Chapter Summaries

Balin led the wounded Moria dwarves in a sudden charge that routed the Orcs in the hall, then retreated with his surviving fighters and helped Ori and Oin secure the east gate. Meanwhile, Thorin used the Orcs’ confusion to unleash his royal guard, whose attack broke the Orc vanguard as the forest of steel advanced.

• Balin raised the Moria Skullcrusher Legion’s banner and charged the Orcs with his wounded fighters.
• The Orcs inside Moria’s hall broke and fled through the east gate, disrupting their own left flank.
• Thorin led an elite detachment into the enemy ranks while Ori and Oin pulled Balin’s force back behind the gate.
• Ori and Oin ordered the defenders to build a barricade from Orc corpses and other materials, then formed them up behind it.
• At Thorin’s signal, Dwalin blew a golden horn and the hidden Third Tier Berserkers attacked, shattering the Orc vanguard as the forest of steel advanced.

Thorin’s dwarves fought through the Orcs’ overwhelming numbers and retreated into Moria after suffering heavy losses. Thorin reunited with Ori and Oin, learned Balin was badly wounded but alive, and prepared to receive reinforcements from the Blue Mountains through Moria’s western gate.

• Thorin ordered the dwarves to break through the Orc right flank and fall back to Moria as Orcs and Goblins overwhelmed their line.
• The dwarves carved a path through the Orcs and retreated through Moria’s eastern gate, losing at least three hundred soldiers and leaving more than a thousand wounded.
• Ori and Oin arrived with fewer than a hundred Moria soldiers and told Thorin that Balin was badly wounded and watching over the women and children.
• Thorin learned that only five soldiers guarded Moria’s western gate and insisted it remain usable for reinforcements from the Blue Mountains.

Roland watched the stalemate at Moria and chose to keep his forces out of the battle while ordering his subordinates to guard the north. As Dáin’s Dwarves and Dol Guldur’s Orcs approached, Dwalin detected a northern army near Moria, leaving Thorin uncertain whether it was friend or foe.

• Roland and Caslo discussed the stalemate at Moria and learned that Dáin’s army was slowly crossing the Anduin while Orc reinforcements were also on the way.
• Roland refused to send help to Moria and ordered his subordinates to watch for threats from the northern Wasteland Orcs.
• The Elves of Lórien attacked Dol Guldur’s Orcs as they tried to cross the Anduin, forcing them to retreat and cross farther upstream.
• Orc catapults and Dwarven ballistae exchanged attacks at Moria’s East Gate, and Thorin stopped a Dwarf from wasting more arrows.
• Dwalin heard a large army approaching from the north, and Balin warned Thorin that the newcomers might not all be Dwarves.

Orc reinforcements arrived at Moria before Dáin, and Thorin chose to defend the mines despite Balin’s warnings that the dwarves might be overwhelmed. The Orcs brought a Behemoth, leaving Thorin convinced the dwarves were in grave danger.

• A sentry warned Thorin that an Orc army was approaching from the north before Dáin arrived, and the dwarves prepared their defenses.
• The Dol Guldur Orc commander told the Misty Mountains Orcs that Lórien’s elves had ambushed his force at the Anduin, while elven rangers secretly trailed the Orcs.
• The elves decided not to fight for the dwarves, and Thorin’s forces repelled repeated Orc assaults at Moria’s tunnel entrance.
• Balin urged Thorin to choose between staying and leaving, but Thorin vowed to defend Moria while ordering Ori and Oin to repair the western escape route.
• A Behemoth shook the mountain, and Thorin returned from scouting it and warned the others that they were in trouble.

Thorin and the dwarves tried to stop a Bronze Behemoth from demolishing Moria’s eastern wall with a Heavy Crossbow. The Behemoth smashed the weapon and damaged their secret passage, then began ramming the mountain.

• Thorin ordered Dwalin to assemble a Heavy Crossbow and lead crossbowmen through a secret passage to attack the Behemoth.
• Thorin’s first heavy arrow only wounded the Behemoth’s face, and his second glanced off its back.
• With only one arrow left, Thorin fired and pulled the soldiers and Dwalin into the secret passage as the Behemoth roared.
• The Behemoth smashed the Heavy Crossbow and damaged the passage, while Balin and Thorin began clearing rubble.
• Thorin realized the Behemoth was ramming the mountain.

Thorin’s dwarves watched an enraged Bronze Behemoth tear through the Orcs after Thorin blinded it with a crossbow bolt, while Dain Ironfoot learned of the danger facing Moria and stopped to await further orders. The chapter ended with Dain hearing how Orc heavy crossbows had driven back the Dragon Hawk Knights.

• A dwarven scout told Thorin that his arrow had blinded the Bronze Behemoth and that it was rampaging outside Moria.
• The wounded Behemoth ripped apart Orcs and beastmasters, giving Thorin’s group a chance to plan a cleanup of Khazad-dûm.
• Yade told Dain Ironfoot that Thorin had retreated to defend Moria and that a Bronze Behemoth was attacking it.
• Dain ordered his troops to rest while he went to the Dragon Hawk Knights’ camp to learn what had happened.
• Yade explained the battle, and Dain marveled that Orc heavy crossbows had forced the Dragon Hawk Knights back.

Roland asked about a new mill built beside the Swift River and decided to inspect it, while Yun Feng confirmed it was already operating. Roland left with Nyx and a heavily armed escort, and a commoner recognized him at the mill.

• Roland corrected Yun Feng that the Dwarves, not the Orcs, were likely to suffer most in the stalemate outside Moria.
• Roland asked whether the mill had been completed, and Yun Feng discovered it had already been operating for several days.
• Roland explained to Nyx that he was visiting the mill rather than joining the battle, and she agreed to accompany him.
• Roland objected to Caslo bringing the fully armed Knight Order, but accepted the escort.
• At the mill, Roland asked a commoner whether it was useful, and the man recognized him as His Highness.

Roland discovered how primitive farming was in Middle-earth and ordered human and animal waste to be collected and composted as fertilizer. He resolved to improve food production, though he lacked better seeds and other immediate solutions.

• Roland asked a farmer about the harvest and learned that farmers considered manure too filthy to spread on their fields.
• Roland reflected with Nyx on the kingdom’s poverty and low agricultural yields, despite its abundance of land.
• Roland ordered people to collect human and animal waste for compost and told farmers to use it as fertilizer.
• Nyx reassured Roland and agreed to support his efforts to improve the people’s livelihoods.
• Roland considered better crop varieties and magical ways to raise yields, but acknowledged that he had no solution ready yet.

Dáin’s Ironfoot Army harassed the Orcs outside Moria until the Dol Guldur forces abandoned the eastern gate and attacked him. Their departure let Thorin’s defenders strike out from Moria, while Dragon Hawk Knights devastated the Orcs pursuing Dáin, leaving the Orc siege in disarray.

• Blue Mountains Dwarves with their families were trapped near Moria’s western gate by three thousand Gundabad Orcs, leaving fewer than two hundred Warriors to hold them off while the noncombatants retreated toward Helin.
• Dáin used his twelve hundred Ironfoot Army soldiers and mobile Heavy Crossbows to repeatedly harass the Orcs outside Moria.
• Dol Guldur Orcs left Moria’s eastern gate and charged Dáin’s force after Heavy Crossbow fire killed two Orc lords in their command tent.
• Thorin led Dwarves through a secret passage and killed nearly five hundred Misty Mountains Orcs outside the eastern gate.
• Dragon Hawk Knights attacked the Dol Guldur Orcs pursuing Dáin, burning them with Dragon Breath before they could assemble their Heavy Crossbows.

Thorin sent the dwarves into battle with rusty arrows, whose infected wounds would prove deadly to the Orcs. Roland and his advisers discussed the danger of Thorin’s victory leading to a renewed war against Dol Guldur, and the need to keep the dwarves in Erebor.

• Dwalin warned Thorin that the dwarves were running out of usable arrows and showed him a rusted Iron Arrow.
• Thorin ordered the dwarves to use the rusty arrows, and their crossbowmen forced the Orcs to retreat despite inflicting few immediate deaths.
• Roland learned that the Orcs would likely die from infected wounds because they lacked apothecaries and proper medical care.
• Yun Feng warned that a dwarven victory could alter the Northern Territory’s balance and draw everyone into a campaign against Dol Guldur.
• Roland said the kingdom was not ready for war, while Yun Feng argued that the dwarves had to be kept in Erebor and Caslo noted the Swift River Infantry could be used if war came.

Roland discussed the limits of Lagrange Kingdom’s troops and ordered continued surveillance of the Nazgûl, while Thorin’s Dwarves fought the Orcs outside Moria. Thorin’s heavy crossbows proved devastating against ordinary Orcs, and he led the Throne Guard into battle against elite armored warriors.

• Roland rejected Caslo’s use of Swift River Infantry against professional soldiers and said the kingdom lacked the population and resources to expand its army substantially.
• Caslo reported that the Nazgûl remained inside Dol Guldur and the Fortress of Gundabad, and Roland ordered the Dragon Knights to keep watching them.
• Thorin’s Dwarves showered the attacking Orcs with arrows, then assembled heavy crossbows to counter their wooden shields.
• Thorin discovered that rusted bronze bolts shattered through wooden shields and scattered fragments among clustered Orcs.
• When elite armored Orc Warriors with Battle Qi resisted ordinary crossbow bolts, Thorin charged with Ockreist while Balin ordered the crossbowmen to load new bolts.
• Thorin and the Throne Guard clashed with the elite Orcs on the open ground before Moria.

Dáin lured Dol Guldur’s Orc army into a steep mountain pass, where the dwarves used their Iron Wall Combined Attack to devastate the advancing ranks. As the dwarven professionals exhausted their Battle Qi and the Orcs pressed on, ordinary soldiers offered to cover the retreat, but Dáin refused to abandon them.

• Dáin ordered the Iron Hills force to retreat up the mountain, where Orc siege weapons would be less effective.
• Dáin led the pursuing Orcs into a prepared formation of dwarves standing in rows along the mountainside.
• Dáin ordered the dwarves to unleash their Iron Wall Combined Attack, crushing wave after wave of Orcs beneath shields of Battle Qi Flame.
• The Orc Lords and their forces launched a desperate charge, while Dáin urged the dwarves to hold the line for Durin, their homes, and the kingdom.
• After the professional soldiers ran out of Battle Qi, ordinary dwarves stepped forward and offered to cover the retreat, but Dáin refused to leave them behind.

Dáin led the dwarves back into battle after Dragon Hawk Knights drove the Orcs into retreat, and the dwarven forces secured a hard-won victory at Moria's eastern gate. Thorin later learned that the expedition forces had suffered relatively few losses, but Moria had lost nearly a thousand dwarves, and he left the Blue Mountains clansmen with Balin to help.

• Dáin broke free of the soldiers trying to take him to safety and charged the Orcs as Dragon Hawk Knights attacked from above.
• The dwarves rallied and drove the Orcs into a panicked retreat, with Dáin cutting down Orcs in the fighting.
• Thorin refused Balin's suggestion to pursue the fleeing Orcs because the dwarves lacked reinforcements and the Orcs still had heavy weapons.
• Yun Feng told Roland that the Erebor and Iron Hills forces had suffered few casualties, while Roland asked for more reliable reconnaissance.
• Thorin learned that Erebor and the Iron Hills had each suffered just over a hundred dead and wounded, but Moria had lost nearly a thousand dwarves.
• Thorin left the Blue Mountains clansmen with Balin because Moria needed manpower more than the returning forces did.

After the Dwarves mourned their heavy losses and discussed the uncertain prospects of their allies, Roland celebrated the victory and prepared to inspect his kingdom. His winter outing was interrupted when a knight reported that Laffite Antony’s egg was about to hatch.

• Balin, Thorin, and Dáin discussed Moria’s casualties, buried clansmen, and the Dwarves’ need for reliable allies against the darkness.
• Roland embraced Nyx, told her he would prepare for their wedding, and left to inspect the kingdom despite the winter cold.
• Roland and Caslo visited a bakery run by refugee citizens, and Caslo bought bread for the hungry Knights accompanying them.
• A knight rushed to Roland and said that Laffite Antony’s egg was about to hatch, then hurried him back at once.

Roland stayed near the dragon egg while collecting his reward for the Second Battle of Azanubizar, which turned out to be 300 Lagrange City Guards instead of an elite order. As the egg hatched, its occupant began quacking like a duck, leaving Roland stunned.

• Roland rushed to Lafitte Antony, who told him the dragon egg was close to hatching and advised him to stay nearby.
• Roland settled the Battle of Glory mission reward and drew 300 Lagrange City Guards, disappointing him because he had hoped for the Dragon Knight Regiment.
• Roland reflected on the limits of Caslo and Ajax's growth as Dragon Knights while waiting beside the egg.
• The dragon egg cracked open, and Roland welcomed the hatchling.
• The hatchling quacked from inside the shell, and Roland wondered how a dragon had hatched into a duck.

Roland’s revived dragon egg hatched into a Golden Dragon, and the hatchling immediately bit and nearly breathed fire at him. The kingdom’s leaders warned that Dragon Island could destroy Lagrange if it learned about the dragon, but Roland refused to return him and named him Dos.

• Roland’s Golden Dragon hatchling hatched, bit his hand, and nearly hit him with Dragon Breath before Roland subdued him.
• Roland told the assembled leaders how the dragon egg had been revived, and they worried that the dragon race would become another enemy.
• The Smurf warned that Dragon Island could send its dragon army if it learned Roland had a Golden Dragon, and suggested returning the hatchling in exchange for the dragon race’s friendship.
• Roland rejected the suggestion and named the hatchling Dos, then ordered Lafitte Antony to prepare fresh meat for him.
• After the others left, Roland and Dos stubbornly stared each other down until the Smurf returned and dismissed the hatchling’s challenge.

Roland took Dos for a walk and worried that the dragon hatchling’s appetite would exhaust the kingdom’s meat supplies. He avoided the castle’s disastrous cooking by eating at Villy’s Inn, where Dos promptly stole half his bread.

• Roland fed Dos jerky during their walk, then joked about selling his scales before the hatchling flew out of reach.
• Roland told Yun Feng that Dos was consuming too much meat, and Yun Feng proposed increasing the fish catch and drying the surplus.
• Roland and Yun Feng recalled the castle cooks’ disastrous experiments, including dishes made with Yun Feng’s alchemy cockroaches, and chose to eat outside.
• Roland and Yun Feng went to Villy’s Inn, where they found Caslo, Ajax, Lafitte Antony, Adilai, Nyx, Dingxiang, and Hongshao eating.
• Dos secretly ate half of Roland’s bread and gulped it down.

Roland tried to bring familiar food to the Lagrange Kingdom by making tofu pudding from soybeans, and he successfully set the soy milk with gypsum. He enthusiastically offered Nyx a taste, but she recoiled from the strange-looking dish.

• Roland decided to make bean products after seeing people eat soybeans and brought a sack of them to the castle kitchen.
• Roland ordered the cooks to soak the soybeans for at least twelve hours and warned them not to ruin his project with their cooking innovations.
• Roland directed the cooks to grind the soaked beans into soy milk, filter it, boil it, and set it with gypsum.
• Roland found that the soy milk had solidified into tofu pudding and seasoned it with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and chili oil.
• Roland praised the tofu pudding and offered Nyx a spoonful, but Nyx recoiled from it.

Roland introduced Nyx and the kitchen staff to tofu pudding and stir-fried tofu with cabbage, astonishing them with unfamiliar flavors and cooking techniques. Nyx eagerly enjoyed the dishes, while Roland left Boris responsible for learning to cook them.

• Roland served Nyx spicy tofu pudding, which she quickly devoured, then invited the cooks to try it.
• Roland showed Boris how to make tofu pudding and promised to supply more seasoning sauces when needed.
• Roland pressed the tofu into soft tofu and ordered Boris and the other cooks to watch and learn.
• Roland stir-fried tofu with cabbage, soy sauce, and seasonings, impressing Boris with the new cooking method.
• Roland told Boris to apply what he had learned to other dishes, then watched Nyx enjoy the stir-fried tofu with bread.

Roland met with the returning General Reno, who reported on the caravan’s successful trade journey through Middle-earth and brought back food for the kingdom. After learning that the western dwarves had gathered in Moria and that Orcs near Dol Guldur were stirring, Reno prepared to return to Lulong Fortress.

• Yun Feng told Roland that the missing group had returned, and Roland finally remembered that Reno and the Royal Guard were back.
• Roland found Reno and his men eating at Villy’s Inn, then cleared the room so he could hear Reno’s report.
• Reno recounted the caravan’s route through Beorning lands, the Glaton Plains, and Gondor, where Queen Galadriel had received them and their goods had sold out.
• Reno said he had bought Gondorian wheat and Rohan dried meat, bringing back roughly 300,000 jin of food.
• Reno told Roland that he had passed through Moria and seen many dwarves, and Roland explained that the western dwarves from the Blue Mountains had gathered there.
• Reno said he would finish the handover and return to Lulong Fortress because the Orcs of Dol Guldur were becoming restless, and Roland thanked him for his service.