Chapter Summaries

Soren planned to use his wealth, the Half-Drow, and control of the sea to build a foundation for eventual ascension and a future struggle against the Vampire God Child and the Demon Lord of Fear. He sent the Half-Drow home with a letter and ordered Adele to take over Shipwreck Bay’s Black Market, keeping its Slave trade under his control.

• Soren considered how the Half-Drow could help establish a Church and provide a path toward claiming the Half-Elf Portfolio during the Time of Troubles.
• Soren gave the leading Half-Drow a letter for their clan’s Boss and sent the three Half-Drow home with a cargo ship full of supplies.
• Soren told Adele to take over Shipwreck Bay’s Black Market trade while keeping the Slave trade in their hands.
• Soren planned to use control of the pirates and sea routes to protect his growing power from enemies.

The Naga Priestess planned to contain Soren by exposing his information and cutting off secret support, while keeping an eye on Lillian. On the temple roof, Lillian and Vivian argued over violence until Vivian discovered she could restrict Lillian’s power; when Soren returned, Lillian greeted him while pretending to be Vivian.

• The Naga Priestess judged Soren too dangerous to leave unchecked, ordered his information leaked to the King of the Swamp, and told her allies to stop helping him in secret.
• The Naga Priestess ordered her followers to watch Lillian because she might prove useful.
• Lillian complained to Vivian about her short hair and their lack of power, then suggested killing people in the port to gain strength.
• Vivian objected to killing innocents and unexpectedly restricted Lillian’s power, making her fall back onto the roof.
• Lillian sensed Soren approaching, ran to him, and impersonated Vivian as she hugged him.

Soren reunited warmly with Vivian, unaware that Lillian had taken control of her body and was concealing their shared existence. Vivian and Lillian agreed to alternate days and keep their secret from Soren while they tried to understand what had happened.

• Soren spent time with Vivian, then left for the Temple of the Sea after a Temple Guard summoned him to meet the Priest.
• Lillian took control after Soren left and used Divinity to frighten the Temple Guard into fleeing and knocking himself unconscious.
• Vivian and Lillian discussed their shared memories and feared that one of them might not survive, but Lillian promised she would protect Vivian.
• Vivian suggested they hide the truth from Soren and alternate control of their body each day, and Lillian agreed.
• Lillian and Vivian argued over which of them was the older and smarter sister before Lillian entered the room.

Soren met Monica Isabella, a wealthy noblewoman whose marriage the Temple of the Sea appeared able to influence, as the Naga Priestess tried to recruit him. The Priestess warned that the King of the Swamp planned to kill him, and Soren decided to accept the Temple’s help without committing himself to its demands.

• Soren entered the Temple of the Sea and met Monica Isabella, who resembled Adele Isabella and left after greeting him.
• The Naga Priestess explained that Monica was Count Khaled’s only heir, controlled her family’s wealth and knights, and was a desirable marriage prospect.
• Soren questioned whether the Priestess had summoned him to offer Monica as an inducement, and realized how much influence the Temple held over coastal nobles.
• The Naga Priestess praised Soren for pacifying nearby pirates, then warned that the King of the Swamp intended to kill him and could destroy his gains.
• Soren weighed relying on Vivian against seeking the Church of the Sea’s support and decided he could accept recruitment without making a binding commitment.

After negotiating with the Temple of the Sea, Soren gave Adele control over the sea routes for the slave trade, which he planned to use in his overseas ambitions. Back at his residence, he investigated Vivian’s altered memories and spent Slaughter Experience to scan her for signs of the Demon Lord of Fear’s influence.

• The Naga Priestess warned Monica to preserve her virginity and expand her influence, including stirring up war among the South Coast nobles.
• Soren ordered Adele to give half the Port Tyler shipping profits to the Temple of the Sea and secure control of the Shipwreck Bay smuggling route and all seaborne slave trade.
• Adele explained that Monica might be the daughter of her mother’s cousin, a fallen count, and wondered whether Soren planned to use slaves to develop overseas lands.
• Soren returned home and asked Vivian about calling herself Lillian, the Witch of Fear; Vivian said she had remembered Lillian’s knowledge and learned spells.
• Worried that the Demon Lord of Fear’s consciousness could endanger Vivian, Soren confirmed a data scan costing 16,000 Slaughter Experience.

Soren analyzed Vivian’s data and discovered that she had reached Tier 5 Legendary as the Godsbane of Fear, with Faint Divinity and numerous Legendary Feats. He explained her dangerous destiny and their enemies, then left her with a plan to build her strength before confronting the Vampire God Child and, ultimately, the Demon Lord of Fear.

• Soren used a large amount of Slaughter Experience to analyze Vivian and discovered her Legendary-tier abilities, Faint Divinity, and God-Blessed Sorcerer advancement.
• Soren realized Vivian’s power could make dealing with the King of the Swamp easier and praised her exceptional talent.
• Soren told Vivian that her identity as the Godsbane of Fear would make her future difficult and promised to guide her.
• Soren explained that they needed to strengthen Vivian to face the Vampire God Child, who had grasped the Vampire Portfolio and become an Avatar of Deity.
• Soren explained that the Demon Lord of Fear was their ultimate enemy and that the coming Time of Troubles could unleash its forces across the Planes.

Soren took Vivian aboard a pirate ship and sailed toward the deep sea, while Corinna confronted the Eye of the North over her forbidden research into the Arcane Empire. After learning that Destiny might still change, Corinna left to seek a person whose Coin of Fate stood upright.

• Soren brought Vivian aboard the pirate ship and ordered it toward the deep sea.
• Vivian asked to fish for a great white shark, and Soren baited an iron hook with meat.
• At the North Tower, Corinna begged the Eye of the North to let her continue researching the Arcane Empire’s power.
• The Eye of the North warned Corinna that her pursuit would lead to Destruction, but Corinna revealed that she had already changed into something unnatural.
• The Eye of the North told Corinna to seek a person whose Coin of Fate stood upright, and Corinna departed.

Soren drew out the King of the Swamp by sailing into its waters, hoping to defeat it and claim the sea route to the Overseas Islands. As the battle began, Soren’s Ghost Ship emerged to attack the King’s forces, leaving his pirates ready to counterattack.

• Soren ordered his crew to continue sailing into the King of the Swamp’s territory despite the first mate’s warning.
• The King of the Swamp surrounded Soren’s ship with pirate vessels and sent Lizardfolk and sea monsters to attack.
• Soren ordered a blanket of fog across the surrounding waters as cannon fire and sea monsters threw his crew into chaos.
• The King of the Swamp’s Lizardfolk fled the water after encountering a terrifying creature below.
• Soren’s Ghost Ship surfaced, sank an enemy warship, and drew cheers from the pirates as Soren and Vivian boarded it.

Soren and his allies fought the King of the Swamp’s forces while the promised Naga reinforcements failed to appear. The Naga Priestess discovered that Asroder had deliberately stayed away, leaving the battle—and her alliance with Soren—in jeopardy.

• Soren urged Vivian to conserve her spells, then used the Ghost Ship’s rigging and guns to fight the enemy as pirates counterattacked.
• Sahuagin and Shark-men joined the battle, but other monsters and the King of the Swamp’s dangerous followers kept closing in.
• Soren grew furious when the Naga reinforcements and Asroder failed to appear, while Vivian struggled to restrain her bloodlust.
• The Naga Priestess watched the battle through a seawater mirror and condemned Asroder for defying her orders.
• Aboard his Sea Monster Warship, Asroder said he would not help Soren become a new Pirate King, and a Naga Guard challenged his decision.

Asroder set out to seize Demon Island while planning to exploit the King of the Swamp’s weakened forces afterward. Soren and Vivian fought through the naval battle and faced the King of the Swamp as he arrived aboard a massive warship.

• Asroder announced that he would attack Demon Island, hoping to claim its wealth and later eliminate the King of the Swamp.
• Soren suspected that a rival had arranged the battle to kill him and ordered the Ghost Ship forward to confront the King of the Swamp.
• Vivian enhanced Soren with spells, then drew a Destruction Demon Sword and disintegrated an approaching Lizardfolk.
• Soren deflected incoming arrows while Vivian unleashed spells that killed many enemies and sank a pirate ship.
• Vivian cast Cloudkill, killing enemies caught in the poisonous fog, including an enemy Spellcaster.
• The King of the Swamp appeared aboard an iron-plated Dragon-headed Warship, carrying a massive anchor.

Soren and Vivian fought the Lizardfolk and their undead allies aboard the Speaker of the Dead, where Soren battled the King of the Swamp. After the King wounded Soren, Vivian stopped time and cut the Legendary enemy to pieces, leaving Soren stunned by her power.

• Soren used invisibility, shape-changing, and Mohe's Sorrow to kill enemies and disrupt the Lizardfolk priests.
• Vivian's Finger of Death failed to harm the King of the Swamp, which struck Soren with its anchor and sent him flying.
• Vivian unleashed a piercing howl and sent a shadow attacking Soren into a Maze.
• Vivian cast Time Stop and attacked the frozen King of the Swamp with the Destruction Demon Sword.
• When time resumed, Soren rushed to protect Vivian and saw that she had killed the King of the Swamp.

After Soren killed the King of the Swamp with Time Stop, the king’s divinity fused into Vivian, who fell asleep. The battle left Soren’s forces badly depleted, and Vivian later woke briefly to describe destroying the king’s consciousness in a dream before falling asleep again, leaving Soren worried about Dagon’s presence within the divinity.

• Soren’s Time Stop took effect after he retreated with Vivian, slicing the King of the Swamp apart and killing him.
• The King of the Swamp’s divinity flowed into Vivian, who fell asleep in Soren’s arms as he fought the remaining enemies from the Ghost Ship.
• Soren’s forces defeated the remaining enemies, but more than half his men were dead or wounded, and the second mate had been killed.
• Soren gained Sword Momentum: Decapitation and further insight into Sword Momentum: Waist Cut and Two-Weapon Fighting.
• Vivian woke briefly the next morning and told Soren she had killed the King of the Swamp in a dream, then described a larger octopus-like monster before falling asleep again.
• Soren realized Vivian had destroyed the King of the Swamp’s lingering consciousness herself, but feared that Dagon’s deeper consciousness remained.

After killing the King of the Swamp, Soren established himself as a Pirate King and sailed to Port Tyler to confront the Naga Priestess over Asroder’s theft of his spoils. The Naga Priestess came to receive him and addressed him as “my lord,” signaling a compromise and recognition of his new standing.

• Soren raised a black flag bearing crossed scimitars and gathered more than a thousand pirates under his command after the King of the Swamp’s death.
• Soren learned that Asroder had raided Demon Island and taken the wealth and spoils that should have been his, despite having promised reinforcements.
• Soren brought the King of the Swamp’s corpse to Port Tyler and waited aboard the Dragon-headed Warship to demand an explanation from the Naga Priestess.
• Soren resolved to end their cooperation if the Naga Priestess refused to recognize him as an equal.
• The Naga Priestess arrived with Knights of the Temple of the Sea, bowed to Soren, and addressed him as “my lord.”

The Naga Priestess decided to recognize Soren as an equal and personally welcomed him at Port Tyler, hoping to restore their cooperation. She offered him control of the Quasi-Legendary Ghost Ship Speaker of the Dead as compensation, and Soren accepted her renewed alliance.

• The Naga Priestess learned that Asroder had taken Demon Island’s wealth and ordered her younger brother, the Naga Guard, back to the Deep Sea Canyon after condemning his failures.
• The Naga Priestess led Temple Guards to the docks and bowed to Soren, publicly recognizing his status before the gathered pirates.
• Soren remained cold, signaling that her public welcome alone would not settle their grievances over Asroder’s seizure of the spoils.
• The Naga Priestess offered Soren the control item for the Ghost Ship Speaker of the Dead and declared her desire to renew their alliance.
• Soren’s expression warmed, and he accepted the offer.

Soren’s growing reputation earned him more Legendary Degree after he killed the King of the Swamp and forced the Naga Priestess to compromise. He learned that Asroder had the Naga Royal Family’s backing and suspected they planned to exploit the Goddess of the Sea’s weakened influence, while a plot to assassinate him began taking shape.

• Asroder heard that Soren had subdued the pirates near Shipwreck Bay and forced the Naga Priestess to receive him, then ordered a secret approach to the [All-Consuming One] to seek a Legendary Assassin.
• Soren received 5 Legendary Degree for killing the King of the Swamp and 2 more for forcing the Naga Priestess to compromise, bringing his total to 21.
• Soren asked the Naga Priestess who supported Asroder, and she revealed that the Naga Royal Family backed the Pirate King.
• Soren suspected the Naga Royal Family might be plotting against the Goddess of the Sea during the brewing Time of Troubles, but he and the Priestess agreed they could not yet risk confronting Asroder.
• A group of Drow in the Overseas Islands held an important discussion.

The Drow tribe struggled to survive on the dangerous Overseas Islands, where dwindling supplies, hostile natives, and lethal Army Ants threatened their future. After learning that Lord Throat Cutter had killed the legendary King of the Swamp, the High Priest proposed reconsidering cooperation with him.

• Rasleerk reported that the natives were keeping their distance, mutated Man-Eating Plants were spreading, and the Army Ants might return to the island.
• Dark Blade-Andri lamented the tribe’s losses and argued that accepting Lord Throat Cutter’s help was better than watching their people die.
• The High Priest summoned the Drow leaders to discuss whether the tribe should cooperate with the human who had supplied them.
• The High Priest announced that Lord Throat Cutter had killed the King of the Swamp, one of the Three Great Pirate Kings of the South Coast.
• The High Priest suggested reconsidering cooperation, while Dark Blade-Andri recognized the irony of her change of position.

Soren organized supplies, laborers, and intelligence as he prepared to expand into the Overseas Islands. The Naga Priestess grew curious about his plans while Soren searched a map for a suitable site to establish a foothold.

• Soren appointed Slonok to build an intelligence network across Shipwreck Bay, the City of Wealth, and Port Tyler.
• Soren reflected on how surviving the battle against the King of the Swamp had increased his subordinates’ loyalty and ambition.
• Adele-Isabella reported that merchants had gathered supplies and cargo ships, but she had not yet secured enough Slaves for Soren’s plans.
• Soren ordered Adele-Isabella to send supplies to Serpent Island, hold the site, and recruit adult laborers through a Chamber of Commerce.
• The Naga Priestess heard that Soren was gathering supplies and manpower and ordered an observer to continue tracking him.
• Soren studied a seafaring map and tried to recall the best location for overseas expansion.

Soren prepared to expand into the Overseas Islands by selecting promising settlement sites and gathering supplies, including Spell Scrolls and Military Weapons. After rewarding Scarface for a profitable trade run, he ordered him to secure the delayed weapons within three days.

• Soren marked seven or eight remote coastal locations on a valuable nautical chart as potential sites for overseas settlements.
• Scarface reported that he had bought twenty-seven Spell Scrolls for 26,500 Gold Daler and returned with 21,500 Gold Daler from selling goods from Serpent Island.
• Soren rewarded Scarface with five hundred Gold Daler and said his forces would set sail soon.
• Soren ordered Scarface to demand that One-eyed Jack deliver the finely forged Military Weapons within three days or be thrown into the sea.

Soren prepared to develop territory in the Overseas Islands, but paused his planning when Vivian awoke after absorbing Dagon’s divine consciousness. Once she recovered, Soren led a fleet carrying supplies and Slaves from Port Tyler toward the islands.

• Soren narrowed his possible overseas settlement sites to two locations and decided to inspect them himself.
• Vivian awoke after five days and told Soren she had dreamed of defeating and eating a Large Octopus; she soon fell asleep again.
• Soren concluded Vivian had survived her struggle with Dagon’s divine consciousness and had fused roughly two points of Divinity.
• After Vivian slept for two more days and recovered, Soren prepared ships, provisions, tools, weapons, and roughly three hundred Slaves for the expedition.
• Soren ordered six large vessels to depart Port Tyler while the Ghost Ship followed unseen beneath the sea.

Soren trained with Adele-Isabella to master combat techniques before investigating a sick Slave aboard a cargo ship. After discovering signs of Mang Plague, he faced pressure to order the Slave and his brother thrown overboard, and Vivian arrived as the crew awaited his decision.

• Soren fought Adele-Isabella with his eyes closed, gaining combat insights and mastering the Two-Weapon Fighting Feat.
• Soren stopped training when sailors reported an ill Slave and went to inspect the cargo ship's hold.
• A Northern Slave begged Soren to spare his younger brother, but the sick youth was unconscious and covered in pustules.
• The supervisor identified the illness as contagious Mang Plague and urged Soren to have both Slaves thrown overboard.
• Vivian flew to the cargo ship and arrived as cries and pleas rose from below deck.