Chapter Summaries

Duanmu Huai destroyed the plague-infected monsters in the warehouse and learned it had belonged to the Hogg Family before Master Duzer acquired it. The group went to question the Hoggs, but found the Black Lake District on alert after a break-in and murder.

• Duanmu Huai killed the corrupted monsters in the cellar and explained that the plague spread through flies and worms.
• Duanmu Huai, Emilia, and Luo Qixi reported the cellar and Master Duzer's diary to Erebes at Tyr Temple.
• Duanmu Huai learned that Luo Qixi was thirty-six and a mage from the Miglude clan, despite looking like a child.
• Emilia investigated the warehouse ownership and found that the Hogg Family had transferred it to Master Duzer.
• The group reached the guarded Black Lake District and learned that thieves had broken into the Hogg residence and killed Mr. Mandan, while Mr. Hogg remained alive at the constable's office.

Duanmu Huai interrogated Hogg about the warehouse used by Master Duzer, then confronted Deszel and learned Vansvik had also known about the arrangement. Emilia was tasked with finding Duzer, while Duanmu Huai decided to investigate Deszel by going to Helm Fortress.

• Duanmu Huai seized Hogg and forced him to reveal that Deszel had arranged for the Hogg Family warehouse to be transferred to Master Duzer.
• Deszel admitted borrowing the warehouse but denied knowing about the secret chamber or plague mutants, and Erebes said he was trusted by Neverwinter City's Lord.
• Vansvik revealed that Deszel had told him about the warehouse and that he had handled the paperwork, prompting Duanmu Huai to accuse them of wasting the group's time.
• Erebes assigned Emilia to find Master Duzer and determine what had happened to him.
• Duanmu Huai told Emilia he would continue investigating Deszel and announced that they would go directly to Helm Fortress.

Duanmu Huai, Emilia, Luo Qixi, and Okegis traveled toward Helm Fortress and took shelter from a blizzard in a cave. When a grotesque, diseased fawn approached the cave, Duanmu Huai recognized that it was no ordinary animal.

• Emilia led Duanmu Huai and the others out of Neverwinter City toward Helm Fortress to investigate whether its followers were connected to the Plague Abomination.
• The group took refuge in a cave during the snowstorm, and Duanmu Huai frightened a hibernating black bear into retreating to the cave’s corner.
• Duanmu Huai considered hunting gods and powerful beings in the Blood War to gain strength.
• The black bear sensed danger outside, and Luo Qixi used a Light Spell to illuminate the forest.
• A fawn with rotting flesh, exposed bones, and a tentacle protruding from its empty eye socket emerged from the bushes, and Duanmu Huai warned that it was not an ordinary animal.

Duanmu Huai and his companions fought off plague-mutated animals in the forest and concluded that the infection had likely spread from nearby Helm Fortress. Though the fortress appeared peaceful, Duanmu Huai suddenly smashed through its gates, leaving his companions to discover what was inside.

• Emilia prayed to Tyr for protection while Luo Qixi raised a shield, and Duanmu Huai led the group against the mutated animals.
• Okegis, Emilia, Luo Qixi, and Duanmu Huai defeated the creatures, and Duanmu Huai burned their bodies and the forest to contain the plague.
• Duanmu Huai reasoned that the infection was near Helm Fortress, and Emilia confirmed the fortress lay beyond the river.
• The group crossed the forest and found Helm Fortress apparently peaceful, with soldiers patrolling its walls.
• After Emilia reported the plague to a guard, Duanmu Huai shouted that the Inquisition had arrived and smashed through the fortress gates.

Duanmu Huai led the group into Helm Fortress and found it overrun by cultists and demons of Corruption's Filth. As he fought deeper inside, Emilia found resolve and unleashed holy power that purified the corruption, revealing herself as a God-blessed Knight.

• Duanmu Huai smashed through Helm Fortress's gates and found the courtyard filled with cultists, mutants, and corpses, then attacked in the name of the Inquisition.
• Duanmu Huai burned the cultists and swarms of flies with his weapons and Promethium Flame, while Emilia prayed to Tyr and gained brilliant holy light.
• Duanmu Huai, Okegis, and Luo Qixi entered the corrupted fortress, where Duanmu Huai fought demons and Nurglings as Okegis sealed paths with invisible threads.
• Emilia charged through the fortress and used holy light to destroy a Corruption's Filth Demon and repel the corrupted growths.
• Duanmu Huai realized Emilia's holy power could purify Corruption's Filth and wondered if she was a God-blessed Knight.

Duanmu Huai and his companions fought through a corrupted fortress, where he killed a plague-infected devil before it could escape and spread the disease. Deszel and Vansvik arrived through a teleportation gate, and Duanmu Huai prepared to confront Deszel.

• Duanmu Huai stopped Emilia from exhausting herself purifying the corruption and burned the mutants with his Black Flame.
• Okegis protected Luo Qixi from a mutant, and Duanmu Huai revealed he could cast magic while urging Luo Qixi to learn stealth skills.
• Duanmu Huai recognized that the devil trapped in the ritual circle was infected with a plague and decided to kill it rather than let it return to Hell.
• Luo Qixi released the devil from its restraints, and Okegis bound it while Duanmu Huai destroyed its body and soul with Black Flame.
• Deszel and Vansvik emerged from a teleportation gate, and Duanmu Huai turned toward Deszel with his warhammer ready.

Deszel brought the stolen antidote to Helm Fortress, where Duanmu Huai confronted him and learned he served the Benevolent Father. After Deszel transformed into a Chaos Spawn, Duanmu Huai destroyed it and emerged from the flames, leaving Luo Qixi stunned by his appearance.

• Deszel passed through the Teleportation Gate to Helm Fortress and found it burning, with Duanmu Huai blocking his way.
• Kasim and Luo Xia arrived after following Deszel from Neverwinter City, explaining that he had stolen the antidote; Okegis severed Deszel’s hand and retrieved the bottle.
• Deszel proclaimed his devotion to the Benevolent Father, and Duanmu Huai identified him as an Evil God worshiper and prepared to kill him.
• Deszel swallowed a piece of flesh and transformed into a Chaos Spawn, but Duanmu Huai battered him and was engulfed by the monster.
• Okegis warned Emilia and Kasim not to approach, and Duanmu Huai erupted from the Chaos Spawn in black flames and destroyed it.
• Duanmu Huai emerged from the flames as a towering figure, leaving Luo Qixi wondering whether he could possibly be a mage.

Duanmu Huai argued that Vansvik deserved execution for helping Deszel spread the plague, despite Erebes's pleas, and Vansvik was hanged. Afterward, Duanmu Huai explained the plague-worshiping Evil God to Neverwinter City's leaders, who agreed to cooperate with the Inquisition, while Erebes lost influence in the Tyr Temple.

• Duanmu Huai and Erebes clashed at Vansvik's trial over whether his good intentions could excuse his actions, and Duanmu Huai accused Erebes of refusing to face her lover's betrayal.
• Vansvik was sentenced to hanging for treason and executed amid the citizens' cheers.
• Duanmu Huai told Nashir Lord, Emilia, and Kasim that Deszel had worshiped the God of Life, which cured illness by transforming its followers and spread disease to find more people to convert.
• Nashir Lord agreed to investigate the Evil God Believers and invited the Inquisition to establish a base in Neverwinter City.
• Erebes lost standing in the Tyr Temple, while Emilia took over her former position.

After Neverwinter rewarded its heroes, Duanmu Huai set out south with Okegis, Kasim, Luo Xia, and Emilia to explore Faerûn. They rested in a Wizard’s Mansion, where Emilia asked to speak with Duanmu Huai alone.

• Nashir Lord let each hero request a reward, and Duanmu Huai received a Secret Chamber Crystal Ball that could cast Wizard’s Mansion once a day.
• Luo Qixi chose to remain in Neverwinter, while Kasim and Luo Xia, Duanmu Huai, and Okegis prepared to travel.
• Duanmu Huai chose a route south to Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate after learning that civil war in Luskan had closed the road to Icewind Dale.
• Kasim, Luo Xia, and Emilia joined Duanmu Huai and Okegis as they left Neverwinter, and Duanmu Huai warned the younger adventurers about dangers such as Kobolds.
• Duanmu Huai used the crystal ball to open a Teleportation Gate to the Wizard’s Mansion for the group to rest.
• Emilia stopped Duanmu Huai and asked to speak with him alone.

Duanmu Huai explained to Emilia that the Inquisition prioritized humanity’s survival over debates about justice and evil. After they returned to the Wizard’s Mansion, Kasim and Luo Xia hesitated to enter the luxurious space, but Duanmu Huai reassured them and showed everyone inside.

• Emilia told Duanmu Huai that Erebes had lost her faith and asked how to tell justice from evil.
• Duanmu Huai explained that justice was subjective and said the Inquisition cared above all about protecting humanity.
• Duanmu Huai reassured Emilia that differing ideas could coexist as long as people shared the same goal.
• Duanmu Huai found Kasim and Luo Xia reluctant to enter the Wizard’s Mansion because its interior looked too grand and valuable.
• Duanmu Huai invited them inside, where Emilia was amazed by the luxurious corridors and rooms recreated from the Inquisition’s flagship.

Duanmu Huai and his companions arrived in Waterdeep, where Emilia presented a letter from Nashir Lord and explained that the plague in Neverwinter City had ended. While Emilia, Kasim, and Luo Xia went to their own destinations, Duanmu Huai visited the Healing House for its most expensive package and was stunned when his chosen companion turned out to be Alice, Princess of the Fire Giant Clan.

• Emilia told Waterdeep's guards that the Neverwinter City plague had dissipated and presented Nashir Lord's letter, allowing the group to enter.
• Duanmu Huai split up from Emilia, Kasim, and Luo Xia, asking them to look after Okegis while he went elsewhere.
• Duanmu Huai hurried to the Healing House and paid for its most expensive all-inclusive package.
• After bathing and receiving a massage, Duanmu Huai requested a noble companion in a lace dress who could withstand him.
• Duanmu Huai entered the prepared room and met Alice, a blue-faced giant who introduced herself as Princess of the Fire Giant Clan.

Duanmu Huai failed to get the Healing House treatment he wanted, then took Kasim and Luo Xia shopping in Waterdeep and bought gifts for his companions. At Balsor's Rare Treasures, the shopkeeper revealed a forbidden book devoted to pleasure, and Duanmu Huai agreed to buy it.

• Duanmu Huai left the Healing House disappointed after the staff could not fulfill his request, then teased Kasim and Luo Xia into trying its services.
• Duanmu Huai sent Kasim and Luo Xia to shop for weapons and armor on Warrior Street while he visited Balsor's Rare Treasures.
• Duanmu Huai bought a Shadow Cloak for Mary, Greater Magic Dispel rings for Ann and Gureiya, and other gifts for his companions.
• The shopkeeper showed Duanmu Huai the chained, pink-covered Pink Book, which recorded otherworldly beings and magic related to pleasure.
• Duanmu Huai agreed to buy the Pink Book from the shopkeeper.

Duanmu Huai acquired the Pink Book and gained the Domain of Joy, discovering a range of unusual divine skills. Back at the inn, Emilia reported that Master Kelben had a job for the group, leaving them with a new commission to consider.

• Duanmu Huai bound the Pink Book as a holy book and reviewed its divine skills, including spells for healing, protection, and affecting others.
• Duanmu Huai left the Rare Treasures Shop with Okegis, who chose a parasol imbued with Darkness Art.
• Kasim complained that Duanmu Huai had sent him and Luo Xia to a Healing House; Luo Xia had slapped him after seeing the scantily dressed women there.
• Emilia returned and told Duanmu Huai and the others that Master Kelben wanted to commission them for a job.

Emilia's group agreed to search Waterdeep's underground tunnels for Khelben's missing nephew, Danilo.Sarn, while Duanmu Huai warned that he would destroy any heretics they encountered. Deep underground, Angus Te received a prophecy that her family and city would burn, then ordered the Martial Arts Captain to kill everyone at the Black Oak inn in Waterdeep.

• Emilia explained that Khelben had asked her to find his missing nephew, Danilo.Sarn, in the Underdark.
• Kasim, Luo Xia, Duanmu Huai, and Emilia agreed to undertake the mission, and the group planned to buy supplies before leaving.
• Angus Te awoke from a divine vision, killed a Drow Elf guard with negative energy, and summoned her followers.
• Angus Te told the assembled Priests that the Spider Goddess had shown her the destruction of her family and city in flames.
• Angus Te ordered the Martial Arts Captain to take an elite force to Waterdeep and kill everyone at the Black Oak inn.

Duanmu Huai stayed at Black Oak with Kasim and Luo Xia, then interrupted a drow raid on the inn and tested a combination of divine powers on the attackers. After killing the drow warriors, he decided that the coming trip underground would provide more test subjects.

• Duanmu Huai, Kasim, and Luo Xia chose to stay at the luxurious Black Oak inn in Waterdeep.
• Duanmu Huai caught a drow assassin who appeared in his room and killed it by twisting its neck.
• The Martial Arts Captain led drow warriors through Waterdeep to raid Black Oak, but Duanmu Huai smashed through a wall and attacked them.
• Duanmu Huai used Group Ecstasy Technique, Aura of Fear, and Old God Willpower to overwhelm the drow warriors and kill them.
• Duanmu Huai reviewed the experience gained from the attack and planned to test his powers on more foes underground.

After a drow attack devastated the Black Oak inn, Duanmu Huai and the others learned that the Underdark would be far more dangerous than their recent fight suggested. Kasim, Luo Xia, and Emilia prepared to travel underground, while Duanmu Huai and Okegis set off separately toward the Underdark.

• The guests and adventurers at Black Oak fought back against the drow, and the City Garrison found the Drow Strike Team wiped out, including several corpses with strangely melted bodies.
• The garrison captain, an Elf Ranger, a dwarf, and a mage examined the scene but found no evidence explaining the drow's mission or their deaths.
• The innkeeper offered the surviving guests free food and closed Black Oak for repairs, while news of the attack spread through Waterdeep.
• At breakfast, Duanmu Huai warned Kasim, Luo Xia, and Emilia that drow attacks would be relentless in the Underdark, but the three rookies still prepared to go.
• Duanmu Huai decided to leave the group and head underground with Okegis so he could fight without holding back.

After Emilia, Kasim, and Luo Xia found Duanmu Huai's note saying he had gone ahead, he took Okegis rolling down an Underdark slope for fun. He discovered that Okegis enjoyed trying to become sisters with Jia Wei, though Jia Wei resisted her methods.

• Emilia, Kasim, and Luo Xia found Duanmu Huai's note and wondered why he had left without warning.
• Kasim guessed the Drow Elves had learned about Duanmu Huai's plan, but Luo Xia and Emilia dismissed the idea as a coincidence.
• Duanmu Huai rolled with Okegis down an Underdark slope, crushing an Underground Lizard before stopping at a stone wall.
• Duanmu Huai summoned Jia Wei after noticing Okegis's interest in her, and Okegis tried to make Jia Wei her younger sister.
• Okegis bound Jia Wei, struck her with a book, and made her exchange bow ties and prepare tea as Jia Wei protested.

Duanmu Huai, Okegis, and Jia Wei reached the entrance to the Underground Maze after days of traveling through the Underdark. Inside, the maze created a battlefield from Duanmu Huai’s memories, where he faced Black Warriors calling for the False Emperor’s death.

• Jia Wei complained about the dark, cramped tunnels while she and Okegis followed Duanmu Huai and fought off Underground Lizards.
• Duanmu Huai explained that the stone gate led to the Underground Maze, which generated formidable enemies from a visitor’s memories.
• Duanmu Huai opened the gate, revealing a barren desert on an outer planet in the Kadia Galaxy.
• Duanmu Huai told Okegis and Jia Wei not to interfere as Black Warriors emerged from the sandstorm and declared their return to slay the False Emperor.
• Duanmu Huai denounced the Black Warriors as traitors and charged at them with his warhammer.

Duanmu Huai fought the Black Legion warriors and their Chaos Lord in a sandstorm, defeating them with his weapons, fists, and Aura of Fear. After the Chaos Lord fell, the illusion vanished, revealing a dark underground corridor and a magically lit doorway, and Duanmu Huai led Okegis and Jia Wei onward.

• Duanmu Huai charged the Black Legion warriors, smashing through their shields and armor with his Thunder Warhammer and Chainsaw Sword.
• Jia Wei watched the brutal battle from cover while Okegis stayed in place as Duanmu Huai had ordered.
• A Terminator wielding a Lightning Claw and Chainsaw Fist attacked Duanmu Huai after he had lost both weapons.
• Duanmu Huai endured the Terminator's attack and unleashed a storm of punches, then struck it with the Thunder Warhammer and destroyed it.
• The sandstorm disappeared after the Chaos Lord died, revealing an underground corridor and a magically illuminated doorway.
• Duanmu Huai returned to Okegis and Jia Wei and told them to keep moving.

After confronting the Black Warriors, Duanmu Huai and his companions found a Gnome city and sought directions to nearby evil races. The Gnome Captain gave them a local map, and the group continued into the Underdark as the captain suspected their paths would cross again.

• Duanmu Huai told Jia Wei that the Black Warriors were future enemies and that he had to grow stronger before the Eye of Terror returned.
• Okegis spotted a light ahead, and Duanmu Huai led the group toward it in search of an Underdark city.
• Duanmu Huai found Gnomes guarding a city gate and grabbed a soldier to ask where the Drow, Gray Dwarfs, or Mind Flayers lived.
• The Gnome Captain emerged and gave Duanmu Huai a map of the area after warning him that the Underdark was dangerous.
• Duanmu Huai, Jia Wei, and Okegis left the city, while the Gnome Captain suspected he would see them again.