Chapter Summaries

Soren discovered that Vivian’s growing Fear Divine Power was drawing her closer to The Abyss and accelerating the Demon Lord of Fear’s resurrection. He promised to protect her, then returned to his other concerns while waiting for the right moment to intervene in the Half-Elves’ troubles.

• Soren examined the sleeping Vivian, and the Fallen Witch sensed that Vivian’s increasing power was drawing her closer to The Abyss.
• Soren realized that killing Reinhard had returned the gathered Fear Divine Power to Vivian and brought his confrontation with the Demon Lord of Fear forward.
• Soren sent Goria and the Fallen Witch away, reassured Vivian that he would face every danger with her, and vowed to kill anyone who threatened her.
• Three days later, Soren met visitors from the Temple of Wealth, the Church of the Sea, and the Agricultural Church, and considered using the fertilizer plans to influence events.
• Soren reviewed reports about the Shadow Plane and the Half-Elves near Falling Leaf City, then postponed helping them while he waited for a chance to gain the greatest benefit.

Soren weighed which class should anchor his future divine power, recognizing that Rogue would limit his growth and force him into conflict with the Lord of Shadows. The Fallen Witch then revealed that the Succubus Queen’s ritual compelled her to seek his help, and Soren began the ritual with her.

• Soren concluded that Rogue could not become the core of his divine power and that his chance of defeating the Lord of Shadows was currently zero.
• The Fallen Witch visited Soren and tried to seduce him, while he questioned her motives because of Goria.
• The Fallen Witch revealed that Malignant had granted her Divinity through a ritual she had to complete or face agonizing punishment.
• The Fallen Witch said Soren was her best choice for the ritual and threatened to find other partners and kill them afterward if he refused.
• Soren accepted and took the special silk whip, and the Fallen Witch invoked the Queen's Kiss before he struck her back.

Soren discussed the psion’s recovery and plans to multiclass as a priest, then warned the Fallen Witch about the dangers of her contract with the Succubus Queen. He considered how to protect her in the future and set out to find better weapons.

• The psion teased Soren about his fatigue, then said she wanted to learn priest techniques from Jin and multiclass as a 1st-level priest.
• Soren agreed the psion could rest and explained that advancing her priest levels might eventually require him to grant her divine power.
• The Fallen Witch confirmed that the ritual was finished, and Soren warned her that the Succubus Queen’s contract could leave her a slave unless she reached a domain comparable to deities.
• Soren described how a failed ritual to appease the Spider Queen had ended in the participants’ deaths or transformation, and cautioned the Fallen Witch against underestimating abyssal beings.
• Soren considered ways to deal with the Fallen Witch’s contract and reflected that the Succubus Queen had likely been satisfied the previous night.
• Soren practiced with an adamantine dagger, considered forging another legendary scimitar or buying equipment in the Wizard City, and headed toward the port.

The Naga Priestess learned that Soren had amassed a vast fleet and was recalling forces from across the seas for an unknown major move. A report that Soren’s pet and the Spectre warship, the Speaker of the Dead, were already in position left her shaken.

• The Naga Priestess heard that Soren had gathered hundreds of warships and could mobilize over a thousand medium-sized vessels through his pirates and merchant connections.
• The sea creature explained how Soren had expanded his influence through victories, annexations, and control of maritime trade.
• The Naga Priestess studied a sea map and traced Soren’s fleets across Port Tyler, Shipwreck Bay, Serpent Island, Sand Fury Island, and other waters.
• The Naga Priestess realized Soren had recalled fleets near Arendelle and the Southern Island Nation but could not determine his objective.
• The sea creature pointed out that Soren’s pet and the Spectre warship, the Speaker of the Dead, had already arrived, making the Naga Priestess tremble.

Soren monitored growing unrest and the activity of several descending Deities before discovering that becoming a Demigod had awakened his first Domain, [Pirate]. He learned of new divine abilities he could pursue, but lacked the Divine Power Value required to master them.

• Soren reviewed reports of unrest, suspected Devils and Evil God followers were stirring conflict, and considered preparations against Gnoll King Yeenoghu's forces.
• Over the next half month, Soren received reports that the Goddess of Cats and Dance and the God of Travel and Exploration had descended, while Silver Moon Stalkers were unusually active.
• Soren discovered that becoming a Demigod had awakened his [Pirate] Domain and advanced him into a true Demigod.
• Soren examined new options including Comprehend Languages, Cross-Planar Communication, and Astral Projection, but had no Divine Power Value to master them.
• Soren also discovered the Divine Ability Alter Form and thought of the Seventy-Two Transformations.

Soren clarified the limits of his Pirate Domain and chose new Demigod abilities to pursue contact with a devout follower. Meanwhile, Falling Leaf City endured an Orc and Gnoll siege as refugees faced hunger and despair.

• Soren concluded that his Pirate Domain could strengthen and command pirates but was unlikely to let him claim the broader Pillage Domain, so he considered building other forces or training pirates into an army.
• Soren selected Comprehend Languages twice and Cross-Planar Communication as his Demigod abilities, intending to contact a devoted follower and reveal his True Name.
• Orcs and Gnolls, aided by an Abyssal Lord and powerful siege engines, battered Falling Leaf City and drove refugees into the city's shelters.
• Former priests of the fallen God of Half-Elves and Rogues joined the city's defenders, fighting to protect its people despite losing their Divine Magic.
• A starving mother in the temple shelter cut her finger and let her hungry infant suck her blood because she had no milk or food to give.

After her father died defending their home, Milan endured hunger and grief in Falling Leaf City and prayed to every Deity for help. Just as she began to despair, a powerful will answered her with the sacred name Soren.

• Milan learned that her father had died fighting the Gnolls as the militia’s rearguard.
• Milan’s surviving people took refuge in an abandoned temple in Falling Leaf City, where food was scarce and Uncle Bam had been conscripted.
• Milan gave her last bit of food to a nursing mother and continued praying despite the Bishop’s warning that the God of Half-Elves and Rogues had fallen.
• Milan pleaded with every Deity to save the refugees and offered her faith, life, and soul in return.
• A powerful will entered Milan’s mind and made the name Soren echo within her.

Milan swore the Oath of the Sanctified Soul to Soren, becoming his first Chosen and Sanctified Apostle. Soren accepted her faith and descended through her onto the battlefield, where orcs and demonic Gnolls were attacking the city.

• Milan prayed to Soren and swore to devote her life and soul to him.
• The oath made Milan a true priest and branded her soul with Soren's Divinity, turning her into his Sanctified Apostle.
• Soren sensed Milan's faith, spent Slaughter Experience to grant her Divinity, and accepted her as his first Chosen.
• Soren used Demigod Will to descend through Milan and saw the city's defenders fighting orcs and the demonic followers of Yeenoghu.

Milan fought on the City Wall, killing over a hundred Orcs and Abyssal Gnolls and forcing their assault to retreat. The Orcs rallied behind Yugin War Spear, who led them back into battle to decide their clan’s future.

• A middle-aged Priest tried to send Milan away from the City Wall, but she slipped past him and continued fighting.
• Milan killed an armored Orc Warrior with one strike, then cut down attacking Abyssal Gnolls with twin Elf Scimitars.
• Milan swept across the wall and killed over a hundred Orcs and Gnolls, causing the attackers to retreat and the Half-Elves to cheer.
• Yugin appeared atop a Dragon Beast and rallied the Orcs by invoking the Blade Tooth Clan and its descendants.
• The Orcs shouted Yugin’s name and charged toward the City Wall again.

Yugin led the orcs in a desperate assault on Falling Leaf City, hoping to reclaim their ancestral lands before his death. As the half-elf defenses began to buckle, Milan invoked Soren’s name and called upon the ancient Dragon Covenant for aid.

• Yugin rallied the Blade Tooth Clan for a total war, knowing the orcs might fall into decline after his death.
• Milan recognized Yugin on the battlefield as a formidable War Shaman destined to ascend to godhood.
• Yugin awakened the Ancestral Soul, driving waves of orcs into a relentless Rage-fueled charge against the half-elves.
• The orcs battered Falling Leaf City’s defenses as Milan judged that only power beyond mortal strength could save the city.
• Milan invoked Soren and called on the ancient Dragon Covenant, promising sufficient recompense to their allies.

Soren summoned an Ancient Brass Dragon and two Adult Brass Dragons through the Greater Dragon Covenant, turning back Yugin’s Orc assault on Falling Leaf City. The Orcs retreated, while the Dragons collected their payment from the city’s treasury and departed with its gold, jewelry, and cannon.

• Soren invoked the Dragon Covenant in a god’s name, opening a portal that brought an Ancient Brass Dragon and two Adult Brass Dragons onto the battlefield.
• The Brass Dragons burned through the Orc army, and Yugin’s Bone Spear bounced off the Ancient Brass Dragon’s tail.
• A Blackthorn Gnoll urged Yugin to retreat, and the Orc army fled while Yugin vowed to regroup and return for Falling Leaf City.
• The Ancient Brass Dragon sensed danger in Yugin’s ancient power and refrained from attacking him as the Orcs withdrew.
• The Brass Dragons raided Falling Leaf City’s treasury and took its gold, jewelry, and Magical Crystal Superconducting Pulse Cannon before departing.

Soren gained his first point of Divine Power and began preparing to expand his operations across the Overseas Islands. Goria then brought him an Arcane Empire-era Spellbook, which revealed information about the Wizard advanced class Arcanist.

• Brass Dragons chose to empty Falling Leaf City's treasury rather than travel to demand payment from Soren.
• Soren discovered that his avatar descent had cost 300,000 Slaughter Experience and that his Divine Power Value was 1 out of a limit of 160.
• Soren ordered his fleet to Sand Fury Island, directed the pirate Bosses to prepare for action, and arranged a meeting with the person in charge of the Eastern Waters.
• Goria brought Soren a black Spellbook she had found near the Mythal, and touching it revealed the requirements and information for the Arcanist advanced class.

Soren read an old living spellbook and advanced from Wizard to Arcanist, but the Weave interfered with his abilities before adapting them and restoring his spellcasting. He discovered that the Shadow Weave let Arcanists automatically recall spells, though his Wizard levels limited the ability.

• Soren opened the living spellbook, overcame its wards, and read and memorized its contents.
• Soren considered whether his Wizard levels would allow him to advance as an Arcanist and whether the classes could coexist.
• Soren advanced to Arcanist Level 1, and the Weave initially disrupted his abilities before adapting them and restoring his spellcasting.
• Soren discovered that Arcane Recollection let him automatically recall spells through the Shadow Weave, with his Level 1 Arcanist ability limited to 0-level and 1st-level spells.
• Soren cast Light and confirmed that its spell formula returned after ten minutes.

Soren led an enormous pirate fleet up the Agate River toward Falling Leaf City, telling his chiefs they were going there to pick someone up. In the city, Milan’s decree to evacuate and migrate overseas had intensified a struggle among the Druids, nobles, and Church.

• Soren used his Arcanist abilities and supported Goria’s effort to improve the Gith Silver Sword into a Legendary Item.
• Soren sailed from Port Nyanzaru aboard the Speaker of the Dead, followed by hundreds of warships gathering at Sand Fury Island.
• Soren told the pirate chiefs to leave most of the fleet at the Agate River’s mouth and lead Elite Troops inland toward Falling Leaf City to pick someone up.
• The nobles, Druids, and Church competed for influence in Falling Leaf City after the Orc siege, while the nobles struggled to restore the city’s defenses.
• Milan delivered the Deity’s decree that the people should leave Falling Leaf City, travel along the river, and eventually sail overseas to safety.

After the Divine Oracle called for an evacuation, Falling Leaf City’s priests argued over whether they could protect the refugees from the Orcs. Fina urged them to gather willing believers and await Soren’s aid, while Soren approached the city and remained determined to evacuate people without being drawn into its war.

• The nobles rejected the evacuation and blamed Milan’s Church for Falling Leaf City’s empty treasury, while the Druids proposed taking refugees to the Elven Forest.
• A middle-aged priest warned that Orc scouts, insufficient food, and too few Warriors made a mass evacuation dangerous, and an elderly Bishop said the Temple could not protect the refugees without Divine Magic.
• Milan admitted she did not know how to proceed, and Fina argued that the city could not withstand the Orcs and Gnoll forces and that they should prepare to evacuate with the Deity’s aid.
• Fina declared that nobles could choose whether to leave but could not stop believers from following the Deity overseas, insisting that saving lives mattered more than keeping land.
• Soren traveled along the Agate River toward Falling Leaf City and resolved to take only those willing to leave, refusing to risk his forces or overseas territories in a battle against the Orcs.

Soren sent One-Eyed and a team of veteran scouts to eliminate Orc outposts near Falling Leaf City. Ugly Monkey led his squad in a quick attack on Orc scouts and prepared for the larger dangers ahead as the scouting net spread across the battlefield.

• Soren ordered One-Eyed to lead several hundred scouts ashore and clear the Orc outposts.
• Ugly Monkey, a gifted rogue trained in stealth, combat, and assassination, tracked Orcs with his squad.
• Ugly Monkey and his companions ambushed an Orc scout group, and he killed one with a poisoned blade and a precise attack.
• Ugly Monkey cut off the Orc's right ear and withdrew, wary that the Orcs' strength and numbers could make future fights harder.
• Ugly Monkey equipped a poisoned Wrist Dart, prompting his companions to ready concealed weapons as Soren's scouts spread across the area near Falling Leaf City.

Cleric Milan led thousands of Falling Leaf City's devout believers out of the besieged city toward the Agate River after learning that the God of Half-Elves and Rogues' army had arrived. As Orc forces closed in and Wolf Riders charged toward the fleeing crowd, the Bishop and Temple Guard prepared to defend them while awaiting reinforcements.

• Cleric Milan ordered the temple to evacuate its most devout believers, and a young mother chose to leave with her infant while her Half-Elf brother joined her.
• A scout reported that the God of Half-Elves and Rogues' Warships had arrived on the Agate River, and Cleric Milan led several thousand believers out of Falling Leaf City's South Gate.
• A richly dressed noble allowed the believers to leave, intending for the Orcs to attack them and discredit the Church.
• The slow-moving procession covered only half the distance by nightfall, so the elderly Bishop ordered the Temple Guard and able fighters to prepare to hold off the Orcs.
• Orc Warriors and dozens of Wolf Riders approached the fleeing believers, and the Temple Guard faced the imminent charge.

George and the militia tried to protect the families from the Orc Wolf Riders, but Soren’s reinforcements arrived and turned the battle against the Orcs. Giant tore through the enemy formation while Soren picked off dangerous targets with his bow.

• George led the militia forward to shield the elderly, women, and children from the charging Wolf Riders, and several defenders fell.
• A Wolf Rider broke through and attacked a woman carrying a child, but an arrow killed the Orc Cavalryman before he could strike the child.
• Giant and Soren’s Elite Pirates arrived, cutting down the Wolf Riders as Giant charged into the Orc army.
• Scarface followed Giant into the battle after he ignored orders and rushed the Orc formation alone.
• Giant smashed through the Orcs with his anchor, disrupting their formation and crushing their morale.
• Soren moved through the darkness, shooting Orc officers and other dangerous targets with his Elven War Bow.

Soren’s pirates routed the Orc army while evacuating the Commoners, but Abyssal Gnolls and Yugin’s advancing forces revealed a larger threat over the Flail of Ages. Soren suspected a breach between the Abyss and the Material Plane, and the chapter ended with Yugin sensing a watcher in the darkness.

• George killed a Worg but was left injured as elite reinforcements joined the battle.
• Soren activated Demigod Domain [Pirate], empowering the pirates as they split the Orc formation and crushed its resistance.
• Soren ordered Scarface to evacuate the Commoners and retreat within the Warships’ bombardment range as more enemies approached.
• Yugin and a Gnoll Chieftain pressed the Orc army onward, demanding that they seize the Flail of Ages component for Yeenoghu.
• Soren killed Abyssal Gnolls and concluded that a breach connected The Abyss to the Material Plane, while fearing Yeenoghu’s intervention.
• Yugin sensed someone watching his army from the darkness, but the unseen observer vanished.

The Masked Woman organized the exhausted refugees and priests aboard Soren’s fleet while preparing for battle. Yugin’s Orc army caught up, but halted before the pirates’ hundreds of cannons.

• The Masked Woman calmed the refugees, and Milan recognized her as the High Priest.
• The High Priest ordered women and children onto the ships, distributed food, and directed the men to prepare for battle.
• The pirate leader promised to keep his men from harassing the refugees, who ate and boarded in an orderly fashion.
• Soren ordered the fleet to load ammunition after learning the Orc army had caught up.
• Old Sea Dog and Scarface prepared the cannons as Yugin halted its army before the pirate warships.