Chapter Summaries

Soren encountered a powerful Lich while exploring the Astral Plane and continued searching for valuable discoveries. Back in the laboratory, Goria learned that her mother suspected Soren’s rapid rise was linked to the Blood War, but she resolved to remain at his side.

• Soren met a Lich gathering silver-white dust in the Astral Plane, and the two passed without hostility.
• Soren continued circling the void near the Material Plane, hoping to find an Ancient God Corpse or other valuable objects.
• The Fallen Witch showed Goria records describing the Blood War’s dangers and how its survivors could rapidly gain power by killing formidable foes.
• The Fallen Witch suggested that a power like the Blood War might explain Soren’s swift ascent to divinity.
• Goria told her mother that she had chosen Soren and would stand by him to the end.

A young Paladin seeking the conviction to reach Legendary power met a poor boy in Arendelle and gave him a Holy Baptism and blessing. Meanwhile, the princess weighed an invitation from Port Nyanzaru and worried over Anna’s heartbreak about Soren, leaving her decision unresolved.

• The young Paladin reflected on his stalled path to Legendary power and his vows as he visited Arendelle’s poor quarter.
• The young Paladin sensed the poor boy’s strength of spirit and gave him a Holy Baptism and Holy Blessing.
• The princess considered Port Nyanzaru’s invitation and delayed meeting the visiting Paladins while worrying about Anna.
• Anna cried over Soren and clutched a doll made in his likeness, angry that he had become a god but would not come marry her.
• The princess comforted Anna, who asked her to accept the invitation, but the princess did not reveal her decision.

Soran left the Barren Plains and was conscripted into the Succubus Queen’s Seventh Legion as cannon fodder. After using Scare to control a food riot, he was put in charge of the other Dretches, but he still had to survive the coming battle against Yeenoghu’s army.

• Soran reached an iron fortress at the edge of the Plains of Infinite Portals and a Succubus conscripted him into the Succubus Queen’s Seventh Legion.
• A Glabrezu led Soran and the other Dretches into a camp preparing to fight the army of Yeenoghu, the Gnoll King.
• At dusk, the Dretches fought over their food, so Soran cast Scare and sent them scattering.
• A Succubus Officer gave Soran a Dagger and appointed him leader of the Dretches.
• Soran faced the prospect of fighting Yeenoghu’s army the next day, where survival would determine whether he could advance beyond cannon fodder.

Soran suspected the Succubus Commander had sent his demon army as bait, and he joined its chaotic attack on a Gnoll outpost. As the battle spiraled into confusion, he saw the wounded Glabrezu commander facing an advanced Hezrou.

• The Succubus Commander replaced the planned full-scale assault with a probe and sent the demon army, without Succubi, to attack a small outpost.
• Soran suspected the army was being used as cannon fodder and marched near the rear, ready to flee if the fighting turned against him.
• The demons charged the outpost, where Glabrezus and Gnolls met in a fierce melee.
• Dretches from both armies mistook one another for enemies and fought among themselves, while Soran killed wounded demons amid the chaos.
• A wounded Glabrezu commander fought its way toward Soran while facing an advanced Hezrou.

Soran considered killing the Hezrou to pursue the rare path toward becoming a Balor Fire Demon, but its burning aura made a direct attack perilous. A Four-Armed Marilith joined the battle against the Hezrou, giving Soran an opening to wait for.

• Soran recognized the Hezrou as a possible step toward becoming a Balor Fire Demon and weighed the danger of confronting it.
• The Hezrou's burning aura killed nearby Dretches and forced Soran to keep his distance.
• A Four-Armed Marilith rushed to help the badly wounded Glabrezu commander and attacked the Hezrou.
• The Four-Armed Marilith and Glabrezu began wearing the Hezrou down while Soran waited with a Masterwork Dagger for an opening.

Soran seized his chance to kill the dying Hezrou during its attempted self-destruction, gambling his demon body for the chance to advance into a Balor. As the Hezrou’s power flowed into him, Soran’s body began to burn.

• Soran weighed the advantages of advancing into a Balor or a Marilith and decided he preferred the Balor’s teleportation abilities.
• Chaos spread across the battlefield as Yeenoghu’s reinforcements arrived and the demon legion began to collapse.
• The Four-Armed Marilith pushed the badly wounded Hezrou to the brink, and the Hezrou began to self-destruct.
• Soran charged through the flames and struck the Hezrou repeatedly with his dagger, killing it.
• The Hezrou’s self-destruction stopped as its power surged into Soran, whose body began to burn.

Soran absorbed a slain Hezrou’s blood and underwent a mutation that transformed his Dretch form into a larger Tier 2 Elite, granting him the fire-immunity talent Body of Flames. As enemies charged after witnessing his transformation, he fled to recover and learn how to handle his new body.

• Soran absorbed the Hezrou’s blood and Demonic Power, but lacked enough energy to advance into a Hezrou form.
• Soran’s Dretch form mutated into a Medium Creature and gained the Body of Flames talent, which made him immune to fire and burned nearby targets when activated.
• Soran’s transformation gave him demon horns and incomplete wings, raised him to Tier 2 and CR 8, and increased his attributes and vitality.
• Enemies charged at Soran after his advancement mutation drew attention on the battlefield.
• Soran ran from the attackers because he was injured and had not yet adjusted to his new size and abilities.

Soran witnessed the Demon Legion's apparent rout turn into a carefully planned ambush as the disciplined Succubus Legion emerged from a Teleportation Array and surrounded the gnoll army. With the Succubus Queen Malignant's forces and Divine Magic reversing the battle, Soran joined the annihilation of the enemy ranks.

• Ghouls broke the Succubus Legion's flank, and Soran retreated as the Demon Legion fell into a chaotic rout.
• The Glabrezu General turned to attack the gnoll army while a Teleportation Array brought in the disciplined Succubus Legion.
• Succubus Clerics used Divine Magic to heal the demons and raise their morale, while elite forces began surrounding the gnoll army.
• Soran recognized that Succubus Queen Malignant could grant Divine Magic and suspected her shift toward Lawful Alignment had enabled the army's discipline.
• A Radiant Nun appeared as the Succubus Legion moved to destroy the Demonic Army of the Gnoll King Yeenoghu.
• Soran activated Body of Flames and burned through the enemy's lower-ranking demons.

After helping the Succubus Legion defeat Yeenoghu’s forces, Soran was promoted to captain of the 16th Regiment and given command of more than a thousand demons. He began preparing for another Blood War, but the Iron Fortress came under a surprise night attack by Ghouls and Gnolls.

• Soran defeated a wounded Glabrezu in battle, and a Succubus Officer appointed him captain of the 16th Regiment of the Succubus Legion.
• The Succubus Legion returned to the Iron Fortress in triumph, where Soran took command of more than a thousand demons and a hostile Glabrezu lieutenant.
• Soran received orders to strengthen the fortress defenses as another Blood War threatened to begin, while the Night Hags and Hags slipped away.
• Two days later, Soran answered the battle alarm and found Yeenoghu’s Ghouls and Gnolls attacking the Iron Fortress at night.

During the battle for the Iron Fortress, Soran used his fiery appearance to lure enemy demons into attacks and advanced to a third-tier demon after killing a Glabrezu. He summoned Dretch minions and prepared to use Dominate Monster on an Abyssal Barlgura.

• Yeenoghu's army launched a surprise attack on the Iron Fortress, and Abyssal Gnolls climbed its walls while the defenders fought in disarray.
• Soran's Glabrezu deputy charged into the enemy ranks and was killed, while demons on both sides recklessly leaped into the opposing forces.
• Soran activated Body of Flames, jumped down from the wall, and drew several enemy demons after him with his Taunt.
• Soran killed another Glabrezu, reached CR 10, advanced to the third tier, and gained the Dominate Monster ability and an improved Summon Demon ability.
• Soran summoned three Dretches and chose an Abyssal Barlgura as a potential target for Dominate Monster.

The chapter described Broken Realm Town, a rare center of Order in the Abyss ruled by Red Shroud, and its strategic importance in the Blood War. It left the Devils preparing to fight the Succubus Queen as forces across the Abyss and Baator explored changing the laws of their realms.

• Red Shroud ruled Broken Realm Town, where fortifications, peacekeepers, and trade maintained order amid the Abyss.
• The Devils used the Blood War Fortress as a bridgehead and sought to conquer key sites, including Broken Realm Town, to turn the Plains of Infinite Portals toward Order.
• The Devils prepared for a major battle against the Succubus Queen, whose disciplined forces and refusal to submit to Asmodeus made her a dangerous enemy.
• Red Shroud oversaw Broken Realm Town and the mustering of troops, while the Succubus Queen's other daughters, the Radiant Nuns, administered the Succubus Legion's Iron Fortresses.
• The Succubus Queen, Malignant, and the Spider Queen, Lolth, openly pursued changes to their realms' alignments as other Evil Gods studied how to alter planar laws.

Soran lured demons into attacks on the City Wall until he accumulated enough Demonic Bloodline to advance from a Dretch into a Hezrou. He tested his new Flame Whip and returned to battle, ready to fight Mid-tier Demons one-on-one.

• Soran used Body of Flames to draw demons away from the battlefield, then had his followers surround them while he delivered the finishing blows.
• Soran killed a Glabrezu and reached the threshold for a bloodline breakthrough.
• Soran's Dretch form mutated into a Hezrou, enhancing his abilities and granting him the innate Flame Whip.
• Soran formed a Flame Whip and used it to drag a Vrock from the City Wall before attacking it with his whip and longsword.

Soran killed a Mid-tier Vrock, advanced to CR 13, and used his new Fireball ability as the battle for Iron Fortress continued. When Abyssal Minotaurs attacked the Gnoll army from behind, the Succubus Legion counterattacked, and Soran led lesser Demons against the fleeing enemy.

• Soran slew a Mid-tier Vrock, gained new abilities and feats, and advanced his Hezrou form to CR 13.
• Soran hurled a Fireball into the crowded battlefield while conserving strength and picking off wounded enemies.
• Abyssal Minotaurs loyal to Baphomet attacked the Gnoll army from the rear and began routing its forces.
• The Succubus Commander ordered a counterattack, sending Chasmes, Glbrezus, and Nalfeshnees into the enemy ranks.
• Soran activated Body of Flames and led lesser Demons around the Gnoll army's flank to attack.

The Eye of the North approved Port Nyanzaru’s unusually large order for heavy supernatural weapons, prioritizing the Witches’ Council’s profits and plans to fund three Wizard Towers. As Port Nyanzaru prepared to expand against nearby native tribes, other factions watched anxiously, wary of the city’s growing power.

• A witch presented the Eye of the North with records showing that trade with Port Nyanzaru had earned the Witches’ Council around three hundred thousand gold dalers in the first half of the year.
• The witch showed the Eye of the North Port Nyanzaru’s second-half weapons order, which nearly doubled in size and shifted toward heavy weapons.
• The Eye of the North approved the order, directed the arsenals to increase production, and allocated funds for three basic Wizard Towers.
• The Eye of the North said she would arrive a day early for Port Nyanzaru’s ceremony and wondered about Goria’s progress as she sensed a looming disaster and the Gods’ avatars among mortals.
• Port Nyanzaru’s soldiers prepared for a campaign of expansion, and anxious factions relaxed when they learned the city would target nearby native tribes.

Soren expanded Port Nyanzaru’s military preparations and began a campaign to clear native settlements around the city, personally destroying a Totem Spirit. As Port Nyanzaru’s military parade approached, reports of the Goddess of Joy’s Avatar and newly appearing Liches unsettled the wider region.

• Steven received a shipment of heavy two-handed weapons and stored them in Port Nyanzaru on Soren’s orders.
• Soren destroyed a Totem Spirit and ordered his forces to capture survivors for labor while clearing the native settlement.
• Soren planned to eliminate or relocate native tribes within a hundred kilometers of Port Nyanzaru over the next six months.
• Soren returned to Port Nyanzaru by Teleportation and resumed studying and training.
• Reports of the Goddess of Joy’s Avatar and Liches appearing across the Material Plane heightened concern among kingdoms and the Elven Race.

Soran fought through the Blood War, grew stronger by killing Demons, and earned another promotion from the Succubus Officer. The enemy retreated, leaving the rival Demon Lord armies to resume their uneasy balance of power.

• Soran killed a wounded Vrock with his Flame Whip and gained Demonic Power, Slaughter Experience, and improved abilities as his CR rose to 14.
• Soran avoided High-tier Demons and pursued the retreating enemy along the battlefield’s flank, killing stragglers and nearing an Elite Hezrou form.
• The enemy escaped, and the Minotaurs briefly clashed with the Succubus Legion before their Chieftain pulled them away.
• The Succubus Officer praised Soran, put him in charge of a section of the Barracks, and invited him to her tent that night.

Soran and the Succubus Legion joined a massive demonic army in the Blood War, where scarce supplies and forced recruitment signaled enormous casualties. When the devils marched out of their fortress to face a vastly larger force, Soran began looking for a way to escape.

• Malignant ordered the Succubus Legion to join the Blood War, with her daughters leading an assault against a devil-held fortress.
• Soran's army marched to the battlefield, losing many Low-Tier Demons to desertion along the way.
• Soran saw that the assembled demonic host had too few supplies to sustain its nearly million troops.
• The demons began a battle of attrition, sending waves of cannon fodder toward the fortress while Soran's battered unit stayed back.
• The devils opened the fortress gates and formed ranks on the plain despite being outnumbered more than ten to one.
• Soran doubted the demons could win and began searching for a chance to flee.

Soran observed the Devil Legion use discipline, fear, and fire to devastate the demon army in the Blood War. As the elite devils spread out and Hellfire appeared, Soran's army received orders to flank and destroy a small devil detachment.

• Soran watched Bone Devils divide the demon horde with walls of ice and rout low-tier demons with their Fear Auras.
• The devils set the battlefield ablaze, slaughtering undead and demon foot soldiers while the Demon Warlords cut down fleeing troops.
• Glabrezus, Vrocks, Barlguras, and other stronger demons joined the battle as the Devil Legion's elite forces held position.
• The Devil Legion spread its flanks, sent mid- and high-tier devils into the air, and unleashed Hellfire across the battlefield.
• Soran's army received orders to advance around the flank and try to destroy a small devil detachment.

Soran’s Demon Legion struggled against the coordinated Devil Legion, while he discovered that killing devils granted him unusually large amounts of power. When a Hamatula teleported behind him and attacked, Soran revealed his true Hezrou Form.

• Chain Devils used Cowering Gaze and coordinated attacks to rout many of Soran’s Dretches while flames ravaged the battlefield.
• Soran killed a Chain Devil with his Flame Whip and Longsword, gaining Soul Energy that strengthened his Hezrou form.
• A Dretch killed a wounded Chain Devil and advanced straight into a Balgura, but a Hamatula cleaved the newly transformed demon in two.
• A Hamatula used Greater Teleport to appear behind Soran and strike at him with its cleaver.
• Soran revealed his true Hezrou Form as the Devil Legion tried to behead him.

Soran was trapped by Hamatulas and Chain Devils who targeted him as the key to breaking the demon army, but he fought through the encirclement and gained a new ability. The chapter ended with Fear Gaze giving him a chance to turn the fight against the three remaining Hamatulas.

• The devils surrounded Soran with Hamatulas and Chain Devils, cutting off his escape routes as they tried to kill him.
• Soran used his Flame Whip and Vorpal Sword to kill the weakest Hamatula and break through part of the encirclement.
• A Chain Devil caught Soran with its chains, but Soran killed it despite taking a serious slash across his back.
• Soran absorbed the Chain Devil's Soul Energy and gained Cowering Gaze, which transformed into Fear Gaze when Soul Power from his true body flowed in.
• Soran used Fear Gaze to freeze the Hamatulas and beheaded another one, leaving him to face three remaining Hamatulas with a possible advantage.