Chapter Summaries

Roland’s allied forces repelled the trolls’ final assaults and wiped out the enemy, though they postponed counting casualties and results until daylight. Caslo, Omsk, and Balin returned to Roland’s command tent, where Balin’s victory left Roland considering Moria’s future and the value of the Balrog’s remains.

• Trolls repeatedly attacked the camp’s defenses, while Omsk and Caslo helped the allied forces hold the line.
• Caslo ordered the soldiers to finish off the remaining trolls before returning to camp.
• Balin killed trolls alongside the dwarven heavy infantry and returned to the command tent with members of The Lonely Mountain Expedition.
• Caslo and Omsk told Roland that the enemy had been wiped out, but the darkness and possible threats in the woods made counting the results unsafe.
• Roland welcomed Balin and reflected that he could become King of Moria, then considered whether the Balrog’s body parts might be valuable.

After surviving a night of fighting trolls, Roland’s force rested and then traveled west through the forest toward Karl Rock Ford. They reached the marked location but found no river or sign of the expected sanctuary, leaving Roland to realize they might have lost their way.

• At sunrise, Roland sent Caslo to assess the battle and search the area while he ordered his exhausted soldiers to rest; Omsk ate Roland’s pastries until Roland drove him from the tent with the tray.
• Caslo reported nearly four hundred adult trolls dead, with the Lothlórien Rangers wounded but none fatally and the other allied forces mostly unharmed.
• Roland ordered his troops to eat and rest before leaving after lunch, then discovered Omsk had eaten all of Nyx’s pastries and scolded him.
• Several days later, Roland’s group emerged from the forest and Caslo’s map indicated they had reached Karl Rock Ford, which Balin recognized from the Erebor expedition.
• Roland sent Rangers to scout, but Omsk and Balin noticed the Anduin River was missing; Roland realized they might have veered off Old Forest Road and gotten lost.

Roland and his companions chose to approach Moria through its western gate after Balin rejected seeking help from the elves, but they discovered an unexpected town at the Karl Rock crossing. The chapter ended with Roland leading the group to investigate it.

• Smurf pointed out that Caslo could fly up on his dragon to scout, and Caslo took Wind Dragon Caldo into the sky to find their location.
• Caslo reported that the group had traveled south toward the Glaton Plains, and Omsk outlined routes to Moria through either the eastern or western gate.
• Balin refused to involve the elves in Moria’s restoration because their past betrayal had left the dwarves unwilling to welcome them.
• Roland chose to head north to the Karl Rock crossing and ordered Caslo to keep them on course.
• Caslo led the group to a town they had not seen before, and Ori and Balin identified the nearby landmark as Karl Rock.
• Omsk suggested that people had gathered there because Druids made the crossing safe, and Roland decided to visit the town.

Beorn and Karlok Town’s militia prepared to defend themselves when Roland arrived with a thousand Lagrange soldiers and a dwarf legion. After recognizing their banners, Beorn welcomed Roland and asked why he had come, leaving Roland bewildered by Omsk’s grand introduction.

• The alarm sounded in Karlok Town, and Beorn rallied the frightened militia to defend their homes.
• Roland, Omsk, Caslo, and Balin prepared their forces outside town, raising shields to guard against a possible attack.
• Beorn recognized the Longbeard Clan’s banner and the Lagrange Dragon Banner, then reconsidered whether the visitors meant harm.
• Omsk rode toward the gate and announced Roland with a string of grand titles, unnerving the townspeople and embarrassing Roland.
• Beorn identified himself as Karlok Town’s lord, welcomed Roland, and asked the purpose of his visit.

Roland helped Balin negotiate with Beorn for passage across the river, and Beorn agreed to host them for the night. Beorn revealed that Karlok had been built as a refuge for displaced northern humans, and asked Roland to protect them.

• Beorn rejected Balin’s request for boats and transformed into a giant bear, insisting that his people would defend Karlok.
• Roland calmed the confrontation by promising the dwarves would only cross the river and leave, and Beorn agreed their army could camp outside the city.
• Roland, Omsk, and Balin entered Karlok to meet Beorn, while Caslo gave Roland a Dragon Scale to call for help.
• Beorn explained that Baron Lance’s purchase of the clan’s boats had helped fund Karlok’s construction.
• Beorn told Roland that the city sheltered northern humans driven from their homes by disasters, beasts, Orcs, and Eastern Yi Tribes, and asked him to protect them.

Beorn warned Roland that the Northern Territory remained dangerous and that his future there was uncertain, but Balin and Omsk encouraged him to continue pursuing his goals. As Roland reaffirmed his commitment to helping the dwarves reclaim Moria, he realized their thousand-strong army lacked scouts and might alert the Balrog before they could locate it.

• Beorn described the North’s collapse and warned Roland that founding a nation there could end in disaster, then urged him to leave the next day.
• Omsk, Balin, and Roland’s other allies encouraged him to pursue his plans, and Balin compared his prospects favorably with Thorin’s.
• Roland worried aloud about the Moria expedition, alarming Balin, then assured him that he would not abandon the dwarves and wanted Moria’s wealth for his people.
• Roland pointed out that Orcs might have changed Moria’s terrain and that the allied army had no scout-type soldiers to gather intelligence underground.
• Balin recognized that the thousand-man force could alert the Balrog and admitted that the expedition had a serious problem.

Roland sought a way to find scouts for the dangerous journey through the Misty Mountains, but he and Omsk could not settle on a practical source. The company prepared to cross the river with Beorn’s help and continue toward Moria.

• Balin warned Roland that a Balrog could ambush them in the caves, and Roland decided the company would travel without a scout.
• Roland teased Balin about being captured in Goblin Town before asking Omsk whether Rivendell’s elves might provide scouts.
• Omsk doubted the dwarves would seek help from elves and explained why Rivendell would have little reason to send scouts.
• Omsk suggested flying a dragon to Bree to recruit scouts, but Roland feared Caldo would reject the request and attack him.
• Roland dismissed Omsk and hoped his system check-in might provide something useful.
• Roland thanked Beorn for his help, and the company boarded boats to cross the river toward Moria.

Roland and Balin led the Dwarven expedition from Beorn’s lands toward the Misty Mountains, where they planned to reclaim Moria. Roland left the group bracing for dangerous mountain roads and uncertain casualties as they moved forward.

• Roland and Balin thanked Beorn and departed with the Dwarven Warriors, whom Balin rallied by promising food and beer.
• Roland watched the Dwarves recover their energy at the prospect of beer and later praised Balin’s skill at grilling a spiced wild rabbit.
• Roland and Balin discussed the Dwarves’ past losses and the need to reclaim Moria, while Roland prematurely congratulated Balin on becoming its king.
• Roland ordered Caslo to keep the soldiers alert as they approached the Misty Mountains, and Omsk vowed to protect him.
• Roland raised his lance and led the company forward.

Roland practiced throwing javelins on goblins before capturing several who had supposedly attacked him. He tortured and killed them while mistaking their gagged silence for defiance, leaving his companions horrified when they realized the goblins had been unable to speak.

• Roland used a wooden javelin to kill a goblin and praised his newly learned throwing skill.
• Rangers brought captured goblins to Roland, who tried to question them but mistook their curses for an excuse to torture them.
• Roland mutilated and killed the goblins while repeatedly praising their supposed resolve to stay silent.
• Caslo pointed out that the goblins had been gagged, and the onlookers silently recoiled from Roland.

Roland and Balin traveled through the Misty Mountains, where they encountered Omsk tormenting a group of Goblins for his soldiers’ practice. After most of the Goblins fled or died, Roland feigned mercy toward the last one before crushing its head, leaving Balin furious and Omsk horrified.

• Balin warned Roland about the Misty Mountains’ dangerous magical beasts and trolls, and mentioned humans living in hidden mountain realms.
• Roland learned that Omsk had surrounded Goblins on a hill and was using them for combat practice, so he went to watch with Caslo.
• Caslo woke with a start and nearly struck Roland, but Roland blocked his sword with the Dragon-slaying Sword.
• Roland pretended to spare a wounded Goblin, tossed it to its death, and proclaimed himself merciful while Omsk and Balin watched.
• The Goblins tried to flee, and Roland kicked one charging toward him, then healed it before crushing its head with his Iron Gauntlet.
• Balin cursed Roland for his cruelty, while Omsk shuddered at his king’s behavior.

Roland’s army and Balin’s Dwarves camped in the Misty Mountains, but a Warg howl revealed that an Orc force was closing in on them. Roland realized the Orcs had tracked them because they had marched beneath his royal banner, and he prepared the camp for an imminent attack as the moon disappeared behind clouds.

• Roland declined Balin’s wine and complained about the goblins that had kept him awake during the march.
• A distant wolf howl alarmed Roland, Balin, Caslo, and Omsk, who suspected Gundabad Warg Riders were nearby.
• Roland studied the map and realized the Orcs were probably targeting his army rather than Rivendell.
• Caslo and Omsk noticed the Lagrange Dragon Banner still flying, and Omsk admitted they had forgotten to replace it.
• As the moon dimmed, Roland ordered Balin to merge the camps, strengthen patrols, sleep in armor, and light bonfires around the camp.
• Roland called his troops to prepare for battle and remembered the army that had charged beneath Erebor.

Roland prepared the Lagrange army and its Dwarven allies for an Orc attack, relying on Omsk to stop the Warg Riders while Caslo guarded against the Nazgûl. As Omsk led the Rangers into the forest to ambush Warg scouts, he silently killed the last rider and his Warg.

• Roland ordered breastworks, sharpened stakes, and pit traps built to counter the mobile Warg Riders.
• Roland assigned Omsk to hold off the Warg Riders and told Caslo to protect him from possible Nazgûl.
• Roland rallied the Lagrange soldiers and Royal Guards beneath the royal banner, then sent Rangers to scout without engaging.
• Balin, Roland, and Omsk watched Warg Riders appear beneath the moon and heard them howl across the mountains.
• Omsk led a hundred Lothlórien Rangers to ambush seven scouting squads, ordering them not to use skills or raise the alarm.
• Omsk crept behind the last Warg Rider and cut its throat before beheading its Warg.

Lothlórien Rangers ambushed the Orc Warg Riders through the night, while Omsk held off the next wave alone. After slaughtering the riders, Omsk faced a mysterious challenger emerging from the Orc army’s shadows.

• Lothlórien Rangers silently killed Warg Riders and concealed the blood scent to keep the Orcs from discovering the ambush.
• Omsk ordered the exhausted Rangers to withdraw after they reported killing more than a hundred Warg Riders, then stayed behind to confront the next group.
• A sharp-eyed Warg Rider realized their missing scouts had likely been killed, but Omsk revealed himself and challenged the approaching Orcs.
• Omsk cut down the Warg Riders and their mounts with his greatsword and Light-Shadow Battle Qi, leaving the clearing soaked in blood.
• A shadowed figure at the rear of the Orc army laughed and vowed to kill Omsk and hang his head from a war spear.

Omsk fought and defeated Amoras, the Fourth Ringwraith, after the Nazgûl ambushed him in the forest. Amoras escaped into the darkness, threatening that his lord would return, while Roland and Caslo learned that a Nazgûl had been hiding in Fortress of Gundabad.

• Roland and Caslo watched Omsk's battle in the distance as Omsk killed more than a hundred Warg Riders and Orcs.
• Amoras emerged from the darkness and attacked Omsk, prompting Caslo to identify him as a Nazgûl and Roland to fear for Omsk.
• Amoras used Death Surge to draw evil energy into Omsk, but Omsk answered with Light Battle Qi and declared that he would end the fight.
• Omsk charged Amoras with his Abyssal Warhorse and lance, piercing him and infusing him with Light Battle Qi.
• Amoras escaped through the shadows after Omsk injured him, warning that his lord would return and destroy them.

Omsk drove off Amoras, the Fourth Ringwraith, and the Orc army withdrew, allowing Roland’s exhausted forces to rest before continuing toward Moria. Caslo urged Roland to rest by exaggerating the danger of his chest injury, then kept watch with Omsk as dawn arrived.

• Omsk confirmed Amoras’s identity after the Fourth Ringwraith fled, and reported that the Orc army had withdrawn.
• Roland ordered the soldiers to remain alert, rest in the morning, and set out again at noon.
• Caslo warned Roland that his chest injury could cause lasting harm, convincing Roland to go rest.
• Caslo persuaded Omsk to keep quiet about his exaggeration, and Omsk reluctantly agreed.
• Caslo reflected on Roland’s loneliness and the dangers of the expedition, then organized the camp’s watch and rest shifts at dawn.

Roland and the allied army continued their exhausting march through the Misty Mountains toward Rivendell, where Caslo discovered an ancient dragon egg in a goblin lair. Roland kept the fossil as a collectible, and the dragon egg quietly stirred in his system space as the army moved on.

• Roland and Balin discussed the soldiers’ growing fatigue and the dwarves’ difficulty marching through the forest.
• Caslo showed Roland a huge, petrified egg he had found beneath a goblin throne in an ancient Dragon’s Lair.
• The Smurf and Caslo judged the object to be a dragon egg that could no longer hatch, and Balin said it still had collectible value.
• Roland stored the egg in his system space, where a faint gleam passed over its shell and it gently shook amid the Power of Space.
• Caslo collapsed the lair entrance with Dragon Power, then hurried after Roland as he urged the army toward Rivendell.

Roland’s army reached Rivendell, where Elrond welcomed them after Omsk revealed his sixth-tier emblem and Caslo pressed for hospitality. Balin explained that the dwarves meant to reclaim Moria, and Elrond grew alarmed when Roland revealed they had two dragons; the chapter ended with Roland refusing Elrond’s request concerning Smurf.

• Lindir tried to turn Roland’s army away from Rivendell, but Omsk projected his sixth-tier profession emblem to draw Elrond out.
• Elrond greeted Roland’s party, accepted their gifts, and asked why they had come with the dwarves.
• Balin announced that the dwarves intended to reclaim Moria, and Elrond warned them about the evil hidden in its depths.
• Roland revealed Smurf and said they had two dragons, astonishing Elrond.
• Elrond began to make a request, but Roland refused, insisting that Smurf was family, not merchandise.

Roland refused to leave the Dragon of the Elves in Rivendell and discussed the growing threat of Sauron and the Dwarves’ plans to reclaim Moria with Elrond. Before Roland departed for Moria, Elrond gave him three fire-immunity potions and warned him about the Balrog’s attacks and deadly forbidden spell.

• Roland told Elrond that he had encountered four Nazgûl and explained why the Dwarves were preparing to retake Moria.
• Roland said he planned to rest for two days before going to Moria with one hero and two dragons to face the Balrog.
• Elrond declined to send Rivendell’s soldiers but offered help within his ability and gave Roland three Breath of Frost potions.
• Elrond explained that Balrogs could fight at range or in close combat and warned Roland that the Moria Balrog might have a rapidly cast single-target forbidden spell.

Roland led the allied army toward Moria despite Elrond’s warnings about the dangers and the difficulty of uniting Middle-earth against Mordor. The Dwarves reached Khazad-dûm’s mountain wall, where Caslo sensed something in the lake as Roland ordered the army to find the gate.

• Roland declined Elrond’s offer to rest and explained that he wanted to reach Moria before the Orcs could respond.
• Roland proposed forming an alliance to attack Mordor, but Elrond warned him that Mordor had powerful Orcs and that other peoples would hesitate to risk their strongest forces.
• Roland and Balin led the allied army toward Moria, with Roland warning that Gundabad Orcs could circle around and ambush them at the East Gate.
• The Dwarves reached Khazad-dûm’s immense mountain wall and celebrated their return to their ancestral home.
• Roland ordered the army to find Moria’s gate and avoid disturbing the lake, while Caslo reported sensing something in the water.

Roland’s troops and Balin’s dwarves disturbed a giant Water Monitor in Mirror Lake, and the beast attacked them near the shore. Roland ordered a retreat and rescue effort, leaving Caslo to hold it back as the army reached safety.

• Roland and Balin’s party found the moonlit secret door beside Mirror Lake, where dwarves’ stones stirred something in the water.
• Caslo mounted Caldo and attacked the Water Monitor from above, drawing it out and severing one of its tentacles.
• The Water Monitor charged the troops at the shore, scattering soldiers and dragging some into the lake.
• Roland ordered the troops to retreat while rescuing those in the water, and Balin led the dwarves away.
• Caslo stayed behind to hold off the Water Monitor until Roland called him to fall back.