Chapter Summaries

After the Ancestral Soul warned the Shaman Priest that Soren’s outsiders were too powerful to fight, the tribe’s leaders faced the secret possibility of abandoning their homeland. Soren secured Treasure Island, arranged for mining and reinforcements, and returned to Port Nyanzaru as the Time of Troubles drew closer.

• The Ancestral Soul warned the Shaman Priest not to provoke the outsiders and secretly advised him to move the tribe to another island because it could not defeat them.
• The Shaman Priest withheld the migration warning from the tribal leaders and waited, fearing that telling them would spread panic.
• Soren located the gold mine and sent One-Eyed to the South Coast to recruit workers and bring mining tools to Treasure Island.
• Soren repaired the village, shipped away captives, left a Teleportation Beacon, and stationed nearly a thousand men and two thousand Native captives on the island.
• With the Time of Troubles about half a year away and little news from the mainland, Soren decided to return to Port Nyanzaru.

George built a modest life in Port Nyanzaru while training for advancement in the Garrison, as Lord Soren’s followers prepared for his rise to godhood. The Half-Elf first mate and the Naga Priestess each took steps to support Soren’s plans for a South Coast military display.

• George returned from the docks, ate breakfast with Elder Sister and his nephew, and left for rigorous Garrison training determined to pass the test.
• George passed the expanding construction site for Lord Soren’s first temple and hurried toward training.
• On Sand Fury Island, the Half-Elf first mate learned that Orcs and Half-Elves had reached a standoff and ordered the intelligence sent to Port Nyanzaru.
• The Half-Elf first mate decided to travel to the City of Wealth to prove himself before the coming military parade.
• At Port Tyler’s Temple of the Sea, the Naga Priestess learned that the Dragon Bone Warship’s enchantment was nearly complete and ordered it sent over for Soren’s display of military strength.

Two Paladins arrived in Port Nyanzaru to investigate the notorious Pirate King Soren, but found a prosperous, orderly city that contradicted the rumors of his cruelty and evil. They were left questioning their assumptions as they saw ordinary people living well under his rule.

• A merchant ship moored in Port Nyanzaru as a storm approached, and two cloaked Paladins disembarked.
• The Paladins remarked that the South Coast had remained orderly and prosperous despite the wars elsewhere, unlike what they had expected under pirate rule.
• Rogues watching from a shadowy corner identified the newcomers as Paladins and decided they posed no threat.
• The Paladins recalled how reports of Soren had shifted from depicting an evil Demon King to a ruthless warlord and, among Commoners, a respected ruler who kept his promises.
• The Paladins explored Port Nyanzaru and saw strict laws, flourishing trade, and people living comfortably under Soren's rule.

The High Priest led the priests in prayer at Soren’s newly built Grand Temple, gathering Divine Power and reciting the domains that would define his ascension. With the God-Conferring Ceremony preparations underway, she awaited Soren’s return to finalize the Church’s Holy Symbol.

• The High Priest ordered everyone else to leave and led the priests into the temple to pray before Soren’s statue.
• The priests recited prayers naming Soren’s domains, with Half-Elves established as his core Portfolio.
• The prayer’s Divine Power began to gather in the statue as the chapter explained how Soren’s domains and Portfolio would shape his relationships with other Deities.
• The High Priest continued preparations for Soren’s formal ascension and waited for his return so they could complete the Church’s Holy Symbol.

Soren prepared his temple and Church for his ascension by completing the temple’s divine connection and creating his Holy Symbol. A week later, tens of thousands of Half-Elves gathered in Port Nyanzaru as his formal ascension approached.

• Soren returned to his temple and infused its statue with a trace of his divine consciousness, completing the temple’s activation.
• Soren created a Holy Symbol depicting a cloaked Rogue amid shadows on bloodstained black earth and infused it with his power.
• A week passed as the Half-Elf temple was completed and Port Nyanzaru prepared for Soren’s ascension.
• Soren’s followers gathered in prayer, and the priests prepared to receive his Divine Magic and have the former deity’s traces erased.
• Tens of thousands of Half-Elves surrounded the temple square as Soren’s formal ascension was about to begin.

At the break of dawn, Soren’s followers joined their prayers through the High Priest’s Psionic Field, unleashing enough faith to begin his ascension. A new star blazed over Port Nyanzaru as Soren’s Deity Template formed, and beings across the Multiverse sensed a True God’s birth.

• Tens of thousands of believers gathered at Port Nyanzaru’s temple and prayed to Soren before dawn.
• The High Priest linked the worshippers’ minds with a Psionic Field, drawing wavering believers into their shared prayers.
• The believers’ third united prayer became a powerful Holy Word as dawn broke and a pillar of Divine Power rose from Soren’s statue.
• A dim star blazed over Port Nyanzaru, while the Princess in Arendelle and the Eye of the North recognized the signs of a True God’s ascension.
• Streams of faith flowed into Soren as his Deity Template took shape, and powerful beings throughout the Multiverse sensed the emerging New Deity.

Soren entered Deity Form and began raising his divine throne as believers’ prayers and power from God’s Realm converged on him. As his soul fragment ascended, the Avatars of the Sea, Wealth, and Misfortune appeared over Port Nyanzaru to witness and protect his rise.

• Soren activated Deity Form, wielded Divine Power, and descended above the temple at dawn.
• The High Priest gathered the believers’ prayers, and their chant sent Soren’s empowered soul fragment streaking toward the heavens to raise his divine throne.
• The Goddess of the Sea’s Avatar appeared above Port Nyanzaru and watched Soren’s ascension as a storm stirred over the Amazon Tropical Rainforest, then faded.
• The Goddess of Wealth’s Avatar rose above the city, joining the Goddess of the Sea to witness Soren’s ascension.
• The Goddess of Misfortune’s Avatar appeared, and the other two goddesses bowed as Soren’s soul continued rising toward the heavens.

Soren completed the God-Conferring Ceremony, entered the Pantheon as a Quasi-Divinity, and returned to the mortal world as Port Nyanzaru celebrated his ascension. The Goddess of the Sea showed goodwill toward him, and he left the High Priest in charge of the Half-Elf Church.

• Soren entered the Pantheon, found his throne between the Human and Elven Pantheons, and took his place as a Quasi-Divinity.
• Soren's priests regained access to third-tier Divine Magic, and the Half-Elves' God's Realm returned Divine Power to him.
• The Goddess of the Sea blessed Port Nyanzaru with abundant catches for three years, while Lady of Fortune and the Goddess of Misfortune departed.
• Soren gave the High Priest a scepter granting her supreme authority over the Half-Elf Church, then disappeared from public view.
• The High Priest called on the people to spread Soren's glory, and Port Nyanzaru began seven days of celebrations.

Goria feared that Soren’s ascension would change him and widen the distance between them, but Soren reassured her that he had erased the wills in his Divinity. He revealed his new Deity Template as the God of Half-Elves, leaving him with divine duties and a system to manage prayers and clerics.

• Goria confided her fears about Soren’s ascension to Corinna, who reassured her that his strong will would keep him from losing himself to divine power.
• Soren returned to the room, and Goria relaxed when she sensed that he remained much the same.
• Soren explained that he had erased the original wills from his Divinity, though taking on a Portfolio gave him obligations.
• Soren revealed his Deity Template, naming himself the God of Half-Elves and listing his Portfolios, Domains, believers, accepted cleric alignments, and favored weapon.
• Soren learned that the Deity Template would process ordinary prayers and alert him to important matters, including new clerics and urgent pleas from believers.

Soren used the period after his God-Conferring Ceremony to strengthen his Church and plan how to build his power before the Time of Troubles. While publicly preparing for a military parade and campaigns around Port Nyanzaru, he secretly prepared to enter The Abyss to protect Vivian from the Demon Lord of Fear.

• Soren spent nearly a hundred Divine Power Value mastering Alter Form, then abandoned plans for a larger Demiplane after creating even a tiny storage space proved too costly.
• Soren reviewed reports on the stalemate in Falling Leaf City and the Red Dragon Duchess of Rosado's troop movements, and decided to remain in Port Nyanzaru while preparing for the Time of Troubles.
• Soren planned a military parade, a campaign to subdue the nearby tribes and secure Treasure Island, and an expedition to the Wizard Tower in the Shadow Plane.
• Soren worried that the Demon Lord of Fear's power growing inside the sleeping Vivian might drag her into The Abyss or resurrect the Demon Lord.
• Soren secretly planned to reach into The Abyss and prepare a foothold there, despite the danger of attracting its Demon Lords.

Soren balanced his new life as a Deity with overseeing the Half-Elf Church and infused the Gith Silver Sword with Divine Power. After three days of preparations for the military parade on Port Nyanzaru Island, he decided to travel to The Abyss.

• Soren left Goria asleep after they made love again, then encountered Corinna on his way out.
• Soren described a gifted boy whose Sixth Sense had caught his attention, and the High Priest arranged for the former Archbishop to train him as a future priest.
• Soren used Divine Power to strengthen the Gith Silver Sword into a +5 Legendary Item with a trace of Artifact qualities and restrictions tied to his power.
• After three days of preparations for the military parade on Port Nyanzaru Island, Soren decided to go to The Abyss himself.

Soren entered the Abyss and learned how its chaotic laws affected visitors and shaped its endless conflict with Baator. He headed for an Abyssal Blood Pool, where he planned to test how to reduce the Plane’s rejection of him using Abyssal Worms.

• Soren’s Lawful Evil Alignment meant Demons in the Abyss would instinctively dislike him, while lawful and good visitors faced penalties to Charisma-based checks.
• The chapter described the Abyss’s many layers, Asmodeus’s creation of Baator, and the ongoing Blood War between Devils and Demons.
• Soren arrived on the Plains of Infinite Portals, where he reviewed the First Floor’s traits and passed a battered warning sign.
• Soren set out for an Abyssal Blood Pool, where souls were reborn as Abyssal Worms that fought to evolve into Demons.
• Soren chose the Abyssal Worms as the first test subjects in his plan to lessen the Abyss’s rejection of him.

Soren tried to create a hidden Demon body from a newborn Abyssal Worm, hoping it would let him bring his God's Realm into The Abyss without attracting hostility. After his attempts failed, he entered the Abyssal Blood Pool to try a riskier method involving the Water of the River Styx.

• Soren used Shadow Hide to evade the Mother of Worms and approach the Abyssal Blood Pool.
• He immobilized a newborn Abyssal Worm and infused it with Divine Power, but it burst apart.
• Soren decided he needed an unknown Demon vessel to carry his will and help him bring his God's Realm into The Abyss.
• After more Abyssal Worms failed to withstand his will, Soren entered the Abyssal Blood Pool despite the danger of the Water of the River Styx.

Soren, weakened after paying a heavy price, left the Half-Elf Church in the High Priest’s hands while he recovered. The Wizard Tower’s Demiplane passage finally opened, and in the Abyss a newly evolved Dretch set off across the plains to face its first trial.

• Soren told the High Priest he needed half a month to recover and entrusted her with the Church and preparations for the military parade.
• Goria telepathically told Soren that the passage to the Wizard Tower’s Demiplane had opened after more than half a year of work.
• The Mother of Worms detected an Abyssal Worm evolving into a Dretch and ordered it to leave for the Blood War.
• The newborn Dretch found its bearings and disappeared into the blood-red plains, where Dretches hunted one another for survival.

Steven followed orders as Port Nyanzaru prepared to double its garrison, while Soren, Goria, and the Fallen Witch entered a strange multilayered Demiplane. Tower Spirit 13 identified it as the War Chess Plane and invited them to accept its challenge.

• Steven settled into a home with the woman he was seeing and planned trades and futures for the children she had brought.
• Steven received an order to double Port Nyanzaru's garrison and prepared to carry it out.
• Goria and the Fallen Witch opened a Portal while Soren used Divine Power to stabilize the Interdimensional Passage.
• Soren, Goria, and the Fallen Witch entered the pyramid-shaped Demiplane and discovered its unusually strong gravity and Earth elemental influence.
• Tower Spirit 13 welcomed them to the War Chess Plane and offered them a chance to challenge its highest difficulty.

Soran began life in the Abyss as a Dretch and used his combat skills to defeat a group of Dretches trying to enslave him. After absorbing Demonic Power and mutating, he resolved to hunt more of his kind to advance his new body.

• A newly born Dretch named Soran encountered Fornocat, who tried to make him a servant and sell him to a Hag.
• Soran killed one of Fornocat’s Dretch followers and gained Demonic Power, activating a mutation that strengthened his claws.
• For the remaining Dretches to attack Soran, Fornocat fled and abandoned them.
• Soran killed two more Dretches and examined his new Dretch form and its abilities.
• Soran realized his Demon body could not gain Slaughter Experience but could grow stronger through Demonic Power and killing.

Soren encountered Tower Spirit 13, a Demigod Genie with a Virtual Divine Rank that controlled the War Chess Plane, and entered a high-difficulty challenge. The challenge placed him in a simulated village as an ordinary Commoner, facing a choice as Dretches rushed toward him.

• Soren used his Deity Template to identify Tower Spirit 13's Virtual Divine Rank and warned the Fallen Witch and Goria not to attack it.
• Tower Spirit 13 offered a War Chess challenge, explaining that victory would grant the Plane Key and ownership of the Demiplane.
• Soren stepped onto the Teleportation Circle, triggering a Tactical Simulation that placed an illusory version of him inside a vast simulated world.
• The High Priest identified the experience as a Tactical Simulation technique from the Arcane Empire.
• Tower Spirit 13 presented Soren with a village scenario in which he had to choose whether to flee or defend his home from Demons.
• Dretches spotted Soren at the village gate and charged toward him.

Soran crossed the Abyss as a dretch, hunting demons to strengthen his body and transfer slaughter experience to his main body. After killing a soul wraith, he reached the full standard of a dretch and awakened several new abilities.

• Soran killed a pack of dretches and mutated, gaining Demonic Skin and Darkvision.
• Soran spotted a wandering soul wraith petitioner and cautiously crept toward it.
• Soran fought the soul wraith, using his speed and combat experience to evade its attacks and kill it.
• Soran absorbed the soul wraith's abyssal power, advancing to a fully developed dretch and awakening Demonic Resistance, Summon Demon, Multiattack, Scare, Stinking Cloud, and Telepathy.
• Soran's Challenge Rating rose to 2.

Soren and his companions attempted the first stage of the War Chess challenge in Tower Spirit 13’s Demiplane and all failed. They learned they could retry after recovering or challenge Tower Spirit 13 directly for control of the Demiplane.

• Soren entered a burning village, grabbed a kitchen knife from a blacksmith’s shop, and was overwhelmed by Dretches.
• Soren awoke back in the Demiplane and, furious at his defeat, demanded another attempt, but Tower Spirit 13 warned him to wait forty-eight hours.
• Goria entered the challenge and failed because she had no Spells.
• The Fallen Witch tried to leave the village and failed after finding a Wizard blocking the way out.
• Tower Spirit 13 explained that the challenge had more stages and offered control of the Demiplane to anyone who could defeat him, then summoned Elemental Elders and Rock Golems.

After leaving the Wizard Tower, Soren weighed how to survive the War Chess challenge and continued strengthening Port Nyanzaru. He then used Astral Projection to explore the Astral Plane, where he glimpsed a mysterious planet before returning to his journey through the Multiverse.

• Soren told Goria that he would gather enough strength to defeat the Demigod Tower Spirit if necessary, and considered seeking help or negotiating with the forces in the War Chess challenge.
• Port Nyanzaru continued expanding as former slaves became tenant farmers, Drow instructors trained the troops, and some Drow families settled in the city.
• Soren began studying Arcane Magic to raise his Arcanist level and learn Epic Spells.
• Soren activated an Astral Projection circle and explored the Astral Plane, observing the Material Plane and the connections between the Planes.
• Soren spotted a planet-shaped world streak across his vision and wondered whether it belonged to the Material Plane or another Plane.