Chapter Summaries

Roland learned that the Crusader Eastern Expedition had ended in disaster and recognized it as an earlier version of the quest to defend the Duchy of Nykx. Meanwhile, Grand Duchess Nyx’s force encountered Chariot People scouts, and she ordered the Knights of the Crimson Lily to leave none alive.

• Roland’s system announced the Crusader Eastern Expedition and explained that Grand Duchess Nix and nearly all one hundred thousand Crusaders had perished in the historical campaign.
• Roland connected the expedition to the later Defense of the Duchy of Nykx quest and learned that the event’s revised version now faced Sauron’s Eastern Yi.
• Grand Duchess Nyx halted her force to camp while traveling east to reclaim her homeland.
• A scouting knight reported more than a dozen Chariot People patrol chariots about five li ahead.
• Nyx ordered the twenty-four Knights of the Crimson Lily to kill every Chariot People scout.

Grand Duke Nyx’s Crusaders fought an Eastern Yi chariot scouting force, suffering heavy losses before destroying the enemy. Nyx doubted her army but chose to continue the campaign and ordered the troops to camp at the pass ahead.

• The Knights of the Crimson Lily lured the Eastern Yi chariots toward the Crusader formation with a charge.
• The chariots smashed through part of the Shield Wall, killing and wounding many light infantry before Nyx used Giant Vine Entanglement to tear one apart.
• The Crusaders regrouped, surrounded the chariots, and killed the remaining Chariot People with spears and arrows.
• Nyx worried that her army was too weak for the eastern campaign, but the Knights pledged their loyalty and she resolved to keep fighting.
• Nyx ordered the Crusaders to clear the battlefield and camp at the pass ahead, while several Knights rode forward to scout.

Lavien grew uneasy about the eastern expedition's vulnerability, while Lance traveled toward Karl Rock Crossing in search of boats and Druids. Roland ordered stronger surveillance around Flowing City after learning the Duchy of Nykx's remnant army was campaigning east, leaving him worried that it might draw eastern enemies toward his lands.

• Lavien recalled how a small force of chariots had broken through his army and took a knight out to scout farther from camp.
• Lance and his companions reached the Gray Flood River and rode toward Karl Rock Crossing to look for boats and surviving Druids.
• Roland rejected plans to expand his castle until after spring planting and told Caslo and Reno to prioritize food stores and vigilance.
• Roland ordered sentries to double their range and demanded reports on activity within a hundred li of Flowing City, especially to the east.
• Roland explained that a remnant of the Duchy of Nykx had launched an eastern expedition, and Reno and Caslo doubted it could survive or be helped.

Lance’s army reached Karl Rock and negotiated with Beorn to rent boats for their journey south to Gondor. The soldiers were welcomed into the Druid settlement, where Jessiava cleared up a mistaken identity and asked to try the Druids’ food.

• Lance halted his army after arrows warned them away from Karl Rock, then approached alone to speak with the land’s people.
• A Druid led Lance to Beorn, whom Lance praised for his deeds in the Battle of Five Armies.
• Beorn agreed to rent boats to Lance in exchange for Gold Coins and invited the soldiers to rest in the settlement.
• Beorn mistook Jessiava for a Dwarf, but Jessiava revealed that he was a goblin.
• Jessiava asked Beorn for food and specifically requested Cheese Jerky, which Beorn said they had.

Lavien realized the eastern advance was a trap and tried to return to the Grand Duke, but a Twin-headed Dragon Sky Knight and Eastern Yi chariots attacked him and Holyn. Lavien escaped with the badly wounded Holyn, while the Sky Knight continued to pursue them.

• Lavien suspected the enemy had lured the army east and turned back, warning that the enemy might have Sky Knights.
• A Sky Knight on a Twin-headed Dragon appeared and knocked aside Lavien’s arrow as Lavien and Holyn fled toward the main force.
• Eastern Yi chariots attacked, and Lavien and Holyn fought through them; Holyn was struck in the shoulder by a tri-edged armor-piercing heavy arrow.
• Lavien stopped to remove the arrow and bandage Holyn, then carried him away from the battlefield.
• Holyn woke after Lavien poured water over his face and saw that the Sky Knight was still following them.

Lavien warned Grand Duke Nyx that the Crusaders were being watched and urged a retreat, but the Eastern Yi chariots caught up before they could escape. The Crusaders formed a defensive line and stopped the chariot charge at terrible cost, leaving both armies devastated.

• Lavien and Holyn found Bauhinia cavalry and warned them that a Twin-headed Dragon Sky Knight had pursued them and the Chariot People had ambushed them.
• Lavien told Grand Duke Nyx that the Crusaders should retreat because they knew nothing about the enemy and could not counter its Sky Knight.
• Holyn reported that the Eastern Yi chariots had caught up, and Lavien saw nearly a thousand chariots massed outside the camp.
• Lavien ordered the Crusaders to form up with their backs to the camp and prepare for battle.
• Lavien’s archers fired on the advancing chariots, then the chariots crashed into the Crusader square and inflicted heavy casualties before the formation stopped them.

Lavien's outnumbered Crusaders counterattacked the Eastern Yi Chariot People, but a Twin-headed Dragon Sky Knight threatened Grand Duke Nyx and the army's morale. Nyx used a fifth-tier spell to bring down the dragon, leaving it mortally wounded on the battlefield.

• Lavien led the Crossed Bauhinia Knights in a counterattack against the chariots, while Crusader officers and light infantry charged the enemy.
• A Twin-headed Dragon sprayed acid over the Crusaders, weakening their advance and drawing Lavien's attention.
• Holyn warned Nyx to retreat when the Twin-headed Dragon dove toward her position.
• Nyx tore an ancient azure scroll and cast the fifth-tier spell Whispering Wind Song at the dragon.
• The spell shredded the dragon's wings and limbs, and it crashed to the ground, fatally wounded.

Nyx escaped the dangerous battlefield while Holyn returned to fight alongside Lavien and the Crossed Bauhinia Knights. After their charge routed the Eastern Yi, Lavien ordered the surviving Crusaders to rescue their wounded and retreat.

• Holyn sent Nyx away under the protection of nearly a hundred Lagrange Royal Guards, then returned to Lavien and the battlefield.
• Holyn urged Lavien to lead the Crossed Bauhinia Knights in a charge, and Lavien rallied the knights before they attacked with the Eastern Crusaders' cavalry.
• The knights and cavalry broke through the Eastern Yi ranks, killing many soldiers and forcing the rest to flee.
• Lavien called off the pursuit and ordered the Crusaders to rescue their wounded, finish off enemy wounded, and retreat.

After a disastrous battle against the Chariot People, Lavien ordered the Duchy of Nykx’s surviving force to retreat. Meanwhile, Lance and his party set sail down the Gray Flood River with potions from Beorn, leaving their next journey underway.

• Lavien learned that fewer than a thousand Crusaders survived, most of their officers had been killed, and commander Lockfere had fallen.
• Lavien ordered the wounded and supplies taken along, the dead burned, and the remaining Duchy of Nykx soldiers to retreat.
• Lance and his companions boarded ships at Karl Rock Ferry after thanking Beorn for helping them cross the river.
• Beorn gave Lance several Exorcism Potions to protect the group from aquatic beasts.
• Lance ordered the ships underway and assigned the Lothlórien Rangers to keep watch.

After the disastrous battle, Lavien and Holyn assessed the shattered Crusader forces and learned that Eastern Yi pursuers were closing in. They arranged for Nyx and the Lagrange Royal Guards to flee west while the remaining soldiers prepared to hold off the enemy.

• Nyx asked Lavien about the battle, learned of the heavy losses and Lockfere’s death, and ordered the survivors to leave the battlefield.
• Holyn reported that fewer than 900 Crusaders could still fight, and a Crimson Lily knight warned that pursuing barbarians were only fifteen li behind them.
• Lavien sent eight Knights in four teams to scout because the light cavalry risked being targeted by enemy archers.
• Holyn urged Nyx to escape with the Lagrange Royal Guards, who agreed to take her west toward Rivendell while the Crusaders bought them time.
• A Royal Guard gave Holyn an Echoing Crystal to signal if Nyx reached safety, and Holyn left Nyx behind in tears.

Lavien’s rearguard stayed behind to give Grand Duke Nyx time to escape, and the survivors reached Erebor after three days without seeing any pursuers. There, they encountered Badel, who recognized the Lagrange Dragon Banner and agreed to shelter them while he sought the king’s instructions.

• Lavien rallied the remaining Knights and soldiers to hold off the Eastern Yi Chariot People so Nyx could escape safely.
• Nyx and the Royal Guards continued toward Erebor, and Nyx mourned the rearguard after three days without meeting any survivors.
• Royal Guards formed a defensive circle after arrows struck near Nyx’s party, then discovered a force of nearly fifty Centaurs approaching.
• Badel recognized the Lagrange Dragon Banner, and Nyx learned that Lagrange still existed as a kingdom.
• The Guard captain identified Nyx as the Grand Duke of the Duchy of Nykx and asked Badel to take them to the king.
• Badel sent word to the king, promised the newcomers food and protection, and ordered them to wait where they were.

Roland investigated an eastern force flying the Lagrange Dragon Banner and discovered Grand Duke Nyx and the survivors of her expedition from the Duchy of Nykx. He welcomed Nyx and her remaining soldiers into his kingdom, gained one hundred Royal Guards from a system reward, and prepared to return to Flowing City with them.

• Reno reported that a well-equipped force flying the Lagrange Dragon Banner had arrived from the east, so Roland rode out with Caslo and the Erlino Rangers to investigate.
• Roland and Caslo approached the force's fortified camp, where the guards demanded proof of their identities; Caslo summoned his dragon to demonstrate that he was a Dragon Knight.
• Nyx came out to meet Roland and addressed him as the Lagrange Emperor, then broke down and told him that her people had sacrificed themselves to protect her.
• Roland learned that only one hundred Royal Guards, one second-rank Fire Mage, and three second-rank Priests remained with Nyx, and he invited them to return with him to Flowing City.
• The system rewarded Roland with one hundred Lagrange Royal Guards for receiving Nyx, and Roland praised Baron Badel before ordering the group to depart.

Roland brought Nyx back to Flowing City and explained how little of the Lagrange Kingdom remained. When the system identified Nyx as a candidate for queen, it awarded Roland a random Sixth Tier Hero, leaving him thrilled by the kingdom’s new strength.

• Roland showed Nyx Flowing City’s territory information and told her that it was the kingdom’s only remaining territory, while Lake-town had been destroyed by an evil dragon.
• Nyx recounted how the Eastern Crusaders had been nearly wiped out, and Roland honored the fallen as heroes of Lagrange.
• Nyx saw that Flowing City was much smaller and less fortified than she had expected, then admired Roland after learning his age and how quickly the city had been rebuilt.
• At the city gates, the system declared Nyx a qualified candidate for queen and announced that Roland had completed the Queenly Virtue mission.
• The system rewarded Roland with a random Sixth Tier Hero, and Roland celebrated gaining combat power of that tier.

Roland’s Sixth Tier hero, Omsk, approached Flowing City, but his arrival was mistaken for an attack and the city prepared for a siege. Roland recognized the knight as the Teutonic Knights’ commander just as Valfay and the others planned to confront him.

• Roland asked Caslo to summon Master Ladyl and arrange repairs to the castle before Nyx moved in.
• Valfay warned Roland that a Sixth Tier Professional Soldier was approaching Flowing City.
• Flowing City sounded the emergency horn, closed its gates, and moved its soldiers and civilians into defensive positions.
• Valfay identified the approaching knight as a heavily armored Light-Shadow Hero and offered to hold him off while Roland escaped north.
• Roland recognized the knight’s dragon-scale armor as belonging to Omsk, commander of the Teutonic Knights.

Roland welcomed Omsk, Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, as an ally and sixth-tier combatant in Flowing City. Meanwhile, Lance’s troop reached the Glaton Plains, where his heavy cavalry and Lothlórien Rangers easily defeated an ambush by Goblins before preparing to hunt and gather supplies.

• Omsk pledged his loyalty to Roland outside Flowing City, and Roland ordered the gates opened to welcome him.
• Roland received Omsk, warned him that Flowing City faced threats from orcs and other dark factions, and arranged a welcoming banquet.
• Lance’s troop reached the Glaton Plains near the Anduin River, where Lance ordered the soldiers ashore to hunt and gather supplies.
• Jessiava warned Lance about wandering Orcs, Wargs, and other enemies, and Goblins soon ambushed the troop.
• Lance sent the Lothlórien Rangers back and ordered one hundred Lagrange Heavy Cavalry to charge, while the Rangers supported them with arrows.
• The cavalry and Rangers quickly killed the Goblins, then Lance ordered the bodies burned and the soldiers to find food.

Roland took Nyx to inspect Yun Feng’s alchemical workshop and gave her a rare potion. They continued browsing Yun Feng’s stock as Roland encouraged Nyx to choose anything she liked.

• Roland checked in and received a luxurious royal carriage and six Beginner Beast snow horses, then agreed to accompany Nyx outside the city.
• Roland and Nyx visited the Magic Plantation and learned that Yun Feng was busy making alchemical items in his workshop.
• Roland entered Yun Feng’s potion storage with Nyx and identified a Timeflow Sand Potion that could speed up or slow down its user’s time flow.
• Roland gave the potion to Nyx, who accepted it after he said it might protect her when he was absent.
• Roland invited Nyx to take whatever she liked from Yun Feng’s treasure trove.

Roland and Nyx explored Yun Feng’s collection, where Roland found a legendary staff perfectly suited to her. He gave Nyx the Scepter of the Silent Sea, leaving her overwhelmed by his generosity.

• Roland admired a fire resistance potion, then embarrassed Nyx by staring at her until she blushed and walked away.
• After making up, Roland took Nyx to inspect magic equipment and learned that her old staff was cracked and could not be replaced by her duchy’s spellcasters.
• Roland examined the Dragonflame Battle Axe, discovered it had been forged using Smaug’s essence and dragon scales, and noted that none of his soldiers could wield it.
• Roland found the legendary Scepter of the Silent Sea among eight staffs and read its powerful abilities.
• Roland gave the scepter to Nyx, who was stunned and moved by the precious gift.

After a river wave ruined much of their food, Lance’s force abandoned its ships and sought supplies by land. In a village, Jessiava stopped the villagers from executing a magically gifted girl and took her into their care.

• A magical beast’s wave flooded the ships and soaked their flour, so Lance ordered his troops to salvage what they could and go ashore.
• Lance discovered a waterfall blocked their route downriver, forcing the group to travel overland toward Gondor and search for a village to resupply.
• Lance and his soldiers reached a village, where the frightened village chief let them enter and camp in the square.
• Jessiava found a wounded girl bound to a chopping block and learned the villagers planned to execute her as an omen of misfortune.
• Jessiava freed the girl, and Lance’s troops disarmed the executioner and carried her to their camp.

Lance brought the newly awakened Nina Born into his group and planned their route toward Rohan. Meanwhile, Roland faced Yun Feng’s anger after taking his magical supplies to court Grand Duke Nyx, and learned Yun Feng could use artifacts to cast a forbidden spell.

• Jessiava condemned the villagers’ treatment of naturally awakened spellcasters, and Lance decided to take Nina with them to Rohan for an assessment.
• Nina woke frightened by Jessiava, but Lance reassured her, learned her name, and invited her to join the group.
• Lance planned to return first, travel south by ship to Argonath, and then seek a river route past Ragus Falls toward Rohan.
• Yun Feng confronted Roland for taking his potions, weapons, and spellcaster cultivation resources to court Grand Duke Nyx.
• Yun Feng warned that he could use magical artifacts to cast a forbidden spell, surprising Roland.

After the Star Elves of Singri were surrounded by Orcs and King Eowyn went missing, Roland prepared an allied force to support them. He chose the troops for the forest battle and ordered them to depart within half an hour.

• Reno told Roland that Orcs had attacked Singri, seriously wounded and displaced King Eowyn, and surrounded the Star Elves in their secret realm.
• Roland learned that Eowyn had been attacked by the Black Hero Khamûl while fighting near Dol Guldur, then agreed to send aid in fulfillment of the alliance.
• Roland ordered Reno to gather the Knights and Erlino Rangers while leaving the other troops to defend Flowing City.
• Roland consulted Omsk about the danger of facing a Black Hero and reviewed Flowing City's forces.
• Omsk advised Roland to add the Lagrange Royal Guards rather than the Swift River Infantry, and Roland ordered the troops to assemble and leave in half an hour.