Chapter Summaries

Cilia convinced Daenerys that she could awaken dragons and proposed using Viserys's corpse in a ritual. Ian told Daenerys they would retake the Iron Throne without relying on dragons and planned to buy the Unsullied in Astapor.

• Cilia claimed Daenerys was the prophesied Mother of Dragons, and Daenerys discovered that fire could not harm her.
• Cilia described a ritual to awaken dragons using Viserys as a sacrifice, and Daenerys considered the idea despite her misgivings.
• Ian warned that dragons would take decades to become powerful and said they would reclaim the Iron Throne without them.
• Ian promised to find Daenerys an army by buying the Unsullied in Astapor and praised their strength and discipline.
• Daenerys questioned whether the Unsullied could defeat Westerosi knights, and Ian declared himself the world's finest commander.

Ian explained to Cilia that he was deliberately teaching Daenerys to follow his judgment so she would not become a danger to his plans. He defended deceiving her by recounting the betrayals she suffered in the original story, then sent Cilia to prepare for the hatching of their first dragon.

• Daenerys ordered Cilia to bring a dragon egg for Viserys's funeral and move the other two to her room.
• Cilia warned Ian that Daenerys was learning to rule and would resist being treated as a puppet, especially when they reached Slaver's Bay.
• Ian said he was teaching Daenerys to think according to his standards so she would follow his decisions.
• Ian admitted that he had deceived nearly everyone and argued that Daenerys would be safer with him than in the betrayals of her original story.
• Ian told Cilia to prepare for the birth of their first dragon.

Daenerys survived the funeral pyre and hatched the black dragon egg, while a blood-red comet appeared in the sky. She named the hatchling Eon after Ian, leaving Ian and Cilia aware that the early return of dragons and the Magic Tide would make them targets.

• Ian and Daenerys prepared a funeral pyre for Viserys and placed the black dragon egg on his body.
• Daenerys sat atop the pyre as Ian lit it, and she remained unharmed while the flames consumed the pyre.
• Cilia spotted a blood-red comet and warned Ian that the return of dragons and the Magic Tide would make surviving players target them.
• Ian found Daenerys alive in the ashes, with a black dragon hatchling on her shoulder.
• Daenerys said she had revived dragons and named the hatchling Eon after Ian.

Lorran was knighted and appointed to Robert’s Kingsguard and the Royal Army, while he and Lyanna planned to use his military service to gain lands and power. A Red Comet appeared over Westeros, and Odis realized the Magic Tide had arrived a year early.

• Ser Barristan knighted Lorran, and Robert appointed him to the Kingsguard and deputy commander of the Royal Army.
• Lorran joined Lyanna at dinner, where they celebrated their plan to secure him a castle and improve her chances of marrying Robert.
• Lorran and Lyanna saw a Red Comet in the eastern sky and reacted with shock.
• Odis told Jaime he had intercepted the ravens from Winterfell, leaving them a chance to escape south from White Harbor.
• Odis and Jaime saw the Red Comet, and Odis realized the Magic Tide had arrived a year early.

Marco and Vogo realized Darren Grafton had escaped Pentos with Daenerys and hatched dragons, then considered how to stop him from growing stronger. Aboard the Breeze Goddess's Kiss, Ian fed the black dragon Eon dog milk, and Eon eagerly drank it.

• Marco reported that the search of Pentos had failed to find Daenerys or Darren Grafton, while Vogo revealed clues suggesting they had escaped in carriages with Unsullied.
• Vogo saw the crimson comet and concluded that Darren had hatched the dragons, then discussed with Marco where Darren might go next.
• Vogo decided to tell Drogo that Darren had gone to Slaver's Bay so Drogo might prevent him from settling and building strength.
• When Eon refused roasted meat, Ian learned that a nursing dog aboard the ship could provide milk for the dragon.
• Ian took the bowl from Daenerys and fed Eon dog milk, which the dragon eagerly drank before asking for more.

Ian learned High Valyrian dragon-training commands from Daenerys and found that Eon responded better to him, though it remained far more obedient to her. At the third monthly settlement, Ian ranked first again and received rewards and three S-Class NPC choices, then began weighing which one to select.

• Daenerys taught Ian basic High Valyrian dragon-training commands after explaining why Ion had ignored his earlier orders.
• Ian found that Eon responded more readily to his Valyrian commands, though he believed feeding it milk had only made it regard him as a wet nurse.
• Ian logged into the system and saw that twenty-seven players remained and that he had ranked first on the third-month leaderboard, earning 20 points, 2,888 Gold Dragons, and a selectable S-Class NPC.
• Ian examined cards for a Stepstones Pirate King, a Meereen Champion Gladiator, and a Qohor Black Goat Temple Knight, and ruled out the gladiator.

Ian chose the Stepstones Pirate King Corlo for his seafaring skills, learned basic Valyrian, and reviewed Main Quest Three, which tasked him with conquering a kingdom. As the Breeze Goddess's Kiss left Pentos Harbor, the voyage against the wind ended.

• Ian selected Corlo, a former Pirate King in Tyrosh, and learned that the competition's NPCs had given up their former power and possessions before it began.
• Ian ordered Corlo to wait for him at the largest inn beside Tyrosh's harbor and used a Basic Skill Selection Scroll to learn Valyrian Basics.
• Ian reviewed Main Quest Three, which set objectives for ruling over populations, owning cities, possessing and eliminating elite soldiers, and achieving an epic victory.
• Ian checked the refreshed Tier 3 Mall but bought none of its available items.
• Ian watched the Breeze Goddess's Kiss round the last large bay and sail out of Pentos Harbor.

Varys dreamed through key events in his life, ending with a vision of a golden-haired Kingsguard and a black dragon. After learning that Khal Drogo had sacked Pentos and Illyrio was dead, Varys connected the figure in his dream to Ian Dare as he reconsidered the plan to restore the kingdom.

• Varys relived his childhood, his sale to a traveling troupe, and the sorcerer's blood magic ritual that castrated him.
• Varys recalled how he and Illyrio grew rich and powerful in Pentos before he joined Aerys II's court and witnessed the fall of King's Landing.
• Varys dreamed that Illyrio's newborn son and Illyrio himself died amid the burning of Pentos, where a golden-haired Kingsguard and a black dragon appeared to him.
• Varys awoke troubled by the vision, then received news that Khal Drogo had sacked Pentos, Illyrio had been killed, and the Targaryen siblings had vanished.
• Varys wrote to Harry Strickland and Ser Jon Connington about their restoration plan, then recognized Ian Dare as the young man from his dream.

Ian sailed to Tyrosh, where customs officers extorted his ship before Daron negotiated a reduced payment. Ian recognized his growing arrogance and ordered the mercenaries and sailors to stay aboard after docking, despite Bronn’s protests about Tyrosh’s attractions.

• Ian learned that Cilia’s quests required her to gain believers, build a religious army, destroy a rival religion, and rule a large city directly.
• Ian heard that Roar’s old connections in Myr and Tyrosh might no longer be useful, while he hoped Captain Corlo could reconnect with local factions.
• The Breeze Goddess's Kiss reached Tyrosh, and customs officers demanded an enormous bribe after inspecting its ordinary cargo.
• Daron negotiated with the customs officers and paid half their demanded amount, explaining that they preyed on captains without powerful backing.
• Ian reflected that he had failed to consider the customs officers’ perspective and warned himself against the arrogance that came with rising power.
• Ian ordered Bronn, Dorian, the mercenaries, and the sailors not to go ashore without his permission, and Bronn protested by listing Tyrosh’s famous attractions.

Ian kept Bronn and Dorian aboard the ship to protect the secret of the dragons, then formally appointed them to his service before going ashore in Tyrosh. At the Three Heads Inn, he learned that events in Westeros had been radically disrupted after the queen’s alleged incest was exposed.

• Ian ordered Bronn and Dorian to oversee the sailors and any slaves brought aboard, so the dragons’ location would remain secret.
• Ian knighted Dorian and named him captain of his personal guard, then dubbed Bronn Ser Bronn after Bronn rejected an oath to the Seven.
• Ian took Roar, Keith, and Cilia to the Three Heads Inn in Tyrosh to wait for Corlo.
• Ian paid two mercenaries for news and learned that the queen had been killed after being caught with her brother, who had fled Westeros.
• Ian concluded that a player faction had deliberately overturned the Westerosi storyline to disrupt other players’ plans.

Ian arranged to recruit Corlo’s former crew and buy a large ship in Tyrosh, then returned aboard with slaves for the sailors. He and Cilia discussed the players’ plans and alliance before Daenerys confronted him about the slaves, leaving her uncertain whether to intervene.

• Ian ordered Corlo to find trustworthy former subordinates and search Tyrosh for a large sailing ship, with Daron accompanying him.
• Ian bought slaves for the sailors, who cheered when he told them the slaves were for their entertainment.
• Cilia questioned why players had exposed Jaime and Cersei’s affair, and Ian suspected they might be seeking Casterly Rock.
• Cilia explained that her player group had exploited a quest bug by arranging for a mercenary to rob Gini Temay, helping them avoid the lowest rankings.
• Ian flirted with Cilia, then kissed her despite Daenerys standing behind him.
• Daenerys asked Ian about the bed slaves, but his warning that the sailors might mutiny left her hesitant to act.

Daenerys accepted that Ian’s slaves would remain enslaved, and Ian asked Cilia to normalize the idea of a conqueror having multiple wives. Meanwhile, Tyrion traveled north with Joffrey and Tommen under sentence of joining the Night’s Watch, until Wildlings attacked their party.

• Daenerys abandoned her request to free Ian’s slaves after seeing that they did not seem to resist their situation.
• Ian told Cilia to befriend Daenerys and tell her that Aegon the Conqueror had two wives, hoping Daenerys would accept his own relationship with Cilia.
• Tyrion recalled how Robert killed Cersei and condemned him, Joffrey, and Tommen to the Wall, while Myrcella was sent to become a septa.
• Benjen Stark led Tyrion, Jon Snow, Joffrey, and Tommen north toward Castle Black.
• Wildlings charged out of the woods and attacked the party.

Ian entered a Hard exploration Dream Instance called Heart Demon Maze, where he had 72 hours of exploration time and could revive repeatedly. After waking in a corpse-strewn salt works and seeing Harui’s corpse rise, Ian was shot and returned to the instance’s starting point, where he recognized his attacker as the first player he had killed.

• Ian asked Annie about Dream Instance rules and learned that Nightmare instances could cause actual harm and attract ancient beings that influenced dreams.
• Ian selected Hard difficulty and drew the exploration instance Heart Demon Maze, which allowed unlimited revivals during 72 hours of exploration.
• Ian entered the dream, dodged an arrow, and fell into a pile of corpses at the salt works outside Earl Harlaw's town.
• Ian recognized Harui among the corpses and cut down Harui’s risen corpse ghoul with his sword.
• Ian was shot in the shoulder and returned to the starting scene in White Wall City, where he recognized the approaching archer as the first player he had killed.

Ian escaped the scripted death in White Wall City by killing the archer who had shot him, then returned to the salt mine to stop the corpses from rising. He cleared the First Scene and received two points of willpower, while the Dream Instance remained only 10% complete.

• Ian escaped the salt mine on an old horse and realized the scene change had delayed his scripted death.
• Ian found armor and a shield in White Wall City, then killed the archer who had shot him.
• Ian returned to the salt mine, killed Harui, and faced the risen mercenary company when the corpses came alive.
• Ian revived after the battle, piled the corpses together, and burned them to prevent them from rising again.
• Ian cleared the First Scene and received two points of willpower, bringing his exploration progress to 10%.

The Golden Company argued over its plans after Pentos was sacked, while Varys and Benerro grappled with visions of Ian. After recruiting a crew and outfitting two ships, Ian sailed from Tyrosh toward Astapor, leaving the planned Tyrosh storyline behind.

• The Golden Company's officers clashed over whether to march or ally with Tywin, and Harry Strickland revealed that Jon Connington was alive and protecting Aegon Targaryen.
• Varys continued seeking meaning in his dream of a young lord and summoned Petyr Baelish to meet him.
• Benerro told Machiro that a dream of a young Andal Knight with a black dragon had drained the Lord of Light's power and might warn of a threat from the God of Cold.
• After spending three days clearing Scene Three, Ian paused his Dream Instance because he was exhausted, having gained 4 willpower and 2 Agility.
• Corlo recruited a crew for the Deep Blue Siren, and Ian outfitted it with sailors, 300 slaves, Slave Warriors, and crossbows.
• Ian led the fleet out of Tyrosh, crossed the Stepstones, and headed toward Astapor without stopping at Lys.

Marvin proposed that Tyrion use his Lannister ties to obtain weapons, armor, and food for the Free Folk, who would then unite under Marvin and invade the North. Tyrion doubted the plan and the Free Folk’s fighting ability, but Marvin pressed him to help and reminded him that Joffrey and Tommen were in his custody.

• A young Free Folk man threw Joffrey down repeatedly while Tyrion watched, and the onlookers laughed at the prince.
• Marvin told Tyrion that Jaime was free and traveling toward Casterly Rock with Marvin’s friend, which eased Tyrion’s fears for his brother.
• Tyrion questioned why the Free Folk had rescued him and the others, and Marvin claimed a Greenseer had foreseen their danger.
• Marvin asked Tyrion to write to Tywin and Jaime about raising a Free Folk army beyond the Wall.
• Marvin explained that he wanted Casterly Rock to provide arms, armor, and provisions so he could become King Beyond the Wall and threaten the North.
• Tyrion warned that the Free Folk lacked discipline and that Tywin would never supply them, but Marvin urged him to help and invoked the safety of Joffrey and Tommen.

Ian and his fleet circled the dangerous Smoking Sea while he advanced his skills and collected another monthly reward. After upgrading Skinchanger, he wondered whether he could control a dragon, potentially bypassing the limits that kept him from becoming a dragonrider.

• Darren explained that the ships had to sail south around the Old Valyrian Peninsula, and Ian agreed to avoid the Smoking Sea and Valyria's ruins.
• Ian claimed first place on the fourth-month leaderboard, received a new S-Class NPC card, and decided to wait until Astapor to use it.
• Ian had Roar issue optional quests, gained two Attribute Points, and raised his willpower enough to upgrade Skinchanger to Advanced.
• Ian realized he might be able to Skinchange into Black Dragon Ion, since a soul would not be burned by the dragon's heat.

Ian took the hatchling Eon from Daenerys and successfully used Skinchanging magic to become a Dragon Spirit. He considered how to use his new bond strategically before the Long Night arrived.

• Ian visited Daenerys's room at two in the morning and clarified that he had come to find Eon, not her.
• Ian picked up the sleeping Eon and brought the hatchling back to his room.
• Ian fed Eon goat's milk, calmed it, and used Skinchanging magic to enter its consciousness with almost no resistance.
• The system announced that Ian had unlocked the special achievement 'Dragon Spirit' and received 30 points.
• Ian considered using Eon for reconnaissance, attacks on scouts and supplies, and coordinated strikes alongside ground forces.

Odis sought Lannister weapons and supplies for the Free Folk, while Tywin prepared for war and assessed the alliance. At Winterfell, Lorran outlined how his four-person player alliance planned to weaken the royal coalition and divide the prize.

• Jaime rejected Odis's request for weapons, armor, and food for the Free Folk, insisting that House Lannister would offer gold instead.
• Tywin learned that Jaime had reached Branding City and ordered the Westerlands lords to block The Reach, attack The Riverlands, and prepare for war.
• Eddard Stark gathered eighteen thousand northern soldiers at Winterfell while Robert and Lyanna sailed from White Harbor toward King's Landing.
• Lorran explained that House Tyrell sought Margarethe's marriage to Robert and predicted that thwarted ambitions and attacks from Beyond the Wall would fracture the royal coalition.
• Lorran described how his four-person alliance had posed as divided players, eliminated rivals at Winterfell, and planned to leave two winners to share the prize.

Ian arrived near Astapor after delaying his fleet to secure the latest settlement reward, then selected Sama and Khal Drogo from his S-Class draws. As the fleet reached the harbor, he agreed to let Daenerys meet Astapor's Good Masters despite Cilia's concerns.

• Ian gained 40 points, 4,888 Gold Dragons, and an S-Class NPC choice, while noting that only twenty-two players remained.
• Ian chose Meereen Champion Gladiator Sama from his first card draw and selected Dothraki Blood Guard Khal Drogo from the second.
• Ian learned that Sama was already in Astapor and that Khal Drogo could reach the city within ten days.
• The Breeze Goddess's Kiss approached Astapor, and Ian reflected on the city's Ghiscari history and the Harpy statue at its harbor.
• Cilia told Ian that Daenerys wanted to speak with Astapor's Good Masters, and Ian agreed to let her go ashore.