Day of the Dragon Day of the Dragon is a novel by Richard A . Knaak which takes place in the Warcraft universe after the Second War . It narrates about the freeing of the Dragonqueen Alexstrasza from the Dragonmaw clan carried out by the Dalaran mage Rhonin and his companions . An audiobook version read by was released in December , 2008 . Back - of - book description . In the mist - shrouded haze of the past , the world of Azeroth teemed with wondrous creatures of every kind . Mysterious Elves and hardy Dwarves walked among tribes of man in relative peace and harmony — until the arrival of the demonic army known as Burning Legion shattered the world ' s tranquillity forever . Now Orc s , Dragon s , Goblin s , and Troll s all vie for supremacy over the scattered , warring kingdoms — part of a grand , malevolent scheme that will determine the fate of the world of WARCRAFT A terrifying upheaval among the highest ranks of the world ' s Wizard s sends the maverick mage , Rhonin , on a perilous journey into the Orc - controlled lands of Khaz Modan . What Rhonin uncovers is a vast , far - reaching conspiracy , darker than anything he ever imagined — a threat that will force him into a dangerous alliance with ancient creatures of air and fire if the world of Azeroth is to see another dawn . DAY OF THE DRAGON An original tale of magic , warfare , and heroism based on the bestselling , award - winning electronic game from Blizzard Entertainment . Characters . Minor characters . " Note : These characters were only mentioned or had little to no role during the story . " Plot . The novel opens at the waning days of the Second War , with Orgrim Doomhammer having already been captured , and most of the Orcish Horde having already surrendered . A few clans of orcs remain scattered about Azeroth , including the Dragonmaw Orcs , who , holed up in Khaz Modan , maintain control over the Red Dragonflight . Nekros Skullcrusher still holds the Demon Soul , and wields it against the captive Alexstrasza forcing her to mate with her consorts to produce more dragons , although her ability to do so is deteriorating , along with her health and the health of her consorts . The dragon mage Krasus , desperate to save his queen Alexstrasza , secretly enlists the help of Rhonin ( then holding an ignominious reputation ) in order to send him on a secret mission to Grim Batol to free her , while also soliciting the aid of the other Dragon Aspects . In doing so , Vereesa Windrunner is assigned to the task of seeing Rhonin to the seaport Hasic on his way to Khaz Modan , ostensibly so that he may undertake a mission of observation at Grim Batol . Vereesa suspects otherwise . Meanwhile , Deathwing , posing as the noble Lord Prestor , works his way into the diplomatic negotiations involving Alterac , and uses his spellwork to influence King Terenas into declaring that he will succeed the deposed King Perenolde of Alterac . From this vantage point , Deathwing would use his new position of power to tear down the diplomatic foundations of the Alliance . Early on in their journey , Vereesa and Rhonin are attacked by a Dragonmaw orc patrol , and are rescued by a band of Wildhammer gryphon - riders , led by Falstad Wildhammer . Vereesa initially thought the mage a burden , but quickly begins to change her mind when she sees his spell casting skill in defending them from the dragons . After the ensuing battle , Rhonin and Vereesa are picked up by a few Knights of the Silver Hand , Duncan Senturus their leader , and are taken to the unnamed keep nearby where the Knights maintain watch . They are distrustful of Rhonin , as most are wary of wizards , but welcoming to Vereesa . During their stay , a mysterious explosion rocks the keep when Rhonin attempts to cast a spell , killing a few of the paladin guards , and resulting in the mysterious disappearance of Rhonin . Rhonin was saved by what we later find out was presumably Deathwing , or another dragon , since he claimed to have been picked up by a great set of claws or hands just at the moment a tower was to collapse on him . The paladins believe Rhonin caused the explosion , and they ride out to find him , only to find him right under their noses a short ways off . After questioning him , they decide that he did not cause the explosion , and escort him and and Vereesa to Hasic . When they arrive they find that Hasic has been ravaged by dragon riders , and that the Wildhammer dwarves had driven them off . Vereesa , deciding that her oath to defend Rhonin on his mission extended beyond Hasic , decides to accompany him further . Partially out of necessity , and partially out of Falstad ' s and Duncan ' s enamorment with Vereesa ' s elven beauty , the paladin and the dwarf agree to escort Rhonin and Vereesa by flight to Khaz Modan . Along the way , they are attacked by a pair of Dragonmaw dragon - riders . Duncan , in an act of brazen heroism , leaps from a gryphon onto a dragon mid air and kills it , sacrificing himself at the hands of the dragon ' s rider . During this time , Rhonin and his escort Molok , are knocked out of the sky , and fall to the earth . The other dragon is killed when , out of nowhere , Deathwing arrives and slays it , seemingly in defense of Vereesa and Falstad . Fan campaign . An unofficial Warcraft III campaign has been made to cover the events in this book .