Chapter Summaries

Raymond’s party traveled through the harsh Underdark toward Menzoberranzan, where Raymond hoped to gather information about the Fungal Forest and a Druid. Their advance paused when they spotted a Duergar caravan under attack by Kuo-toa.

• Raymond and Drizzt discussed the Underdark’s layers, the dangers ahead, and the party’s approach to Menzoberranzan.
• Drizzt warned Raymond to hide his identity and avoid provoking Drow priestesses, while Raymond assured him he would not harm the city.
• Vinar silently led Raymond and Drizzt to an open tunnel, where they saw more than three hundred Kuo-toa attacking a Duergar caravan.
• The Kuo-toa overwhelmed the caravan’s Orc and Troll slaves, while the Duergar guards refused to risk themselves because their contract covered only the goods and employer.

Raymond and the Drow waited until the Duergar caravan and Mind Flayers had weakened each other, then launched a magically enhanced ambush that wiped out the monsters. The surviving Duergar surrendered and became the Drow’s captives, while Drizzt reflected on Raymond’s power and the danger ahead in Menzoberranzan.

• Mind Flayers sent Umber Hulks into the battle between the Kuo-toa and Duergar, while the Duergar summoned a Giant Earth Elemental and fought back.
• Vinar rejected Drizzt’s suggestion to help the Duergar and described the Drow plan to wait, strike, and take the survivors as slaves.
• Raymond ordered the Drow to prepare, then cast powerful mass buffs on them before Vinar led their attack.
• The Drow ambushed and killed four Mind Flayers, while Drizzt used his enhanced strength to slaughter three Umber Hulks.
• Raymond vaporized a Mind Flayer with a precisely controlled Fireball, and the Drow killed the remaining Mind Flayers and Umber Hulks.
• The surviving Kuo-toa fled, the Duergar surrendered, and the caravan owner was stripped of his possessions and made a slave.

Soros led his mercenary band and captured Duergar caravan toward Menzoberranzan, where a patrol commanded by Hermine Baenre escorted them into the city. After seeing the brutal slave market, Soros offered the caravan and Duergar slaves for sale, and a powerful Drow woman asked to buy everything.

• The Drow stripped the Duergar caravan owner of his magical items and drove the captured caravan east toward Menzoberranzan.
• A patrol stopped Soros's group, and Soros persuaded its commander, Hermine Baenre, that he was a displaced mercenary seeking a new start.
• Hermine Baenre led Soros, Drizzt, the Duergar slaves, and the caravan into Menzoberranzan after revealing she belonged to the city's First House.
• Soros and Drizzt witnessed the city's cruel slave market, and Soros explained that their purpose was to gather information about the Fungal Forest.
• A haughty Drow woman approached Soros and asked the price of all the goods and Duergar slaves; Soros quoted eighty thousand gold coins, including the Rothé.

Soros rejected Matron K'yorl's attempt to hire his mercenaries and entered the arena to prove his worth, defeating Jodi with overwhelming strength. K'yorl kept her offer on the table, and the tavern owner proposed sending captured Monsters against Soros for his next matches.

• Soros refused Matron K'yorl's offer to hire his group, so she challenged him to win five consecutive arena matches in exchange for one hundred thousand gold coins.
• Jodi of House Oblodra volunteered to fight Soros, and Soros prevented Drizzt from taking his place.
• Soros defended against Jodi's attacks until the warrior exhausted himself, while Drizzt explained to Vinar that Soros had a decisive advantage in strength and endurance.
• Jodi accused Soros of being a Monster in disguise, but the crowd jeered him and K'yorl abandoned him in favor of Soros.
• Soros killed Jodi with a single powerful strike, and K'yorl demanded four more victories before she would buy his goods and slaves.
• The tavern owner offered captured Monsters as Soros's next opponents and suggested starting with the Trolls, Ettin, or Hook Horrors.

Soros survived the first two arena battles by using clever magic, while the tavern owner escalated his attempts to kill him after Soros's enormous wager threatened to ruin him. The chapter ended with the owner relying on a drugged Kuo-toa Prince and a Glabrezu as Soros faced the next fight.

• Soros used Grease and Steam Jet to make an Ettin and six Hook Horrors fight and exhaust one another, then killed the survivors; Liriel Baenre admired his spellcasting and warned him about the tavern owner.
• Soros blinded a Beholder with Dawn Burst, then killed it and a Troll with further spells, alarming the spectators and Matron K'yorl.
• The tavern owner ordered his subordinates to poison Soros and rig the next battle, but Soros identified the poisons, suffered no effects, and the poisoners died from their own toxins.
• A noble Fighter reported the tavern owner's schemes to Matron K'yorl, who chose to watch Soros's next move rather than intervene.
• The tavern owner sent a drugged Kuo-toa Prince and a Glabrezu into the next match, then collapsed in fear after learning his poisoners had died.

Raymond defeated a frenzied Kuo-toa Prince and banished a Glabrezu in the tavern arena, earning the admiration of Matron K'yorl. He forced the tavern owner to fight, then turned him into an undead servant, and received invitations from several Drow Houses.

• Raymond explained his immunity to poison as a Kuo-toa Prince burst into the arena and a Glabrezu followed it.
• Raymond used Invisibility and Sectumsempra to cripple the Kuo-toa Prince, which later exploded and killed spectators; Drizzt saved Liriel from a flying fragment.
• Raymond blocked the Glabrezu with a second Wall of Force and banished it to the Bottomless Abyss.
• Vinar caught the tavern owner trying to flee with the betting money, and Raymond gave him a choice between entering the arena or being fed to spiders.
• The tavern owner used Darkness, but Raymond blasted him with Fireball and transformed him into a cursed undead after learning he belonged to Bregan D'aerthe.
• Matron K'yorl praised Raymond, and priestesses from several Houses, including House Oblodra's eldest daughter, invited him to join them.

Raymond weighed the Drow houses’ offers while explaining to Drizzt why Menzoberranzan could not be changed quickly, and he continued searching for clues to the Fungal Forest and Angel Poisoncore. Gromph investigated Soros and warned Liriel about him, while Jarlaxle prepared to use Raymond as a target in Bregan D'aerthe’s bid for influence; Raymond’s divination finally revealed a diamond-shaped mark.

• Raymond told Drizzt that Drow evil was rooted in faith, history, and the Underdark, and said he would leave Menzoberranzan once he found information about the Fungal Forest and Angel Poisoncore.
• Vinar advised Raymond to seek records from the Wizard's Tower and Arach-Tinilith, and Raymond ordered her to watch for Jarlaxle.
• Gromph learned that Soros’s identity could not be verified, warned Liriel that Soros was dangerous, and ordered a wizard to watch Raymond’s tavern.
• Jarlaxle rejected his spy’s suggestion to abandon the conflict and began gathering allies to attack Raymond and strengthen Bregan D'aerthe’s standing among the houses.
• Raymond studied the Fungal Forest’s origins and cast divination spells using the ancient book as a clue, revealing a diamond-shaped mark.

Raymond learned that Jarlaxle had returned to Menzoberranzan and planned to target him, so he led Drizzt and Vinar’s forces to attack Jarlaxle’s hideout. The assault left Jarlaxle surrounded and facing Raymond, who demanded to know what he wanted.

• Liriel recognized the mark Raymond had found and left to search Arach-Tinilith for the book that mentioned it, while Raymond warned Vinar that Gromph was watching them.
• Vinar reported that Bregan D'aerthe had at least 150 members in the city, and Yvonnel Baenre introduced herself as Gromph’s daughter and the former matron reborn before offering to share information in exchange for Raymond’s restraint.
• Yvonnel warned Raymond that Jarlaxle was hiding in Menzoberranzan and plotting against him, then gave him the location of Jarlaxle’s hideout.
• Raymond invited Drizzt to confront Jarlaxle, and Vinar assembled her forces to surround the hideout and eliminate its lookouts.
• Raymond’s group stormed the building, and Raymond identified Jarlaxle while Drizzt revealed himself; a Troll half-blood Monk charged Raymond but was stopped by an Engorgement Charm.
• Raymond sat down amid the surviving enemies and warned Jarlaxle that Bregan D'aerthe would be destroyed if anyone made another hostile move.

Raymond forced Jarlaxle to reveal a lead on Crenshinibon and learned that the Artifact was likely dormant rather than destroyed. As Jarlaxle left to investigate Raymond, Matron Triel learned that Liriel had stolen a book connected to the Fungal Forest and went to confront Raymond, hoping to discover what he sought.

• Raymond demanded that Jarlaxle reveal Crenshinibon’s whereabouts, and Jarlaxle claimed dragonfire had destroyed it.
• Raymond explained that Crenshinibon could not have been destroyed by dragonfire and persuaded Jarlaxle to write down the location of the Red Dragon Hephaestus’s lair.
• A Drow Wizard attacked Raymond, but his spell failed; Jarlaxle killed the Wizard and led his surviving men away.
• Raymond told Drizzt that Jarlaxle had lost control of Bregan D'aerthe and burned the address, choosing to handle other matters before pursuing Crenshinibon.
• Jarlaxle decided to investigate Raymond in the Surface World and went to look for the missing Wizard sent to retrieve Entreri.
• Matron Triel heard that Liriel had stolen an old book while researching the Fungal Forest and led people to confront Raymond.

Raymond learned that the Fungal Forest grew from Zuggtmoy’s remains and that Angel Poisoncore planned to merge with them, threatening to become a new Nature God. After Lolth’s avatar revealed the danger, Raymond demanded that the goddess herself negotiate his aid.

• Liriel gave Raymond an ancient Abyssal book linking Zuggtmoy’s defeat and a mysterious diamond symbol to the Fungal Forest.
• Matron Mother Triel arrived with House Baenre’s forces, but Raymond killed a priestess and nearly strangled Triel before Yvonnel Baenre intervened and drove them away.
• Yvonnel revealed her affection for Drizzt, who told her he loved Catti-brie, and Raymond then asked her about the Fungal Forest’s secrets.
• Yvonnel explained that the diamond symbol represented the Spore Gate, a network formed from Zuggtmoy’s remains beneath the Fungal Forest, and that Angel Poisoncore intended to merge with it.
• Raymond refused to risk fighting a potential Nature God without a better reward and demanded that Lolth speak to him directly, prompting Yvonnel to radiate divine power.

Raymond made a secret bargain with Lolth to free Liriel from being hunted and to confront Angel Poisoncore. After finding the Fungal Forest spreading through corrupted Myconids, Raymond attacked Angel Poisoncore with an Earthshaker Elephant, and the chapter ended as he summoned a second, even larger one.

• Lolth explained that Angel Poisoncore threatened the Underdark and struck a secret bargain with Raymond, who later told Drizzt that Liriel was free to choose her future without fear of pursuit.
• Raymond, Drizzt, and their companions found corrupted Myconids spreading the Fungal Forest, and Raymond used Fiendfyre to clear a path and lure Angel Poisoncore out.
• Angel Poisoncore attacked Raymond and killed a Drow scout, while Guenhwyvar and Drizzt ambushed him but were trapped in fungal strands.
• Raymond summoned an Earthshaker Elephant, whose charge and stomp damaged Angel Poisoncore's underground fungal network; Angel Poisoncore used Implosion to kill the elephant.
• Raymond summoned another, larger Earthshaker Elephant and prepared to continue the fight.

Raymond battled Angel Poisoncore as the gods watched, then used a divine artifact to defeat the newly transformed Spore God. The attack devastated the Underdark and nearby surface regions, and Shar appeared to claim credit for arranging the trial.

• Raymond summoned a host of powerful creatures to destroy the Fungal Forest, while Drizzt freed himself and fled with Guenhwyvar.
• Shar revealed that she had made Angel Poisoncore her pawn and transformed him into the Spore God using Zuggtmoy's mycelium and her divine blood.
• The Spore God unleashed a vast cloud of deadly spores, but Raymond used the divine power shock scepter to strike him down and blast a huge breach between the Underdark and the surface.
• The blast caused widespread collapses and casualties, while Yvonnel warned Gromph not to contact Soros and declared that Liriel belonged to him.
• Raymond found the unconscious, wounded demigod and threatened Shar when she appeared, warning that he would bring three Eldrazi Titans to her realm if she staged another trial.

Raymond destroyed Shar’s avatar, then studied Angel Poisoncore and discovered how to kill a god by dragging its true body into the Dark Void and stripping away its Divine Spark. As he prepared to use the discovery and new soul-controlled clones for the Floating City, Shar plotted to make him a weapon against the gods, while Cyric began creating a dangerous Artifact.

• Raymond threatened Shar with the Divine Power Shock Scepter and destroyed her avatar after she challenged his place in the gods’ affairs.
• Shar revealed that she had given Angel Poisoncore to Raymond to encourage his hostility toward the gods and hoped he would become a Godslayer; meanwhile, Cyric began creating the Book of Cyric using fanatical scribes as sacrifices.
• A Zhentarim mercenary force ambushed and killed a Harper scouting party investigating the enormous passage into the Underdark.
• Raymond dissected Angel Poisoncore and killed him by pulling his divine essence into the Dark Void, then captured his soul and learned that this method could kill gods whose true bodies were exposed.
• A Mind Flayer reported successful experiments remotely placing souls into cloned bodies, and Raymond ordered thirty clones prepared and the test soul disposed of.

Soros advanced his Fourth Calamity plan, learned of the Mind Flayers hiding within The Hidden, and traveled to the Soul Well to create a god. While he forged a new soul, Isadora secretly prepared to merge with the Elder Brain and become its controlling consciousness.

• Soros concluded that his cloning and psionic technologies were ready for trial operation and considered using the souls of the dead to control cloned bodies.
• The Imp told Soros that a secret group called The Hidden had infiltrated Amn's upper ranks, and Soros ordered it to monitor them without alerting them.
• Soros refused Isadora's request to accompany him, then left for the Soul Well with Angel Poisoncore's corpse.
• Isadora told a Mind Flayer that she would merge with the Elder Brain to ensure Soros's plan had a loyal controller, and the Mind Flayer began preparing the ritual.
• Soros used soul energy and Phoenix Blood to transform Angel Poisoncore's corpse into Phoenix-shaped flames, then forged a new soul with Life Creation Magic.
• The newly forged soul opened its eyes as Soros completed the final hammer blow.

Raymond created the Phoenix God, who gained powerful regenerative flames and divine abilities, then brought him to the Wizarding World. After giving Dolores Umbridge the Philosopher’s Stone in exchange for a meeting with Professor Croaker, Raymond began discussing Time Magic and the Ministry’s research into the Timeline.

• Raymond’s newborn Phoenix God entered the Phoenix Fire, emerged after more than a dozen hours, and restored Raymond’s injured hand with flames he named Eternal Fire.
• The Phoenix God demonstrated his abilities, including rebirth, soul consumption, natural spells, and the power to grant Divine Magic.
• Raymond returned to his home, learned that Dolores Umbridge was pressing for the Philosopher’s Stone, and decided to visit the Ministry of Magic before going to Hogwarts to surprise Hermione Granger.
• Raymond gave Umbridge the Philosopher’s Stone in exchange for a private meeting with Professor Croaker, whom he wanted to consult about Time Magic and a lost Sealing Scroll.
• Raymond told Professor Croaker that he had mastered the Time-Reversal Spell and asked about the Time Paradox; Croaker said the past could not be changed and called a witch’s time-travel disaster an extremely serious accident.

Raymond learned from Professor Croaker how repeated time travel could devastate a timeline, then traveled back to intercept the thief who had stolen his scroll. He discovered the thief was an older Draco Malfoy, let him go, and began piecing together clues about the future.

• Professor Croaker explained that a witch’s repeated trips through time had altered the timeline catastrophically, prompting the Ministry to ban and erase records of the Time-Reversal Spell.
• Raymond asked Professor Croaker what might happen if two time travelers met, and learned that outcomes could range from little timeline impact to drastic changes.
• Raymond used the Time-Reversal Spell to return with Phoenix to the time the scroll was stolen and confronted the thief outside the castle.
• Raymond recognized the thief as an older Draco Malfoy under Polyjuice Potion, who refused to explain why he had stolen the scroll or how he had traveled through time.
• Raymond took back the scroll and let Draco leave after learning that Draco owed him four lives and that Raymond was his son’s godfather in the future.
• Raymond inferred that Draco had used a Time Turner and returned to his own time, telling Phoenix he would piece together the clues Draco had revealed.

Raymond returned to Hogwarts, discussed Ariana’s resurrection and his Phoenix with Dumbledore, and then encountered an injured Harry Potter. He learned that a huge black dog had been chasing Harry and suspected Sirius Black, while considering how the situation might disrupt Lily Potter and Snape’s upcoming wedding.

• Raymond reviewed Draco Malfoy’s hints about the future and refused to travel forward without more information.
• Raymond returned to Hogwarts and found Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore arguing over Ariana’s resurrection.
• Raymond told Dumbledore that the resurrected lost memories over time and revealed Phoenix, his newly created Phoenix.
• Raymond considered his plans to recruit talented souls, identify potential Planeswalkers, and study the Nether Scrolls.
• Raymond met Harry Potter, who said a huge black dog had chased him and caused him to injure his knee.
• Raymond suspected the dog was Sirius Black and urged Harry to stand his ground, while anticipating trouble at Lily Potter and Snape’s wedding.

Raymond gave Hermione a Time Turner and warned her about the dangers of knowledge and travel between worlds, but she was injured after reading the Nether Scrolls. Meanwhile, an Isadora successfully took over the Elder Brain’s consciousness in Faerûn.

• Raymond explained the dangers of other worlds to Hermione and gave her a disguised Time Turner so she could spend more time studying.
• Hermione kissed Raymond, then looked at the Nether Scrolls and suffered severe pain and bleeding from the knowledge they contained.
• Raymond put away the scrolls, and the Phoenix healed Hermione with Eternal Fire; Hermione promised to be more cautious.
• In the Nautiloid beneath the mage tower in Athkatla, three Isadoras and a Mind Flayer began a ritual to replace the Elder Brain’s consciousness.
• The Isadora in the Brain Pool endured the Elder Brain’s attack and announced that she had devoured its consciousness and become the Elder Brain.

Soros recruited dying experts from Earth to build a talent pool for the Fourth Calamity Plan and returned to Faerûn with plans to connect the worlds. After hearing that Isadora had become an Elder Brain and was expanding the Mind Flayer network, Raymond rushed underground to confront the situation.

• Elder Brain Isadora confirmed that she had inherited the newborn Elder Brain's memories and demanded more Mind Flayers to expand the souls connected to her.
• The Mind Flayer arranged to lift the Goblins' breeding restrictions so they could produce fifty thousand Mind Flayers, whose brains would strengthen Isadora's psychic network.
• Soros gathered thirty dying Earth experts under contract and planned to link Earth and Faerûn through a permanent portal powered by the Earth Vein Heart and Mythallar.
• Soros returned to the Wizard's Tower, examined the White Dragon eggs Vermees had brought back, and planned to test their growth in Zendikar.
• Vermees told Raymond that Isadora had replaced the Elder Brain's consciousness and that the Mind Flayer intended to create Mind Flayers for her network.
• Raymond hurriedly packed the dragon eggs and teleported underground after learning that Isadora had become an Elder Brain.

Raymond punished a Mind Flayer for disobeying his orders and learned that Isadora had become the Elder Brain to support the Fourth Calamity Plan. He introduced thirty souls from Earth to Isadora’s virtual Replica Waterdeep and explained their role in rebuilding civilization in a world devastated by catastrophe.

• Raymond disintegrated the Mind Flayer who had arranged for Isadora to replace the Newborn Elder Brain, warned the others to obey him, and assigned a new Mind Flayer to lead the Fourth Calamity Plan.
• Isadora explained that she had voluntarily become the Elder Brain and gained powerful Psion, Sorcerer, and Wizard levels, with further growth planned through the Fourth Calamity Plan.
• Raymond released thirty experts’ souls into Replica Waterdeep, where Isadora welcomed them and explained that their clone bodies were still being prepared.
• Raymond explained the magical structure of his universe to McCas and told the experts that they would help restore civilization in a world where humanity faced extinction.
• Chris warned Raymond that bringing over millions of Earth’s people could cause social conflict, and Raymond explained his plan to alter memories, identities, and languages while placing immigrants in varied fantasy species’ bodies.