Chapter Summaries

Ian and Daron sought Tarro Bayne’s invitation to Governor Illyrio’s banquet, and Ian agreed to resolve Tarro’s problem in exchange for the invitation and funding. Meanwhile, Dorian the Black Falcon and his mercenaries discussed a well-paid job at sea.

• Daron asked Tarro Bayne to give up his banquet invitation so he could seek an audience with his king, but Tarro refused and pointed out that Daron had lost his ship and status.
• Ian questioned Tarro about what he wanted in return and revealed that he had recognized Tarro’s attempt to make them ask for help.
• Tarro offered Ian the banquet invitation and one hundred Gold Dragons if Ian used his force and judgment to solve a problem, and Ian accepted.
• Dorian the Black Falcon and the mercenary beside him said they had accepted a one-month job paying sixty Gold Dragons.

Ian questioned Tarro Bayne’s evasive request to deal with Silva the Spearbreaker and refused to help without knowing the truth. Tarro revealed that his smuggling ship carried slaves and said factional strife was behind his trouble.

• Tarro Bayne asked Ian to deal with Silva the Spearbreaker and his men, claiming they were street thugs troubling his warehouse.
• Ian suspected Silva was backed by a powerful figure in Pentos and challenged Tarro Bayne’s account of the problem.
• Tarro Bayne tried to pressure Ian by reminding him that the Cerio Festival banquet was the next day, but Ian refused and started to leave.
• Tarro Bayne stopped Ian and agreed to tell him the truth before Ian decided whether to help.
• Tarro Bayne revealed that his ship carried slaves for Pentoshi nobles and said factional strife had caused the danger.

Ian learned that Tarro Bayne was being extorted amid a crackdown on Pentos's slave trade and negotiated to receive Illyrio's banquet invitation before helping him. Afterward, Ian decided to investigate Spearbreaker before choosing how to handle the problem, hoping to protect his reputation in Illyrio's merchant guild.

• Tarro Bayne explained that Governors Hauket and Sestor Moq were caught up in a struggle between the Braavos and Volantis factions, and that Spearbreaker was extorting small merchants under cover of Hauket's crackdown.
• Ian learned that Tarro Bayne could not safely hire local mercenaries and agreed to help only after Tarro Bayne handed over the banquet invitation.
• Tarro Bayne accepted Ian's proposal and gave him the invitation.
• Ian considered whether to keep his promise, then sent Denzel to Pentos Harbor to investigate Spearbreaker before deciding what to do.

Ian attended Illyrio Mopatis’s banquet in Pentos with Daron, carefully presenting himself as a powerless but ambitious son of House Darry. Illyrio recognized Daron and asked who Ian was, leaving Daron to introduce him as Ian Rivers, another son of Lord Raymond.

• Ian passed through the mansion’s guarded gates and sat with Daron among the merchants invited to Illyrio’s banquet.
• Illyrio welcomed the guests and discussed Pentos’s trade, while Ian stayed quiet to maintain the image he wanted Illyrio to believe.
• Ian and Daron sampled the lavish food as the merchants argued over their business interests.
• Illyrio approached Daron and remarked that he was surprised Daron had survived the fall of the Grafton family.
• Illyrio noticed Ian’s House Darry sigil and asked who he was, so Daron introduced him as Ian Rivers, another son of Lord Raymond.

Illyrio apologized to Ian and Daron for the Unsullied guards’ treatment, then offered them rooms and horses while dismissing them to attend to his business. Ian settled into the mansion and reviewed the player count before accepting the blonde servant Illyrio sent him, suspecting the encounter was a test of his self-control.

• Daron told Illyrio how the Unsullied guards had humiliated him, and Illyrio apologized and offered them each a horse.
• Ian decided not to tell Illyrio about Tarro Bayne’s slave ship, fearing it would damage Illyrio’s opinion of him.
• Illyrio gave Ian and Daron rooms in his mansion and returned to the merchants at the banquet.
• Ian checked the Auxiliary System and saw that only 36 players remained and that Oldtown’s Treasure Hunt Game had ended.
• A blonde servant came to Ian’s room and offered to serve him, including by arranging a boy if he preferred men.
• Ian decided the servant’s visit was Illyrio’s test and accepted her advances.

At dinner, Illyrio questioned Ian and Daron about why they sought Viserys and tested Ian’s judgment and honor. Ian defended Tarro Bayne’s secret help, but Illyrio challenged his claim to honor by pointing to his earlier raids.

• Illyrio asked Ian whether he liked the servant assigned to him, and Ian redirected their conversation toward meeting Viserys.
• Ian explained that he and Daron had come to gamble on the Targaryens’ return because their families had lost lands, power, and relatives under the Iron Throne.
• Daron told Illyrio that his forces had been devastated, while Ian still had four knights who had not joined the raids.
• Illyrio revealed that he knew Ian had sought an invitation through Tarro Bayne and offered compensation, but Ian refused to betray their agreement.
• Illyrio accused Tarro Bayne of secretly trafficking slaves, and Ian said he had promised not to reveal the merchant’s secret.
• Ian claimed that Ser Aris Haven, his half-brother, had knighted him, and Illyrio questioned whether his past plundering showed honor.

After passing Illyrio’s test, Ian prepared to wait for an introduction to Viserys and complete Main Quest Two. He reconsidered whether to remain in Pentos or flee afterward, but rejected a costly voyage to Yi Ti and began considering seizing land for farming.

• Illyrio accepted Ian and Daron Grafton’s account, promised to handle Tarro Bayne’s affairs, and said he would introduce them to Viserys when the time was right.
• Ian escaped the banquet hall after seeing the Yunkai maidservants Illyrio had arranged for them.
• Ian concluded that Illyrio’s intelligence network made secret business in Pentos too risky and weighed fleeing after completing Main Quest Two.
• Ian considered buying ships to trade with Yi Ti, but rejected the plan because of its cost, long voyage, and risk.
• Ian considered raising mercenaries in The Disputed Lands to seize neglected territory and farm it.

Ian decided to stay in Pentos and prepare to guide events toward taking Astapor, while Prince Hazan told Tarro Bayne he had made a mistake. The chapter left Ian with three priorities for the next two months: gain Illyrio’s trust, build ties with Braavos and the Iron Bank, and strengthen himself.

• Ian rejected fleeing Pentos and planned to keep events on course until Dany hatched her dragons, then take her directly to Astapor.
• Ian planned to buy two A-rank NPCs and send them ahead to Slaver’s Bay to recruit soldiers and occupy a small city in Lhazareen.
• Ian set three tasks for his remaining time in Pentos: earn Illyrio’s trust, meet Braavos’s ambassador and the Iron Bank’s representative, and improve his strength.
• Prince Hazan told the cheese merchant Tarro Bayne that he had made a mistake.

Hazan explained how Illyrio could uncover Tarro Bayne’s secret and arranged for him to flee to Braavos, while using the fabricated slave-ship story to mislead Illyrio about his rivals’ intentions. The next morning, Ian used a Basic Skill Selection Scroll and discovered several magic systems he could learn.

• Hazan warned Tarro Bayne that Illyrio could connect Ian’s inquiries about Spearbreaker to the false slave-trading story and expose him.
• Hazan sent Tarro Bayne away with his caravan, with a ship waiting to take him to Braavos.
• Hazan told Deliph that Illyrio’s inability to find evidence could make him suspect the Valantis Party, then asked Deliph to investigate Ser Ian.
• Ian noticed Darren Grafton looking pale and exhausted at breakfast, and learned that Illyrio lived elsewhere in the manor.
• Ian used the Basic Skill Selection Scroll and saw that the Old Gods, Seven Gods, and Lord of Light systems were available, while other systems required additional prerequisites.

Ian questioned whether gods truly existed and concluded that the world’s gods might be powerful magic users rather than creators. He examined the scroll’s available systems, found the Old Gods and Seven Gods options, and moved on to consider the Lord of Light’s powers.

• Ian asked Annie whether the system let players learn magic from different divine systems without conflicts, and she said it did not.
• Ian reasoned that the Braavosi proverb about death being the only miracle suggested that the gods might be false gods with powerful magic.
• Ian considered the destruction of the Dawn Empire and the Valyrian Freehold, then decided not to challenge the beings behind such power.
• Ian reviewed the Old Gods options and considered using a scroll to become a Skinchanger so he could gather intelligence inside Illyrio’s Mansion.
• Ian discovered that the Seven Gods System offered a skill for learning the Faith of the Seven’s scriptures and missionary records.
• Ian reviewed the Drowned God option and then recalled the Lord of Light’s priests’ feats, including killing, cursing, and resurrecting people.

Ian compared the available magic systems, rejected the alternatives, and chose Skinchanger. He discovered that his low willpower prevented him from upgrading the skill, leaving him needing more Attribute Points.

• Ian examined the Red Priest and Shadowbinder systems and questioned whether R'hllor fully controlled Shadow Magic or could truly reverse death.
• Ian considered the Faceless Men system but decided that disguise would not justify giving up the system's quests and progression.
• Ian dismissed the unavailable Valyrian and Asshai systems and selected Skinchanger, gaining Skinchanger Basics.
• Ian tried to upgrade Skinchanger but learned that magic-skill levels could not exceed one-fifth of his willpower.
• Ian concluded that he would need more free Attribute Points, likely by grinding optional quests.

Ian pressed Illyrio to let him meet Viserys sooner, but accepted that he would have to wait until Khal Drogo's feast in Pentos. He offered to help Illyrio and learned that the cheese merchant Tarro Bayne had disappeared.

• Ian asked Illyrio when he could meet the king, but Illyrio insisted he wait until Khal Drogo's feast.
• Ian pretended he mainly wanted the king to grant him a family name, and Illyrio believed he had revealed his motive.
• Ian reasoned that Illyrio was delaying the meeting to keep him from getting close to Viserys and Daenerys before Jorah Mormont arrived.
• Ian offered to help Illyrio while they waited, hoping to become part of his plans.
• Illyrio told Ian that Tarro Bayne had left Pentos through the north gate and failed to return, while servants packed up valuables from his house.

Ian recounted his conversation with Tarro Bayne, and Illyrio guided him through how Tarro’s escape might be part of a plot to frame Illyrio for slave trading. Illyrio began mentoring Ian in Targaryen restoration politics, believing he had drawn Ian into his plans, while Ian secretly played along to gain his trust.

• Illyrio admitted he had bluffed Ian about knowing what Ian discussed with Tarro Bayne, then asked Ian to recount their conversation.
• Ian pointed out that Tarro’s decision to flee after meeting him was suspicious, and Illyrio explained that Tarro had no ship of his own.
• Illyrio guided Ian to infer that Tarro might have wanted others to believe Illyrio sent Ian to kill Spearbreaker.
• Ian guessed that the Valantis Party was behind the plot, while Illyrio also considered whether the Braavos Party could benefit from it.
• Illyrio praised Ian, promised to teach him, and described the rewards awaiting supporters of the Targaryen restoration.
• Ian recognized Illyrio’s attempt to manipulate him and pretended to accept his guidance so Illyrio would trust him.

Ian accepted Illyrio’s quest to investigate suspected slave trading in the Merchant Guild after ensuring it could also be completed if no traitor existed. The system immediately marked the quest complete, confirming Ian’s suspicion that the slave ship was fictitious and awarding him points and attribute points.

• Illyrio asked Ian to investigate a suspected traitor in his Merchant Guild and offered him a steward’s briefing and introductions to two aides.
• Ian requested operating funds and negotiated to keep whatever remained after the investigation.
• Ian suspected Tarro Bayne had invented the slave ship and asked Illyrio to set a completion condition for the possibility that no traitor existed.
• Illyrio agreed that the quest would count as complete if no Merchant Guild slave ship appeared at Pentos Harbor before the end of the month.
• Ian accepted the revised quest, and the system immediately declared it complete, awarding him 3 Points and 3 Attribute Points.

Ian realized that his mission had been completed because Illyrio had prevented the suspected slave ship from appearing, and he considered exploiting the mission system to create more rewards. While gathering information for his investigation, he learned that the supposed guild traitor was tied to Pentos’s factional politics.

• Ian realized the mission’s medium difficulty referred to identifying a traitor, and he considered testing whether he could create similar missions for profit.
• Mills gave Ian a list of merchants whose ships were expected to return to Pentos and explained which merchants belonged to rival factions.
• Ian asked Mills about Pentos’s factional strife after recognizing that he needed to understand the political situation before investigating.
• Mills explained that Illyrio led a peaceful Trade Magister faction seeking friendly relations with Braavos and Volantis, and that the faction had lost the Tagris family after it went bankrupt.

Steward Mills explained to Ian how Volantene gold and Braavosi payments divided Pentos’s magisters and Great Council into rival factions. Ian realized that his investigation would bring him into conflict with powerful figures from both sides.

• Mills told Ian that Sestor Moen used slave-trading profits and Volantene support to become a magister and promote war against Braavos.
• Mills explained that Moen, Gordin Hauket, and Glaro Tytellus gained enough support in the Magisters’ Council to send a proposal to rebuild the fleet and declare war to the Great Council.
• Hauket and his allies abruptly voted against the war proposal after the Iron Bank offered them twice as much as Volantis.
• Braavos denied the Tytellus family payment and suppressed its businesses, turning the family into a staunch anti-Braavos faction and making it enemies of the Haukets.
• Mills described Pentos’s three factions and said Braavos had sponsored Hazan Moharis to speak for its interests.
• Ian asked whether Prince Hazan Moharis or one of the four magisters aligned with the Volantis and Braavos factions would become his direct enemy once he began investigating.

Ian learned about Pentos’s military arrangements and the political factions competing for influence. Mills introduced Bevos the Strong, Illyrio’s mercenary assigned to protect Ian, and Hazrul, who could help him gather information.

• Ian asked Mills about the four Governors involved in the dispute over war with Braavos, and Mills clarified that Pasi Rotalus supported war for the honor of his family rather than payment.
• Mills explained that Pasi Rotalus commanded the City Watch and described its reduced forces, factional banner guards, and the military service slots sold to Pentos’s nobles and Governors.
• Ian learned that the two Governors from the Braavos and Valantis factions had bought more than half the remaining military slots, though most of their private guards were not stationed in the city.
• Bevos the Strong arrived and told Ian that he had never lost a battle and would protect him from harm.
• Mills introduced Hazrul to Ian as someone who could help him find out many things.

Ian exploited optional quest wording to complete a quest about defending Pentos without fighting Khal Drogo, then discovered that he could accept only two optional quests per month. After improving his Skinchanger skill to novice, he bought animals to begin practicing and turned to the merchant information Steward Mills had given him.

• Ian scripted and completed the optional quest to defend Pentos by ensuring the Dothraki would not conquer the city, earning points and attribute points despite the quest being rated medium difficulty.
• Ian tried to create a quest about a traitor in Bevos the Strong's mercenary company, but learned that he had reached the monthly limit of two optional quests.
• Ian decided to use his quest template to obtain two medium-difficulty optional quests each month and reviewed his character sheet.
• Ian spent all six Attribute Points on willpower and upgraded Skinchanger Basics to novice, learning the dangers and methods of invading animal consciousness.
• Ian asked Denzel from Dorne to buy young hawks and cats so he could practice Skinchanging, then began reading the merchant information from Mills.

After completing Illyrio’s investigation into the slave ship affair, Ian successfully took control of a falcon through Skinchanging. The addictive sensation of flight nearly overwhelmed him, so he returned to his own body and ended the attempt, exhausted.

• Ian reported to Illyrio that there was no insider-operated slave transport ship and befriended Hazrul while investigating.
• Ian prepared for a third attempt to Skinchange into the falcon after two previous failures.
• Ian resisted the falcon’s consciousness until it surrendered, then took control of the bird.
• Ian ordered Keith to cut the rope and flew high above Pentos, nearly losing himself to the falcon’s urge to keep flying.
• Ian returned to his courtyard, switched back to his own body, and ended the Skinchanging state to rest.

Ian claimed first place in the second month-end settlement and chose a Braavosi Water Dancer as his S-Class NPC reward. The draw produced Yada Mol, a master swordsman with exceptional agility, adding another powerful fighter to Ian's side.

• Ian woke for the second month-end settlement and saw that 33 players remained.
• The system awarded Ian 10 points, 1,888 Gold Dragons, and a selectable S-Class NPC for ranking first.
• Ian compared the Braavosi Water Dancer, Unsullied Spear Master, and Qohor Black Goat Temple Cavalry before choosing the Water Dancer.
• Ian drew Yada Mol, whose profile listed 34 Strength, 45 Agility, Master swordsmanship, and intermediate Valyrian.