Chapter Summaries

Apophis Breo and the Junlin Knights captured the apparently deserted High Pass, only to discover that Orcs had ambushed soldiers on its lower route. After killing the remaining Orcs, they began preparing for the tribe’s return in spring.

• Apophis Breo ordered an assault on High Pass after the group found no guards or patrols before sunset.
• The Knights climbed the walls and found the upper route empty, while Olaf accidentally brought down the dilapidated gate.
• A wounded soldier warned Apophis Breo and Olaf that Orcs were hiding below, and Olaf discovered that the spear wound was only a scare caused by the soldier’s armor.
• Apophis Breo’s soldiers searched the pass and killed the Orcs, finding only twenty-seven corpses from the lower route.
• The Great Knight congratulated Apophis Breo on taking the pass, while Olaf urged them to build fortifications before the Orcs returned in spring.

Apophis Breo inspected Old Pass and discovered that the Orcs’ underground tunnels had undermined its defenses. He ordered his soldiers to abandon the damaged fortifications and camp on the protected platform at High Pass.

• Apophis Breo recalled Roland’s warning about Orcs returning through underground tunnels and ordered an immediate search for hidden passages.
• Olaf urged Apophis Breo to inspect the underground structures, where Apophis stepped in Orc excrement and found the tunnels well maintained despite their filth.
• Apophis Breo and his officers determined that both the upper and lower passes had been riddled with passages and could no longer serve as effective defenses.
• Olaf and the officers recommended camping on High Pass’s spacious, walled platform, which had a mountain spring and no tunnels leading into it.
• Apophis Breo ordered the soldiers to move to the platform and establish camp before the night grew colder.

Apophis Breo and his men prepared to establish their new outpost at Old Pass, and he used the alchemical bottle Roland had given him to deploy an Imperial Outpost. The castle stood completed on the mountaintop, ready to become the Junlin Family’s new stronghold.

• Apophis Breo discussed the empty mountaintop platform with his officers and showed them the Imperial Outpost sealed in an alchemical bottle.
• Apophis Breo sent the Knights down the mountain to retrieve supplies and told them to watch for wild beasts.
• Apophis Breo chose to place the outpost over the small spring so its courtyard would have a water source.
• Apophis Breo released the seal, and the castle’s underground levels and upper floors materialized on the mountain.
• Olaf knocked on the finished outpost’s wall as Apophis Breo welcomed his men to their future home.

Apophis Breo named the restored Imperial Outpost Lionheart Castle and welcomed his men beneath the Junlin Family banner. After inspecting the castle and settling in, he vowed to build the Empire's greatest mountain city.

• Apophis Breo named the outpost Lionheart Castle, and the soldiers raised the Junlin Family banner above its main keep.
• Apophis Breo studied the castle map while Olaf explained that its secondary keeps could house the soldiers and its main keep could house the Knights and the lord's household.
• The Knights returned with horses and supplies, and Apophis Breo and Olaf organized the men to carry everything into the castle.
• Apophis Breo proposed using tent canvas and blankets as temporary bedding because the mountaintop lacked wood for beds.
• Apophis Breo and the others climbed to the main keep's summit, where Apophis Breo declared he would build the Empire's greatest mountain city.

After Apophis Breo’s forces captured Old Pass with almost no casualties, Roland prepared supplies and possible military support while warning that the Orcs would likely counterattack. He also began arranging for civilians to migrate with Duke Junlin, and ordered his commanders to assess the threat as Lionheart Castle appeared in the territory panel.

• Yun Feng told Roland that the Communication Array had received a message from the Imperial Outpost, where Apophis Breo’s forces had captured Old Pass with only one soldier suffering a sprained ankle.
• Roland ordered Caslo to send one hundred thousand arrows, three hundred ballistae, dried meat, and dried fish to support the force, and told Yun Feng to arrange civilian migration with Duke Junlin.
• Roland saw Lionheart Castle appear beneath the vassal territory panel, but noticed that Old Pass was not fully controlled and suspected that Apophis Breo had encountered trouble.
• Roland summoned Omsk and ordered him to convene the senior commanders to assess the situation and prepare support against a likely Orc counterattack.
• Roland assured Omsk that the kingdom would not abandon the Breo Family or its people, and said he was willing to send an army to fight the Orcs in the Misty Mountains.

Roland prepared for war to support Apophis Breo, who had occupied Old Pass, while reassuring Nyx that he would not leave her or risk her private army. He and Omsk struggled to find troops for the mountain campaign without weakening Nyx’s political standing, and left the deployment unresolved.

• Nyx worried that Roland would go to war, and he reassured her that a king would not leave his Queen.
• Roland learned that Apophis Breo had occupied Old Pass and expected the Orcs to return when spring came.
• Omsk listed Roland’s 3,845 available soldiers and suggested deploying Nyx’s Crusaders or the light infantry.
• Roland rejected using the Crusaders beyond Lulong Fortress because they were Nyx’s private soldiers and her remaining foundation of power.
• Omsk realized the army’s political constraints left him without a clear force to send into the mountains.

Yun Feng devised a way for Roland to help Duke Junlin defend Old Pass without sending the kingdom’s own soldiers. The plan relied on Beorning troops to repel the Orcs’ first counterattack, giving the Junlin family time to raise its own infantry.

• Roland told Omsk that Yun Feng had gone to the Magic Plantation, and Omsk hurried there to ask for his advice.
• Yun Feng stopped Omsk with a Mental Power barrier, served him tea, and heard that Roland wanted to support Duke Junlin but could spare no suitable troops besides the Crusaders.
• Yun Feng suggested seeking troops from the Beornings near Karl Rock Crossing, and Omsk realized they could help defend Old Pass.
• Yun Feng explained that the Beornings only needed to hold off the Orcs’ first counterattack while the Junlin family trained Valiant Warriors and recruited local residents.
• Yun Feng left the task of persuading the Beornings to Duke Junlin, and Omsk praised his cleverness.

Roland authorized Apophis Breo to recruit soldiers while declining to pursue the spiders in Mirkwood. At Lionheart Castle, the warhorses sensed a powerful magical beast, and Apophis Breo prepared an ancient scroll as the castle braced for danger.

• Roland approved Apophis Breo recruiting soldiers and complained that the system had not issued a quest or reward.
• Apophis Breo and Olaf celebrated the permission to recruit and train soldiers, though Olaf doubted they could afford a large force.
• Caslo and Caldo discussed the spiders in Mirkwood and the possibility of establishing a foothold there, but Caslo hesitated to advise Roland.
• Warhorses at Lionheart Castle grew restless, prompting a knight to ring the alarm bell and the soldiers to secure the gate.
• Apophis Breo recognized that a dragon or another top-tier magical beast might be nearby and took out an ancient scroll while Olaf tried to keep the alarm quiet.

Caslo arrived at Lionheart Castle, where the defenders mistook his armored dragon for a threat and raised their magical shield. After Caldo shattered the shield with one claw, Caslo delivered supplies from His Highness and agreed to take Olaf back to Flowing City.

• The Lionheart Castle defenders panicked at the sight of a green dragon, but Apophis Breo and the others realized it was Caslo.
• Apophis Breo activated the castle’s basic magical shield, and Caldo explained that it was far weaker than Flowing City’s advanced shield.
• Caldo tore through the shield with one swipe, and Apophis Breo accepted that it was only useful against weaker enemies.
• Caslo delivered arrows and three hundred ballistae on His Highness’s behalf and offered to help attack the Orcs.
• Apophis Breo asked Caslo to take Olaf back to Flowing City while he recruited soldiers and settlers for his fief, and Caslo agreed.

Caslo took Olaf away in a reinforced flying cage while Roland and Yun Feng discussed the awakening griffons above the Grey Mountains and plans for the kingdom’s refugees. The chapter left Roland expecting Caslo’s return as the kingdom prepared to support Apophis Breo and settle refugees in new southern towns.

• Caslo and Apophis Breo pressured Olaf into boarding a vine cage for the flight, and Olaf pleaded with Caslo to fly carefully.
• Holyn warned Roland that griffon phantoms were appearing more often as spring approached and the griffons awakened from hibernation.
• Yun Feng reassured Roland that the intelligent griffons were unlikely to attack unless the kingdom crossed their boundaries, while Roland considered recruiting them.
• Yun Feng urged Roland to focus on expanding settlements for the thousands of refugees, and Roland assigned him to choose sites south of Flowing City.
• Roland said that Apophis Breo needed to establish a firm foothold and expected Caslo to return soon.

Roland identified the Grave Corpse Demons as the source of the plague, but Yun Feng and Omsk could not determine where they had gone. Yun Feng decided to warn the other kingdoms so they could guard against future attacks.

• While fishing, Roland recalled the Grave Corpse Demons and rushed back to Flowing City to confront Yun Feng.
• Roland told Yun Feng that the Grave Corpse Demons had caused the plague, and Yun Feng concluded they had likely escaped underwater long ago.
• Roland left in frustration when Yun Feng explained that there was no way to track down the demons.
• Yun Feng asked Omsk how to find and deal with the Grave Corpse Demons, but Omsk said the water sources were too vast to monitor.
• Omsk suggested warning the other kingdoms, and Yun Feng provided portraits of the Grave Corpse Demons for the Knights to deliver.

Thorin, Roland, and their allies mobilized cavalry to search the Northern Territory for Grave Corpse Demons, but their campaign turned into a destructive Orc-clearing spree. As the cavalry gathered near the Iron Hills, cracks began opening across the ground around them.

• Tauriel warned Thorin that Grave Corpse Demons had appeared far from the Barrow-downs, and Thorin ordered his army put on alert.
• Bard set aside the threat while Roland, Thorin, and the Aquavia Kingdom sent cavalry to search the Northern Territory.
• Dwarven, Aquavian, and Lagrange cavalry wiped out Orc tribes and ranged farther north, prompting Roland to realize they had reached the Northern Wastes.
• A Lagrange centurion gathered his force near the Iron Hills and waited for the dwarven and Aquavian cavalry to join him.
• Fissures began opening silently in the ground near the assembled cavalry.

Undead emerged across the wasteland and ambushed the Holy Radiance Knight Order, forcing its vanguard to fight its way clear. The centurion refused to split up and ordered the Knights to find their allies and retreat together.

• Skeletons and Abominations rose from the earth, and the Holy Radiance Knight Order discovered a vast Undead Army ahead.
• The centurion ordered the Knights to retreat after recognizing that Death Qi could drain their Battle Qi and end their Glory.
• Abominations snagged the Knights' lances with their hook-chains, disarming a third of the vanguard.
• The centurion led the Knights through a thinner stretch of Undead, where their charge shattered the fragile skeletons.
• The centurion suspected dark forces had raised the Undead and decided the Knights should find their allies and retreat.
• The centurion struck down a Knight who suggested splitting up, insisting they stay together while searching for their allies.

Fengye Zi led Aquavia’s surrounded cavalry in a desperate breakout, but an Abomination stopped them and overwhelmed the knights. The Lagrange Holy Radiance Knight Order arrived, destroyed the Abomination, and urged the survivors to leave quickly because the dwarves might also be in danger.

• Fengye Zi activated Glory and led eleven knights and the cavalry in a charge through the Undead, opening a breach.
• An Abomination blocked the escape route, knocked Fengye Zi from his horse, and forced the Aquavia soldiers to turn and fight.
• Fengye Zi and the knights attacked the Abomination on foot, but its thick hide and explosive counterattack left them struggling as the cavalry faltered.
• The Lagrange centurion led the Holy Radiance Knight Order in a wedge charge to rescue the trapped Aquavia cavalry.
• The centurion’s Battle Qi attack tore the Abomination apart, and he told the survivors to mount their warhorses and leave because the dwarves might be in danger.

Fili and Dwalin led the dwarves in a fierce battle against an endless Undead Army, then broke through the encirclement and regrouped with the Lagrange Knight Order and Aquavia cavalry. The two forces discovered that both had been ambushed, while the dwarves showed strong resistance to the Undead’s Death Qi.

• Fili and Dwalin rallied the dwarves into a Shield Wall and cut down the Undead, with Dwalin splitting an Abomination in two.
• Fili noticed that Dwalin had advanced to Fourth Tier and seemed close to reaching Fifth Tier.
• As the Undead surrounded the dwarves and wounded several fighters, Dwalin said they needed to find and kill the necromancer summoning them.
• Fili ordered a breakout, and the dwarves punched through the encirclement before escaping on their Cave Drakes.
• The dwarves purged the Death Qi from their wounds and spotted the Lagrange Knight Order approaching with the Aquavia cavalry.
• Dwalin and Fili joined the Lagrange force, whose centurion confirmed that its soldiers had also been ambushed and observed the dwarves’ resistance to Death Qi.

Fengye Zi, Dwalin, and the Lagrange centurion struggled to escape an Undead Army ambush after Death Qi killed many of the Aquavia Kingdom’s horses. Holyn carried news of the undead invasion south, while Ajax went to help the stranded knights.

• Fengye Zi urged the group to retreat, but Death Qi-corroded warhorses forced the knights to slow down and treat their mounts.
• The group lost dozens of Northern Horses and burned their bodies to keep them from becoming skeletal horses, leaving the Aquavia Kingdom’s cavalry badly weakened.
• The centurion asked Dwalin for aerial scouts, but Dwalin said the Dragon Hawk Knights were probably resting in Erebor, so the group waited for Lagrange’s Griffon Knights.
• Holyn arrived on patrol, learned that the Undead Army had ambushed all three cavalry routes, and flew away to warn the kingdom.
• Ajax told Holyn to report the undead marching south to His Highness, then went to help the knights.

Ajax flew north on Renoil to investigate the Undead threat, startling the camp before learning what had happened from the centurion. She left the troops sheltered behind Dragon Flame and continued into the night, suspecting a Necrotic Plague and possible Death Knights or Bone Dragons.

• Ajax and Renoil found the camp and surrounded it with Dragon Flame, causing the soldiers to panic until the centurion explained that Ajax was an ally.
• Ajax questioned the centurion and learned the situation behind the camp’s chaos.
• Dwalin and Fengye Zi discussed how Renoil’s Dragon Flame would protect the camp from the Undead.
• Ajax ordered the centurion to rest with the troops inside the ring of flame, then set off north to investigate personally.
• Renoil warned Ajax that the threat might be a Necrotic Plague, and Ajax vowed to destroy the Undead and any necromancers responsible.

Ajax and Renoil destroyed an Undead vanguard but withdrew after discovering Black Arrows and evidence of a growing Necrotic Plague. A hidden force continued summoning Undead for Lord Sauron while Apophis Breo oversaw fortifications around Lionheart Castle.

• Renoil and Ajax attacked an Undead army of more than ten thousand, and Renoil burned vast numbers with Dragon Breath and Dragon Flame Vortex.
• Ajax killed the last Death Knight, but she worried that three Death Knights had appeared among the vanguard and one had escaped.
• Renoil persuaded Ajax to return rather than risk meeting more dragon-slaying weapons or strengthening the enemy with captured creatures.
• A Lich reported the vanguard's destruction to a black-robed figure, who ordered the forbidden spell to continue as Undead emerged from a teleportation array.
• A colossal skeleton roared from the array as the black-robed figure declared that Lord Sauron would return and the Undead would devour all life.
• Apophis Breo directed workers to reinforce Lionheart Castle and build a pass where the road reached the mountaintop platform.

After the Undead were reported, Caslo rushed off to find Ajax while Roland worried about the danger and Apophis Breo’s dwindling manpower. In Flowing City, Olaf received permission to recruit commoners for Duke Junlin’s territory, and loyal subjects began seeking him out.

• Holyn told Roland and Caslo that the Undead had risen and that Ajax had gone north to investigate, so Caslo hurried to find her.
• Olaf posted Duke Junlin’s recruitment notice, and city guards checked with Roland before allowing him to continue.
• Roland authorized the recruitment as long as it did not violate kingdom law.
• Olaf set up the Junlin Lion banner at a conspicuous intersection and waited to recruit settlers with Gold Coin compensation and free supplies.
• Old Tom explained the notice to a crowd, and Little White decided to search for Olaf because his family had served the Junlin Family for generations.
• News of the recruitment spread through Flowing City, and former Junlin subjects found Olaf by following the lion banner.

Olaf recruited nearly a thousand people to migrate with the Junlin Family, and Roland agreed to provide an escort in exchange for a Guardian Forbidden Spell. Roland worried about Ajax and the Undead until Caslo returned with a Lich’s phylactery, revealing that he and Ajax had defeated an Undead Army and killed its commanding Lich.

• Olaf recruited over two hundred households for the Junlin Family and offered their loyalty to Roland on Duke Junlin’s behalf.
• Roland agreed to let the Lagrange Royal Caravan escort the migrants in exchange for a Guardian Forbidden Spell and directed Olaf to coordinate with Ruhl.
• Roland accepted the loss of nearly a thousand civilians, while Yun Feng estimated that only about two thousand might ultimately follow the Junlin Family.
• Roland worried about the Undead and Ajax, and Nyx comforted him as he waited for news.
• Caslo returned with a Lich’s phylactery and said that he and Ajax had defeated an Undead Army and killed its commanding Lich.