Chapter Summaries

Raymond watched the Divine War escalate as Melissan returned with a cursed Artifact spear and turned against both Balthazar and Abazigal. As Balthazar faced death, he accepted Raymond’s offer of immortality in exchange for eternal loyalty and became a golden card within the Planeswalker’s Spark.

• Imoen withdrew from the battle, and Raymond told her that Melissan was alive and Bhaal was likely nearby, both drawing power from the Blood Throne.
• Melissan emerged in a strengthened form, wounded Balthazar with a cursed spear that drained his life, and revealed her plan to claim the Blood Throne by consuming the Five Scions’ Divine Power and Divinity.
• Melissan attacked Abazigal as well, and Abazigal fought back while Raymond and Davian watched from a distance.
• Raymond approached the dying Balthazar and offered to spare him from death and his Bhaalspawn fate if he pledged eternal loyalty.
• Balthazar accepted Raymond’s terms without resistance, and he merged into the Planeswalker’s Spark, which produced a golden card.

Raymond and Davian defeated Melissan and Bhaal in the collapsing Bhaal's Realm, and Raymond transformed Bhaal into an Immortal Dread God card. After killing Melissan and claiming the remaining Divine Power, Raymond won the final struggle for ownership of the Blood Throne.

• Davian overwhelmed Melissan, but Bhaal returned through the Blood Throne and attacked Raymond.
• Raymond fought Bhaal with Silver Fire and magic before using the Void Sword to corrupt his Spark of Divinity and create an Immortal Dread God card.
• Davian destroyed Bhaal's Realm with a sun-form attack, then continued fighting Melissan and brought her, nearly dead, to Raymond.
• Raymond killed Melissan and drained her Divine Power, while the Solar asked the remaining Bhaalspawn for their wishes.
• The Solar gave Raymond the Divine Power he requested and took the remaining Divinity and Divine Portfolios to report to Ao.

After Raymond left Faerûn to give Talona the Death Portfolio, Brennus Tanthul led a raid on Raymond’s Wizard’s Tower, where its defenders captured him and his party. Raymond gained the Death Domain and new powers from Talona, then traveled toward Phlegethos as Shemishka sought help after a valuable shipment vanished.

• Raymond took the Death Portfolio to Talona’s realm, while Brennus Tanthul led City of Shade intruders into Raymond’s Wizard’s Tower through the Shadowfell.
• The Enforcer killed a City of Shade squad, and Adalon’s defenders confronted Brennus Tanthul and forced him and his followers to surrender.
• Gwilather Liadon presented the head of a defeated wizard, and Sarevok declared her close-combat training complete.
• Talona granted Raymond the Death Domain, ten cleric levels, and access to some of her Divine Power after they spent several days together.
• Raymond raised his True Necromancer class to LV14, completing his planned mastery of divine and arcane magic, then headed for Phlegethos.
• Shemishka berated a Tiefling guard after bandits stole her valuable shipment and ordered her spies to search for the missing cargo.

Aigesaluo exploited Shemishka’s stolen shipment to pressure her into paying for scarce goods from Baator, while his compromised spy Faro was sent to investigate Titan Zedara. On Phlegethos, Raymond encountered a Force Dragon pursuing a wounded Lust Fiend named Lois and was attacked after following them; he faced the Dragon with the intent to devour it.

• Aigesaluo met Shemishka in a Sigil tavern, revealed that Titan Zedara had spread news of the caravan raid, and demanded far greater payment to obtain scarce goods from Baator.
• Aigesaluo’s followers injured Shemishka’s Tiefling attendants when they tried to stop him from leaving, and Shemishka later ordered Faro to investigate Titan Zedara’s movements.
• Raymond searched Harlas for Bhaal’s other kingdom and spotted the injured Lust Fiend Lois fleeing an invisible Force Dragon.
• The Force Dragon accused Lois of stealing a hidden treasure, tortured her with molten silver, and carried her away after she refused to reveal its location.
• Raymond inspected the Dragon’s attack site, but the Force Dragon returned and blasted him; Raymond survived and prepared to confront it, considering it prey to devour.

Raymond defeated and devoured a Force Dragon, then learned that a stolen pendant could lead to the Dark Heart Gem, an Artifact said to command the Yugoloths. Meanwhile, Shemishka sought a meeting with a high-ranking Devil to recover her stolen merchandise, unaware that Aigesaluo had drawn her into a trap.

• Raymond challenged the Force Dragon, overpowered him, and tracked him to his lair after the dragon teleported away.
• Raymond killed and devoured the Force Dragon, gaining a new dragon head, then forced the captive Lust Fiend to explain the stolen Crystal Pendant and the Dark Heart Gem.
• The Lust Fiend agreed to lead Raymond to the person holding the pendant, and Raymond sent the Force Dragon's treasure to his Wizard's Tower in Athkatla.
• Shemishka confirmed that Titan Zedara and his accomplices had robbed her caravan but could not find the stolen merchandise.
• Shemishka paid Aigesaluo in Soul Prisms to arrange a meeting with a Devil who could make decisions, and Aigesaluo offered to set it up somewhere she considered safe.

Raymond retrieved the Crystal Pendant in Crawling City, then had Irenicus kill the Lust Fiend Lois to conceal that he possessed it. As Raymond prepared to meet Shemishka in the Chaos Sea and search for Bhaal’s Realm, Alusair learned from Vera how public education helped build the Sword Coast Empire’s power and identity.

• Raymond retrieved the Crystal Pendant from Crawling City and learned that its supposed map to the Dark Heart Gem was only an unverified guess.
• After Raymond teleported away, Irenicus ambushed Lois, killed her, and turned her body and soul into a mask so no one could reveal Raymond’s possession of the pendant.
• Gramill told Raymond that Shemishka had agreed to meet in the Chaos Sea, and Raymond decided to go himself despite the dangers.
• Raymond contacted Faro, who would accompany the group under another identity, while Raymond planned to destroy Bhaal’s Realm before the meeting.
• Alusair asked Vera about the islands’ reconstruction and food reserves, then questioned Soros’s decision to provide free public education.
• Vera explained that public education and the freed slaves’ labor helped cultivate loyalty and build the Sword Coast Empire into a lasting nation, leaving Alusair newly impressed by Soros’s ambition.

Alusair learned from Vera how the Imperium intended to profit from Thay’s coming civil war and why sustainable policies mattered, then heard that Soros had slain Bhaal. As Szass Tam prepared to purge his rivals, Ragon recruited Kalaya for a scheme, while Raymond captured Shemishka in the Chaos Sea and turned her into a Summoning Creature Card.

• Alusair reflected on how money, food, and her sister’s work had sustained Cormyr’s victories, and Vera explained the Imperium’s plans to profit from refugees and Thay’s conflict.
• Vera warned Alusair against charity that disrupted social fairness, told her the islands were a test of her governing ability, and revealed that Soros had slain Bhaal.
• Kalaya brought an Artifact fragment back to her tower, where Ragon took it and warned her that Szass Tam planned to target Aznar Thrul.
• Gramill met Shemishka in the Chaos Sea, accepted her Soul Prisms, and revealed that the Devils intended to capture her and control her intelligence network.
• Shemishka tried to flee, but Faro shocked her with Raymond’s concealed device, allowing Raymond to disarm and capture her.
• Raymond turned Shemishka into a Summoning Creature Card, and the Devils killed the remaining members of her party.

Raymond recruited Shemishka and fought Sorel and a vast Slaad swarm in the Chaos Sea before escaping to Athkatla. Back at his Wizard's Tower, he learned of the City of Shade's secret weapon and Thay's impending purge, then prepared to investigate the Godslayer Sword and other matters.

• Raymond summoned Shemishka, learned she had chosen the Chaos Sea to seek Sorel's protection, and ordered Gramill to take her and the others back to Baator.
• Raymond stayed behind, slaughtered thousands of Slaad, and fought Sorel until he escaped using his Planeswalker's Spark.
• Adalon told Raymond that the City of Shade could enter the Wizard's Tower through the Shadowfell and that Shar had given Telamont a secret weapon.
• Raymond learned that Szass Tam planned to assassinate Thay's Primes and instructed the Twisted Rune to let the Red Wizards' civil war intensify.
• Raymond told Owo that he had killed Bhaal with a Godslayer Sword and warned him against studying the dangerous weapon.
• Raymond planned to visit Oghma's Great Library and later develop a way to control Phyrexian Oil on Magic Earth.

Raymond learned about the Dark Heart Gem and received improved Blue Phyrexian Oil and records of the Doomsday Word from Oghma before leaving to test his new tools. Meanwhile, Onyx’s rapidly growing Dragon Legion became a potential reserve as Zariel’s offensive shattered Graz'zt’s position and Orcus and Demogorgon turned against him.

• Raymond discovered that the Crystal Pendant pointed to the Yugoloths’ birthplace in the Gray Waste, where the General of Phlegethos had hidden the Dark Heart Gem, and Oghma warned him not to disturb it.
• Oghma gave Raymond Blue Phyrexian Oil capable of storing and transmitting knowledge, along with records explaining the Doomsday Word’s terrible cost and how Orcus had lost much of its power after death and resurrection.
• Onyx hatched more Devil-blooded dragons with random breath weapons, while Malcanthet discussed the growing Dragon Legion’s military potential and the need to restrain Zariel.
• Zariel led the Devils to break the Demons’ defenses and drive Graz'zt’s forces from the Triple Realm, then halted her advance so the Demon Lords would weaken one another.
• Demogorgon blocked Graz'zt’s retreat, and Orcus joined him in attacking the Dark Lord while Zariel withdrew the Devils from the battlefield.

Waukeen began her revenge against Graz'zt as his enemies closed in, while Raymond trained Vera in governance and the City of Shade and Owo prepared for conflict over the Kadarin Magic Stone Mine. The chapter ended with Telamont learning that his son Brennus had been captured in Athkatla, threatening to expose the City of Shade’s secrets.

• Demogorgon and Orcus's forces encircled Graz'zt's army, and Waukeen revealed that she had orchestrated the attack to torment him and take everything from him.
• Lolth watched Graz'zt's predicament and planned to strike if he fled, while Zariel and Bel's Devils withdrew to watch the Demons' civil war.
• Raymond explained to Vera how family ties and responsibility could stabilize society, then assigned her a diplomatic mission to the Northland.
• Raymond and Shodar Tanthul discussed the returned City of Shade, Syril Darkhope's rise in Sembia, and reports that Tchazzar had appeared near Chessenta.
• Owo recruited Bedine refugees at the Kadarin Magic Stone Mine and declared his intention to defeat the City of Shade, while Telamont ordered Hadrhune to prepare to seize the mine.
• A Shade Wizard reported that Brennus had been captured in Athkatla after trying to infiltrate a Wizard's Tower, and Telamont feared his son might reveal the City of Shade's secrets.

Raymond returned to Earth after arranging a ransom deal for Brennus and created Phyrexian Oil lakes to transform Muggle technology while helping Wizards remain hidden. He brought the oil to Dumbledore and asked him to introduce it to the Wizarding World.

• Raymond rejected raising the ransom demands for Brennus and planned to delay negotiations for two days before releasing him and his subordinates.
• Raymond used Phyrexian Oil to create underground lakes, prompting governments and scientists to discover its remarkable energy, transformation, and growth properties.
• Raymond returned to the Wizarding World, learned that Hermione Granger had won the restored Triwizard Tournament, and decided to visit Hogwarts.
• Raymond visited Dumbledore and explained how spells could control Phyrexian Oil and its constructs to keep Wizards hidden from Muggles.
• Raymond gave Dumbledore Phyrexian Oil and asked him to announce it to the Wizarding World and promote spells for controlling and destroying Oil Constructs.

Raymond explained to Dumbledore that Phyrexian Oil could protect the Wizarding World from technological exposure, then reunited with Hermione and revealed the oil’s enormous potential as an energy source. As world powers raced to obtain samples and Dumbledore asked Nicolas Flamel to examine it, Flamel discovered that the oil also stored vast knowledge and possessed memories and consciousness.

• Raymond argued that Dumbledore should lead a reform using Phyrexian Oil to protect sorcerers from Muggle technology, and left him spells for controlling the oil and destroying its creations.
• Hermione met Raymond at Hogwarts, accepted his invitation to dinner, and later received a force-field armlet that protected her limbs while she used enhancement magic.
• Raymond and Hermione watched a report about the discovery of Phyrexian Oil in New Mexico, and Raymond explained that he intended the substance to address both wizard security and future energy needs.
• Intelligence agents from multiple countries infiltrated the New Mexico site, and samples of Phyrexian Oil reached the major powers’ secret laboratories within a night.
• Dumbledore asked Nicolas Flamel to analyze Phyrexian Oil, and Flamel reported that it contained immense energy, vast knowledge, memories, and consciousness.

Raymond left the Wizarding World after giving Dumbledore a one-way ticket to another world, then returned to Mirrodin when Vohar warned that Karn had awakened and Elesh Norn had obtained the Sylex. Raymond stole the Sylex, while Elesh Norn’s plans to invade other worlds continued amid signs that the Praetors were suffering memory problems.

• Raymond explained Phyrexian Oil to Nicolas Flamel, while the Sorcerers passed a new bill and debated who should learn the spells that controlled or destroyed the oil.
• Dumbledore accepted Raymond’s one-way ticket to another world, and Hermione told Raymond she planned to work at the Ministry of Magic and eventually seek power to improve the world.
• Vohar warned Raymond that Karn had awakened and Elesh Norn had acquired the Sylex, so Raymond teleported to the Temporal Core and secretly replaced it with a counterfeit.
• Karn confronted Elesh Norn about imprisoning him, but she subdued him, and Vorinclex attacked him before Elesh Norn ordered Vorinclex to press Jin-Gitaxias to complete their invasion plan.
• Vorinclex told Elesh Norn that he had been losing memories and waking after hours had passed, signs that the two kinds of Phyrexian Oil were battling within him.

Raymond continued his plan to take control of New Phyrexia, using its Praetors’ memory blackouts to conceal his growing influence while sending Jin-Gitaxias to investigate the Caves of Koilos. Meanwhile, Brennus steered the City of Shade toward war with the Zhentarim, and the Church of the Morninglord turned to the Rising Sun heretics after Davian rejected Lathander’s advances.

• Elesh Norn told Vorinclex that the Praetors and other Phyrexians were suffering memory blackouts, then explained her plan to use Karn as a symbolic father while she ruled through the Machine Orthodoxy.
• Karn realized the Sylex on his table was fake, but a blackout soon erased his memory as Raymond left Mirrodin with the real Sylex.
• Raymond gave Jin-Gitaxias the Planar Bridge and tasked him with exploring the Caves of Koilos to find the Sylex’s activation incantation, while warning him not to spread Phyrexia without permission.
• Brennus convinced Telamont to halt operations against the Sword Coast Empire and target Fzoul Chembryl, while Hadrhune agreed to visit the Empire as an envoy.
• Davian refused the Church of the Morninglord’s invitation and warned its followers against pursuing him, so Biyouna ended their attempt to recruit him.
• A bishop decided to use Lathander’s Rising Sun heretics, who preached that the Morninglord was Amaunator, to help him claim the complete Sun Portfolio.

Raymond granted Sancho a Planeswalker's Spark and sent Davian to investigate Mechanus while preparing for the War of the Spark. Elsewhere, Jin-Gitaxias found the Sylex's activation instructions, and Silinxi returned to the Ninth Layer of Baator with Elminster, asking about Soros and the changes he had brought to Faerûn.

• Raymond dismissed Davian's concerns about the Rising Sun Heresy and explained that Lathander's good intentions would likely lead to another disaster; Davian also reported that Graz'zt's forces were collapsing and that the Dark Prince would soon reach Baator.
• Raymond ordered Davian to visit Mechanus and study its Constructs, factories, and energy systems, then gave Sancho a Planeswalker's Spark and assigned him to observe the Guildpact on Ravnica.
• Jin-Gitaxias uncovered a parchment and clay tablet at the Caves of Koilos that revealed how to activate the Sylex, then returned the objects to his lair through the Planar Bridge.
• Silinxi visited a restaurant on the Ninth Layer of Baator with Elminster and asked whether Faerûn had become like hell; Elminster described Soros's expanding Imperium, harsh rule, and conflict with Silvanus's Druids.

Silinxi returned to Faerûn with Elminster, then rushed him to a Baator arena where Waukeen and Soros had made Graz'zt a captive attraction. Back in Athkatla, Soros failed to reach a magically shielded world but answered a young Cleric’s desperate prayer, granting power that saved civilians from an undead plague.

• Silinxi rebuked Elminster for his rigid outlook as he described Faerûn’s worsening conflicts and the collapse of the Harpers’ Northland network.
• Silinxi raced with Elminster to a Grand Arena, where Gramill revealed that Waukeen had captured Graz'zt and sold access to him; Waukeen forced the Demon Lord to kneel, and spectators paid to abuse him.
• Silinxi and Elminster returned to Faerûn, where Silinxi said she would visit Soros as an Elf before teleporting away, while Elminster headed home on foot.
• Soros struggled to locate a magically protected world, then sensed a young Cleric praying for help during a battle against undead and a plague-stricken crowd.
• Soros formed a contract with the Cleric, and a pillar of light destroyed the nearby undead and began healing the dying civilians.

After a miracle in Hearthglen raised the Contract God Soros’s faith and gave Clerics the power to counter the plague, Arthas set out for Stratholme with Lanni’s support. Meanwhile, Soros met Silinxi in Athkatla, where she questioned his treatment of Elves and explored the possibility of their settling in his Imperium.

• Lanni told Arthas that Soros, the Contract God, had granted him Divine Magic, and Arthas allowed the faith to spread through Hearthglen.
• Uther and Jaina arrived to find the plague-stricken healed and contaminated food being purified, but Arthas refused to delay his march to Stratholme to confront Mal'Ganis.
• Lanni and nine other Clerics joined Arthas, while Jaina secretly followed him and Uther stayed behind to rest his exhausted forces.
• Soros prepared to descend into Azeroth, then hurried to meet Silinxi after learning she had arrived in Athkatla.
• Silinxi challenged Soros about the destruction of Suldanessellar and Elf villages, and Soros said Elves could settle in the Imperium if they obeyed its laws.

Silinxi proposed reclaiming Myth Drannor and restoring the Kingdom of Cormanthor, and Raymond offered support in exchange for strategic gains before accepting an invitation to Evermeet. Meanwhile, Raymond’s faith among the people fleeing the Scourge grew enough for him to possess a survivor, and he directed his followers to lead refugees south toward Stranglethorn Vale.

• Silinxi asked Raymond to help reclaim Myth Drannor and restore Cormanthor, and Raymond offered the Sword Coast Empire’s resources if she could pay for them.
• Silinxi gave Raymond an invitation from Queen Amlaruil Moonflower to visit Evermeet, and Raymond explained to Adalon that he would treat the restoration as a transaction that could weaken Zhentil Keep and the City of Shade.
• Raymond ordered Adalon to coordinate with Ximmon to undermine the Zhentarim, then returned to watching Arthas and Jaina as they encountered a plague-stricken village.
• Lanni healed the village’s sole survivor, who embraced Raymond’s faith and asked to become an Avenger after learning his family and neighbors had died.
• Raymond’s followers performed a ritual that let him possess the survivor, and he began learning Azeroth’s magic while preparing to test himself against Mal’Ganis.
• Raymond told the Clerics that the plague would worsen and instructed them to take refugees south to Stranglethorn Vale, while secretly using his charm to bind them more firmly to his cause.

Arthas reached Stratholme and decided to kill its infected residents before they could become Undead, while Raymond’s church stayed behind to rescue survivors and defend its camp. As the battle escalated, Raymond destroyed much of the Undead siege force, but the Lich survived his attack and began avoiding a direct fight.

• Raymond sent some church members to harvest abandoned fields, and Arthas arrived outside Stratholme with Uther, where they saw civilians in the streets before discovering that plague-tainted bread had infected the city.
• Arthas announced that he would purge Stratholme, but Uther and Jaina refused to help; Raymond’s church remained to treat and evacuate survivors while Arthas entered the city with his soldiers.
• The Undead attacked the church’s camp with siege weapons and Abominations, and Raymond used Holy Light to destroy the Meat Wagons and damage many of the monsters.
• A Lich attacked Raymond with Frost Nova, but Raymond blocked the ice and struck back with a massive Fireball that badly injured the Lich.
• The Lich restored himself with Death Pact and avoided Raymond’s spells, leaving them watching each other as the battle continued.

Raymond helped Arthas defeat the undead assault outside Stratholme, then learned how Mal'Ganis was manipulating the prince into slaughtering the city’s infected residents. As Raymond entered Stratholme to confront the Dreadlord, Jaina failed to persuade Dalaran to prioritize the plague amid its disputes over escaped Orcs.

• Raymond’s power and victory over the Lich inspired the defenders to fortify their camp and hold off the undead until Arthas arrived with Lordaeron soldiers.
• Raymond destroyed the Lich with Undeath to Death, and Arthas’s forces helped eliminate the remaining undead before the camp’s survivors burned their corpses.
• Arthas lamented the terrible events in Stratholme, while Raymond reassured him that he would become king; Captain Farek then told Raymond that Mal'Ganis had repeatedly provoked Arthas into killing civilians.
• Raymond confirmed that Mal'Ganis was trying to harden Arthas through slaughter, treated the camp’s wounded and plague victims, and later entered burning Stratholme alone to find the undead base.
• Jaina presented Raymond’s medicine formulas to Antonidas and urged Dalaran to help cure the plague, but Antonidas said the city’s dispute over escaped Orcs would take priority.