Chapter Summaries

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.

Jiang Jie led the Ashen Army, Paladins, and elven rangers into Stratholme to fight the undead while Dathrohan took a separate force through the main gate. The assault reached Elders' Square, where the allies began pushing forward, and Jiang Jie resolved to pursue archery and become a human ranger lord.

• Dathrohan rejected Jiang Jie's suggestion to change the forces' assignments and left to lead his troops through the main gate.
• Jiang Jie told Hawkspear that the Ashen Army would lead the charge and that the rangers could fight as they saw fit.
• Jiang Jie led a force of thirteen hundred through Eastwall Gate and reached Elders' Square, where Oryx prepared Alonsus Chapel as a refuge for the wounded and fallen.
• Jiang Jie charged into the undead, and Fenna, the Paladins, priests, mages, Nathanos, Hawkspear, and the elven rangers joined the battle.
• The allies advanced through the undead as the rangers' arrows and swordsmanship helped protect the front line, and Jiang Jie decided to seek a fine bow and study archery.

The Ashen Army and the rangers fought their way through Stratholme, where Oryx purified his mother Anastari, then reached the city’s deepest quarter and faced a Death Knight he recognized as his father. Meanwhile, Arthas and Kel’Thuzad prepared to march on Silvermoon City and the Sunwell, leaving necromancers to spread the Scourge plague through the Ghostlands.

• The Ashen Army and the ranger force battled gargoyles and undead bosses in Stratholme, losing many soldiers before killing Stonespine and Maleki the Pallid.
• Oryx recognized the banshee Anastari as his mother and purified her with the Ashbringer’s flames, then sent her remains to Alonsus Chapel for burial.
• After a night at Alonsus Chapel, the allied forces reached Stratholme’s deepest quarter and found Ramstein, abominations, and a Death Knight; Oryx tearfully called the knight “Father!”
• Arthas surveyed the ruined Deatholme and asked where Tichondrius had gone; Kel’Thuzad said the Dreadlord was in Stratholme trying to undermine the Holy Light forces.
• Arthas and Kel’Thuzad discussed the dangers of attacking Quel’Thalas, and Kel’Thuzad claimed he had already arranged for its runic barrier to fail.
• Arthas agreed to march toward Silvermoon City and Sunwell Plateau while Noth and Heigan remained behind to establish necropolises and plague cauldrons in the Ghostlands.

Kael'thas and Sylvanas faced the Scourge’s advance while the Sun King refused to seek outside aid, hoping victory would restore the Sunstrider Dynasty’s prestige. Kael'thas secured only Krasus’s personal promise of help, while Sylvanas ordered a retreat to the Elrendar River and placed her faith in Quel'Thalas’s runic barrier.

• The Sun King refused Kael'thas’s plea to seek aid, arguing that High Elf dignity outweighed the lives of some of their people and that defeating the Scourge would restore the dynasty’s prestige.
• Kael'thas contacted Antonidas, who refused to send Dalaran’s battle mages without a request from the Sun King but said Krasus would offer personal aid after handling a problem.
• Sylvanas received reports that the ranger forces could not stop the Scourge and ordered Lor'themar and Halduron to retreat to the Elrendar River.
• Sylvanas told Kalma that the Silver Hand would send troops after the rangers helped take Stratholme, and insisted that the runic barrier would stop the Scourge.

Dathrohan led two hundred Paladins in an assault on the demon-held castle in eastern Stratholme, despite Angela and Erigor warning him to wait. After the demons overwhelmed his forces, Dathrohan pushed into the castle’s deepest room and found a wounded Dreadlord.

• Dathrohan ordered Erigor, Angela, and Korfax to clear the Undead while he took two hundred elite Paladins to attack the castle.
• The Paladins fought the demons, but the Infernals and Felguards inflicted heavy casualties, and Dathrohan realized only he could face a Felguard directly.
• Dathrohan led his remaining adjutants and Paladins toward the castle’s depths as more demons poured into the passage.
• An adjutant urged Dathrohan to kill the demon summoning reinforcements, so he charged through the passage and entered the innermost room.
• The doors shut behind Dathrohan, leaving him face to face with a wounded Dreadlord.

Fenna and Jiang Jie led the Holy Light Allied Forces through a fierce battle against the Undead in Stratholme’s slaughterhouse. As the forces fought toward Baron Rivendare, Oryx watched the baron, whose father no longer recognized him.

• Fenna rallied the Paladins, Warriors, and Priests, then charged the Undead with Ashbringer as the Holy Light empowered her allies.
• Jiang Jie led the protection Warriors in breaking through the portcullis, while mages, rangers, and other fighters destroyed waves of Undead.
• Jiang Jie and Fenna fought at the front with their divine swords, cutting down even Abominations, while Oryx fought behind Jiang Jie.
• Oryx kept his eyes on Baron Rivendare, intent on his mission despite the battle, and knew that his father no longer recognized him.