Chapter Summaries

A yugoloth learned that Soran’s mysterious Demon Hunter was a newly created demon who enforced the Demon Lord’s rule through tracking and assassination. Impressed by Soran’s growing power, the yugoloth considered backing him more strongly, while Soran remained a Lesser Demon Lord seeking control of the third layer.

• Renaliss asked the Demon Hunter whether his assignment was complete, and he reported that everyone had been executed before leaving to report to Soran.
• A yugoloth asked a rutterkin about the stern-faced demon, and the rutterkin identified him as the Demon Hunter, one of Soran’s right-hand men.
• The rutterkin explained that the Demon Hunter tracked and executed disobedient demons and spies, using stealth, assassination, and a strange flame in battle.
• The yugoloth concluded that Soran could create new kinds of demons and considered investing more in him.
• The chapter noted that Soran remained a Lesser Demon Lord and needed to unify the Realm of the Forgottens to control the third layer.

Clediana arrived in the Realm of the Forgottens with a Succubus Legion, seeking the missing Succubus Queen, Malignant, and planning to visit Red Shroud. After learning that Soran had risen as a new Demon Lord there, she ordered her followers to try to win him over.

• Gurumba Arena and the town around it grew under Soran's rule, earning comparisons to Red Shroud's Broken Realm Town.
• Clediana's Chaos Ship arrived at the ferry landing in the Realm of the Forgottens with high-ranking succubi and other demons.
• Clediana told the succubus leaders to gather and said she needed to visit Red Shroud because Malignant had disappeared.
• A succubus leader warned Clediana about Yeenoghu's legions and told her that Soran, the Headhunter, had recently become a ruthless Demon Lord.
• Clediana ordered her followers to make contact with Soran and try to win him over.

Soran prepared for the Gurumba Arena’s upcoming death combat while continuing to build his strength in the magma pool. The high-tier succubus who had been staying with him revealed herself as Malignant, the Succubus Queen, and weighed whether to pursue her plans despite being unable to use her divine power.

• Devils learned of Soran’s death combat invitation and saw victory as a chance to gain prestige and advancement.
• Soran left a high-tier succubus in the grand hall, ordered a maid to clean up, and summoned Hezrou-Carter before heading to the magma pool.
• The high-tier succubus worried that her stay had disrupted her plans to reach the Material Plane and considered recruiting Soran after the crisis.
• The succubus revealed that she was Malignant, the Succubus Queen, barred from her God’s Realm since the Time of Troubles.
• Malignant debated whether to continue hiding her identity or act as the Succubus Queen, concerned that without divine power she could not confidently enslave Soran.

Malignant considered using a witch she had marked as a pawn while Soran suspected that the succubus staying beside his Demon Avatar might be the missing Succubus Queen. He chose to watch her and continued preparing for a future assault on the Demon Lord of Fear’s God’s Realm.

• Malignant decided she might use the witch whose soul bore her personal mark.
• Soran absorbed power from the magma and wondered whether the succubus near him was Malignant, the Succubus Queen.
• Soran considered why Malignant would hide beside him and concluded that she was likely plotting something.
• Soran decided to watch and wait, seeing the Succubus Queen as a possible asset despite the risk to his Demon Avatar.
• Soran’s plans remained focused on destroying the Demon Lord of Fear’s God’s Realm and Throne so Vivian could inherit the [Fear] portfolio without risk of his return.

Soren oversaw Port Nyanzaru’s costly underground ley line project while studying epic spells and the War Chess Plane. With the first phase of the floating city plan progressing, he prepared to test his revised trials the next day.

• Soren considered how he might rest after surviving the Time of Troubles, but continued managing Port Nyanzaru’s renovation and other duties.
• Soren and Goria estimated that unifying Port Nyanzaru’s ley line network would cost roughly thirty million Gold Dalers.
• Soren funded the first phase with wealth from the Abyss, the Shadow Church, Port Nyanzaru’s treasury, and Treasure Island, while judging the temple-building second phase unaffordable for now.
• Soren studied ninth-circle and epic spells, including [Time Stop] and [Wail of the Banshee], but had not yet mastered them.
• Soren modified some trials in the War Chess Plane and planned to test them the next day with a high-level professional.

Soren and Goria considered how to fund the Floating City project and discussed building Airships to revive trade. They planned experiments and possible cooperation with Arendelle and the Northern Witches Council, while leaving the project’s expansion dependent on costs and Arendelle’s response.

• Soren realized that Goria and the Fallen Witch’s research and the Floating City project were draining his finances, so he considered seeking support from Arendelle.
• Goria showed Soren an Arcane Empire blueprint for Airships and proposed converting ships to improve trade between the South Coast and Arendelle.
• Goria estimated that each Airship would cost over fifteen thousand Gold Dalers to build and could be sold for over thirty thousand, with maintenance providing further income.
• Soren supported the idea and proposed testing Airships, converting Port Nyanzaru’s vessels, and contacting the Church of Fortune and the Northern Witches Council.
• Goria warned that high operating costs made Airships unsuitable for ordinary cargo, and Soren decided to focus on strategic supplies and scarce goods before judging Arendelle’s response.

George, Haruk, and a drow warrior were sent into a realistic illusion as a trial ordered by Lord Soren. The three took separate routes to meet a simulated demon invasion, while an unseen figure unleashed a vast Demon Legion against them.

• George arrived at the barracks and met Haruk and a drow warrior, the other two candidates selected for the mission.
• A member of the Church's Adjudication Office led the candidates to the Laboratory's forbidden grounds, where a Northern Witch explained the trial and activated the illusion.
• The candidates appeared in a vast canyon and received orders from an armored general to lead squads along three routes against the approaching demons.
• Haruk took the left route, the drow warrior chose the right, and George headed along the central route with his squad.
• An unseen figure used Alter Reality to create portals and send thousands of dretches, barlguras, and glabrezus toward the military camp.

George led his troops into battle against a group of hags, while Haruk’s force was wiped out by a deadly Cloudkill spell and he died in the trial. Soren observed the failure and discovered that slaughter within the War Chess Plane had generated a small amount of power through his [Slaughter] domain.

• George spotted approaching hags and ordered his soldiers to charge before they could cast freely.
• Haruk and his soldiers were overwhelmed by Cloudkill and surrounded by demons and night hags, and Haruk died.
• The trial announced Haruk’s death and began teleporting him out of the battlefield, startling George and the drow warrior.
• Soren judged Haruk’s tactics and spellcaster awareness inadequate for training as an officer.
• Soren noticed that a trace of Haruk’s soul energy reached him and that the battle had produced a small amount of power of slaughter.

Haruk emerged from Soren’s War Chess Demiplane trial shaken by his simulated death and reflected on his failures in combat. As the drow warrior also died in his trial, Soren discovered that a trial taker’s death granted him the power of slaughter, bringing him closer to understanding the slaughter domain’s transformation.

• Haruk revived in the War Chess Demiplane, realized his force had been wiped out by Cloudkill and demons, and reflected on his reckless tactics and weakness against spellcasters.
• Haruk felt mentally and spiritually exhausted after the realistic trial, but recognized that his experience had exposed flaws he needed to overcome.
• Soren observed Haruk’s soul energy being absorbed by the trial, with a small portion flowing to him, and considered how mortal soul research had angered the Gods.
• Soren compared the drow warrior’s combat skill with George’s command ability as their trials continued.
• The drow warrior died at a glabrezu’s hands, and Soren received a trace of the power of slaughter, realizing that a trial taker’s death could generate it.

Soren realized that the War Chess Plane trial could generate power of slaughter from participants’ simulated deaths, potentially giving him a scalable source of divine power and an outlet for people’s aggression. He considered expanding the trial but concluded that he needed Goria and the Fallen Witch to solve its technical limitations.

• Soren recognized that trial takers’ minds experienced death as real, allowing the trial to produce power of slaughter that he could collect.
• Soren imagined expanding the trial into a large virtual-reality system that could strengthen his divine power while easing violence in Port Nyanzaru.
• Soren realized that expanding the trial required advanced alchemy, a powerful tower spirit, and more interfaces for the War Chess Plane network.
• Soren considered asking Goria and the Fallen Witch to reproduce and miniaturize the devices that linked participants to the illusion.
• Soren contemplated connecting the War Chess Demiplane to his God's Realm and the faith network, but recognized that doing so could endanger the Weave and alert the Goddess of Magic.

Soren studied the power generated by deaths in the War Chess Plane and considered using it to train ordinary Warriors safely. He also learned that airship travel remained costly, but planned a trial run to Arendelle and looked to the Church of Fortune for funding.

• After the three Trial Takers died, Soren shut down the War Chess trials and found that their deaths generated power, then considered testing battles between Trial Takers and improving their safety.
• Soren considered using the War Chess Plane to help ordinary Warriors gain combat experience and advance, with subsidies and training in Port Nyanzaru.
• Soren reviewed the three Trial Takers' performances and took special note of George, who had fought on after losing his soldiers and defeated many demons.
• Goria told Soren that the airship was nearly ready, but a round trip between Arendelle and Port Nyanzaru would cost about two thousand Gold Dalers in resources.
• Soren planned to travel to Arendelle and asked Goria to prepare three airships for a trial shipment from the Northern Witches Council.
• Goria said the Church of Fortune had shown interest, and Soren considered seeking its support because he needed substantial funding.

Soren and Goria earned a huge sum by selling Airships to powerful buyers, while planning to focus on thorium before rivals copied their designs. A report from the High Priest revealed that Pirate Isle was inhabited by Kuo-toa and surrounded by strange magical restrictions that might be connected to the Anti-Magic Prison.

• Merchants and powerful organizations showed strong interest in Port Nyanzaru's Airships, and Soren and Goria doubled the price to sixty thousand Gold Dalers per ship.
• The Northern Witches Council, Wizard Union, Arendelle's nobles, the Southern Duchy, Eastern Realm merchant associations, the Duchy of Rosado's merchants, and the Church of Fortune placed Airship orders.
• Goria warned Soren that the Northern Witches Council and Wizard Union would soon copy the Airships, so Port Nyanzaru should focus on producing thorium for the Floating Rings.
• The High Priest reported that her party had defeated ocean behemoths and reached Pirate Isle, but had not landed because Kuo-toa inhabited the island.
• The High Priest sensed magical restrictions near Pirate Isle that resembled a Mythal and suspected they were caused by the Anti-Magic Prison.

Soren learned that the Council of Mages had used mythal technology to monitor spellcasting and considered how he might obtain it for Port Nyanzaru. As war between the elves and orcs approached, he also heard that the Church of Radiance was moving against the Red Dragon Duchess, giving him time to consider a trip to the Astral Plane.

• Soren passed the High Priest’s report about the Anti-Magic Prison to Goria, who was interested in the Council of Mages’ mythal technology.
• Soren reviewed reports of elven forces gathering near the Orc Kingdom and decided not to intervene in the coming war.
• A half-elf rogue told Soren that the Church of Radiance was accusing the Red Dragon Duchess of following devils and had stirred anxiety in the Duchy of Rosado.
• Soren revealed that he had spread the information about the Duchess’s ties to devils and expected the Church of Radiance’s actions to delay the devils’ plans.
• Soren considered traveling to the Astral Plane to seek its treasures, including an ancient god corpse.

Soren reflected on the ancient gods, the origins of Asmodeus, and the history of the Multiverse before remembering an ancient record about Yeenoghu. He realized that Yeenoghu’s territory held a nearly dead obyrith demon whose power might help him investigate the ancient gods.

• Soren considered the ancient gods, the generations of deities, and the planes they had created.
• Soren remembered the secret of Yeenoghu and searched through ancient books for a record about him.
• Soren found an account of Bachar, an ancient obyrith demon trapped in the Abyss and visited by Yeenoghu.
• Soren realized Bachar retained great power and considered seizing it to prepare for exploring the ancient gods’ corpses.

Soren and Goria sold Airships to merchants and powerful organizations, bringing Port Nyanzaru a huge influx of money and plans for future expansion. Meanwhile, the High Priest’s expedition reached Pirate Isle and reported that the island was inhabited by kuo-toa and surrounded by a magical restriction that might be connected to the Anti-Magic Prison.

• Soren and Goria doubled the price of Airships after merchants and organizations showed strong interest, and Port Nyanzaru received orders worth nearly eight hundred thousand Gold Dalers in profit.
• Goria warned Soren that the Northern Witches Council and Wizard Union would soon copy the Airship design, so Port Nyanzaru would need to focus on selling thorium.
• The High Priest told Soren that the expedition had defeated ocean behemoths and reached Pirate Isle, where kuo-toa had made their habitat.
• The High Priest reported sensing a magical restriction near Pirate Isle that could hinder low-level spellcasters and might have been caused by the Anti-Magic Prison.

Soren learned that the Council of Mages had developed mythal technology to monitor spellcasting and considered how it could benefit Port Nyanzaru. As war between the elves and orcs neared, he chose not to intervene and focused on delaying the devils’ plans before planning a trip to the Astral Plane.

• Soren received the High Priest’s message about the Anti-Magic Prison and shared the Council of Mages’ mythal technology with Goria and the Fallen Witch.
• Soren reviewed reports of elven troop movements and decided not to intervene in the impending war between the Orc Pantheon and the Elven Pantheon.
• A half-elf rogue told Soren that the Church of Radiance had entered the Duchy of Rosado to accuse the Red Dragon Duchess of serving devils.
• Soren revealed that he had spread the information about the Red Dragon Duchess and hoped the Church of Radiance would hinder her and delay the devils’ plans.
• Soren considered traveling to the Astral Plane to seek its treasures, including an ancient god corpse.

Soren researched the ancient gods and the origins of Asmodeus, then remembered an ancient demon hidden in Yeenoghu’s territory. He realized the nearly dead obyrith might hold enough power to help him explore the corpses of ancient gods.

• Soren studied the ancient gods, the generations of deities, and the multiverse’s planes.
• Soren recalled that ancient gods had created the planes and died at the hands of an ancient species of demons.
• Soren remembered the secret of the Gnoll God—Yeenoghu—and searched ancient books for records about him.
• Soren found a record describing Bachar, an ancient obyrith demon stranded on the 422nd Layer of the Abyss.
• Soren realized that Bachar might possess medium or greater divinity and considered seizing his remaining power.

The Weave and Deity Network vanished across the Material Plane, leaving spellcasters unable to cast and weakening the gods. Soren helped restore divine magic for his followers and prepared Goria to adapt, but the Fallen Witch revealed that the Shadow Weave had disappeared too, raising the possibility that the Goddess of Magic and the Lady of Night had clashed.

• The elves and orcs fought a war with no victor, while reports of the rival avatars of the Goddesses of Fortune and Misfortune spread.
• In May, the Weave and Deity Network vanished, preventing spellcasters across the Material Plane from using magic.
• Soren reconnected to the faith of Port Nyanzaru and used his divine power to grant magic to his worshippers.
• Goria told Soren that the Goddess of Magic was in trouble, and Soren urged her to adapt to casting spells without the Weave.
• The Fallen Witch reported that the Shadow Weave had vanished as well, leading Soren to suspect that the Lady of Night was also involved.

The Weave and Shadow Weave collapsed, leaving spellcasters across the world unable to use most magic and prompting unrest, lockdowns, and a search for ways to cast without them. As scattered wizards sought refuge in Port Nyanzaru, major spellcaster organizations agreed to share arcanist knowledge and work together.

• The collapse of the Weave and Shadow Weave left spellcasters and clerics across the Underdark unable to use magic, and riots broke out in Drow cities.
• After three days without answering prayers, Lolth reconnected with her worshippers, and her priestesses used divine magic to suppress the riots and seize control.
• The Northern Witches Council, the Wizard Union, and Port Nyanzaru restricted access and began adapting spellcasters to control magical energy without the Weave.
• Goria's coven expanded as hundreds of scattered wizards arrived in Port Nyanzaru seeking protection and placed themselves under Saruman's command.
• The Northern Witches Council, the Arendelle Ice Witches' Coven, the Port Nyanzaru wizards' coven, and the Wizard Union agreed to share knowledge and seek a solution together.

After the Weave collapsed, Soren and Goria assessed how spellcasters could regain their abilities without spell slots. They concluded that most wizards would need to relearn spells through practice, while the future of magic depended on whether the Weave could be restored or replaced.

• Soren learned that Carola had regained only Magic Missile but could cast it over thirty times, showing that his trained ability and mana remained after the Weave's collapse.
• Goria explained that wizards would have to repeatedly practice their most familiar spells, and many would struggle to learn new ones or master more than a few.
• The Fallen Witch reported that Archmages had largely retained their abilities but needed to re-memorize their spells once.
• Goria said spellcasting had become more flexible without spell slots, though spellcasters could cast about 30% fewer spells overall and still needed combat tests to measure their strength.
• Goria estimated that most spellcasters could regain some combat ability in about a month, while some might be limited to cantrips; Soren warned that wizard numbers would decline unless the Weave was restored or replaced.