Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xu searched for a way to summon the Goddess of Magic’s power without a holy token or time for a ritual. As Graz'zt prepared to kill him, Zhao Xu realized his memory of Sisylvina could provide what he needed and called her name.

• Lux explained that a divine statue or another likeness could serve as a vessel for divine power, but Zhao Xu lacked the time and skill to make one.
• Lux proposed using an illusion of the Goddess and a token to bridge the real and unreal, and Zhao Xu realized his encounter with Sisylvina could give his illusion spiritual resemblance.
• Graz'zt pressed Zhao Xu for an answer and threatened to destroy him, while Lux said she would become a divine artifact if necessary.
• As Graz'zt's projection swelled into a demonic form, Zhao Xu returned to the state of a devout Cleric during Morning Prayer and asked Lux whether he needed something closer to a god than an illusion.
• Zhao Xu grinned at Graz'zt and called out, "Sisylvina!"

Zhao Xu used Seal of the Deities to drive away Graz'zt, then realized the divine power behind the image had drawn Sislvina herself before him. Sislvina greeted him as he stood overwhelmed by her presence.

• Zhao Xu cast Seal of the Deities, surrounding himself with an image of Sislvina that made Graz'zt halt his attack and withdraw.
• The elevator and the oppressive Abyssal aura returned to normal, leaving Zhao Xu and Lux to wonder why Graz'zt had fled.
• Lux told Zhao Xu a legend that Sislvina had once summoned and imprisoned Graz'zt on Arthur's Prime Material Plane.
• Lux abruptly fell silent, and Zhao Xu watched the illusion collapse before gathering into a radiant figure.
• Sislvina appeared before Zhao Xu, who closed his eyes as her beauty overwhelmed him, and she greeted him.

Sisylvina protected Zhao Xu from Graz'zt and warned him to beware of Asmodeus before he logged out. Back in his dorm, Zhao Xu reviewed for exams and learned that Starfall Town was seeking approval for a Mage Association branch.

• Sisylvina told Zhao Xu that Graz'zt would not target him before he became Legendary and promised to issue a divine oracle about the demon's interception.
• Sisylvina explained that Zhao Xu could leave by logging out, then warned him to be careful of Asmodeus as he disappeared.
• Zhao Xu returned to his dorm, printed review materials, and found that his enhanced Intelligence let him study and solve questions with ease.
• Zhang Qi told Zhao Xu that Starfall Town had applied to establish a Mage Association branch and asked him to find out whether it would be approved.
• Zhao Xu told Zhang Qi that Starfall Town would establish a Mage Association branch.

Zhao Xu merged his third notebook with the first two and began using the resulting spellbook to advance to Level 6. When he struggled to gather enough foundation for the breakthrough, Antinoa told him to spend all his Potential Points and cast Wish Spell as he passed out.

• Zhao Xu watched the Mystra forums and continued his routine of studying and training while the city entered winter and players speculated that Starry Reflection had disappeared.
• After copying the third notebook’s contents, Zhao Xu merged it with the first two and identified the result as Midsummer’s Spellbook, completed to 3/7.
• Zhao Xu read the spellbook and absorbed its insights, but found that his foundation was insufficient to complete the Level 6 advancement he wanted.
• Antinoa appeared behind Zhao Xu and told him to burn through all his Potential Points.
• Zhao Xu activated and spent every remaining Potential Point, then lost consciousness as Antinoa cast Wish Spell.

Zhao Xu advanced to level 6 and thanked Antinoa for helping him, then asked why he had never seen her face. Antinoa explained that her cloak concealed her appearance, and as he left, she revealed her youthful face to him.

• Zhao Xu reached level 6 and gained new class abilities, while Antinoa advised him to keep teaching and take short missions before leaving Mystra.
• Antinoa told Zhao Xu to return after he reached level 7 and became a Four-Ring Mage outside Mystra.
• Zhao Xu asked Antinoa whether she considered him her disciple and why she had always hidden her face.
• Antinoa explained that her cloak blocked all sight and that she wore it to avoid others pointing fingers at her.
• As Zhao Xu left for class, Antinoa called him back and revealed her face, which he memorized.

After returning to Mystra, Zhao Xu examined his new dual advancement and discovered how Archmage of Arcane Shaping’s Metamagic Mastery could power his spells through Attribute Damage. He found that Energy Protection made him immune to that damage, letting him cast a Spell Endurance-enhanced Ghost Strike that lasted 24 hours.

• Zhao Xu returned from the teleportation gate, struggled to reconcile Antinoa’s youthful appearance with his image of her as his Mentor, and cleared his head with Prestidigitation.
• Zhao Xu reviewed his advancement: his arcane Caster Level had reached Level 6, and his divine progression gave him access to Three-Ring Divine Spells.
• Zhao Xu confirmed that he met the prerequisites for Archmage of Arcane Shaping and examined its Metamagic Mastery ability, which let him apply metamagic by taking Attribute Damage.
• Zhao Xu prepared Three-Ring Divine Spells in the Sacred Heart Cathedral and cast Energy Protection on himself, gaining immunity to Attribute Damage and Drain for seven minutes.
• Zhao Xu used Metamagic Mastery to apply Spell Endurance to Ghost Strike, and Energy Protection blocked the resulting Constitution Damage, extending the spell’s duration to 24 hours.

Zhao Xu tested his new class abilities, learned how the Spell Guardian prestige class fit his build, and advanced to level 6. While heading to buy spell materials, he found Zheng Xinyun and several apprentice Clerics gathered around an unconscious woman, and asked what had happened.

• Zhao Xu tested the limits of Metamagic Mastery and concluded that Energy Protection let him use the ability up to six times before he needed to refresh the spell.
• Zhao Xu examined the Spell Guardian prerequisites and realized his Cleric and Monastic Priest levels had been arranged to qualify him for the prestige class.
• Zhao Xu considered how the Spell Guardian's later Supernatural Spell ability could bypass Spell Resistance, though at first level he had only gained Extend Specific Spell.
• Zhao Xu advanced to level 6, gained access to third-ring Divine Spells, and left Sacred Heart Cathedral to replenish his spell materials.
• Zhao Xu sensed Zheng Xinyun's faith in a nearby alley and found her and other apprentice Clerics trying to revive an unconscious, emaciated middle-aged woman.
• Zhao Xu crouched beside the woman and asked Zheng Xinyun what had happened.

Zhao Xu encountered an unconscious woman suffering from Demon Fever and explained why Clerics could not be expected to heal everyone they met. After Zheng Xinyun insisted on helping her, Zhao Xu used Remove Disease to save her and urged the apprentice Clerics to help whenever they had the ability.

• Zheng Xinyun identified the unconscious woman's illness as Demon Fever from her emaciation and infected bite wound.
• Zhao Xu explained that Demon Fever caused recurring Constitution loss and that the church centrally prioritized Divine Spell treatment, so nearby people could not demand he help.
• Zheng Xinyun offered to pay for the woman's medical care, and Bu Feng agreed to share the cost.
• Zheng Xinyun said she felt obliged to help people in need, and Zhao Xu told her to put the woman down so he could save her.
• Zhao Xu cast the Three-Ring Divine Spell Remove Disease on the woman's bite wound and told the apprentice Clerics to save people whenever they could.

Zhao Xu cured a woman’s Demon Fever with Remove Disease but explained that her permanent Constitution drain still left her dangerously ill. He arranged a Restoration spell through the church, then Zheng Xinyun approached him with an unstated request.

• Zhao Xu used Remove Disease to cure the middle-aged woman’s illnesses, and Zheng Xinyun confirmed that her Demon Fever was gone.
• Zhao Xu explained that the spell could not restore the woman’s permanently drained Constitution, leaving her weak and unable to resist illness.
• Zhao Xu taught the apprentice Clerics about spell limits and the consequences of helping others, then promised to arrange a Restoration spell at his expense.
• Zhao Xu’s church connections secured the woman’s Restoration without a wait, and he withdrew from her later expressions of gratitude.
• Zheng Xinyun approached Zhao Xu and asked if he knew why she had come.

Zhao Xu identified Zheng Xinyun’s ring as a valuable Ring of Silence and agreed to take her to confront the Old Hag. Before they left, Zheng Xinyun’s friends told them that Starry Reflection had reached level 6 as a Wizard 5/Advanced Profession 1, and Zhao Xu called her advanced class absurdly strong.

• Zheng Xinyun told Zhao Xu that an Old Hag had bitten a woman and demanded her ring in exchange for lifting the Demon Fever curse.
• The woman gave Zhao Xu the ring, and he identified it as a Ring of Silence that could suppress verbal components for three spells each day.
• Zhao Xu reassured Zheng Xinyun that the woman was safe in Mystra and invited her to accompany him to confront the Old Hag for its Heart Stone.
• Zheng Xinyun’s friends reported that Starry Reflection had become a level 6 Wizard with an Advanced Profession.
• Zhao Xu explained that Advanced Professions required prerequisites and described Starry Reflection’s class as absurdly strong.

Zhao Xu explained the strength of advanced spellcasting professions, arranged for Zheng Xinyun to accompany him, and contacted Eliton with a hidden spell. The three met outside Mystra to prepare for a confrontation with the Old Hag.

• Zhao Xu explained to Zheng Xinyun and the apprentice Clerics how multiclassing could weaken a spellcaster’s abilities, then asked Zheng Xinyun to confirm their plans with the others.
• Zhao Xu reflected on Zheng Xinyun’s growing faith and decided to bring his chosen follower, Eliton, into the coming contact with the Old Hag.
• Zhao Xu used the sand-based Sand Whisper spell to contact Eliton, who received his instructions and realized his chance to take part in another legend had arrived.
• Zheng Xinyun and Eliton met Zhao Xu outside Mystra, where Zhao Xu noted Zheng Xinyun’s Chain Shirt and began briefing them for the encounter.

On the way to Frost Dew Town, Zhao Xu raised his Caster Level to 12 and prepared Zheng Xinyun and Eliton for their encounter with the Old Hag. He left them with several ways to defend against the Hag’s Magic Missile.

• Zhao Xu used Body Sacrifice with Spell Endurance to raise his Caster Level from 8 to 12 for 24 hours, then restored his damaged attributes with Lesser Restoration.
• Zhao Xu cast Mass Mage Armor on himself, Zheng Xinyun, and Eliton, giving them invisible armor for 12 hours.
• Zhao Xu explained that the Old Hag had a powerful melee bite and Spell-like Abilities including Ray of Enfeeblement, Magic Missile, and Sleep.
• Zhao Xu gave Zheng Xinyun and Eliton a Shield scroll, a Shield Brooch, a Staff of Protection, and information about Lesser Spell Immunity to protect them from Magic Missile.

Zhao Xu had Eliton and Zheng Xinyun choose protections against the Old Hag’s Magic Missiles, then prepared them for the coming fight. As their carriage traveled toward Frost Dew Town, the driver reported rumors of hauntings and fewer travelers.

• Zhao Xu explained the Shield Brooch, Staff of Protection, Lesser Spell Immunity sheet, and divine Shield scroll, and asked Eliton and Zheng Xinyun to choose a method of protection.
• Eliton chose the divine scroll of Shield, while Zheng Xinyun chose Lesser Spell Immunity after reasoning that its duration would better cover their encounter with the Old Hag.
• Zhao Xu decided to cast Lesser Spell Immunity on them near their destination and told them to wear the Shield Brooches as well.
• Zhao Xu noticed that the post road was unusually quiet, and the driver mentioned rumors of hauntings in Frost Dew Town and a decline in merchant traffic.
• Zhao Xu signaled for his Soul Prisoner Demon Undead Creature to move closer.

Zhao Xu and his companions discovered the Black Wolf Cavalry trying to seize Lady Betty and her son, Webster, amid a dispute over control of the Bauhinia Merchant Guild. As Zhao Xu ordered their carriage to leave when reinforcements arrived, an arrow struck their carriage and the cavalry commander demanded they pay for having watched the confrontation.

• Zhao Xu sent the coachman toward cries for help, and the group found Lady Betty and Webster surrounded by the Black Wolf Cavalry.
• Eliton recognized Lady Betty as connected to the Bauhinia Merchant Guild, and Zhao Xu pieced together that Abel's eldest son, Harry, had hired the cavalry to capture his younger brother.
• Zheng Xinyun asked whether they should help, while Eliton reasoned that Lady Betty was likely waiting for reinforcements.
• Zhao Xu concluded that the incoming forces would not help Lady Betty and ordered the coachman to retreat when elite cavalry arrived from Frost Dew Town.
• An arrow pierced Zhao Xu's carriage, and the Black Wolf Cavalry commander demanded that the group hand something over before leaving.

Zhao Xu uncovered a plot to kill witnesses and used two spells to stop the cavalry companies sent against him. He left Rupert trapped in a web and threatened with fire while demanding to know what spell he should cast next.

• Zhao Xu realized Rupert’s cavalry intended to silence witnesses and kill Webster, Abel’s second son.
• Betty ordered her guards and Chuck to support Zhao Xu’s carriage, even though she and her son remained surrounded.
• Zhao Xu trapped Rupert’s cavalry company in a Web Spell, then Modell ordered the elite cavalry to capture him.
• Zhao Xu engulfed the elite cavalry in a Stinking Cloud Spell, leaving them nauseated and unable to fight.
• Zhao Xu approached the trapped Rupert with a burning tinderbox, and Rupert pleaded to negotiate with the forces behind him.

Zhao Xu subdued Rupert’s cavalry with two spells and learned that Lady Betty recognized him as a high-ranking priest of the Goddess. When Lady Betty hesitated over Rupert’s appeal to the powerful Finn family, she asked Zhao Xu for an impertinent favor.

• Zhao Xu left Rupert’s plea unanswered while the cavalrymen recovered from his spells and remained too frightened to act.
• Lady Betty approached Zhao Xu with her son and thanked him for saving them, believing his priestly robes marked him as a high-ranking Goddess Priest.
• Lady Betty realized Zhao Xu could cast arcane spells while wearing clergy robes and became eager to befriend him.
• Rupert asked Zhao Xu to spare the cavalry for Mr. Qiluo’s sake, and Eliton explained that Qiluo served the powerful Finn family.
• Zhao Xu asked Lady Betty how she wanted to deal with the cavalry, and she hesitated before asking him for an impertinent favor.

Zhao Xu spared the cavalrymen after their leader Rupert stabbed himself in apology, then continued toward Frost Dew Town with Lady Betty and her child. When Lady Betty concealed her knowledge of the town’s haunting rumors, Zhao Xu secretly cast Suggestion on her, prompting her to agree to share information with the group.

• Lady Betty asked Zhao Xu to release the cavalrymen and offered magic scrolls, while Rupert stabbed himself in the thigh to demonstrate his remorse.
• Zhao Xu spared the cavalrymen and explained to Zheng Xinyun and Eliton that killing them would not solve the larger problem.
• Lady Betty joined Zhao Xu’s carriage with her child, and Zhao Xu noticed she had gathered twelve riders under his banner.
• When Zhao Xu asked about haunting rumors in Frost Dew Town, Lady Betty reacted uneasily and tried to change the subject.
• Zhao Xu secretly cast Suggestion on Lady Betty, and she agreed to rely on the group and share information with them.

Zhao Xu used Suggestion Spell to learn Lady Betty’s plans for Frost Dew Town, then heard about an auction featuring a +6 Intelligence Headband. The headband caught his attention, and the chapter left him considering the chance to greatly increase his Intelligence.

• Zhao Xu used Suggestion Spell on Lady Betty and learned that she planned to leave her youngest son with her family in Frost Dew Town before returning to fight Harry for control of the Bauhinia Merchant Guild.
• Lady Betty offered Zheng Xinyun and Eliton divine spell scrolls, and Eliton found that his was a second-ring Bull's Strength scroll he could not use.
• Zhao Xu explained why scrolls were difficult for non-spellcasters to activate and why Bull's Strength would not have changed the earlier confrontation.
• Lady Betty explained that her merchant guild dealt in magic scrolls but that Harry had closely guarded their supplies.
• Lady Betty told Zhao Xu that an auction in Frost Dew Town would feature items from a Wizard's tomb, including a +6 Intelligence Headband.
• Zhao Xu stopped reading when he heard about the headband and considered how it could raise his Intelligence to 28.

Zhao Xu investigated a lamb carcass tied near a cemetery and concluded that someone had arranged for it to be killed there, suspecting a link to the Old Hag. As the group set out to search a nearby ruined shack, Zhao Xu gained the Metamagic: Widen Spell Feat.

• Zhao Xu and the others stopped their carriage after wolves fled from a lamb carcass tied to a stump near Frost Dew Town.
• Zhao Xu, Eliton, and Zheng Xinyun examined the carcass and determined that the lamb had been tied up deliberately and suffered two separate injuries.
• Zhao Xu explained that the lamb had been placed near the cemetery to keep it from becoming undead, and he suspected the incident was connected to the Old Hag.
• Two cavalrymen reported a ruined shack nearby, so Zhao Xu invited Lady Betty and her people to investigate it with the group.
• Zhao Xu cast Energy Protection and received the Metamagic: Widen Spell Feat as his Level 6 character Feat.

Zhao Xu gained Metamagic: Widen Spell and realized Metamagic Mastery could let him raise spell difficulty far beyond what ordinary Wizards could manage, though his Intelligence limited him to twelfth-ring spells for now. As the group approached a ruined house near the cemetery, Chuck recalled a nursery rhyme about an old witch, and Zhao Xu prepared to face the possible Old Hag.

• Zhao Xu considered how Widen Spell could raise a spell's ring and Save Difficulty, especially when combined with Metamagic Mastery and Energy Protection.
• Zhao Xu calculated that his current Intelligence limited him to twelfth-ring spells and a maximum Save Difficulty of DC 28, while the Old Hag's Spell Resistance remained a threat.
• The cavalrymen uncovered a charred, dilapidated house in the wilderness near the cemetery.
• Chuck recalled a nursery rhyme about an old house, a cemetery, hide-and-seek, and an old witch, alarming Zheng Xinyun.
• Zhao Xu ordered the cavalrymen behind him and prepared to rely on Overlord Mastery to stack his defenses against the possible Old Hag.