Chapter Summaries

Roland confronted Omsk over the Orcs that had entered his territory, then discussed the limits of border defenses with Yun Feng. Yun Feng gave Roland an ancient Lagrange book titled “Dragon's Tongue,” leaving him eager to discover what it contained.

• Roland reprimanded Omsk for failing to detect the large Orc force and ordered soldiers to protect farmers and strengthen patrols.
• Yun Feng told Roland that the Empire's Insightful Spirit Eye detection array was too costly to recreate and required the eye of an illusion dragon.
• Roland and Yun Feng agreed to strengthen patrols and distribute Magic Signal Flares to warn of danger.
• Yun Feng gave Roland an old book made of Lagrange Paper, calling it an inheritance safeguarded by alchemists.
• Roland returned to his tent, opened the book, and saw the title “Dragon's Tongue.”

Roland discovered that the Book of Wisdom contained Dragon’s Tongue and began seeking a way to learn it, hoping to become a Dragon Knight. Caslo explained the language’s dangers and advised Roland to start with Common Dragon Language.

• The dragon spirit in the Book of Wisdom told Roland that learning Dragon’s Tongue was the first step toward becoming a Dragon Knight.
• The dragon spirit said humans needed talent and insight to learn Dragon’s Tongue and suggested Roland seek help from a Dragon Knight or dragon.
• Roland brought the book to Caslo, who said Caldo’s evolution had awakened some Dragon’s Tongue knowledge in him.
• Caslo identified several passages as Wind Dragon Language and warned Roland that one passage was the forbidden spell Storm Blight.
• Caslo explained that Dragon Knights’ Dragon Power functioned as both Battle Qi and mana, then advised Roland to begin by learning Common Dragon Language.

Roland began learning Dragon's Tongue from Caslo, who explained that a Dragon Knight needed to communicate with a wild great dragon to form a contract. He returned to find Nyx worried and jealous, then convinced her he had spent the evening studying rather than visiting another woman.

• Roland rejected the idea of evolving a Four-legged Wyvern King and accepted that he would need to communicate with a great dragon to become a Dragon Knight.
• Caslo insisted that Roland learn Dragon's Tongue as part of the Lagrange royal inheritance, and Roland studied it at Caslo's house until nightfall.
• Nyx waited anxiously for Roland, then feared he had spent the night with another woman.
• Roland hurried back and explained that he had studied Dragon's Tongue with Caslo, and Nyx checked the book and his scent before forgiving him.

Roland learned that Baron Lance had returned from Gondor and prepared to receive him with Nyx’s help. After Nyx reminded him of royal protocol and dressed him in Yun Feng’s powerful alchemical royal attire, Roland went to breakfast with her before Lance and his companions arrived.

• Caslo told Roland that Baron Lance had returned and was waiting at Lulong Fortress, where guards had stopped him.
• Roland asked whether he should go to welcome Lance, and Nyx took charge of arranging the reception while teasing him about royal etiquette.
• Nyx helped Roland put on Yun Feng’s Lagrange Dragonscale Royal Robe and crown, which could block a forbidden-spell-level attack and grant fifteen seconds of invincibility.
• Roland and Nyx went to breakfast, expecting Lance and his companions to arrive soon.

Roland welcomed Lance and the returning expedition, which brought back the naturally awakened mage Nina Born and the heir of the Junlin Lion Family, Apophis Breo. Lance reported that Orc activity had disrupted his mission and caused shortages across eastern Rohan, prompting Roland to prepare for the growing threat and raise the kingdom’s defenses.

• Roland welcomed Lance’s expedition home, and Yun Feng assessed Nina Born as a promising naturally awakened mage.
• Lance recounted rescuing Nina Born, and Roland introduced Nyx as his fiancée and Apophis Breo as the heir of the Junlin Lion Family.
• Lance reported that he had escorted Prince Jessiava to the Gondor–Rohan border but lost contact with him while fighting wandering Orcs; his soldiers returned without losses.
• Roland, Yun Feng, Omsk, and Caslo discussed the approaching darkness and plans to open Moria and seek aid from Rivendell and The Shire.
• Roland ordered a homecoming banquet after Lance described the expedition’s food shortages and the migration across eastern Rohan.
• Roland ordered Long Fortress to remain on the highest alert against Orcs.

Lance got drunk at Roland’s feast and embarrassed himself with increasingly improper toasts before Reno knocked him out. The next day, he discovered Nina Born had been placed in his home, while Marcus had arranged the stay and spread news about them.

• Lance praised Roland’s cooking, then became drunk and gave toasts that nearly offended Roland and Nyx before Reno carried him away.
• Lance woke with a painful hangover and found Nina Born in his house, where she had been sent because she had nowhere else to stay.
• Lance angrily blamed Marcus for arranging for Nina to live with him.
• Marcus told Caslo that he had arranged Nina’s stay for Lance’s safety and hinted that Lance might marry her; Roland overheard them.

Roland assigned Marcus responsibility for Flowing City's defenses and kept Apophis Breo from joining the expedition, instead asking him to train two soldiers as reserve nobles. The dwarves arrived under Balin, who came to claim Roland's promised meeting.

• Roland told Marcus he would lead an expedition to the Moria mines and entrusted him with Flowing City's defenses.
• Roland first invited Apophis Breo on the expedition, then ordered him to remain behind and help train two capable soldiers in administration.
• Roland instructed Apophis Breo to consult Reno and exclude members of the Holy Radiance Knight Order from consideration.
• A soldier reported that Balin and the dwarves had arrived north of the city and that Balin expected Roland to honor their appointment.

Roland agreed to help Balin’s Dwarves reclaim Moria and promised to deal with its Balrog, while planning a heavily armored expedition from Lagrange. He set the departure for one week later and began preparing the city’s defenses and troops.

• Balin told Roland that Thorin had supplied five hundred Dwarven Warriors for the expedition, and Roland welcomed their support.
• Roland agreed to send dragons to fight the Balrog and reviewed Balin’s planned route to Moria.
• Roland advised Balin to use heavily armored troops and set the expedition’s departure for one week later.
• After Balin left, Roland told Nyx that Balin was destined to become king of Moria.
• Roland said he would take most of the Lagrange City Guards and the Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen to Moria.

Roland prepared a small force to campaign in the Moria mines, choosing troops suited to close-quarters combat while leaving Flowing City under Nyx’s protection. He assigned Omsk to train the expedition’s soldiers as they readied contingency plans.

• Roland ordered the Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen recalled to Flowing City and selected them, the Royal Guard, and the Lothlórien Rangers for his expedition of about five hundred troops.
• Nyx worried about Roland’s safety and Flowing City’s defenses, but Roland explained that Yun Feng and the Knight Order would remain to protect the city while Omsk accompanied him.
• Roland reassured Nyx that Caslo and Smurf would join him, and promised to return after the battle.
• Roland told Apophis Breo to remain in Flowing City and focus on recruiting and replenishing their people rather than joining the campaign.
• Omsk protested that cave fighting was outside his expertise, then accepted Roland’s challenge to fight as infantry.
• Roland ordered Omsk to drill the Royal Guard and Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen and consult the Lothlórien Rangers about combat in cramped terrain.

Roland visited Yun Feng to ensure supplies were ready for the expedition to Moria and entrusted him with defending Flowing City while the army was away. Yun Feng prepared protective equipment and warned that the city was nearly out of alchemical materials, leaving Roland to find a solution.

• Roland found Yun Feng overseeing the expedition supplies and asked him to prepare armor and arrows for the troops.
• Roland entrusted Yun Feng with authority to mobilize Flowing City's troops while Reno guarded Lulong Fortress, and Yun Feng reluctantly accepted responsibility.
• Yun Feng gave Roland three Invincible Shield Scrolls and recommended Ice Blue Potions to protect the soldiers from the Balrog's heat and fire.
• Yun Feng revealed that he had prepared nearly a thousand Ice Blue Potions but had exhausted most of his budget and nearly all available materials.
• Roland promised to find a way to replenish supplies after Yun Feng warned that alchemy work would soon stop because trade routes were cut off.

Roland prepared a 500-man expedition to help the Dwarves reclaim Moria and support his kingdom’s development. As the army set out, he realized he had forgotten to arrange where it would meet the Dwarves, so Caslo went to find them.

• Yun Feng told Roland to seek ways to reopen western trade routes and bring merchants to Erebor.
• Roland told Valfay that he was going to war to help the Dwarves reclaim Moria, and Valfay declined to send the Grassland Elves into the caves.
• Roland assembled an expedition of 500 soldiers under Omsk and Caslo, and Yun Feng gave him a Space Ring stocked with provisions.
• Roland ordered the army to set out, then realized he did not know where to meet the Dwarves.
• Caslo offered to find the Dwarves and arrange a meeting place while Omsk began leading the army out of Flowing City.

Caslo met with Thorin and Balin to arrange for the dwarves to join Roland’s expedition to Moria, but the dwarves set out slowly with large amounts of food and ale. They caught up with Roland’s army, where Balin explained that they had brought provisions and alcohol because they lacked equipment to store supplies and would not fight without ale.

• Caslo told Thorin that Roland’s army was ready to leave for Moria and was waiting for Balin and the dwarves.
• Balin gathered his warriors with bread, cheese, jerky, and a barrel of ale, then set out after Caslo told him Roland had already left Flowing City.
• Thorin wished the expedition well and asked Caslo to give Roland his thanks for helping the dwarves reclaim Moria.
• Caslo returned to Roland, who waited with his army for the dwarves to catch up.
• Roland questioned Balin about the dwarves’ food and ale, and Balin explained that the dwarves lacked storage equipment and needed alcohol to fight.

Roland traveled with Balin and the dwarves to Lulong Fortress, where they rested for the night before continuing south. As Roland prepared to cross the Swift River toward Old Forest Road, he warned the group that dangers could lie ahead.

• Roland and his party reached Lulong Fortress, and Balin praised its defenses as Roland explained how difficult it would be for Orcs to capture.
• Balin asked to camp near the gate rather than inspect the fortress, and Reno arranged food for the dwarves.
• Reno privately scolded Roland for offering outsiders access to the kingdom’s defensive installations and resolved to adjust some defenses.
• After an uneventful night, Reno saw Roland off while the fortress garrison stayed behind to defend the kingdom’s southern gate.
• Roland released two Galen ships to ferry the party across the Swift River and urged Balin to avoid needless sacrifices on the dangerous journey ahead.

Roland’s party traveled along the dangerous Old Forest Road, wary of dragons, Undead, and other threats. After a troll hunting party attacked the vanguard, Omsk ordered everyone to push through the area without stopping for the night.

• Roland, Balin, Omsk, and Caslo discussed the dangers along the Old Forest Road, including a possible wyvern, Undead, and Necromancers.
• The Lagrange Royal Guards raised a shield wall after the vanguard sent a danger signal, and Roland waited for the Lothlórien Rangers to return with news.
• The ranger captain reported that the vanguard had killed twelve Troll Throwers and suspected a larger troll tribe was nearby.
• Omsk ordered the party to cross the area quickly and continue through the night to avoid a troll raid.

Roland’s army struggled through dense jungle before troll throwers ambushed them and knocked him unconscious with a spear. He recovered beside the campfire, and Caslo promised stronger scouting and defenses as the march continued.

• Roland dismounted and joined the soldiers as they hacked a path through the overgrown jungle.
• A troll’s throwing spear struck Roland’s golden Mithril Armor and knocked him unconscious.
• Caslo, Omsk, and Balin explained that the armor had stopped the spear, while the trolls had been driven off with more than a dozen dead.
• Roland realized his conspicuous golden armor had made him an obvious target and angrily condemned the trolls’ ambush.
• Roland ordered Caslo to send rangers ahead, and Caslo promised to keep enemies beyond a five-hundred-meter radius.

The expedition faced attacks from trolls hidden in Mirkwood, while Roland’s worsening injuries left the group worried about their leader. As the Rangers and City Guards dealt with the ambush, Roland used Holy Light to treat himself.

• A troll’s thrown spear struck a Lagrange City Guard, and the guards returned fire with hand crossbows while the Rangers hunted the attackers.
• The Lothlórien Rangers reported killing ten trolls and letting two escape, prompting the dwarves to lament their lack of ranged skill.
• Caslo urged Balin and the dwarves to stay behind their shields until they left the forest, and Balin calmed his troops.
• Roland asked Caslo about the situation, but Caslo found that Roland’s cracked breastbone had worsened despite his armor.
• Roland raised his hand and used Holy Light to heal himself.

After discovering that trolls were tracking them, Roland's group hurried to a defensible campsite and prepared for an expected attack. Roland entrusted command to Omsk and Caslo, and the chapter ended with trolls moving through the jungle toward their camp.

• A Lothlórien Ranger reported that the party was being followed, and Caslo identified the trackers as trolls preparing a larger ambush.
• Omsk proposed a counter-ambush, and the group force-marched to a nearby mound before nightfall.
• Balin led the dwarves in clearing trees to prepare the campsite while Roland accepted that the trolls would retaliate.
• Roland handed military command to Omsk and Caslo, and the soldiers set up a low-profile camp and placed Roland in his tent.
• Trolls covered in colorful totems leaped through the treetops toward the encampment.

Roland and his allies waited through the night for the trolls, then scrambled into defensive positions when the attack began. With the camp surrounded and each flank assigned to its defenders, Roland prepared to meet the trolls head-on.

• Dwarves, Lothlórien Rangers, Roland, Caslo, and Omsk kept watch through the cold night as they waited for the trolls to attack.
• A Lothlórien Ranger spotted movement in the forest, fired an arrow, and raised the alarm as the trolls hurled spears and surged toward the camp.
• The ranger squad leader ordered his men to retreat after they had warned the camp and could no longer hold back the trolls.
• Caslo woke Roland and helped prepare him for battle, and Roland grabbed Aelial and the Dragon-slaying Sword before rushing out.
• Omsk told Roland that attacks were coming from every direction and described how the Royal Guard, Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen, city guards, dwarves, and rangers had taken up defensive positions.
• Roland and Balin approved the defenses, and Roland resolved to meet the trolls at the camp.

Balin led the Longbeard Dwarves against the Trolls while Caslo kept the injured Roland away from the front lines. The Dwarves’ shields turned aside the first javelin volley, and Balin ordered them to attack as Roland remained guarded at camp.

• Caslo dragged Roland away from the shield wall and assigned ten Royal Guards to protect him.
• Lothlórien Rangers retreated through the Dwarves’ ranks, warning Balin that the Trolls were numerous and their javelins dangerous.
• Balin rallied the Longbeard Dwarves, and Caslo and Omsk judged their fighting spirit strong.
• Balin activated Durin’s Iron Wall, and the Dwarves’ shields blocked the Trolls’ javelins.
• Balin ordered the Dwarves to counterattack as Caslo and Omsk prepared their forces.
• Roland tried to leave the tent to see his soldiers, but the Royal Guards refused to let him approach the battle.

Balin and the dwarves counterattacked the trolls, while Caslo’s Royal Guards formed a shield wall to defend the camp. Both forces held their ground against the assault, and the Moria Skullcrusher Legion began to take shape as Balin led the dwarves in battle.

• Balin activated Berserk and rallied the dwarves to attack the trolls with throwing axes and spiked armor-piercing axes.
• Caslo ordered the Royal Guards to form a shield wall as trolls hurled wooden spears at the camp gate.
• Balin led the dwarven warriors in a fierce advance, cutting down trolls and inspiring the formation of the Moria Skullcrusher Legion.
• Caslo directed the Royal Guards’ disciplined lance attacks and used Shield Bash to hurl back the gathered trolls.
• Caslo fought at the front of the line, cutting down trolls and urging the Royal Guards to protect His Highness.