Chapter Summaries

Rayne persuaded Kuilu to join his plan to build a city on Shield Island by laying out his financial resources, military forces, and powerful allies. Kuilu and the Moonlight Church agreed to become the city's first residents, and Rayne named the new city Gotham.

• Kuilu doubted that Rayne could build a city on Shield Island without Wizerland's backing and warned that the Scourge Legion would threaten its residents.
• Rayne said he could raise millions of Gold Shields, deploy his Transcendent Legions, recruit a large army, and ally with the Blood Elves of Averken.
• Rayne told Kuilu that Ansiwodoss, Master Oruoin, a Titan Elder, and an Ancient Red Dragon could help oppose the Death Lord and the Soul Saint Liches.
• Kuilu agreed to join Rayne's plan with the Moonlight Church and make them the city's first residents.
• Athina linked her arm with Rayne's as Kuilu displayed an intimate manner toward him during their discussion.
• Rayne named the new city Gotham.

Rayne learned that Kuilu had created a network of Teleportation Beacons across the Underdark and accepted her help reaching Elainto. After Reslin revealed that he sought a Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s Demon Soul, Kuilu agreed to accompany the group into the dangerous city.

• Rayne discussed building Gotham on the New Continent, and Kuilu promised to gather Drow to join the construction in six months.
• Rayne asked how Kuilu had traveled so quickly, and she revealed a booklet of Teleportation Beacons she had placed across the Underdark.
• Kuilu used twelve Guiding Stones to transport the group to a point half a day from Elainto.
• Reslin told Kuilu that he needed a Demon Soul likely belonging to the Mind Flayer Elder Brain, despite the danger of confronting its controlled city.
• After Reslin explained that he possessed the Will of Truth, Kuilu agreed to accompany the group to Elainto.

Reslin and his companions crossed the lower Underdark and reached Elainto, a city ruled by Mind Flayers. From a cliffside overlooking the city, Reslin identified the core region as the place to seek the Elder Brain.

• Reslin killed a Lava Fire Lizard with a single Disintegration as the group left the lava cave.
• Kuilu led the companions past a Duergar mine, hiding them from a suspicious Mind Flayer with an Invisibility Field.
• Reslin explained that Mind Flayers shared a collective consciousness through the Elder Brain, so killing one could alert the whole community.
• Kuilu guided the group through winding tunnels until they reached a vast rift valley and saw Elainto built across its cliffs.
• Reslin surveyed the Mind Flayer-ruled city and located the Elder Brain's likely core region.

Reslin lured a Saint Tier Mind Flayer away from Elainto while Kuilu and the others entered the palace to kill the Elder Brain. They found the Brain Pool empty, and Rayne realized the Elder Brain had used Time Jump just before time stopped.

• Reslin and Kuilu agreed that Reslin would lure the Saint Tier Mind Flayer away while the others entered the palace and attacked the Elder Brain.
• Reslin created a True Mirror Image, which fought the Mind Flayers at the mine until the Saint Tier Mind Flayer arrived.
• Reslin opened a Portal to the palace, and Kuilu and the others entered while the Saint Tier Mind Flayer was occupied.
• Rayne and the others found the Brain Pool empty and could not locate the Elder Brain.
• Rayne realized the Elder Brain had entered Time Jump and shouted for everyone to escape, but a figure appeared and stopped time.

Reslin and his companions were trapped by Master Ogulvi’s Time Stop in the palace, but Reslin used Mirror Images, teleportation, and a carefully timed escape to get them out. They fled into a cavern only to find themselves surrounded by four powerful Spellcasters, while Reslin’s True Mirror Image faced Ogulvi and asked him to stop.

• Master Ogulvi cast Time Stop and launched three instant-kill spells each at Kuilu, Yizite, and Reslin.
• Reslin’s Mirror Images and Kuilu resisted the spell long enough to protect the group, while Reslin’s main body completed Mass Teleportation and evacuated them from the palace.
• Ogulvi teleported Reslin’s True Mirror Image and the others back to the palace, where he cast Spatial Freeze; Reslin then teleported the group away again.
• Reslin’s Mirror Image used Time-Space Distortion to block pursuit, but the group encountered two Saint Tier Mind Flayers, an Archmage, and a Soul Saint Lich in a cavern.
• Reslin’s True Mirror Image turned to the mass of light above the Brain Pool and asked Master Ogulvi to stop.

Reslin faced Master Ogulvi, discovered that Ogulvi was a Mind Flayer who had escaped the Lord of Death’s control, and used his Mysterious Clone’s ability to resurrect as leverage. Ogulvi asked why Reslin had come to Elainto, leaving their conversation poised to reveal Reslin’s true purpose.

• Ogulvi’s forces trapped Reslin’s group in the cave, but Reslin told his companions to wait rather than resist.
• Ogulvi recognized Reslin’s Will of Truth and Key of the Gate, then revealed himself as a Mind Flayer wielding the legendary staff End of Time.
• Ogulvi identified Reslin as Rayne Augustus and demanded that his original body replace the True Mirror Image, threatening the people in the cave.
• Reslin sensed that Ogulvi’s soul had not been corrupted by the Lord of Death, though Ogulvi’s emotional instability made his power dangerously volatile.
• Reslin explained Mysterious Touch and his resurrecting clone, then hinted that his original body could meet his teacher in Wizerland.
• Ogulvi restrained his anger and asked Reslin what he had come to Elainto to do.

Reslin told Ogulvi why he had come to Elainto and discovered that Ogulvi had fused with the Elder Brain and controlled the city’s Mind Flayers as avatars. Ogulvi revealed that a High Council insider was one of his avatars, and Reslin and Rayne identified the Black Robe Duke Tuzray.

• Reslin admitted he wanted an Elder Brain’s Demon Soul to solve an alchemical problem, and Ogulvi revealed that he had written Aberration Memo under the name Hapworth.
• Ogulvi showed Reslin Elainto and its Mind Flayers, revealing that they were his avatars and that the city’s population was dwindling.
• Ogulvi praised Reslin’s Mirror Image Spell and inferred that Rayne was not in Wizerland, startling Rayne in Glamorgan Castle.
• Reslin explained that he had not intended to expose Ogulvi because he believed Ogulvi remained himself, and Ogulvi said he could suppress any report to the High Council.
• Reslin and Rayne realized that the High Council insider and Ogulvi’s avatar was the Black Robe Duke Tuzray.

Reslin questioned Ogulvi about Duke Redstone and learned that Ogulvi and Kailstone possessed the Legendary Element Omni-Mind Manifestation, while Reslin possessed Will of Truth. Ogulvi revealed that a prophecy had led him to trust Reslin and explained how an Arcane Art had helped him become a Mind Flayer Lich, ending with a mysterious problem caused by copying memories into his avatars.

• Reslin asked Ogulvi whether Duke Redstone was one of his avatars, and Ogulvi denied it while admitting that he trusted Reslin.
• Ogulvi explained that Omni-Mind Manifestation could sense intentions and lies, read unprotected minds, and belonged to both him and Kailstone, while Reslin possessed Will of Truth.
• Ogulvi said a Ninth Circle Prophecy Spell had revealed crucial information about Reslin and explained that he had pursued immortality for his lifespan and other undisclosed reasons.
• Ogulvi revealed that he had fused with a Mind Flayer Elder Brain and become a Mind Flayer Lich through an Arcane Art that created soulless replacement bodies.
• Ogulvi told Reslin that he had used Memory Copying Technique to address the weakness of his empty avatar bodies, but it had caused an even greater problem, and he asked Reslin to guess what it was.

Reslin learned how Master Ogulvi used memory-copying clones to research immortality, and discovered that Ogulvi’s first clone was Fentilus and his final clone was Duke Redstone. Ogulvi revealed that Redstone had escaped his control, leaving Reslin to confront the truth behind humanity’s greatest genius.

• Reslin reasoned that copied memories could not create a soul and asked whether Ogulvi’s clones had escaped his control.
• Ogulvi recounted how his first clone, Fentilus, retained generations of memories, became a powerful Soul Saint Wizard, and attempted to replace him before Ogulvi defeated him using altered memories.
• Ogulvi revealed that Fentilus had researched soul creation through Mind Flayers, and that Ogulvi continued the work in Elainto.
• Ogulvi explained how he created a clone with a new soul, implanted memories, and magical safeguards intended to ensure loyalty and extend his life.
• Ogulvi told Reslin that his final clone was Kailstone, the man known as Duke Redstone, and admitted that the clone had escaped his control.

Ogulvi revealed how Kailstone escaped his control and explained how he used the Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s Heart of the Overmind to uncover a way to transform into a Lich without becoming the Lord of Death’s pawn. He then brought out a living Mind Flayer Elder Brain, leaving Reslin face-to-face with the being whose Demon Soul he sought.

• Ogulvi explained that Kailstone discovered Elaun’s ill intent through Omni-Mind Manifestation and later broke Ogulvi’s mental control by obtaining the Will of Truth.
• Ogulvi told Reslin that he wanted him to balance Kailstone, whose ambition and actions had begun to concern him.
• Ogulvi described how the Heart of the Overmind let him create a Secondary Brain for a clone, study the Lich ritual, and develop a way to become a Lich without surrendering his free will to the Lord of Death.
• Ogulvi revealed that Fentilus had become the Level 41 Lich that Duke Redstone and the other Soul Saint Wizards fought.
• Ogulvi explained that the Heart of the Overmind was a Physique Element, which forced him to fuse his body with the Elder Brain, and then produced a jar containing a living Mind Flayer Elder Brain.

Reslin received the Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s Demon Soul and Ogulvi’s clone-making Magic notebook in exchange for an unspecified future payment. After Ogulvi sent him back to his teammates, Reslin led them away from Elainto and discovered the notebook’s contents had been copied into the Mobile Library as the Ogulvi Creation Technique.

• Reslin examined the Elder Brain and learned that its Heart of the Overmind could create lesser brains and grow stronger by consuming Mind Flayer brains.
• Ogulvi offered Reslin the Elder Brain’s Demon Soul and a Magic notebook detailing his clone-making Arcane Arts, asking him to pay the price in the future.
• Ogulvi killed the Elder Brain, captured its Demon Soul, and handed both the Soul Stone and notebook to Reslin.
• Ogulvi warned Reslin to keep their conversation secret and told him not to go to Elainto, then teleported him back to his teammates.
• Reslin and his teammates left the cave and rode away from Elainto, while Reslin saw that the Mobile Library had copied the notebook as the Ogulvi Creation Technique.

After escaping Elainto, Reslin revealed that a deal with the unknown being had secured the Elder Brain’s Demon Soul, and the party split up to pursue their plans in the Underdark and on the surface. Back at Glamorgan Castle, Rayne studied Master Ogulvi’s Creation Technique and used the Key of the Gate to learn the spell.

• Kuilu questioned Reslin about the being in Elainto, and Reslin warned everyone to keep its identity and their encounter secret.
• Kuilu explained that Time Stop had struck during the palace battle and that Reslin had resisted it and saved his companions.
• Reslin revealed the Elder Brain’s Demon Soul and said he had obtained it through a deal that allowed the party to leave safely.
• Yizite agreed to help Kuilu evacuate Drow from the Underdark, while Dawnsos, Bellac, and Athina headed for Alber Bay and Reslin returned to the Obsidian Tower.
• Rayne read Master Ogulvi’s spellbook, learned how the Creation Technique combined several kinds of magic, and used the Key of the Gate to acquire the Eighth Circle spell.

Rayne created a powerful, soulless clone with the Creation Technique, then restored his Wizard level and fused the Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s Demon Soul. The fusion succeeded, granting him the Heart of the Overmind, which he immediately began to level up.

• Rayne went to the Obsidian Tower’s laboratory and used the Creation Technique to grow a human clone from a piece of his flesh, spending nearly one hundred units of charge.
• Rayne examined the clone and learned that it could serve as a vessel for resurrection if he placed a soul mark inside it and maintained its vitality.
• Rayne refilled his charge, returned to Level 17, and examined the Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s eighteen Elements in a Soul Stone.
• Rayne fused the Elder Brain’s Demon Soul with his own, overcoming its conflict with the Blue Dragon Soul, though five Elements were lost.
• Rayne gained the Level 1 Heart of the Overmind, learned it could control eight Secondary Brains, and selected its icon to level it up.

Rayne advanced the Heart of the Overmind to Legendary and used it to create a Clone with his pre-Legendary Elements. The Clone gained Lightning Form and named himself Vandus, commander of the Thunder Forged Divine Soldier Legion.

• Rayne raised the Heart of the Overmind to level 7, unlocking the ability to attach his pre-Legendary Elements to Secondary Brains.
• Rayne created a Secondary Brain carrying thirty-four of his Elements and merged it with a Clone Body.
• The Clone Body awakened with Rayne’s pre-Legendary strength and memories, then drank Lightning Essence to advance its Lightning Affinities into Lightning Form.
• Rayne began creating a second Clone Body while the first chose the name Vandus and declared himself commander of the Thunder Forged Divine Soldier Legion.

Rayne created a force of Rayne’s Heavenly Soldiers, who forged their own weapons and armor while Vandus became a Wizard specializing in melee combat. After sending six soldiers toward Shield Island to build a Teleportation Array and hunt for souls, Rayne traveled alone to the New Continent and flew north.

• Vandus forged a Lightning Warhammer and golden armor, then helped Gadous, Sostos, and the other Rayne’s Heavenly Soldiers make their equipment.
• Vandus used the Lake of Stars Meditation Method to become a Ninth Level Mage and began constructing spell models.
• Rayne created six Rayne’s Heavenly Soldiers, gave them weapons, supplies, and Mithril plates, and assigned them to reach Shield Island, hunt evil creatures, and prepare a Teleportation Array.
• The six soldiers traveled through the Underdark, while Rayne created another clone in Glamorgan and introduced him to the Extreme Warriors.
• Rayne disguised himself as an Iron Guard, traveled from Flower Mist Island to Bear Island, crossed to the New Continent through a Portal, and flew north with Thunder God’s Hammer.

Rayne crossed the Kanord Icefield to find a secret transit-station site at Sword Bay Town, but discovered an undead tomb and chose to attack it for souls and electricity. He defeated its guardians and destroyed much of the tomb, leaving the rest of the undead to face his final blast.

• Rayne flew into the Kanord Icefield, noted the growing undead presence, and continued toward the polar glaciers to establish a teleportation transit station.
• A Bone Dragon carrying a Death Knight approached Rayne as an undead army emerged from a tomb beneath the ice.
• Rayne disguised himself as an old Wizard, then killed the Level 18 Death Knight and its Legendary High Tier Bone Dragon with his staff and spells.
• Rayne wiped out the flying undead and the tomb’s legendary defenders, absorbing their souls to replenish his Soul Power Pool.
• Rayne used Psionic Storm against the remaining undead and threw a powerful Lightning Burst Orb into the tomb, causing a massive explosion.

Rayne traveled across the frozen north to Sword Bay Town and built a concealed teleportation hub in a cavern beneath the ice. He activated the long-distance Teleportation Array and confirmed that it connected to Glamorgan Castle.

• Rayne avoided several undead tombs as he crossed the Kanord Icefield and flew east over the frozen sea toward Sword Bay Town.
• Rayne found the abandoned teleportation cavern near Sword Bay Town, suspected the Scourge Legion might have left it as bait, and placed silver markers to detect intruders.
• Rayne located a hidden natural cavern beneath the ice and spent half a day clearing and leveling it for a secret base.
• Rayne assembled a Teleportation Array, installed an Astral Crystal Pillar and twelve Arcane Crystals, and activated it.
• Rayne saw his Thunderforged Heavenly Soldier through the Portal and stepped through to Glamorgan Castle.

Rayne multiplied his Rayne's Heavenly Soldiers, delegated his territory's affairs to a substitute, and made rapid progress on a chip-powered Titan Engine. He established teleportation hubs on Shield Island and in Sword Bay Town, began clearing Shield Island of undead, and finished the Aix Combat School.

• Rayne created seven Rayne's Heavenly Soldiers and sent them to build a teleportation hub in Sword Bay Town and produce weapons at King Kong Fortress.
• Rayne shaped a Secondary Brain into a chip and began adapting a Titan Engine to use it, achieving a record-breaking ten minutes of stable operation before the chip burned out.
• Rayne gave his substitute his Blood Cloak and delegated territory and duchy affairs to him while he continued his Titan Engine research.
• Rayne inspected the completed Sword Bay Town base and the teleportation arrays on Shield Island, which Reslin could use to travel between the island and the Obsidian Tower.
• Rayne's Heavenly Soldiers began clearing undead from Shield Island, and Rayne created more clones as the operation slowly raised power in the Soul Power Pool.
• Half a month later, Rayne left the Mechanical Alchemy Room after completing the Aix Combat School.

Rayne inspected the completed Aix Combat School, secured Master Oruoin’s support by funding its development, and proposed building another school in a vast new city on the New Continent. After Oruoin left to consult Anxi, Rayne paid Dwarf Bulestan for the school’s construction and began pitching him an even larger project.

• Rayne visited Aix Combat School and discussed its teachers, students, security, branches, and funding with Master Oruoin.
• Rayne promised to cover the school’s expenses, and Master Oruoin agreed to support Rayne’s position in the High Council.
• Rayne proposed building a new city on the New Continent and opening another Combat School there; Oruoin agreed to consider supporting the project after speaking with Anxi.
• Rayne paid Bulestan the final ten thousand Gold Shields for the school’s construction and offered him a new project.
• Rayne estimated the new project could cost thirty million Gold Shields, possibly fifty million or more than a hundred million, leaving Bulestan stunned.

Rayne advanced plans to build Gotham City on Shield Island, arguing that it would strengthen the Empire’s position against the Scourge Legion and the Netherfiends while supporting his future bid for imperial governor. Ansiwodoss and Oruoin agreed to help, leaving Rayne with powerful allies as he prepared to begin construction.

• Rayne offered Bulestan a massive contract to build a city for at least a million residents on Shield Island, and Bulestan left to seek the king of Molten Keep’s approval.
• Rayne told Ansiwodoss that he wanted Gotham City built within Gneus’s thirteen-year term to bolster his political ambitions and establish a foothold against the growing Scourge Legion and Aeon’s Netherfiends.
• Ansiwodoss agreed to let Wizerland Wizards join the project in their personal capacities, provided Rayne paid them.
• Oruoin revealed he had been listening and pledged his support, giving Rayne the backing of two Soul Saint Wizards alongside the Titan Elder.
• Rayne realized Oruoin’s support aligned him with the Modu School and considered helping Reslin advance to Archmage to secure another High Council vote.