Chapter Summaries

Haqqatar arrived in Lanmu Town atop an Ancient Red Dragon with the Gith Empire and the Bloody King Church, terrifying the locals into submission. After questioning the mayor about nearby factions, he let news of the newcomers spread through Toril, leaving other factions wary of their intentions.

• An Ancient Red Dragon and the other aerial cavalry landed in Lanmu Town, frightening the guards and townspeople into abandoning their weapons.
• Haqqatar asked who was in charge, and the locals pointed him toward the trembling mayor.
• The mayor promised to obey Haqqatar and began describing Lanmu Town and the prominent factions nearby.
• Haqqatar announced that the Gith Empire and the Bloody King Church had arrived in the region and asked the mayor to provide information.
• Information about the Gith Empire and the Bloody King Church spread through Toril, causing factions to fear the dragon-led newcomers.

Iolam learned that the Gith Empire might threaten him because of his Mind Flayer body and decided to avoid it. In Sigil City, Orsaga and the Lady of Pain watched mortals prepare to enter Toril, where they were secretly manipulating events to decide which Gods would fall before the Fate Stone Tablet was returned.

• Iolam reviewed intelligence about the Gith Empire and resolved to avoid confronting it until he became a God.
• Orsaga arrived in Sigil City and saw crowds discussing the chance to slay Gods in Toril.
• Orsaga stole fruit from a vendor and asked the Lady of Pain whether she would allow the eager mortals to enter Toril.
• The Lady of Pain explained that she intended to use the entrants to select capable individuals, despite the casualties they would suffer.
• Orsaga and the Lady of Pain continued their hidden contest over the fate of Toril's Gods, which would last until a God returned the Fate Stone Tablet.

Orsaga and the Lady of Pain discussed the growing influx of outside factions into the World of Toril, which she had arranged to encourage exchange between worlds. She wanted Toril preserved as a valuable testing ground, while Orsaga agreed not to destroy it himself but left other factions free to act.

• Koma reported to the Lady of Pain that news of the situation in the World of Toril had spread and that Native Factions from many worlds would soon investigate.
• Orsaga welcomed the prospect of more factions entering Toril, while the Lady of Pain explained that the world was too valuable to destroy casually.
• Orsaga agreed not to actively cause Toril's destruction but warned that he would not be responsible if others destroyed it themselves.
• The Lady of Pain confirmed that she had drawn other worlds' forces to Toril both to add pieces to their game and to promote exchanges between worlds.
• The Lady of Pain compared the resulting contact to Earth's Age of Discovery, acknowledging that it would bring suffering as well as long-term development.

Orsaga considered Lady of Pain’s orchestration of an otherworldly invasion and the suffering it would cause in Toril, judging that the God Above Gods prioritized the plane’s development over individual lives. The chapter left the unlucky inhabitants of Toril destined to suffer as part of Lady of Pain’s plan, while the weak had no power to change their fate.

• Orsaga reflected that Lady of Pain and the other God Above Gods judged beings by their value to the plane, not by morality or personal circumstances.
• Orsaga welcomed the hatred and anger that would follow if people in Toril discovered Lady of Pain had orchestrated the invasion.
• The chapter explained that Lady of Pain could create a world without suffering but considered its incompleteness and lack of contrast a reason not to do so.
• The people of Toril faced losses and suffering as they became part of Lady of Pain’s plan for the development of many worlds.
• Orsaga concluded that the weak were unlucky and powerless, while the strong were favored by Heaven.

Iolam offered to serve Shar in exchange for her future help, hoping to gain protection and balance the threat he believed Lady of Pain posed. Shar accepted his offer and bound them both with a contract witnessed by the Styx, though neither understood the other's motives.

• Iolam told Shar he wanted to help her now in exchange for her help later.
• Shar questioned why the ambitious Grand Arcanist wished to pledge himself to her rather than seek the Goddess of Magic.
• Shar accepted Iolam's offer and proposed a contract because her restricted divine power prevented her from taking him as a servant directly.
• Iolam signed the contract, agreeing to serve Shar in return for compensation and the chance to become her subordinate god.
• Shar wondered what Iolam valued in her, unaware that he had chosen her because he believed she could protect him from Lady of Pain.

A thief watched the Gith Army overwhelm local forces and was discovered by a Sky Knight, who chose to ignore him. Meanwhile, Kaleid questioned why Toril’s native forces were so weak, and a Time Dragon arrived in the world in response to the Dragon God’s call.

• A thief watched the Gith Army slaughter nearby forces and realized even its weakest members and mounts were stronger than he was.
• A Sky Knight riding a giant drake spotted the hidden thief but flew away without attacking him.
• Kaleid observed the battles from an Astral Ship and wondered whether the gods had deliberately kept Toril’s mortal forces weak.
• A Time Dragon emerged from a spatial cavity in Toril, heard the Dragon God’s call, and vanished.

As the Dragon Gods’ summons drew Time Dragons and other Legendary Dragon Species toward Toril, gods across the planes prepared for the coming upheaval. With communication cut off and outside reinforcements unable to return, the world grew more chaotic, while the Gith’s conspicuous campaign drew widespread attention.

• Time Dragons began arriving in Toril after receiving the Dragon God’s orders, while Power Dragons and Rainbow Dragons also headed there.
• Orsaga, the Lady of Pain, and the Order Serpents each made their own moves as AO allowed the gods greater freedom.
• The God of Shadow, the God of Reptiles, the God of Hunting, and the God of War prepared forces or pursued their own aims.
• The Elf Gods tried to call back powerful subordinates from other worlds, but lost communication left those reinforcements unable to return.
• Some gods considered seeking help from the Elemental Ancient Gods, but those gods ignored Toril’s troubles.
• As factions and outsiders poured into Toril, the Gith’s public campaign stood out and drew countless gazes.

Months later in northern Faerun, Orsaga discussed the local gods with Haqqatar and Kaleid, then agreed to let them contact the Felin Demon Sunflowers, who also worshipped him. He warned them to avoid letting disputes interfere with his assigned task.

• Kaleid told Orsaga that, with the Slaughterer of All Beings, he had about an eighty-percent chance of defeating a true god in a direct confrontation.
• Orsaga told Haqqatar and Kaleid to handle the gods as they saw fit, allowing them to cooperate with local powers if they chose.
• Haqqatar asked whether the Felin Demon Sunflowers were Orsaga’s agents and whether the Gith should contact them.
• Orsaga confirmed that the Felin Demon Sunflowers had worshipped him for several thousand years and approved contact through a Divine Decree.
• Orsaga warned Haqqatar that disputes between the Gith and Felin Demon Sunflowers must not disrupt the task he had assigned.

Orsaga explained his indifference toward conflicts among his countless believers, including the deep divide between the Gith and the Felin Demon Sunflowers. He warned Haqqatar and Kaleid to keep the factions in check until their mission was complete, leaving them humbled by his overwhelming distance.

• Orsaga described how believers across the Multiverse could oppose and slaughter one another without troubling him.
• He explained that he accepted both the rise of oppressors and their overthrow, as well as creation and destruction, without favoring either outcome.
• Orsaga told Haqqatar and Kaleid that the Gith and Felin Demon Sunflowers were so incompatible that they would likely fight if left unchecked.
• He warned them that their factions must avoid causing trouble before completing their mission.
• Haqqatar and Kaleid lowered their heads and answered respectfully, awed by Orsaga despite their own formidable power.

Kaleid sensed an invisible intruder aboard the Astral Ship and revealed it as a Power Dragon, then prepared to attack on Orsaga’s orders. The dragon recognized Orsaga as the Bloody King and, confident that his power was restricted, began preparing a breath attack before fleeing.

• Kaleid sensed someone spying on Orsaga and struck toward the disturbance with his silver blade.
• The strike revealed a huge, still-invisible Power Dragon, which Kaleid and Haqqatar identified as a Legendary Dragon Species.
• Kaleid judged the dragon to be a powerful opponent and asked Orsaga for permission to deal with it.
• Orsaga told Kaleid to go ahead, saying he wanted the dragon’s brain and Dragon Heart.
• The Power Dragon recognized Orsaga as the Bloody King, mocked his restricted power, and prepared Dragon Breath before planning to flee.

Kaleid battled a Power Dragon in the sky, cutting apart its destructive breath to protect Orsaga and evading a later blast that carved a vast pit into the ground. As the dragon unleashed a massive vortex, Kaleid prepared to intensify the fight by invoking the Blood Lord’s Divine Technique, Blood Glory.

• Kaleid swung his Gith Silver Sword at the Power Dragon, which halted its charge and fired its force-field Dragon Breath.
• Kaleid used divine power to cut through the breath, splitting it around Orsaga’s Astral Ship while the residual force battered its Magic Shield.
• The wounded Power Dragon revealed its form, intensified its force field, and created a vortex that tore animals from the ground and pulled at the battlefield below.
• Kaleid teleported away from the dragon’s next breath, which bored a deep, wide sinkhole into the land.
• Kaleid prayed to the Blood Lord and began channeling Blood Glory, which strengthened attacks by burning the user’s blood.

Kaleid’s divine techniques forced him into a life-or-death duel with the Power Dragon, who summoned his kin for help. Orsaga let Haqqatar unleash the Slaughterer of All Beings against the arriving dragons, and a furious Dragon God sensed the mass deaths.

• Kaleid used Orsaga’s brutal divine techniques to bind himself to the Power Dragon and stake parts of his body for greater strength and regeneration suppression.
• The Power Dragon tried to summon his kin for reinforcements, while Orsaga welcomed the prospect of more dragons to eat.
• Spatial Teleportation formations appeared, and multiple Power Dragons arrived with roars.
• Haqqatar asked Orsaga for permission to use the Slaughterer of All Beings, and Orsaga granted it, urging him to hurry.
• Haqqatar unleashed streams of red light that tore through the Power Dragons’ force fields and scales, killing them in numbers.
• A Dragon God sensed the deaths and roared, demanding to know who had caused them.

Bahamut and the Dragon Gods learned that Gladi and many Power Dragons had been killed, leaving the Dragon God System alarmed and unsure who was responsible. Bahamut suspected a hidden conspiracy and urged caution as the surviving dragons reacted with fury.

• A Time Dragon wondered why many dragons were missing, and a Rainbow Dragon said Gladi had likely summoned some of his kin away after trouble.
• Bahamut and the other Dragon Gods arrived, and the dragons in the cavern respectfully greeted them.
• The Dragon Gods noticed that the Power Dragons had dwindled to a third of the other dragon groups and feared a powerful enemy had attacked them.
• Bahamut said that Gladi and many Power Dragons had been confirmed dead, though his attempts to identify the hidden enemy had failed.
• The Legendary Dragon Species roared furiously and demanded to know who had killed their kin.

Bahamut wondered why the Gith had publicly slaughtered Power Dragons, while Orsaga and the Lady of Pain ate hot pot and discussed suffering and the difficulty of finding a worthy opponent. After their meal, Orsaga sensed that the game was nearing its end, but the Lady of Pain said only the outcome mattered.

• Bahamut received a report that the Gith had slaughtered Power Dragons and wondered whether they were conspiring with one of his old rivals.
• Orsaga cooked hot pot with Power Dragon meat and Hydra venom while the Lady of Pain tried the meat raw.
• Orsaga reminisced about the suffering he had endured to gain his power and cursed the saying that had led him to choose the path of pain.
• The Lady of Pain suggested Orsaga find a worthy opponent, but he explained why fighting weaker or stronger foes held little appeal.
• After they finished eating, Orsaga sensed that the game was nearly over, and the Lady of Pain said the result was all that mattered.

The Mysterious Lady suspected Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal were behind the theft of the Fate Stone Tablet, while Orsaga and the Lady of Pain confirmed their deal for Primal Pain after their game ended. The Goddess of Magic ordered Elminster to monitor the three gods’ mortal churches as she prepared for their scheme.

• The Mysterious Lady inferred that Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal might be responsible for stealing the Fate Stone Tablet, though she lacked proof.
• Orsaga noted that no gods had died yet and that he currently led his odd-or-even game with the Lady of Pain.
• The Lady of Pain said she would trade Primal Pain to Orsaga once their game ended, but refused to give him a discount as a gift for his soon-to-be-born offspring.
• The Goddess of Magic secretly ordered Elminster to watch the mortal churches of Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal for suspicious activity.
• Elminster accepted the Goddess of Magic’s command and prepared to monitor the three churches.

Dimogegen was summoned into the Material World through a ritual in a village, where he rewarded Marquis Kant by transforming him with Demon Bloodline. After Kant departed, Dimogegen’s heads, Amur and Heslati, discussed what to do next and agreed to prioritize the mission for Orsaga.

• Black-robed figures summoned Dimogegen at a ritual site surrounded by villagers’ corpses and the bodies of six dragons.
• Marquis Kant begged Dimogegen for Eternal Lifespan, and Dimogegen transformed him with Demon Bloodline into a powerful humanoid Demonic Beast.
• Dimogegen warned Kant that his new bloodline needed more nourishment and assigned him further work.
• After Kant left with his trusted subordinates, Heslati asked Amur whether they should hide, create slaughter, or summon an army of demons.
• Amur mocked Heslati before explaining his plan, and both heads resolved to prioritize Orsaga’s mission.

Marquis Kant and his son orchestrated the slaughter of their city’s people to sacrifice them in a ritual for Dimogegen’s Demon Army. As the massacre neared its end, Kant’s son admitted he partly blamed his father but understood his choice to seek survival.

• Demonized garrison troops slaughtered civilians and adventurers after the city’s barrier sealed them inside.
• Marquis Kant watched the massacre from his mansion, troubled by the destruction of his family’s legacy and the people he had once protected.
• Kant’s son reported that the battle was nearly over and asked whether to begin the ritual.
• Kant ordered the ritual to proceed before the churches discovered the crisis, revealing that he had planned to sacrifice over one hundred thousand residents for Dimogegen.
• Kant asked whether his son blamed him for destroying the family’s glory, and his son said he partly did but understood.

Dimogegen summoned a vast demon army from the corpses in the city, while reflecting on how age had reduced Marquis Kant from a heroic ruler to a submissive old man. The invasion spread across the surrounding regions, and Dimogegen grew excited by the demons’ mounting victories.

• Dimogegen observed Marquis Kant’s regret and recalled how time and age had worn down the once-renowned ruler until he submitted to Dimogegen.
• After the corpses were gathered into a mountain outside the Lord's Mansion, Marquis Kant knelt and Dimogegen performed a ritual that summoned his army and rapidly weakened the World Barrier of the World of Toril.
• The next day, settlements across the Sunset Mountains, the Troll Mountains, and nearby regions reported attacks that killed hundreds of thousands and supplied materials for summoning more demons.
• The surrounding powers struggled to respond as weakened divine magic and ongoing conflicts left them unable to muster enough forces, and reports of defeats and retreats followed.
• As the demons’ numbers surpassed five hundred thousand and their victories mounted, Dimogegen decided he might seriously pursue the mission.

Dimogegen assembled a million-strong Abyss army for Orsaga, while Wojin, weakened and cut off from her Divine Kingdom, considered using the Bottomless Abyss to escape back to it. She set the dangerous plan aside for now, keeping it as a last resort.

• Dimogegen’s greed surged at the profits Orsaga offered, but he refrained from committing his entire fortune because he needed to defend his rear.
• Dimogegen gathered more than a million Abyss troops, whose chaotic infighting caused most of their casualties.
• Wojin reviewed intelligence and feared the dangers of the mortal world, longing to return to her sealed-off Divine Kingdom.
• Wojin realized the Bottomless Abyss might let her reach her Divine Kingdom by an unconventional route.
• Wojin judged that infiltrating the Abyss could expose her to deadly beings, so she kept the escape plan as a final backup.

Half a year after the invasion plunged Toril into chaos, Iolam investigated Bane in Waterdeep and asked Sodda who could threaten the Lady of Pain. Sodda named Orsaga as a destroyer from another time and space, while Orsaga was sitting at a nearby table, leaving Iolam embarrassed and wary.

• Abyss Creatures, Gith, and other invaders seized vast parts of Toril, while the Felin Demon Sunflowers ravaged the underground world.
• Iolam, pledged to Shar, secretly investigated Bane in Waterdeep when Sodda visited and praised his progress on behalf of the Lady of Pain.
• Iolam asked Sodda who could become the Lady of Pain's enemy or trouble.
• Sodda described the Lord of the Scorching Hell and Bloody King as a destroyer who had devastated his homeland and nearly killed the Cosmic Giant Snake.
• Iolam recognized Orsaga at a nearby table and realized he had asked about him while Orsaga was present.