Chapter Summaries

Tyrion escaped the Wildling rout and decided to travel south as Eddard Stark prepared to reclaim the Wall. At Harrenhal, Robert Baratheon's death triggered accusations against Renly and Loras Tyrell, who fled before Stannis's men could arrest them.

• Tyrion escaped Roose Bolton's cavalry and reflected on how the Wildling army had been destroyed after Bolton's charge broke its center and crushed Marvin's elite legion.
• Tyrion decided to head south, fearing Eddard Stark would march on the Wall and endanger his nephews at Castle Black.
• Renly confronted Loras over Robert's death, but Loras denied that House Tyrell had arranged the king's murder.
• A soldier told Renly and Loras that rumors blamed House Tyrell for Robert's death and that Stannis had sent men to arrest them.
• Loras persuaded Renly to flee toward Garlan Tyrell's army, and the pair escaped Harrenhal without noticing that the warning soldier had disappeared.

Daenerys received Machiro, a priest of R'hllor, who interpreted Ian’s game of Go as a vision of the Red God’s cosmic struggle and decided to return to Volantis. In Meereen, the conspirators debated whether Ian knew of their failed plot and agreed that preserving the alliance was their best option, even if they had to accept his command and pay compensation.

• Daenerys told Machiro that Cilia had gone with Ian’s army and suggested Ian might follow the Red God; Machiro offered priests to help establish the faith in Astapor.
• A peregrine falcon delivered Ian’s message, and Daenerys introduced Machiro to Go; Machiro saw the game as a revelation of R'hllor’s struggle against the God of Cold and resolved to return to Volantis.
• Paoz Zo Pal reported that Ian had punished General Fazaha and the Faza family, restored Yunkai’s council, and allowed Grazdar zo Alk and Grazdan mo Eraz to gain power.
• Xitzdahar zo Lorak argued that Ian might be giving Meereen another chance to uphold its alliance, since fighting him would leave both sides vulnerable to Khal Drogo.
• Eres Zo Emde and Grazdan Zo Pal agreed to preserve the alliance, while Xitzdahar warned that Meereen would have to accept Ian’s command and likely pay dearly for its failed conspiracy.

Ian questioned Mida and Mida Two about suspicious forces in Meereen and learned that Daznak had eliminated the other likely player, Erlanz, in a deadly arena dispute. He left uncertain whether Daznak had been responsible for Erlanz’s death and whether Erlanz had possessed hidden allies or resources.

• Mida and Mida Two reported that their intelligence station had eliminated most suspicious forces, leaving Daznak’s merchant guild and one other force for investigation.
• Ian realized he had forgotten that Corlo had been receiving the station’s reports after Ian lost control of him during Euron’s arrival in Astapor.
• Mida explained that the second force had been destroyed by Daznak after a feud was settled in the arena.
• Mida said Erlanz had risen as a gladiator, won thirty consecutive matches, and challenged the reigning champion at Daznak’s Arena.
• The reigning champion was injured before the match, and Erlanz killed him despite reportedly agreeing to throw the fight and accepting the arena owner’s money.

Ian and Mida traced the death of Erlanz and the transfer of Daznak’s Arena to Daznak, uncovering signs that House Pal had helped engineer the affair and that an attacker might still be at large. Ian ordered a purge of Daznak’s and Georlis’s remaining merchant forces, including House Pal’s connections, then announced an advance toward Meereen as a threat while preparing to eliminate House Pal.

• Mida told Ian that Erlanz had died in a slave revolt after winning the Meereen Champion title, and that House Pal later gave Daznak’s Arena to Daznak.
• Mida explained that House Pal had wagered against the arena owner after the arena’s undefeated champion was secretly attacked, suggesting House Pal knew the champion had been injured or had arranged the attack.
• Mida revealed that a former member of Erlanz’s mercenary company had described the attack, while Erlanz’s company was devastated after his death; Ian suspected Daznak might have betrayed Erlanz or that another player had escaped.
• Ian ordered Mida to search for people who had disappeared from Daznak’s circle and to purge the remaining forces of Daznak and Georlis, including those connected to House Pal.
• Ian arrived at the Ghiscari Coastal Road war council and declared that the alliance would advance on Meereen and prepare to besiege it, intending to threaten the city while targeting House Pal.

Ian’s army surrounded Meereen and demanded that it surrender the conspirators responsible for betraying him. As Meereen and New Ghis argued over the threat, Ian’s forces prepared for battle under a newly established system of battlefield signals and formations.

• Ian brought thirty-two catapults by sea and positioned them at Meereen’s southeastern and southwestern walls.
• Xitzdahar showed Eres Zo Emde reports detailing the Harpy’s Sons’ attacks, evidence of House Pal’s conspiracy, and Ian’s demand for surrender or compensation.
• Eres interpreted Ian’s letter as an opportunity to blame House Pal and persuade New Ghis to help eliminate the alleged traitors.
• Ian’s army sounded three horns to signal that its legions were ready to receive orders.
• Ian’s Officer’s Manual set out signal codes for commanding different units and basic infantry formations for marching, fighting, charging, and resisting cavalry.

Ian assessed the allied army’s formation and deployed his forces in an Eight Formations arrangement for a near-real-combat drill. He expected the battle to be called off once Meereen apologized, leaving both armies trained but untested in actual combat.

• Ian observed the alliance’s deployment from a tower and identified its right-hook plan and hidden Third Iron Legion.
• Ian explained to his commanders and officer cadets how battlefield signals and the Eight Formations worked, then ordered the drill to begin.
• Ian used music signals to form his army into named units arranged around a central command position.
• Ian placed the Unsullied opposite New Ghis’s elite wing, Yunkai’s troops opposite the weaker enemy formations, and slave legions and cavalry in reserve and flanking roles.
• Ian planned for his cavalry to defeat or pin down the enemy cavalry and strike New Ghis’s flank, but accepted that the battle would not be fought because both armies were needed against the Khal.

Eres Zo Emde ended Meereen’s resistance by killing Grazdan Zo Pal and arranging the city’s surrender to Ian. Ian took command of the allied armies, reorganized Meereenese and Yunkai forces, and announced that Meereen would adopt Astapor’s Five-Tiered Slave System.

• Eres told Grazdan Zo Pal that Meereen could not win in the field and that its great lords would surrender if the city’s walls fell.
• Eres killed Grazdan Zo Pal, and Meereen’s great lords surrendered House Pal’s wealth, 100,000 Glimmer Coins, and their supreme command to Ian in exchange for mercy and the city’s safety.
• Ian appointed Eres chief deputy commander, ordered grain and mercenaries bought at twice the usual rates, and reorganized New Ghis’s legions and the Yunkai and Meereen forces.
• Ian placed mercenary cavalry among Dothraki cavalry in charge formations and formed the reorganized infantry into crossbowmen and ultra-long spearmen for future battles.
• Ian inspected the fourteen thousand reorganized soldiers and announced that Meereen would adopt Astapor’s Five-Tiered Slave System; the Meereenese great lords did not object.

Ian promised the Reorganized New Army rewards for completing training and prepared to extend his control over Meereen while choosing local officials and courting allies. At a lavish gathering of Lhazar envoys, Great Master Marrek proposed marrying his daughter to Ian so their child could become a Ghiscari emperor, though Zhak doubted the plan would succeed.

• Ian promised the Reorganized New Army better slave ranks, property, family rights, and military rewards if they trained well and held their formations against the Dothraki.
• Ian returned to Meereen, expanded his intelligence network under the name Harpy's Sons, and reviewed possible local officials, including Ritsnak mo Ritsnak and Skahaz mo Kandaq.
• Ian weighed the political risks of removing Meereen's Great Masters and decided to postpone choosing an agent until after the coming battle with Khal Drogo.
• Envoys from mountain clans, cities, and plainsfolk tribes gathered in Meereen, where Ian hosted a lavish banquet and gave the Lhazar envoys female slaves.
• Great Master Marrek suggested marrying his daughter to Ian so she could bear a Ghiscari heir, while Great Master Zhak warned that the scheme was unlikely to work.

Ian offered Lhazareen cities and tribes a place as noble members of a lasting Ghis Alliance, winning most of their support while rejecting Khoslak’s limited commitment. After the alliance gained troops and Ian completed a military mission, he learned that the Marrek family planned to propose a marriage, so he left the banquet to avoid answering before defeating Khal Drogo.

• Ian offered the Lhazareen envoys alliance membership, noble status, and protection, while warning that groups who had not sent envoys would be enslaved after conquest.
• Prince Hesh and the Lhazashi envoy agreed to provide troops and seek approval for formal membership, while Khoslak offered only five hundred soldiers and Ian expelled its envoy.
• Sixteen mountain clans and fourteen plainsfolk tribes swore fealty to Ian, providing 6,500 mountain men and 12,000 plainsfolk troops to gather at Hesh.
• Ian received 100 points when the system marked his mission to obtain thirty thousand B-grade soldiers complete, and he concluded that formal rule would require a coronation or appointment.
• A spy told Ian that the Marrek family planned to propose Ents Zo Marrek as his bride, so Ian pretended to be drunk and left before the proposal could be made.

Ian discovered that Drogo’s Khalasar was heading into Lhazar for supplies, putting the allied city of Hesh at risk. He decided not to rush his army into a premature battle and began considering how to counter Drogo, ending on a possible tactic inspired by Li Guangbi’s method against Shi Siming.

• Ian’s falcon located Drogo’s hundred-thousand-strong Khalasar moving south toward the ruins of Ghiscari, and Ian realized it was likely seeking sheep and other supplies in Lhazar.
• Ian concluded that Drogo might seize Hesh, leave the Khalasar’s women, children, and slaves there, and send his Roaring Warriors north toward Meereen with provisions.
• Ian rejected sending his army to fight Drogo near Hesh because the army needed more training and equipment, though he accepted that abandoning the Lhazareen would damage his reputation.
• Ian told Qotho that Drogo was advancing toward Ghiscari and asked whether Dothraki warhorses were gelded and could be disrupted by mares in heat.
• Qotho explained that Dothraki riders trained to control stallions even when distracted by mares, so Ian considered using Li Guangbi’s method against Shi Siming instead.

Ian considered using mares in heat and a night attack to disrupt Drogo’s khalasar and force a decisive battle, then devised a route through Qaysay Pass that would keep his army supplied and preserve a retreat. He called a meeting of his commanders and inspected a new rapid-fire crossbow designed for fighting the Dothraki.

• Ian assessed the advantages and risks of luring Drogo’s warhorses away, including the khalasar’s size, scouting, grazing habits, and the danger of advancing without secure supplies.
• Ian found a safer approach through Qaysay Pass, using the river and his control of nearby mountain clans to move troops and maintain a supply route while retaining a retreat to Meereen.
• Ian summoned Yada and ordered him to call the principal commanders to a meeting the next morning, planning to use up to thirty thousand elite troops and more than ten thousand Lhazareen.
• Ian opened a box and examined the Rapid-fire Crossbow, a short-range weapon designed by Adam to fire rapidly at lightly armored Dothraki riders.

Ian halted his original advance after Drogo accelerated toward Hesh and made contingency plans to defend Qaysay Pass, evacuate Hesh, and threaten Drogo’s abandoned camp at Ghiscari. As a new, heavily armored Khalasar appeared near Ghiscari, Ian faced an urgent decision about which force to attack, while Marco led the new cavalry south after Vogo warned him that Drogo was in danger.

• Ian learned that Drogo had left his women, children, and slaves at Ghiscari and was rushing toward Hesh, so he redirected Femor mo Nackroz toward Ghiscari and ordered his main force to prepare at Qaysay Pass.
• Ian arranged for Astapor’s forces and Daenerys to reinforce Meereen, called for more ships and food, and helped evacuate Hesh as Drogo continued his advance.
• Ian spotted a new Khalasar of more than ten thousand cavalry near Ghiscari, including over a thousand riders in full armor, and realized its arrival could decide the war.
• Marco’s backstory revealed that he and Vogo had divided their development after sacking Pentos, with Vogo supporting Marco as he built a powerful armored Khalasar and allied with Qohor.
• After Vogo warned that Drogo was nearing defeat, Marco accelerated his march south to intervene before Ian could destroy Drogo’s Khalasar.

Ian ordered Femor mo Nackroz to seize the ruins of Ghiscari and prevent a newly arrived player’s Khalasar from reaching Khal Drogo’s legacy. Femor’s forces confronted the pursuing Dothraki beside the Skahazadhan River, where he prepared his inexperienced slave legions for the coming battle as the enemy cavalry began its attack.

• Ian ordered Femor to capture Ghiscari and move its women, children, slaves, and horses south across the Skahazadhan River, leaving the ruins burning.
• The new Khalasar learned of Ghiscari’s fall and forced its exhausted horses north, catching Femor on the riverbank after half the captives had crossed.
• Ian ordered Femor to fight, and Femor deployed his legions with their backs to the river and the fleet’s ranged weapons supporting them.
• Femor adjusted the Slave Iron Legions’ formations to create separated ranks that could counter cavalry breaking through the front.
• Femor promised the slave soldiers promotions for fighting and victory, then accepted a soldier’s choice to take the name Ian.
• The Dothraki cavalry spread across the plain and advanced toward Femor’s army as the battle began.

Slave Soldier Ian and the Astapor Iron Legion faced repeated Dothraki cavalry charges, holding their spear formation through two probing attacks. A third charge broke through their ranks, leaving Ian on the ground as armored riders surged toward him.

• Slave Soldier Ian steadied himself as the Dothraki approached, and the Iron Legion braced its layered spear formation.
• The first Dothraki charge proved to be a probe; riders fired arrows and wheeled away while crossbowmen killed more than a hundred of them.
• In the second charge, a crossbow bolt felled a rider, whose horse crashed into the spears, and other Dothraki who misjudged their turns were skewered.
• The centurions warned the cheering soldiers to keep formation as a third wave of cavalry charged without turning aside.
• A Dothraki horseman struck Ian's spear, and the impact toppled him and several soldiers, opening a breach for the armored cavalry behind the wedge.

Ian’s forces defeated Marco Khal’s Dothraki in an epic battle on the Skahazadhan River, though Femor’s remaining slave soldiers suffered heavy losses. Ian received mission rewards and prepared to turn his attention to Drogo.

• Ian explained to Cilia why he had kept his young dragons out of the battle, suspecting Marco’s forces had weapons capable of killing them.
• Marco Khal agreed to lead the Dothraki’s final charge after his warriors demanded he fight in person.
• Meereen’s fleet killed Marco with a heavy bolt, and several Dothraki commanders abandoned the battle or withdrew their forces.
• Femor’s remaining slave soldiers survived until dusk, when the defeated Roaring Warriors cut off their braids and left the battlefield.
• Ian received rewards for killing a player and completing two missions, then summoned Yada to gather his generals and announced that Drogo was next.

After the Battle of Ghiscari, Maghaz and Vogo abandoned Drogo’s Khalasar, while Ian prepared for the approaching decisive battle at Kayser Pass. Ian rewarded Femor and the victorious soldiers, and the chapter ended as Drogo marched toward the pass and Ian’s reinforcements arrived.

• Maghaz told Vogo he was leaving Drogo’s Khalasar, and Vogo followed him after deciding they had to survive and develop elsewhere.
• Khal Drogo halted near Hesh, where his army struggled to find supplies, while Ian waited to see whether Drogo would attack Kayser Pass.
• Femor arrived at Kayser Pass with captives and recovered crossbow bolts, and Ian welcomed him and accepted the Dragonbone Bow he offered.
• Femor admitted that he had promised the slave soldiers promotions beyond the established rules, and Ian approved the rewards while warning him not to repeat the overreach.
• Three days later, Khal Drogo led his Khalasar toward Kayser Pass, and Ian’s reinforcements arrived with Daenerys and the Imperial Guard led by Dorian.

At Kayser Pass, Femor took command of the allied left wing and warned the commanders about the heavily armored Dothraki he had fought at Ghis, while Ian prepared for a decisive battle against Khal Drogo. Daenerys insisted on joining Ian on the battlefield, and he agreed to keep her at his side as he made new arrangements for the coming fight.

• Leixix and the other commanders saw Daenerys arrive with imperial and Targaryen knights, and Mohacz Zo Arke learned that she was Ian’s queen.
• Eseon Zo Marrek called Daenerys an insignificant puppet and argued that the Empire’s future empress should be Ghiscari, but Femor rebuked him and said the emperor would choose his own wife.
• Femor assessed his late and incomplete forces, then told the commanders how armored Dothraki had pierced the Iron Legion at Ghis before announcing a discussion of battle plans.
• Ian considered the army’s supply and disease problems, chose the camp’s location as his defensive position, and awaited Khal Drogo and the remaining reinforcements.
• Daenerys told Ian she wanted to fight beside him, and he agreed she could stand at his side during the battle.
• Ian sent Daenerys to her tent and summoned commanders and supply officers to make new arrangements.

Khal Drogo led his army to Kayser Pass and prepared to destroy Ian’s Ghiscari Alliance, underestimating its strength and defenses. As Ian’s dragon took flight, Qotho’s Roaring Warriors charged up a hill and scattered its poorly trained defenders.

• Cohollo reported that at least thirty thousand Ghiscari were stationed outside Kayser Pass, and Drogo ordered his army to advance after learning the enemy had taken the women, children, horses, and property left at Korazhai Khas.
• Drogo surveyed the battlefield, judged the Ghiscari left flank vulnerable, and ordered Qotho and other commanders to attack before sunset.
• Ian inspected his silent formations, returned to the rear with Daenerys, and reassured her that victory was certain before the Dothraki began their assault.
• Ian took control of Black Dragon Ion, which flew into the sky as Qotho led his Roaring Warriors toward the hill on the battlefield’s edge.
• Qotho’s cavalry charged up the slope, and the Iron Legion slave soldiers defending the summit fled as the Roaring Warriors cut through them.

Qotho’s Roaring Warriors and Drogo’s cavalry attacked Ian’s forces at Kayser Pass, only to be caught in prepared defenses. Drogo realized the Ghiscari had deceived him about the Unsullied, while his cavalry was trapped inside the left-wing formation.

• Qotho led his Roaring Warriors over the hill, where crossbow fire and cheval de frise devastated the charging cavalry.
• Femor zo Nackroz prepared to climb the hill and move behind Drogo once the main assault began.
• Drogo and Polo Koro sent cavalry against the Ghiscari left wing, and Drogo ordered Cohollo to attack the center.
• Dothraki cavalry broke through apparent gaps in the left-wing line but became trapped between cheval de frise, ranged troops, and the New Ghis and Unsullied formations.
• Drogo rode into the trap and recognized that the armored, beardless soldiers around him were Unsullied, realizing the spike-helmeted troops on the opposite wing were not the main Unsullied force.

Ian used fire, reinforcements, and a cavalry counterattack to trap the Dothraki at Kayser Pass. Drogo’s forces were routed, and Ion’s dragonflame killed Drogo as he tried to break out.

• Cohollo’s cavalry shattered the Lhazareen-heavy center front and charged into the Unsullied rear line, where the Dothraki were slaughtered in melee.
• Ian ordered the valley-mouth reserve to attack, and Ion’s flaming arrows ignited the dry grass, trapping the Dothraki amid fire and smoke.
• Haggo led the reserve cavalry against the troops descending from the hill, but rapid-fire crossbows struck his force and killed him in the melee.
• Khal Drogo led the Imperial Guard cavalry down the western hill and into the rear of Haggo’s forces.
• Drogo broke through a New Ghis formation and tried to escape, but Ion poured dragonflame onto him and the Roaring Warriors around him, killing them.