioned a paladin and learned that Tichondrius had not attacked Jaina and that the Elemental Necklace had been with Nicholas.
• Kael'thas heard that Arthas was targeting the Sunwell and decided to scout the Sunstrider Dynasty's lands.

Arthas resurrected Invincible and learned that Tichondrius planned to use the undead to invade the Sunstrider Dynasty and obtain the Sunwell's power to resurrect Kel'Thuzad. Kel'Thuzad revealed that the Cult of the Damned had infiltrated far beyond Lordaeron as Arthas prepared to march on Stratholme.

• Arthas resurrected Invincible as a powerful skeletal warhorse.
• Tichondrius arrived wounded and ordered Arthas to gather the two hundred thousand undead in Stratholme and lead them through the mountains into the Ghostlands.
• Tichondrius said he would bring Kel'Thuzad's remains and a demon army to help destroy the Sunstrider Dynasty and seize the Sunwell's energy.
• After Tichondrius left, Kel'Thuzad's hidden soul appeared to Arthas and urged him to head for Stratholme.
• Arthas questioned whether the Scourge could breach Quel'Thalas's runic barrier, and Kel'Thuzad said the Cult of the Damned had infiltrated far beyond Lordaeron.

Jiang Jie received a royal title and a storage ring, advanced his martial arts, and saw Uther’s growing authority enable the Silver Hand’s mass recruitment. The chapter left Jiang Jie preparing to take up his nominal governorship of the Fenris Isles and help settle a hundred thousand refugees.

• Princess Calia made Jiang Jie an earl and provided him with a costly storage ring enchanted by Kael'thas.
• Jiang Jie stored his possessions in the ring and broke through to the Houtian Eighth Layer by opening the yin heel vessel.
• Uther’s influence helped secure approval to recruit widely into the Order of the Silver Hand, while nobles continued fleeing Lordaeron.
• Jiang Jie was summoned to discuss the Fenris Isles with Dagran the "Orcs Slayer," Earl Lawrence, and Rhonin, as a hundred thousand refugees awaited settlement.

Jiang Jie planned to establish a force of his own in the Fenris Isles and, with Patriarch Alexei’s advice, launched recruitment for the Fenris People's Army. The chapter ended with eager applicants traveling to Fenris Keep, reassured by the peaceful Murlocs and the army’s generous benefits.

• Jiang Jie decided to create a force to protect the refugees on the Fenris Isles and strengthen his influence.
• Patriarch Alexei advised Jiang Jie on how to build the organization and navigate the political landscape.
• Stories of Jiang Jie’s exploits spread across Lordaeron, further establishing his reputation as a hero.
• With Princess Calia’s permission and after consulting Rhonin, Jiang Jie announced the Fenris People's Army and offered generous pay, meals, and lodging.
• Crowds rushed to travel to Fenris Isle to enlist, where they saw that the Murlocs did not attack them.

A noble boy arrived at Fenris Isle to try out for the Fenris People's Army, hoping to follow Jiang Jie rather than become a Paladin like his father. Jiang Jie’s aptitude screening revealed how difficult it would be to recruit a hundred qualified members, and he noticed the boy among the latest applicants.

• The boy arrived at Fenris Isle, anxious that his stern father would disapprove of him joining the Fenris People's Army instead of the Order of the Silver Hand.
• He saw Harold and Ivan organizing the applicants and learned that Lilian had already joined the army.
• Lilian offered to recommend the boy to Big Brother Nicholas, but he insisted on earning his place through the selection.
• Jiang Jie used the gaming pod to assess applicants and found that only five of the first five hundred had the required three-star martial aptitude.
• Jiang Jie prepared to screen another group and stopped when he noticed the boy among them.

Jiang Jie discovered that Darion Mograine had extraordinary aptitude and accepted him into the Fenris People's Army despite the trouble it could cause with Darion's father. Darion chose to stay, and Jiang Jie vowed that no one would take him away against his will.

• Jiang Jie learned from Xiao Feng that Darion had five-star aptitude, making him an exceptionally promising martial arts student.
• After considering the conflict with Highlord Mograine, Jiang Jie decided to accept Darion and announced that he had passed the selection.
• Jiang Jie selected thirty-six young people and asked whether they had discussed joining the Fenris People's Army with their families.
• Darion admitted he had not yet spoken to his father and said he would write him a letter but would remain with the army.
• Jiang Jie told Darion he did not need to hide or fear his father and declared that no one could take him away unless he chose to leave.

Jiang Jie gathered thirty-six recruits to introduce martial arts and challenged them to force him out of a small circle for a ten-gold reward. After defeating the first warrior in seconds, he invited everyone to attack him together.

• Jiang Jie let Harold oversee Fenris Keep's security force while the settlement's defenses, farmland, and buildings were developed.
• Jiang Jie assembled thirty-six people, including Darion, Lilian, and Ivan, and announced that the Fenris People's Army would train as martial artists.
• Jiang Jie offered each recruit ten gold coins if they could force him out of a one-meter circle, while forbidding himself from using rogue or warrior skills.
• Jiang Jie allowed the recruits to use weapons and told Lilian and Ivan to join the challenge.
• The young warrior from the landing at Whispering Shore charged Jiang Jie with a two-handed sword, but Jiang Jie disarmed him and threw him five meters away.
• Jiang Jie praised the young warrior and called on everyone to attack him together.

Jiang Jie trained thirty-six recruits until they were exhausted, then taught them to sense internal energy through qi guidance. He helped each recruit begin their cultivation and ended the session nearly drained of internal energy.

• Jiang Jie defeated the thirty-six recruits repeatedly using Taijiquan, reaching complete integration and strengthening his martial arts.
• Jiang Jie ordered the exhausted recruits to hold horse stances on plum blossom stakes, and only Lilian, Darion, and a mid-ranking Warrior endured for five minutes.
• Jiang Jie taught the recruits to meditate and guided qi through Lilian, who sensed the moving energy but could not yet guide it herself.
• Jiang Jie performed qi guidance for each recruit, helping them sense internal energy, and nearly depleted his own in the process.

Jiang Jie finished recruiting and began preparing the Fenris People's Army for combat by leaving Wolf Island’s Gnolls and Worgs in place as a training challenge. He considered the recruits the future pillars of a sect he might found one day, then returned to Lordaeron for Princess Calia’s meeting and found Highlord Mograine waiting angrily at the palace gates.

• Jiang Jie ordered Knight Harold to tell the generals and Earl Lawrence to leave the monsters on the nearby island, which he named Wolf Island, so the recruits could train through real combat.
• Jiang Jie arranged a steady supply of medicinal herbs and baths, with Xiao Feng managing the recruits’ training program and the allocation of benefits.
• Jiang Jie completed recruitment of one hundred people, including one recruit with five-star aptitude and seven with four-star aptitude.
• Jiang Jie imagined the recruits as the first disciples and future pillars of a sect he might found after becoming a martial arts grandmaster.
• Jiang Jie taught the recruits basic breathing and training methods, then returned to Lordaeron to attend Princess Calia’s meeting.
• Jiang Jie arrived at the palace and found the furious Highlord Mograine waiting for him.

Jiang Jie negotiated with Old Mograine to train Darion for six months before Mograine took him back for Paladin training. The chapter ended with Jiang Jie promising to make Darion a kingdom baron and have him kill a thousand undead.

• Old Mograine told Jiang Jie that he had planned for Darion to train with the Order of the Silver Hand and eventually succeed him as Highlord.
• Jiang Jie challenged Mograine to pay more attention to Renault and argued that Darion should choose his own path.
• Jiang Jie proposed training Darion for six months, and Mograine agreed, demanding that Darion become a kingdom knight and kill a hundred undead.
• Jiang Jie promised to make Darion a kingdom baron and have him kill a thousand undead within six months, then sealed the agreement with Mograine.

Jiang Jie entered the Lordaeron royal hall as Princess Calia's advisers and representatives from several powers gathered to discuss Lordaeron's crisis. The ambassadors refused to offer military aid, leaving the talks stalled as the chapter ended.

• Jiang Jie met Fenna and Jaina after entering the palace, where Princess Calia had summoned them as special advisers.
• Jiang Jie saw representatives including Archmage Modera, Kael'thas Sunstrider, Prince Liam Greymane, Lord Darius Crowley, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, and Falstad Wildhammer at the conference.
• Princess Calia and Uther the Lightbringer presided over the talks in King Terenas's absence.
• The ambassadors offered sympathy and prayers but rejected military assistance, claiming Lordaeron's undead crisis was an internal affair.
• The representatives argued that their own defenses and geography would protect them from the undead, while Darius Crowley worried that his lands lay beyond the Greymane Wall.

After King Terenas died from the shock of hearing that Arthas had become a death knight and was leading the Scourge, Princess Calia and Jiang Jie moved to secure Lordaeron and summon its allies. The chapter ended with the leaders of the Eastern Kingdoms gathering for Terenas's funeral.

• Jiang Jie persuaded Princess Calia to let him attend the ambassadors' meeting and negotiate on Lordaeron's behalf.
• High Priest Isillien announced that King Terenas had died, prompting messengers to summon Lordaeron's leaders and the foreign envoys to return.
• Princess Calia learned that an unknown person had told Terenas that Arthas had fallen and was leading the Scourge, and that the news had killed him in a fit of rage.
• Uther the Lightbringer ordered Lordaeron's forces to impose martial law and protect the royal palace, while Jiang Jie arranged for Jaina to send messengers to other capitals.
• Earl Lawrence organized Terenas's funeral to take place within three days, and leaders from across the Eastern Kingdoms arrived for the ceremony.

After King Terenas’s funeral, Calia was crowned Queen of Lordaeron with Uther appointed regent and Grand Duke. She faced the kingdom’s uncertain future backed by her allies and the leaders of the Eastern Kingdoms.

• Isillien announced Terenas’s final decree appointing Calia monarch, Uther regent and Grand Duke, and Earl Lawrence marquis.
• Antonidas, Daelin, and Varian delivered eulogies, with Varian pledging Stormwind’s support for Calia and Lordaeron.
• Calia arranged for a monumental statue of Terenas to be built in Lordaeron Square after his burial.
• Calia addressed the gathered leaders, thanking her supporters as she prepared to lead a kingdom on the verge of collapse.
• Uther crowned Calia Queen of Lordaeron before the leaders of the Eastern Kingdoms.

At the gathering of Eastern Kingdoms leaders, Queen Calia rallied support against the Scourge and presented Jiang Jie as a major defender of Lordaeron. The leaders reacted to his deeds and reputation as he was named Nicholas Jiang and declared the meeting’s true chair.

• King Varian pledged Stormwind City's support to Calia, and she thanked him before warning that the Scourge threatened all the Eastern Kingdoms.
• Antonidas acknowledged Dalaran's responsibility because Kel'Thuzad, the Cult of the Damned's leader, had been his student.
• Calia recounted Jiang Jie's victories against the Cult of the Damned, the undead, and Arthas, along with his role in saving refugees and securing Strom'kar.
• Calia named him Nicholas Jiang, governor of the Fenris Isles, an earl of Lordaeron, and the meeting's true chair.
• Antonidas, Varian, Magni Bronzebeard, Daelin, Falstad Wildhammer, and Genn Greymane considered Nicholas Jiang, while one attendee showed no interest in respecting Calia.

At a meeting convened by Queen Calia, Sun King Anasterian rejected Jiang Jie’s claim that he was Emperor Thoradin’s heir and challenged his right to preside. Jiang Jie defended his identity and role as guardian of humanity, while the Sun King’s remaining strength became apparent.

• Anasterian mocked Calia’s decision to appoint Jiang Jie as the meeting’s presiding officer and refused to accept his qualifications.
• Uther defended Calia’s authority and affirmed that Lordaeron had the right to choose the meeting’s presiding officer.
• Jiang Jie declared that he understood the Scourge, had fought it in major operations, and had sworn on Strom’kar to protect Lordaeron and humanity.
• Anasterian denied that Strom’kar proved Jiang Jie had Thoradin’s recognition and insisted that Thoradin’s bloodline had ended with Lothar.
• Jiang Jie said a witness had seen Thoradin’s soul acknowledge him, while Anasterian pressed him with his legendary-mage presence.
• Xiao Feng observed that Anasterian was dying and had little time left.

Leaders from Lordaeron, Azeroth, Kul Tiras, Dalaran, Khaz Modan, Gnomeregan, Aerie Peak, and Gilneas backed Nicholas’s status, isolating the Sun King. The Sun King finally acknowledged him, but only as the presiding officer of the meeting, not as Thoradin’s successor.

• Uther, Fenna, and Jaina publicly bore witness for Nicholas, making further objections a challenge to their realms and institutions.
• Varian and Admiral Daelin acknowledged Nicholas’s status, followed by Antonidas on behalf of Dalaran.
• Magni Bronzebeard, Gelbin Mekkatorque, Falstad Wildhammer, and Genn Greymane also recognized Nicholas.
• The Sun King realized he was alone in opposing Nicholas as the other leaders looked to him for an answer.
• The Sun King acknowledged Nicholas’s status only as presiding officer of the meeting, not as Thoradin’s successor.

Jiang Jie warned the Eastern Kingdoms’ leaders that the Scourge was far stronger and more numerous than they believed, and that its numbers would grow unless they united against it. When he revealed knowledge of Genn’s secret plan to summon Worgen, Genn threatened him with a sword, but Jiang Jie remained unafraid.

• Jiang Jie opened the meeting and warned that Arthas and the Scourge were more powerful than the leaders realized.
• Genn Greymane dismissed the danger and argued that Lordaeron could handle the Undead without Gilneas’s help.
• Jiang Jie described how Frostmourne could raise the dead and Uther estimated that at least four hundred thousand Undead remained in Lordaeron.
• Jiang Jie warned that the Scourge could multiply into the millions and spread beyond Lordaeron, even overcoming Gilneas’s natural defenses.
• Jiang Jie suggested that Genn’s plan to summon Worgen could bring about Gilneas’s destruction, prompting Genn to draw his sword and demand to know how Jiang Jie learned the secret.
• Uther and Fenna prepared to defend Jiang Jie, but he told them Genn was only trying to frighten him.

Jiang Jie secured support for Lordaeron from Gilneas, the Wildhammer Dwarves, Ironforge, and Gnomeregan. The meeting ended with agreements for troops, supplies, and trade to strengthen Lordaeron against the Scourge.

• Jiang Jie warned King Genn that Gilneas's wall could not stop the Scourge and urged him to ask Antonidas about The Book of Ur.
• Jiang Jie suggested that Darius Crowley defend his lands, and Genn agreed to send Crowley and Baron Shivalein to help Lordaeron.
• Jiang Jie revealed his knowledge of Poison Mist Vale, and Falstad agreed to send more Gryphon Riders to fight the undead in the Western Plaguelands.
• Jiang Jie asked Aerie Peak to train gryphons and establish flight points, and Falstad agreed.
• Jiang Jie arranged for Ironforge to forge weapons and armor for Lordaeron and proposed trading with Gnomeregan for flying machines and bombs.
• Jiang Jie turned to discuss Lordaeron's needs with Kul Tiras.

Jiang Jie secured promises of naval and magical support for Lordaeron, then warned the Sun King that Arthas planned to invade Quel'Thalas and exploit the Sunwell to resurrect Kel'Thuzad. The Sun King dismissed the warning and departed, leaving the other leaders stunned and Antonidas alarmed by the threat to the Sunwell.

• Admiral Daelin agreed to discuss supplying Lordaeron with warships after the meeting, while refusing to send Kul Tiras's troops into land combat.
• Antonidas offered Dalaran's mages to strengthen Lordaeron City's magical barriers, and Jiang Jie suggested helping the Violet Eye investigate Karazhan.
• The Sun King rejected any offer of assistance and tried to leave, but Jiang Jie clarified that he wanted permission for Lordaeron's soldiers to enter Quel'Thalas and help defend it from the Scourge.
• Jiang Jie told the Sun King that Arthas was gathering undead in Stratholme to invade Quel'Thalas and use the Sunwell's energy to resurrect Kel'Thuzad.
• The Sun King rejected Jiang Jie's warning about a possible threat from within Quel'Thalas and teleported away, while Antonidas reacted with alarm to the mention of the Sunwell.

After the Eastern Kingdoms meeting, Jiang Jie argued that Lordaeron needed to help the Sunstrider Dynasty to prevent Arthas from swelling the Scourge’s ranks. He secured support for Fenna to lead reinforcements and form her own force, the Ashen Army, as the chapter ended with Uther and Calia agreeing.

• King Genn declared that Gilneas would remain isolated until the undead threat was eliminated and would not support Lord Crowley.
• Jiang Jie told Calia and Uther that Lordaeron needed to send troops to Quel'Thalas before Arthas could recruit the High Elves into the Scourge.
• Jiang Jie proposed that elite troops retake Stratholme, hold the route to the Ghostlands, and join the High Elves in attacking the Scourge.
• Jiang Jie recommended that Fenna lead the Stratholme mission with him and establish a Silver Hand force called the Ashen Army.
• Uther and Calia accepted Fenna as the commander after her growing reputation and Jiang Jie's promise of support made her the strongest candidate.

Jiang Jie and Fenna arrived at Light's Hope Chapel with the Ashen Army as Arthas marched a vast undead force out of Stratholme. They joined the leaders preparing an attack, where Jiang Jie met key members of the Brotherhood of the Light.

• Uther formed the Ashen Army under Fenna and sent it through a portal to Light's Hope Chapel, while Jaina prepared to return to Kul Tiras and arrange a possible settlement in Kalimdor.
• Dathrohan told Fenna and Jiang Jie that Arthas had led a hundred thousand undead out of Stratholme and destroyed the sentries at Northpass Tower.
• Erigor Dawnbringer escorted Fenna and Jiang Jie through Light's Hope Chapel and explained its forces, history, and buried defenders.
• Jiang Jie and Fenna entered the strategy meeting, where they found Dathrohan, Angela Dosantos, Erigor, Korfax, and General Nathanos Marris.

Dathrohan ordered the forces at Light's Hope Chapel to march on Stratholme and cleanse it before continuing into the Ghostlands to pursue Arthas. After a grueling three-day advance through undead-infested territory, the army reached Northpass Tower.

• Dathrohan ordered the army to depart immediately, reach Stratholme within three days, and cleanse it within a week, overruling Erigor's concerns about the timetable.
• Erigor and Korfax agreed to commit the Brotherhood of the Light to the assault, while Angela voiced her own hatred of the undead.
• Dathrohan sent Nathanos Marris to contact Hawkspear and bring the High Elf ranger forces to Stratholme, promising Lordaeron's aid in return.
• Dathrohan told Fenna and Jiang Jie to prove the Ashen Army's worth during the expedition, promising to support Fenna within the Order of the Silver Hand if she performed well.
• Dathrohan's army charged through undead on the route, resting briefly at the Shield of the Holy Light Tower and Eastwall Tower before reaching Northpass Tower on the afternoon of the third day.

Jiang Jie entered Stratholme on a scouting mission and found the city overrun with Undead. He discovered that the Undead avoided Alonsus Chapel, where the Holy Light still endured.

• Dathrohan camped near Eastwall Tower and postponed the attack on Stratholme while his soldiers rested and he awaited Lord Nathanos.
• Jiang Jie traveled ahead alone, using his martial skills to reach Stratholme and search for the Paladin scouts Dathrohan had sent there.
• Finding no scouts at Eastwall Gate, Jiang Jie fought through the Undead blocking the passage and entered Elders' Square.
• Jiang Jie saw thousands of mostly weak Undead in the square and realized the chapel nearby was surrounded by a zone the Undead would not enter.
• Jiang Jie recognized the building as Alonsus Chapel, a holy site where the Holy Light remained in Stratholme.

Jiang Jie found a wounded paladin sheltering in Alonsus Chapel, where the young man revealed he was Oryx Rivendare, son of the death knight Baron Rivendare. After recounting how his scouting squad had been overwhelmed in Stratholme, Oryx explained that he planned to fight to the death rather than wait helplessly for his supplies to run out.

• Jiang Jie entered Alonsus Chapel and stopped a wounded paladin from attacking him.
• Jiang Jie examined the fallen members of the paladin’s squad and recognized that they had fought the undead and been brought into the chapel for protection.
• Jiang Jie identified himself as a messenger from Supreme Commander Dathrohan and showed the paladin Dathrohan’s token.
• Oryx Rivendare lowered his sword and told Jiang Jie that he was Baron Rivendare’s son, a paladin determined to purify his father.
• Oryx recounted how Arthas’s undead forces had devastated Northpass Tower and how his scouting squad had been killed while infiltrating Stratholme.
• Oryx told Jiang Jie that, with his supplies running out, he intended to charge the undead and die fighting beside his brothers.

Jiang Jie rescued Oryx, promised to let him fight in the assault so he could cleanse his father, and scouted Stratholme through the night. He discovered demons near the city's military supply depot and reported his findings to Dathrohan, who assigned the forces their assault routes.

• Jiang Jie told Oryx that the assault on Stratholme would begin the next morning, questioned him about Arthas's forces, and ordered him to rest.
• Oryx asked to join the assault and cleanse his father, and Jiang Jie promised to let him fight.
• Jiang Jie stealthily explored Stratholme, spotted Ramstein the Gorger and the heavily guarded slaughterhouse, and suspected Baron Rivendare was inside.
• Jiang Jie found Infernals, imps, succubi, and eye demons near the military supply depot, then returned to Alonsus Chapel after scouting through the night.
• Jiang Jie reported to Dathrohan, who assigned the main gate to his troops and the Brotherhood of the Light, and the other side to the Ashen Army and ranger troops.