Chapter Summaries

Roderick led his exhausted squad through the castle’s alleys toward the Sauron front line, then encountered charging Sauron cavalry. He rallied the soldiers into a spear formation that made the cavalry’s horses falter.

• Roderick climbed onto a roof, spotted the Carnford Army breaching the wall, and located the street where Brendan’s forces were fighting.
• Roderick led his squad through the alleys, using what he had seen from the rooftop to navigate toward the enemy’s flank.
• Roderick’s squad ran into several Sauron cavalrymen charging down a narrow alley.
• Roderick snapped the soldiers out of their panic and ordered the spearmen to form a bristling formation with the Sword and Shield Bearers behind them.
• The horses shied from the spearpoints, causing the Sauron cavalry’s charge to falter.

Roderick’s squad repelled a Sauron cavalry attack with spears and muskets, then reached a street beside Brendan’s main battlefield. They found enemy soldiers covering both their target and their flank, leaving Roderick to choose a plan as the flank guards began approaching.

• Roderick ordered the Musketeers to fire on the Sauron cavalry, killing one rider and wounding another, and the remaining cavalry fled.
• Roderick killed the wounded cavalryman, then ordered his soldiers to reform and check their equipment.
• Roderick led the squad through the alleys toward the fighting and found an exit onto a wider street.
• Roderick spotted Sauron soldiers attacking Brendan’s direction and a separate group guarding the street to the left, with a clear view of the alley entrance.
• As the left-side Sauron soldiers approached, Roderick weighed his options and realized neither a direct assault nor splitting the squad would work.

Roderick led a risky charge from the alley to attack Sauron forces fighting Brendan's main force, while Joel's Musketeers tried to delay the enemy approaching from the rear. Joel fired too early at long range, leaving his group unable to reload before the Sauron soldiers could reach them.

• Roderick ordered Joel and five Musketeers to fire toward the Sauron soldiers on the left as a distraction, then led the others out of the alley toward the enemy archers.
• Joel's volley startled the Sauron soldiers, allowing Roderick and his men to charge toward the archers fighting Brendan's force.
• A fleeing Sauron cavalryman spotted Roderick and escaped, while a junior officer turned his soldiers to confront the attackers and more Sauron troops rushed in from behind.
• Roderick ordered Joel to hold off the rear attackers as his own group charged the soldiers ahead.
• Joel panicked and fired with the five Musketeers when the charging Sauron soldiers were still about seventy meters away, hitting only one and leaving the group unable to reload in time.

Joel and the five Musketeers scared off the Sauron militiamen threatening their rear, allowing Roderick to defeat the enemy detachment and secure his squad’s flank. Roderick led his battered troops toward Lord Brendan’s main force, then signaled that they were friendly; the gunfire ahead fell silent in response.

• Joel and the five Musketeers fired at the charging Sauron militiamen, who panicked and fled.
• Roderick led his soldiers into battle against the Sauron reserves and annihilated them, losing one man and suffering several wounded.
• Joel reported that the threat behind them had fled, and Roderick praised him before ordering the squad to regroup and charge toward the Sauron defensive line.
• Roderick worried that Lord Brendan’s troops might mistake his squad for enemies, so he blew the prearranged friendly-forces signal on his whistle.
• Roderick heard the signal acknowledged, and the gunfire from the main battle line facing his squad fell silent.

Roderick led a surprise attack on the Sauron defensive line, but a heavily armored Sauron soldier killed one of his recruits and nearly killed him. Roderick was left kneeling and wounded as another Sauron soldier raised a blade to finish him off.

• Roderick and his men charged the Sauron soldiers from behind, throwing their defensive line into chaos.
• A heavily armored Sauron soldier split a Carnford Sword and Shield Bearer’s shield and killed him with a double-bladed axe.
• Roderick attacked the armored soldier with his broken spear, but the soldier cut off its front section and swung at Roderick.
• Roderick rolled aside to evade the axe, then blocked another Sauron soldier’s blade with his Chain Mail bracer and suffered a likely fracture.
• The Sauron soldier raised his blade for another strike as Roderick, unable to draw his short sword, faced death.

A young recruit saved Roderick from a Sauron soldier as Carnford’s forces trapped the remaining Sauron fighters in the street. After Carnford soldiers brought down the heavily armored warrior through a coordinated sacrifice, the Sauron resistance collapsed and the survivors were wiped out.

• A young recruit speared the Sauron soldier about to kill Roderick, and Roderick followed him back into the fight.
• Roderick’s vanguard and Brendan’s main force trapped the remaining Sauron soldiers between them in the street.
• A heavily armored Sauron soldier charged through Carnford’s ranks, killing soldiers with his Battle Axe.
• Carnford veterans pinned the armored soldier while another stabbed through a gap beneath his arm, killing him.
• The remaining Sauron soldiers lost their will to resist and were quickly wiped out by Carnford’s forces.

Brendan ordered Roderick’s battered platoon to seal the castle’s back gate after the street fighting left the First Battalion with heavy casualties. Roderick used an improved Militia Potion to heal his fractured hand, then realized that blocking the fleeing Sauron forces could turn their panic into a desperate fight.

• Brendan surveyed the battlefield’s casualties and ordered Roderick to take his remaining men to seal the back gate.
• Roderick accepted the order and led his wounded platoon through the panicked streets as Sauron soldiers and cavalry fled toward the gate.
• Roderick stopped after noticing the fleeing forces and drank an improved Militia Potion, which quickly eased the pain in his fractured hand.
• Roderick warned Elton that blocking the back gate could force the fleeing Sauron forces to fight their way through the small, exhausted platoon.

Roderick chose to defend a safer position near the rear gate rather than send his exhausted, wounded soldiers to block the entrance, and they fired on fleeing Sauron soldiers without stopping the mass escape. Brendan arrived furious, but Roderick’s injuries and the state of his men weakened his anger.

• Roderick persuaded Elton and the soldiers to form a defensive line on the street and shoot at Sauron fugitives from nearby buildings.
• Joel shot down a mounted Sauron soldier, while Elton’s arrow struck another soldier without stopping him.
• Roderick and his small group fired at the fleeing crowd but could do little to slow its escape through the rear gate.
• Brendan arrived with a squad of First Battalion soldiers and angrily confronted Roderick for failing to seal the gate.
• Roderick cited his men’s wounds and exhaustion, showing Brendan his broken arm, and Brendan’s fury eased as he inspected the soldiers.

Brendan accepted Roderick’s decision to withdraw from the rear gate and ordered him to keep firing while leading the First Battalion to seal the gate. With their escape route cut off, the remaining Sauron soldiers and civilians scattered through the castle in desperation.

• Brendan questioned Roderick about his platoon’s casualties, then ordered him to hold position and shoot at the fleeing enemy.
• Brendan led the First Battalion toward the rear gate, leaving Roderick and his wounded soldiers to maintain their defensive line.
• Roderick told his soldiers that his decision had saved their lives, earning their gratitude and trust.
• Brendan’s force sealed the rear gate with infantry and Otto’s musketeers, whose volleys repelled Sauron cavalry attempting to break through.
• The trapped Sauron soldiers and civilians searched for tunnels, jumped from the damaged castle wall, or hid in streets and houses.

The Carnford Army cleared most of Nalan Castle and surrounded the Sauron Lord's Fortress, where defenders continued to resist. Karl entered the conquered castle and learned that his army had suffered nearly two hundred casualties.

• Brendan ordered First Company and Otto's musketeers to secure the rear gate, then led Second and Third Companies in clearing the walls.
• Roland's Third Battalion swept through the central streets and nearby alleys, overcoming scattered Sauron resistance.
• By sunset, the Carnford Army controlled the outer defenses and main streets, while some Sauron soldiers retreated to the Lord's Fortress and others hid in civilian buildings.
• Karl entered Nalan Castle and received reports from Brendan and Roland on the fighting and ongoing searches.
• Brendan told Karl that the Carnford Army had suffered around forty killed, sixty seriously wounded, and nearly a hundred lightly wounded.

After taking Nalan Castle, Karl ordered his troops to surround the Lord's fortress and proposed a staged campaign to disarm and impoverish Sauron civilians while secretly executing surrendered soldiers. The chapter ended with Brendan setting out to carry out Karl's orders.

• Karl judged the two hundred casualties worthwhile and ordered the wounded treated and the fallen soldiers' families compensated.
• Karl ordered Brendan and Roland to keep the Lord's fortress surrounded while the army secured the occupied districts.
• Karl told Brendan to announce that civilians would be spared if they surrendered or reported hidden Sauron soldiers, then secretly execute those who were handed over.
• Karl ordered the civilians to surrender their weapons, then their valuables and half their food, under threats and promises of safety.
• Brendan praised the plan and left to carry out Karl's instructions.

The chapter described Golden City and the twenty-thousand-strong Sauron force gathered near Squirrel Town to guard the route to Carnford. A panicked scout arrived at the camp with an urgent report about events in Carnford, but the chapter ended before he could deliver it to the commander.

• Harald reinforced Golden City and its surroundings, bringing the Sauron army there to twenty thousand troops.
• The Sauron army made its main camp outside Squirrel Town and established patrols and sentry posts to watch Carnford.
• Local residents fled the army’s arrival, and some refugees heading south were caught in Karl’s purge and carried confused reports of trouble back north.
• A scout rode urgently to the Squirrel Town camp and announced that something major had happened on Carnford’s side.
• The guard captain demanded the password, and the scout correctly answered “Sol” before asking to report to the commander.

A scout carrying urgent military intelligence passed Sauron's guarded checkpoints and reached Gordon, commander of the Rain Corps, at the headquarters in Squirrel Town. Gordon reflected on his miserable posting and Ulf's failed campaign against Carnford as the scout arrived with his report.

• The guard captain verified the scout's password, identity, and equipment before allowing him into the camp.
• The scout rode through successive checkpoints toward the command tent, anxious to deliver news that might concern another move by Carnford.
• The scout reached the Rain Corps headquarters in Squirrel Town, a seized merchant residence Gordon had made his quarters.
• Gordon studied a map of the border while lamenting his remote posting and remembering that Ulf's defeat at Carnford had damaged their faction.

Gordon, sidelined after Ulf’s downfall, received urgent news that the Carnford Army had invaded Sauron Territory and overrun several border strongholds. He faced the threat with a poorly equipped force and feared the attack would reach Golden City and Squirrel Town.

• Harald punished Ulf, and Gordon lost influence and was reassigned to command the Golden City defense zone.
• Gordon learned that scouts had returned with urgent intelligence from the Blackwater River Valley.
• A scout reported that Carnford forces had swept through Gray Wolf Valley and Blackwater River Valley and surrounded Nalan Castle.
• Gordon realized the invasion was faster and more powerful than he had feared and doubted his troops could stop it.

Gordon summoned his officers after learning that the Carnford Army had overrun several settlements and surrounded Nalan Castle. Garrosh identified the campaign as a deliberate response to the Great Chieftain’s orders, leaving the assembled commanders facing the threat of a wider invasion.

• Gordon called an emergency council of war and ordered scouts to investigate the Carnford forces advancing south.
• A scout reported that Carnford troops had destroyed Gray Wolf Valley, Fox Valley, and Owl Creek, and had surrounded Nalan Castle.
• The scout said Carnford cavalry had attacked the Blackwater River valley outpost, killing or wounding more than half its defenders.
• Gordon traced the Carnford Army’s route on the map and concluded that Nalan Castle was likely its ultimate target.
• Garrosh told the officers that Carnford’s campaign was a planned act of revenge for the Great Chieftain’s orders to hunt Carnford hunters and farmers.

Gordon and Garrosh assessed the Carnford Army’s attack on Nalan Castle, but the scout could not provide a reliable estimate of the enemy’s numbers. Garrosh then recalled the Gray Wolf Mountain barracks, and Gordon found records showing it held 1,130 soldiers under Battle Group Commander Barton.

• Gordon agreed with Garrosh that the Carnford People’s attack sought to redraw the Northern Territory’s boundary, with Nalan Castle as their marker.
• Garrosh asked the scout how many soldiers were in the Carnford Army, but the scout admitted he had not seen clearly.
• Garrosh pointed out the Gray Wolf Mountain barracks beside Gray Wolf Valley on the map.
• Gordon found the barracks’ records and learned it belonged to the Third Garrison Regiment, held 1,130 soldiers, and was commanded by Barton.

Garrosh deduced that the Carnford Army had bypassed Gray Wolf Mountain and was advancing on Nalan Castle, where its assault would likely bog down in a siege. He recognized the siege as an opportunity for his forces.

• Garrosh questioned the scout cavalryman, who confirmed he had seen no organized Sauron soldiers fleeing from Gray Wolf Mountain.
• Garrosh concluded that the Carnford Army had not attacked the barracks and had instead bypassed or ignored it.
• Garrosh reasoned that the Carnford Army considered the five hundred defenders at Gray Wolf Mountain no threat and had continued toward Nalan Castle.
• Garrosh assessed that Nalan Castle's defenses would prevent a quick capture and force the Carnford Army into a costly siege.
• Garrosh identified the siege between Gray Wolf Valley and Nalan Castle as an opportunity for his forces.

Garrosh proposed a pincer attack to trap the Carnford Army between Nalan Castle and Gray Wolf Valley, while Gordon worried that the Gray Wolf Mountain troops were too poorly trained to carry out their part. Gordon decided the gamble might be worth allowing, even if it ended in failure and taught Garrosh a painful lesson.

• Garrosh outlined a plan to have old Barton seize Gray Wolf Valley while the main army reinforced Nalan Castle and attacked the Carnford Army from both sides.
• The officers were impressed by Garrosh's plan, but Gordon doubted the Gray Wolf Mountain garrison could provide five hundred effective soldiers.
• Gordon considered the risks and concluded that allowing Garrosh to try might be worthwhile, since the worst outcome could teach him the difference between strategy and the battlefield.

Gordon approved Garrosh’s plan to attack the Carnford Army and ordered the Sauron forces to prepare for battle. At Nalan Castle, relentless cannon fire had reduced the fortress to ruins and left its defenders close to despair.

• Garrosh told Gordon the plan had at least a seventy percent chance of success if Barton held Gray Wolf Valley and the army advanced quickly.
• Gordon approved the plan and ordered messengers to send Barton their joint orders, the army to prepare for battle, and scouts to monitor the Carnford Army.
• The Carnford Army’s three Minin Cannons battered Nalan Castle’s walls and towers throughout a day and night of bombardment.
• The Sauron defenders retreated to the dungeons to escape the cannon fire as casualties, dwindling supplies, and crumbling morale worsened.
• The lord of the castle saw that the fortress’s defenses were ruined and questioned the point of continuing to resist.

After securing the civilians outside Nalan Castle, Karl continued bombarding the Lord's fortress while weighing the dwindling ammunition and the danger of an enemy response. The story left Karl waiting for the fortress to surrender and for news about the Sauron forces and Oliver's defense of Gray Wolf Valley.

• The Carnford Army gathered the disarmed, starving Sauron civilians and held them under guard after confiscating weapons, food, and wealth and executing the soldiers they had concealed.
• Elmont reported that the Minin Cannon barrels had overheated, and Karl ordered the artillery to follow its firing plan and cool down.
• Karl learned that the army had only enough shells for about five more rounds, while the damaged fortress still held out without surrendering.
• Karl considered the risks of storming the fortress and hoped the Sauron defenders would surrender before the ammunition ran out.
• Karl worried that Sauron forces from the direction of the Golden City might counterattack and questioned whether Oliver could hold Gray Wolf Valley with his small force.