Chapter Summaries

Roland and the allied forces broke through the Orc defenses at the city entrance, but five branching streets and the threat of hidden Nazgûl stalled their advance toward the Throne Hall. As dawn approached, Roland summoned Peter Gro and received fifty Erlino Rangers from the System.

• Omsk broke through the stone gate and led the Lagrange Knights up the stairs, crushing the Orc resistance with his War Stomp.
• Roland ordered the Knights to secure the entrance hall and wait for the troops behind them, while Eowyn and Thranduil discovered that the Orcs had moved their ballistae.
• Roland, Bard, Balin, Thranduil, and the others debated how to divide their forces among five branching roads while avoiding the hidden Nazgûl.
• Roland criticized Eowyn for leaving Peter Gro behind and demanded that Eowyn summon him as the allied army waited in the hall.
• Roland used System check-in and received fifty Erlino Rangers.

Peter Gro arrived to reinforce Eowyn, allowing the allied army to split up and advance through Dol Guldur’s five routes. Roland led the central force, and the first group of Orcs ambushed Thranduil’s route as the army entered the city.

• Eowyn agreed to contact Peter Gro, who arrived on dragonback to support the allied army.
• After eating their rations, the commanders assigned the five routes and mixed dwarves, elves, and humans among the forces.
• Roland chose the central route and ordered Omsk to lead the Lagrange soldiers, with Roland staying protected behind the Knight Order.
• The allied army advanced into Dol Guldur and found no Orcs until Thranduil’s force was ambushed by around twenty or thirty of them.
• Thranduil’s troops quickly killed the Orcs, while Roland worried about how the other routes would fare against the hidden defenders.

Roland’s army advanced through dark streets where Orcs used ambushes and tunnel warfare, but the Royal Guards and Erlino Rangers quickly overwhelmed them. After the ambush was cleared, Roland ordered the army to continue cautiously.

• Roland changed the formation so the Royal Guards led, the Erlino Rangers stayed in the middle, and the Knights supported them from behind.
• A Royal Guard spotted an Orc ambush in a dark stone house and struck the Orcs inside with a Battle Qi spear thrust.
• Orcs burst from stone slabs in the middle of the formation, and the Royal Guards formed a shield wall to protect Roland while the Erlino Rangers attacked with Rhûn War Blades.
• The Royal Guards and Erlino Rangers drove the Orcs back and killed them, while Omsk regretted failing to detect the ambush and Roland reassured him.
• Omsk confirmed that every Orc was dead, and Roland ordered the army to continue forward with his greatshield raised.

Peter Gro and Sky destroyed an Orc dragon-slaying tower and rescued the allied army from an ambush in the ruins. With his troops safe, Peter Gro prepared to lead them in flattening the Orc stronghold.

• Peter Gro and Sky flew through the streets, evading hidden Dragon-slaying Crossbows as Peter Gro entered a dragonified state to share Sky’s vision.
• Peter Gro spotted Orcs preparing a buried elven dragon-hunting tower and destroyed it with Sky’s Stellar Torrent.
• Sky showed Peter Gro that more than eight hundred allied soldiers were pinned down by Orcs attacking from above.
• Sky swept the Orcs from the steps with Dragon Breath, allowing Peter Gro to reunite with his troops.
• Peter Gro drew his sword, covered himself in Dragon Power and Dragon Scales, and ordered the army to flatten the place.

Peter Gro and Sky uncovered thousands of Orcs hidden beneath Dol Guldur and realized the allied army was being drawn into a trap. As Orcs surged around the advancing forces, Peter Gro used Dragon Breath to aid Valfay, but the other groups remained under attack.

• Peter Gro used his dragon lance and Sky’s Dragon Star Fist to expose underground Orc chambers and kill the Orcs hiding inside them.
• Peter Gro concluded the Nazgûl had gathered at least twenty thousand Orcs in Dol Guldur and ordered Sky to keep searching so the Orcs could not cut off the allied army’s retreat.
• Sky spotted countless Orcs pouring from streets and beneath stone slabs toward the allied army.
• Valfay’s force was attacked while Lidilias blocked his advance, and the dwarves, Elves, and humans formed a defensive formation against the Orcs surrounding the rear army.
• Peter Gro swept Dragon Breath across the battlefield to clear Orcs attacking Valfay, then directed Sky to strike buildings where more Orcs had taken refuge.

Roland and the Royal Guard and Erlino Rangers were surrounded by Orcs on every side and fought to hold their formation. As their strength dwindled, Roland ordered them forward toward Omsk and the Holy Radiance Knight Order, leaving their survival uncertain.

• Omsk led the Holy Radiance Knight Order to charge the Orcs while Roland stayed behind with the Royal Guard and Erlino Rangers to hold the street.
• Orcs poured over the buildings and attacked Roland’s group, but the Erlino Rangers cut them down as the Royal Guard formed a shield wall.
• Roland rallied the soldiers as Orcs compressed their formation and climbed over fallen bodies into their ranks.
• The Royal Guard used a Shield Wall Charge and a spear thrust infused with Battle Qi to clear paths through the Orcs, but the fighting rapidly drained their strength.
• Roland ordered the formation to advance toward the direction Omsk and the Holy Radiance Knight Order had gone.

Roland’s forces received support from Peter Gro and Star Dragon Sky, whose Dragon Breath devastated the Orcs. Peter then joined Eowyn’s allied force, where the Elf King’s reckless advance and killing spree prompted Peter to warn him about hidden giant crossbows.

• Roland’s scattered Royal Guards regrouped as Star Dragon Sky attacked the Orcs and carved a massive trench through their ranks with Dragon Breath.
• Peter Gro told Roland to join his Knight Order and left to assist the other allied forces.
• Eowyn raced ahead, slaughtering Orcs with twin blades as he sought revenge for his earlier humiliation.
• Peter ordered Sky to breathe fire on the Orcs pursuing Eowyn’s force, then landed and fought beside the Elf King.
• Peter warned Eowyn that he had advanced too far and that giant crossbows might be waiting in ambush.

Peter Gro and Sky helped the allied forces fight through the Orcs toward the inner city, while Thranduil led his scattered soldiers onward through the slaughter. Thranduil reached the approach to the Throne Hall, driven by the hope of reclaiming his lost homeland.

• After Eowyn exhausted his Battle Qi, Peter Gro protected him from the Orcs and sent Sky’s Dragon Breath sweeping over the battlefield.
• Peter Gro urged Eowyn to stay with the soldiers and check on Thranduil, then flew to support the allied forces.
• Thranduil rallied his troops as the narrow terrain split them into small groups fighting desperately against the Orcs.
• Peter Gro ordered Sky to attack the Orc reinforcements with Star Dragon Meteor Shower, while Thranduil fought toward the inner city.
• Thranduil urged his soldiers to reclaim the Woodland Realm and charged toward the Throne Hall.

Peter Gro warned the allied army that Orc reinforcements had arrived from the south, forcing the defenders to abandon their assault on Dol Guldur and retreat. Roland led the Lagrange Knights through the Orcs, and his forces reached the stone bridge to join Thranduil and the others.

• Peter Gro spotted Orc reinforcements advancing from the south and warned Thranduil to retreat from the Throne Hall.
• Peter Gro flew to Eowyn, who ordered his forces to withdraw and join Thranduil at the bridgehead.
• Peter Gro warned Roland that the allies faced a two-sided assault, and Roland ordered his soldiers to retreat.
• Roland led the Lagrange Knights in a charge through the Orc army while Omsk organized the infantry’s withdrawal.
• Roland halted his charge near the stone bridge, where Elven banners were waiting.

The allied army withdrew from Dol Guldur after Roland and the others judged they could not hold the city against the Orcs and Nazgûl. Peter Gro discovered that twenty thousand Orcs and a fourth Nazgûl had arrived, leaving Thranduil and the allies determined to return and fight again.

• Roland, Eowyn, and Thranduil assessed their losses and prepared to withdraw while waiting for Valfay and Peter Gro to rejoin them.
• Valfay proposed using the city's defenses, but Eowyn and Thranduil argued that Orcs and Nazgûl made staying too dangerous, so the allied forces retreated across the bridge.
• Peter Gro reported that twenty thousand Orcs from Mordor had entered Dol Guldur and that he sensed a fourth Nazgûl, prompting Thranduil to rage over the army's retreat.
• Bard encouraged Thranduil to believe the alliance would return, while Bai Yi and Bard discussed their losses and the Orcs' strength.
• Roland asked Balin to send his regards to Thorin and joked about the dwarves bringing an expedition force to Flowing City to reclaim Khazad-dûm.

Roland returned to Flowing City and saw that Nyx had kept the city peaceful and growing, with new trade and a strong population of potential recruits. A distant horn sent Roland rushing to prepare the defenses, but the approaching tattered banner bore the Bauhinia emblem.

• Roland arrived at Flowing City and reunited with Grand Duke Nyx, who reported that the city had remained peaceful.
• Roland checked the Territory Interface and found 1,647 trainable civilians among the city's population of 3,024.
• Nyx explained that a merchant caravan from Dale had begun trading in Flowing City and brought the city its first commercial tax revenue.
• When Roland heard an unfamiliar horn, he ordered the soldiers to prepare for an enemy attack and rushed to the city wall.
• Omsk showed Roland a distant tattered red banner bearing a faded Bauhinia emblem.

Roland and Nyx welcomed the surviving Crusaders, led by Lavien, to Flowing City and learned that fewer than five hundred remained from their original hundred thousand. Nyx accepted the loss of her Grand Duchy, and Roland promised to rebuild it for their future child as Lavien agreed to reorganize his troops under Roland.

• Roland, Nyx, and their companions left Flowing City to greet the Crusaders, who had reached the city after centaurs told them Nyx was there.
• Nyx reunited with Lavien, and Roland asked how the Crusaders had escaped; Lavien explained that their wounded comrades had sacrificed themselves to buy time.
• Nyx urged Lavien to stop pursuing the restoration of the fallen Grand Duchy, and Roland promised that their future child would inherit its land and rebuild it.
• Holyn advised Lavien that joining Roland was their best choice, and Lavien ordered the Crusaders to form ranks and reorganize under Roland.
• Lavien reported that only 470 soldiers remained from the original 100,000, and Roland welcomed them back to the Lagrange people.

Roland saw that Flowing City’s new troops made it capable of defending against a large-scale attack, but most of them lacked usable armor and weapons. He tasked Yun Feng with arranging their equipment, then agreed to let the city’s blacksmiths replace it gradually rather than spend heavily on a rushed order.

• Roland checked Flowing City’s military strength and saw that its new troops could support a prolonged defense.
• Roland inspected the arriving soldiers’ damaged armor, depleted arrows, and broken or missing shields and weapons.
• Roland ordered Caslo to take the soldiers to Yun Feng so he could arrange replacement equipment.
• Yun Feng told Roland that ordinary equipment had to be forged by hand and that the city had too few blacksmiths to equip everyone quickly.
• Yun Feng suggested letting the blacksmiths work at a steady pace before the expedition to Moria, and Roland agreed to avoid an expensive order from the dwarves.
• Roland began considering ways to improve Flowing City’s residents’ quality of life now that the city was secure.

Roland received a Refugee Tide from the system before a large group of Dragon Hawk Knights arrived over Flowing City and Luoshengnier City, terrifying both cities’ residents. Caslo and Caldo recognized the newcomers as dwarves riding Dragonhawks, but their approach escalated into a tense confrontation in the sky.

• Roland completed a system check-in, received one wave of Refugee Tide, and went to breakfast with Nyx.
• Sentinels spotted dozens of flying shadows over Flowing City, prompting Caslo, the Erlino Rangers, Roland, Old Ladyl, and the Swift River Infantry to prepare for an aerial attack.
• Bai Yi and Knight Captain Fengye Zi organized an evacuation and defenses after Luoshengnier City also spotted the approaching flock.
• Caldo identified the creatures as Dragonhawks carrying dwarves, and Caslo flew up to demand an explanation.
• The Dragon Hawk Knights realized they had frightened the cities and withdrew their Dragon Might, but the commander panicked when Caslo charged toward them.
• Caldo roared furiously at the Dragon Hawk Knights as Caslo confronted them in the sky.

Caslo detained a group of dwarven Dragon Hawk Knights after their flight through the skies frightened Luoshengnier City and provoked the Lagrange Kingdom. Roland learned that the dwarves had preserved a small Dragonhawk population, while Thorin was summoned to answer for the incident and retrieve his people.

• Caslo scattered the Dragon Hawk Knights, made them land, and demanded an explanation for entering Lagrange airspace.
• Yade identified himself as the squad commander and agreed to report Caslo’s demand to Thorin, leaving his fellow dwarves detained.
• Roland arrived with the Holy Radiance Knight Order and learned that the dwarves had preserved Dragonhawks believed to be extinct.
• The dwarves bristled when Roland asked how many Dragonhawks they had, and Caslo estimated that about twenty remained in total.
• Caslo explained that he had released Yade to summon Thorin and insisted that the dwarves remain detained until they answered for the panic and damage their flight had caused.

Thorin learned that fourteen Dragon Hawk Knights had been detained after flying through Aquavia and Lagrange airspace, and went to Flowing City to settle the matter. He secured their release by promising dwarven equipment for Roland’s troops, then learned the knights had frightened residents in nearby Luoshengnier City.

• Ade told Thorin that a Dragon Knight had forced down and detained the other Dragon Hawk Knights for violating the airspace of Aquavia and Lagrange.
• Thorin and Balin went to Flowing City, where Thorin apologized to Roland and offered compensation for the knights’ actions.
• At Yun Feng’s suggestion, Roland requested equipment for his troops, and Thorin promised Dwarven Fine Steel gear for twenty Knights, thirty cavalrymen, and infantry.
• Roland forgave the Dragon Hawk Knights, ordered their release, and warned Thorin to teach them not to fly over other cities.
• Roland told Thorin that the knights had frightened residents of Luoshengnier City, so Thorin agreed to go across the river and assess the damage.

Roland planned to expand Flowing Castle after Nyx suggested stockpiling Magic Rune Stone Bricks, but the Knights of the Crimson Lily dismantled his tent to make a shared residence for them. After teasing and gossip about his relationship with Nyx, Roland received an envoy from Luoshengnier City and went to meet them.

• Roland agreed with Nyx’s suggestion to have the mages make and stockpile Magic Rune Stone Bricks for gradually expanding Flowing Castle.
• Roland asked Ladyl to work with Yun Feng on making the bricks.
• Lavien and the Knights of the Crimson Lily dismantled half of Roland’s tent, explaining that Nyx had ordered them to combine the two Highnesses’ tents.
• Nyx teased Roland about sharing the tent, and Roland fled with Caslo as the onlookers joked about their relationship.
• A guard told Roland that an envoy from Luoshengnier City had arrived, and Roland went to meet them, suspecting the White Wing King needed help finding displaced residents.

Roland agreed to lend the White Wing King three hundred Bannaria Archers to search Mirkwood for residents who had fled Luoshengnier City. Caslo and Reno led the mounted archers into the forest, where they found a group of survivors and continued the search.

• The Akvia envoy asked Roland to lend cavalry to find and escort home the residents who had fled Luoshengnier City, and Roland agreed to provide roughly three hundred Bannaria Archers.
• Roland ordered Caslo to join the search, and Caslo gathered the mounted archers and led them toward Mirkwood with Reno.
• Caslo flew above the forest to scout, but the dense canopy prevented him from spotting people hiding below.
• Reno used his sword to clear trees as the mounted archers advanced through the forest, where a team found a recently dug shelter.
• A Bannaria Archer climbed into the shelter and was struck with a club, then identified himself as a friendly soldier and reassured the frightened people inside.
• The captain sent two soldiers to escort the survivors home and directed the remaining teams to follow the boy’s lead and keep searching.

Roland planned to secure Old Forest Road by establishing a fortress south of Flowing City, and revealed that he possessed the legendary Lulong Fortress sealed in an alchemy bottle. Reno agreed to send troops to occupy it, while Roland was left considering the kingdom’s lack of people and resources.

• Reno reported that Akvia had suffered heavy casualties while rescuing civilians and fighting Orcs in Mirkwood.
• Roland proposed building a fortress across the river to control Old Forest Road and block Orc advances, but Reno warned that they lacked the manpower to build one.
• Roland showed Reno the sealed Lulong Fortress, and Reno recognized it as the legendary War Fortress preserved from destruction.
• Reno agreed to send five hundred soldiers to defend Lulong Fortress and explained that additional troops would be needed to escort supplies.
• Roland told Reno to have Marcus prepare the expedition, then worried that the Lagrange Kingdom’s population could not sustain its resources for long.

Roland and Reno reached the river near Old Forest Road and unsealed Lulong Fortress, revealing a vast dragon-hunting stronghold. Roland arranged for Caslo to guard it and left the soldiers determined to hold it, while he remained concerned about the fortress falling into enemy hands.

• Roland explained to Reno that the kingdom needed to expand its territory and use fortresses to slow the Orcs, but could not afford to lose Lulong Fortress.
• Roland decided that Caslo would be stationed at Lulong Fortress to deter threats, since leaving a hero such as Omsk there was not an option.
• Roland and Reno reached the river opposite Old Forest Road, and Roland began undoing the seal on the alchemical bottle containing Lulong Fortress.
• Roland shattered the bottle, and Lulong Fortress emerged in a flare of red light as Reno recognized it as the empire's last fortress.
• Roland and Reno saw that the bastion fortress had eight Dragon Slaying Towers and a hundred heavy crossbow towers, and Reno explained that it had been built to hunt dragons.
• The soldiers vowed to defend Lulong Fortress, while Roland warned that its strength mattered only if they could hold it.