Chapter Summaries

Soren’s Ghost Ship, the Speaker of the Dead, emerged from the mist and attacked the Viking Pirates as they overwhelmed Arendelle’s fleet. The ship displayed new mutations and abilities, while the Bearded General used its unexpected assistance to rally his men.

• Prince Hans lost control of most of his fleet when thick mist cut off visibility and communication.
• Undrowned Undead and the Mutated Killer Whale attacked the Viking Pirates and helped keep an Arendelle warship from collapsing.
• Soren ordered the Speaker of the Dead to surface and fire its cannons, crippling nearby pirate ships.
• The Speaker of the Dead revealed its mutated form, larger undead crew, and new Soul Eater Trait as Ocean Wraiths and Ocean Ghosts attacked the pirates.
• The Bearded General recognized the Ghost Ship’s assistance and rallied his surviving men to fight the pirates on deck.

Soren’s Ghost Ship, the Speaker of the Dead, destroyed Viking pirate warships and vanished beneath the sea after helping the Arendelle navy. Prince Hans learned that a black-sailed Ghost Ship was hunting in the mist, and his officers urged him to retreat.

• Soren’s Speaker of the Dead battered the Viking Pirates with cannon fire while its Animate Rigging ensnared enemies and Soren killed them with arrows.
• The Speaker of the Dead repaired cannon damage by consuming some of its Wraiths, then rammed an enemy ship and sank beneath the sea using Deep Sea Navigation.
• The Bearded General aboard an Arendelle warship recognized Soren and wondered why the Pirate King had helped them.
• Prince Hans learned that at least ten warships had been lost in the mist without the enemy being seen.
• Prince Hans rescued a dying pirate sailor, who cried out that undead and a black-sailed Ghost Ship had killed everyone.
• A naval officer warned Prince Hans that a Ghost Ship brought inescapable mist and urged him to retreat.

Prince Hans's fleet retreated from the fog after losing sixteen warships, while Soren's Ghost Ship withdrew without pursuing them. That night, Soren approached Dragon Bone Island to infiltrate the harbor and began eliminating its hidden sentries.

• Prince Hans ordered his fleet to retreat from the fog, and his forces discovered that sixteen warships were missing.
• A Sorcerer identified Wraiths in the fog, and Prince Hans withdrew the remaining ships toward Dragon Bone Island.
• Soren recalled the Ocean Wraiths and let the fleet escape, confident that its losses would undermine Prince Hans's campaign.
• Soren took the Ghost Ship toward Dragon Bone Island and ordered the Undrowned Undead to bombard the docks if they saw firelight.
• Soren crossed the sea to the harbor under cover of darkness and killed a hidden sentry.

Soren infiltrated Dragon Bone Island and killed guards as Princess Anna learned that the Headhunter was named Soren and believed he had returned. The island’s alarm sounded, and a black Warship emerged from the fog to attack the harbor.

• Soren used Shadow Hide to cross rooftops, entered a room, and silently killed six sleeping enemies.
• The Bearded General told Princess Anna that a Ghost Ship had appeared and attacked their enemies, and he suspected someone controlled it.
• The Frost Witch identified the Headhunter as Soren, and Princess Anna reacted with shock and joy, convinced he had returned to stand by her.
• Princess Anna wanted to gather the army and help Soren, but the Captain of the Maids urged her to confirm his identity first.
• A patrolling guard discovered the corpses on Dragon Bone Island, triggering an alarm and waking the island.
• Explosions engulfed the harbor, and a black Warship emerged from the fog and fired on the ships there.

Soren destroyed the Southern Island Nation’s port and crippled its navy before retreating aboard the Speaker of the Dead. His slaughter earned him the Legendary Deathwalker Feat, and he returned to Arendelle to await news from the south.

• Soren set fire to the port’s powder warehouse and fired on the ships, then escaped into the fog aboard the Ghost Ship.
• Prince Hans’s guards and experts failed to locate the Assassin, while the attack left the Southern Island Nation with heavy losses and dwindling ammunition.
• Soren watched the burning Dragon Bone Island and concluded that the navy could no longer attack Arendelle effectively.
• After killing more than a thousand enemies, Soren gained the Legendary Deathwalker Feat, boosting his Will and Intimidation and giving him an aura that could frighten nearby foes.
• Soren submerged the Speaker of the Dead, returned to the port alone, and waited for news from the south.

Pirates commanded by Soren raided coastal towns across the Southern Island Nation, looting wealth while the kingdom struggled to defend its shores. The kingdom ordered coastal residents inland, but the pirates withdrew without engaging its army on land.

• One-Eyed led pirates in a cannon-backed assault on a town, directing them to target the Governor's Mansion and the Chamber of Commerce while sparing the Slums.
• One-Eyed killed pirates who fought over scattered coins and enforced the rules Lord Soren had set for the raid.
• The pirates seized a warehouse's gold, silver, goods, and grain, while a wizard and the castle's defenders held off attacks on the Governor's Mansion and the mountain castle.
• The pirates withdrew with their plunder, leaving the town largely ruined and the temple and Slums mostly untouched.
• Soren's pirate leaders and other pirates raided coastal settlements across the Southern Island Nation while Prince Hans's absence left its navy unable to confront them at sea.
• The Southern Island Nation ordered coastal populations inland, expecting its Regular Army and heavy cavalry to deter pirates who came ashore.

Soren secretly ordered the pirates to strike the Southern Island Nation, forcing Prince Hans to abandon his failed attack on Arendelle and retreat. Anna learned that Soren had helped protect her kingdom, but the Ghost Ship vanished before she could speak with him.

• Soren received intelligence in Arendelle and ordered the Southern Island Nation's fleet to be trapped in Darktide Strait and dealt a crushing blow.
• Prince Hans learned that Soren was behind the attack and that his kingdom's coastline had fallen, so he ordered his army to retreat.
• Prince Hans resolved to return and claim the throne, then demanded that the Sea Witch honor their agreement to help him ascend.
• Princess Anna learned that the enemy was retreating and that Soren had likely helped Arendelle by attacking the Southern Island Nation.
• Anna rushed to the harbor and called out to Soren as his Ghost Ship appeared, but it vanished into the mist without answering.

Soren gathered the South Coast pirates at Darktide Strait to ambush Prince Hans's navy and secure his control of the sea routes. As the battle began, Hans prepared to escape by teleportation while the Dark Tide Merfolk watched from their waters and warned their forces not to interfere unless humans entered their territory.

• Soren arrived at Darktide Strait, where Red-Haired Female Pirate Adele-Isabella and the other pirate captains reported that their forces were ready.
• Soren spotted Prince Hans's fleet entering the strait and ordered the pirates to attack, with the Mutated Killer Whale and three-headed Sea Snake joining the assault.
• Prince Hans recognized Soren's Ghost Ship, and the high-ranking sorcerer urged him to retreat using a Teleportation Array aboard the ship.
• Prince Hans handed command to the naval commander and followed the sorcerer below deck as the pirate fleet pressed its attack.
• The Dark Tide Merfolk watched the human battle from outside their territory and ordered their forces to sink any warships that entered their waters.

After defeating the Southern Island Nation’s navy, Soren sent Adele-Isabella to Arendelle with a new noble identity and a plan to gain the South Coast nobles’ trust. The chapter ended with her appearing beside Princess Anna at an Imperial Palace banquet.

• Soren assigned pirate leaders to manage his routes and gave Adele-Isabella responsibility for a covert mission in Arendelle.
• Soren dressed Adele-Isabella as a noblewoman and told her to seek Princess Anna’s recognition as a descendant of Queen Isabella, then contact South Coast nobles.
• Adele-Isabella received two letters, servants, and one hundred thousand Gold Dalers before sailing to Arendelle.
• Adele-Isabella arrived in Arendelle, where she acquired a mansion and shops while keeping her background guarded.
• Adele-Isabella attended Princess Anna’s Imperial Palace banquet as her companion and sat beside her.

After gaining Legendary Degree for two naval victories, Soren traveled to the Snow Mountains to claim the Water Elemental Crystal. Taking it awakened a Demigod Ice Genie named Kalonagus, who demanded to know whether Soren had freed him.

• Soren gained five Legendary Degree from the Battle of the Mist and the Battle of the Darktide.
• Soren entered the Snow Mountains, avoided the Ice Trolls, and fought his way through Ice Elementals toward the altar.
• Soren found and took the Elemental Crystal (Water), causing a massive being to emerge from beneath the altar.
• Soren recognized the being as a Demigod Ice Genie and fled toward the valley exit.
• The Ice Genie declared that it was free and asked Soren whether he had released Kalonagus.

Soren met the freed Ice Genie Kalonagus, who required him to pass a moral test before claiming the Elemental Crystals. After Soren chose to return to the dungeon for the person most important to him, Kalonagus turned the test into a battle, and Soren defeated an Abyssal Minotaur.

• Soren told Kalonagus that he had released him, and the Ice Genie blocked the valley's exit before presenting his test.
• Soren chose to press a button even though it would kill an innocent person, then chose to fight a powerful Demon rather than abandon his companions; Kalonagus rolled a 20 and rewarded him with twenty ice crystals.
• Kalonagus asked whether Soren would leave the dungeon with his companions or return to find the person he cared about most, and Soren chose to go back.
• Kalonagus summoned an armored Abyssal Minotaur, which attacked Soren with a massive battleaxe.
• Soren dodged and fought the Minotaur, then used Shadow Assassination and Sword Momentum: Decapitation to kill it.

Soren passed the Demigod Ice Genie's test, escaped the collapsing valley, and continued toward the Eastern Desert as he anticipated news of a Deity appearing in the Underdark. In Blackwater Town, he examined the Elemental Crystal [Water] and reflected on the unstable events spreading across the continent.

• Kalonagus described a collapsing dungeon and offered Soren a Portal that could save only one person, and Soren chose to stay rather than abandon the other person.
• The Demigod Ice Genie revealed that Soren had passed its test and vanished, while Soren used Fly to escape the buried valley.
• Soren traveled east toward the Eastern Desert, considering the approaching Time of Troubles and the expected news from the Underdark.
• After three days, Soren reached Blackwater Town near the Misty Forest and heard people discussing White Horse City's plan to hunt a red dragon.
• Soren examined the Elemental Crystal [Water], noting its Water Elemental summoning and Ice Storm abilities.

Soren crossed the Gobi Desert toward the Eastern Realm, passing Gnoll territory and the ruins of cities buried by sand. He found an Oasis established by the Tree Shepherds and entered a walled desert city.

• Soren encountered Gnoll scouts in the Gobi Desert and drove them off with an arrow from his Elven War Bow.
• He traveled deeper into the desert, where the land was buried beneath sand and ruins from the Arcane Empire lay beneath the dunes.
• Soren spent a night on a sand dune and continued onward through the dangerous ruins.
• He spotted a river lined with trees planted by the Tree Shepherds and hurried toward the nearby Oasis.
• Soren reached a walled city filled with camel caravans and Eastern merchants, then entered it.

Soren explored Hadar while seeking information about underground ruins, then witnessed a Paladin execute a murderous sand bandit. Recognizing the Paladin as a man he had once influenced, Soren followed him as he continued along the path toward becoming a Holy Avenger.

• Soren arrived in Hadar, struggled with the local dialect, and examined the city’s temple to Nephthys.
• Soren settled into an inn and searched the city for information about the buried ruins that held the Anti-Detection Cloak.
• Soren watched a Paladin use Judgment of Justice to identify a Skeleton Sand Bandit who had killed twenty-seven people and defeat him in a fight.
• The Paladin killed the bandit with Smite Evil, spoke an ancient phrase about avenging the weak, and carried the corpse out of the city.
• Soren realized the Paladin was the young man he had once inspired in the City of Wealth and quietly followed him.

Soren followed the Paladin into the desert and watched him face a gang of sand bandits alone. The Warden arrived, declared the Paladin had passed his test, and sensed Soren hiding nearby.

• Soren secretly followed the Paladin, expecting the Skeleton Sand Bandits to retaliate for the killings in the city.
• Nearly forty sand bandits surrounded the Paladin, who fought them with his greatsword and summoned a Celestial Charger.
• The Paladin cut down most of the bandits, using Lay on Hands to heal his mount and Advanced Swordsmanship as his strength waned.
• The Warden appeared and slaughtered the remaining bandits, then told the Paladin he had passed the test.
• The Warden sensed Soren nearby and called for him to come out, so Soren stepped from behind a dune.

Soren traded information about the Eye of Torm, a missing component of Carsomyr, to a Warden of the Holy Avengers in exchange for a map of the Desert Region’s ancient ruins. After receiving the map, Soren set out to reach an underground ruin and planned to hire help to dig into it.

• Soren revealed himself to the Warden and proposed trading information for a map of ancient ruins in the desert.
• Soren told the Warden that the Eye of Torm was in a Beholder nest in the Underdark, held by a Death Tyrant, and the Warden agreed to verify the clue and provide the map.
• The Holy Avengers delivered Soren a map marking desert ruins and the dangers beneath them the next day.
• Soren confirmed that the map marked the ruin he sought, where a Balor was sealed, and prepared to hire workers and dig a passage into it.

Soren posted a quest in Pearl of the Desert to recruit veterans for an Ancient Ruin expedition, but failed to find a Spellcaster and raised the reward. After someone volunteered, the story revealed that an intruder had attacked him in his room, and Soren was still trying to locate his hidden assailant.

• Soren posted a C-rank Ancient Ruin exploration quest at the Adventurers Guild, and the Eastern Dancer receptionist assessed him as a skilled Rogue from the south.
• The quest notice attracted a heavily armored Dwarf and an Eastern Ronin, but most adventurers declined because the expedition seemed too dangerous.
• After three days, Soren recruited a Dwarf Shield Warrior, an Eastern Ronin, and a desert warrior, but he could not find a Priest or Spellcaster.
• Soren raised the reward to eight thousand Gold Dalers and considered buying supplies when a beautiful, dangerous woman volunteered for the quest.
• A day earlier, Soren discovered that someone had searched his room and dodged an ambush by an unseen attacker using Throwing Daggers and illusion magic.
• Soren countered the attacker's illusions, identified her as an Eastern Dancer, and struck at the real shadow as the chapter ended with her still concealed.

Soren fought off an Eastern Dancer who had infiltrated his room, then learned she served Eastern Diji and sought a gemstone in the underground ruins. He agreed to cooperate with her, and two days later led a large party toward the Ancient Ruin to locate its entrance.

• The Eastern Dancer attacked Soren with Project Images, but he found her by following her fragrance and forced her to surrender.
• Soren recognized the unveiled Dancer as connected to Eastern Diji and recalled his past defeat by the Imperial Princess.
• The Dancer said she had been ordered to retrieve a Desert Kingdom gemstone from the underground ruins, where a Balor remained sealed, and proposed cooperating.
• Soren agreed to work with her and asked her to obtain supplies before their departure.
• On the morning of the third day, Soren led nearly a hundred Adventurers and their supplies toward the Ancient Ruin to find an excavation site and open a passage.

Soren's party reached the desert ruins and began excavating near a damaged obelisk, but a worker died from a Sand Scorpion's venom. That night, the Eastern Dancer asked Soren what was worrying him.

• Soren traveled through the dangerous Desert Region with his party and learned more about his companions, including Soran-Tading, Yingcang, and Hamed-Nord.
• The party reached a damaged obelisk, and Soren directed the workers to dig at a spot about two hundred meters away.
• A Sand Scorpion killed a worker, so Soren assigned Yingcang to watch for more scorpions.
• The party camped beside the excavation, and the Eastern Dancer asked Soren why he seemed worried.

Soren led the group into an underground ruin, where they fought Undead and encountered an ancient Puppet Golem equipped with powerful weapons. When the Golem transformed and began repairing its damaged leg, Soren recognized its Memory Metal and realized it was a high-grade construct Golem.

• The Eastern Dancer told Soren that troubling signs were appearing across the Eastern Realm and that she planned to return there after the mission.
• Desert Scarabs poured from a newly opened wall, killing two laborers and injuring one before Soren's crew drove them off with fire.
• Soren and the professionals descended into the ruins and defeated a group of Wraiths and other Undead in the buried plaza.
• The group approached an intact Arcane Empire building, where a steel Puppet Golem emerged and fired energy shells at them.
• Soren, Tading, and the Eastern Ronin attacked the Golem's joints, but it changed into melee form and began repairing itself with Memory Metal.