Chapter Summaries

Xia Lin escaped the Witch’s lair after severing the effigy’s connection, then returned to Longstone Town and reunited with Sera. He told her about the wager and Kade’s oath, while she sensed he was hiding something and warned him not to take such risks again.

• Xia Lin appraised his effigy, confirmed its connection to the target had been severed, and slipped out of the Witch’s bedchamber.
• Xia Lin woke Phila and told her he had ruined the Witch’s ritual by swapping the effigy, frightening her into helping him escape.
• Phila flew Xia Lin out of the cave, and after he kept his promise to her, she returned while her companions were still asleep.
• Xia Lin found the horse his friends had left tied near the woodland and rode back toward Longstone Town.
• Xia Lin returned to the inn and told Sera about the wager and Kade’s oath, while omitting his encounter with Phila.
• Sera sensed Xia Lin was hiding something but did not confront him, instead warning him not to take such a risk again.

Xia Lin reunited with Dwarf Borin and Monk Finnian, collected the bounty for rescuing the captives, and celebrated with Sera. As Kade returned to the tavern in his armor, he removed his helmet and bowed deeply to Xia Lin.

• Dwarf Borin and Monk Finnian praised Xia Lin for escaping the Harpy nest, and Finnian reported that the captured men had recovered and gone home.
• Dwarf Borin gave Xia Lin the Adventurers' Guild bounty of two gold coins and a Cold Iron Longsword voucher, then led the group to celebrate at the tavern.
• Sera asked Xia Lin whether Kade could return, and Xia Lin reassured her that the Witch wanted to subdue him rather than kill him.
• Xia Lin examined the Heart of the Arcane necklace from Trelai and put it on, gaining its enchantment and natural armor bonuses.
• Kade returned to the tavern in scratched plate armor, removed his helmet, and bowed deeply to Xia Lin.

Xia Lin told Kade how he had saved him from Trelai’s spiritual violation, and Kade thanked him for protecting his oath and soul. After Kade received a magical ring from Trelai, Xia Lin invited him to join the adventuring party, and Kade accepted.

• Kade thanked Xia Lin for rescuing him, and Xia Lin explained that they were comrades.
• Xia Lin revealed Trelai’s wager and how he had switched the doll to protect Kade from her spiritual assault.
• Kade expressed gratitude that Xia Lin had saved his oath and soul, then described how Trelai had released him and her Harpies.
• Kade showed Xia Lin the Ring of Steel Will that Trelai had given him as compensation.
• Xia Lin invited Kade to join the adventuring party, and Kade agreed.

Xia Lin, Sera, and Kade set out from Longstone Town toward Restov, where Xia Lin hoped to seek advice from a retired Magic Warrior master. As they traveled, Kade demonstrated his divine weapon blessing, and the companions began learning about one another while keeping parts of their pasts hidden.

• Xia Lin invited Kade to join the journey to Restov, and Kade agreed to accompany him.
• The next morning, Xia Lin, Sera, and Kade said goodbye to Monk Finnian and Dwarf Borin and left Longstone Town.
• Kade's heavily armored weight exhausted their nag, so Xia Lin sold it and the trio continued on foot.
• Kade enchanted his mace with holy energy, and Xia Lin appraised it as a temporarily enhanced divine weapon.
• Sera joined the companions' telepathic conversation and asked Kade about his finances, leaving Xia Lin to suspect that the paladin had secrets of his own.

Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera traveled through the prosperous Brevor Free Alliance, where Xia Lin learned more about Kade’s convictions and watched him and Sera debate justice and pragmatism. They reached Restov, and Xia Lin planned to collect his reward and search for a Magic Warrior master.

• Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera traveled along Brevor’s busy trade road and discussed the region’s wealth and commerce.
• Xia Lin posed Kade a moral dilemma about eating a dead baby to save starving villagers, and Kade answered that faith and resolve would sustain a paladin.
• Kade and Sera argued over whether helping a farmer cheated by a merchant could truly protect the weak, while their debates gave them a better understanding of each other.
• Kade cooked meals that won over Xia Lin and Sera during the journey.
• Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera arrived in Restov, where Xia Lin announced they would visit the Adventurer’s Guild to collect his Cold Iron Longsword reward and seek directions to a Magic Warrior master.

Xia Lin and his companions arrived in Restov, where hookahs were common, and Xia Lin claimed his Cold Iron Longsword at the Adventurer's Guild. He learned that the retired Magic Warrior master Sesti lived in the city's west-side residential district, and the guild's gnome hinted that Sesti's story was connected to Restov's hookahs.

• Xia Lin, Sera, and Kade entered Restov and noticed how many locals carried and smoked hookahs.
• Xia Lin went to the Adventurer's Guild and claimed his Cold Iron Longsword reward.
• Xia Lin asked the halfling clerk about a retired Magic Warrior master, but she could not recall one.
• A gnome guild employee told Xia Lin that the former master Sesti lived in Restov's west-side residential district.
• The gnome asked Xia Lin whether he had noticed the hookahs on the streets, implying they were relevant to Sesti.

Xia Lin learned that Master Sesti had once been a renowned Magic Warrior but now lived as a destitute drunk. Sesti agreed to consider teaching Xia Lin if he found Zane, a Half-elf girl who had not visited him in three days.

• A gnome warned Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera about hookah's destructive effects and claimed it had ruined Master Sesti.
• The gnome gave Xia Lin Sesti's address, and a Halfling girl at the Adventurer's Guild secretly offered to help him if he needed information.
• Xia Lin and his companions found Sesti living in a shabby shack in the slums, where he initially refused to speak with them.
• Xia Lin appraised Sesti and discovered that he was a level-nine Magic Warrior whose class level was marked invalid.
• Sesti became interested in Xia Lin's self-taught fighting moves and offered to consider teaching him if he found Zane and made sure she was safe.

Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera investigated Zane’s disappearance in Restov and found a strange mechanical fragment hidden in her room. With Sesti unable to identify it, they planned to search the Rusty Dagger Tavern after dark and split up to explore the city for more clues.

• Xia Lin and Kade persuaded Sesti to share what he knew about Zane, and he gave Xia Lin the keys to her room.
• Xia Lin discovered a hidden compartment under Zane’s bed, and Sera opened it to reveal an unidentified metal fragment.
• Xia Lin showed the fragment to Sesti, but the old man dismissed it as scrap metal.
• Xia Lin asked a city guard about the Rusty Dagger Tavern and learned it only opened at night.
• Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera bought maps, chose separate districts to explore, and agreed to meet outside the Rusty Dagger after sunset.

Xia Lin restocked his supplies in Restov's Commercial District and visited the Black Horn Tavern, where a female Dwarf offered him a job in an underground arena sponsored by the Misty Hand. He rejected the invitation because its prize involved Dream Flower hookah, but kept the flyer after seeing the Dwarf meet two men bearing the gang's badge, then prepared to meet his teammates.

• Xia Lin bought replacement weapons and useful supplies, then admired a +2 Magic Longsword he could not afford.
• Xia Lin stopped at the Black Horn Tavern, ordered cheap rye beer, and watched the crowd as he rested.
• A female Dwarf approached Xia Lin with a joke and offered him paid fights in an arena beneath the tavern.
• Xia Lin lost interest when she mentioned Dream Flower hookah as a special prize, but watched her meet two men carrying Misty Hand badges.
• Xia Lin kept the arena flyer for information and stayed until it was time to meet his two teammates.

Xia Lin and his companions compared what they had learned about the Misty Hand before discovering that the Adventurer's Guild clerk, Mel Morningwind, was a clever rogue and bard telling stories at the Rusty Dagger. After her dramatic cliffhanger, Mel joined their table and drank Xia Lin's untouched shaved ice.

• Xia Lin bought strawberry shaved ice and brought it to Kade and Sera at the Rusty Dagger.
• Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera shared their findings that the Misty Hand controlled much of Restov's water-pipe trade and criminal underworld.
• Xia Lin appraised Mel Morningwind and discovered she was a level-one rogue and bard with hidden secrets.
• Mel told a lively tale about a commander leading a chaotic crusade against demons, then stopped at a cliffhanger.
• Mel recognized Xia Lin and his companions, took a seat at their table, and drank the shaved ice he had left untouched.

Xia Lin, Sera, and Kade hired Mel Morningwind, an information broker in Restov City, to investigate the disappearance of the Half-elf girl Zane. Mel promised to search for her and report back within two days, then mistook Xia Lin’s contact note for a proposition before he clarified.

• Mel Morningwind complained about her low-paying Guild job and explained that selling information was her most profitable work.
• Xia Lin asked Mel to find the missing Half-elf girl Zane and offered a gold coin, but first asked how he could trust her.
• Tavern patrons vouched for Mel’s reliable information, so she agreed to take the job without a deposit.
• Xia Lin shared Zane’s name, description, and portrait; Mel thought the girl looked familiar but could not remember where she had seen her.
• Mel promised to investigate and contact Xia Lin within two days, then misunderstood his note with his inn and room number as a request for a naughty job.
• Xia Lin clarified that he had only written down where Mel could find him if she learned anything.

Xia Lin prepared for the search for Zane Moonshadow by stockpiling magic supplies with Sera and Kade’s contributions. Mel revealed that Zane had joined the Misty Hand and had worked at the gang’s Sweet Dream Water Pipe House, leaving Xia Lin and his companions to decide to investigate the gang themselves.

• Xia Lin pooled the party’s money and bought practical magic scrolls while Sera gave him her savings and said her connection to her patron had grown stronger.
• Kade brought back holy water, a Blessing Weapon scroll, and an Evil-detecting Amulet from the Iomedae Temple.
• Xia Lin visited the Black Horn Tavern to seek information about the underground arena, but the mysterious female Dwarf did not appear and the patrons refused to help him.
• Mel told Xia Lin, Sera, and Kade that Zane Moonshadow had joined the Misty Hand two months earlier and had worked at the gang’s Sweet Dream Water Pipe House.
• Xia Lin paid Mel half her fee, then told Sera and Kade they would have to visit the Misty Hand themselves.

Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera investigated the Sweet Dream Hookah Lounge for clues about Zane and the missing Misty Hand members. After learning the group had vanished on a secret mission, Xia Lin decided to attract Misty Hand’s attention and seek help from Master Sesti.

• Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera entered the Sweet Dream Hookah Lounge in disguise, where Kade condemned the patrons’ drug use and Sera challenged his judgment.
• Xia Lin appraised the lounge’s Sweet Dream Tobacco and found that it contained magically enhanced hallucinogenic herbs.
• With help from Sera’s and Kade’s blessings, Xia Lin bribed a young server and learned that Zane and several Misty Hand members had disappeared on a classified mission.
• Xia Lin concluded that asking questions in the lounge would not help and proposed provoking Misty Hand to get a meeting with its leadership.
• Xia Lin showed Kade and Sera a flyer featuring a bull-headed Gladiator as their next lead, then said they needed Master Sesti’s help to find Zane and act safely.

Xia Lin asked Sesti to teach him real Magic Warrior skills so they could provoke Misty Hand into revealing Zane’s whereabouts. After judging Xia Lin’s techniques, Sesti showed him that a true Magic Warrior fused swordsmanship and magic through Arcana, then demonstrated Far Sight Strike and left Xia Lin to figure out the rest.

• Xia Lin told Sesti that Zane was a member of Misty Hand and proposed making a scene at the arena beneath the Black Horn Tavern to draw out the group’s leadership.
• Xia Lin asked Sesti to teach him, then demonstrated his sword techniques and magic-enhanced attacks.
• Sesti explained that Xia Lin used martial skills and magic separately and had not grasped the Arcana of a Magic Warrior.
• Sesti invited Xia Lin to attack and stopped his charge with Far Sight Strike, predicting his move with a dry branch.
• Sesti told Xia Lin to figure out the rest on his own and left him to continue training.

After Sesti demonstrated the gap in Xia Lin’s swordsmanship, Xia Lin realized that Magic Warrior Arts required him to fuse spells and strikes into one practice. His class advanced to level 4, and Sesti recognized his progress as the chapter ended.

• Sesti left Xia Lin alone in the courtyard after effortlessly disrupting his attack, while Kade tidied the yard and Sera read.
• Xia Lin reflected on Sesti’s words and his past battles, realizing he had treated swordplay and magic as separate tools instead of blending them.
• Xia Lin’s understanding transformed his Attribute Panel, raised his Magic Warrior class to Lv. 4, and unlocked [Arcane Precision] and [Spell Block].
• Xia Lin went inside to tell Sesti about his realization and found him sharing soup with Kade and Sera.
• Sesti congratulated Xia Lin after seeing his progress.

After learning more about [Converge Spell] from Sesti, Xia Lin and his companions went to the Black Horn Tavern to confront the Misty Hand. Xia Lin defeated a group of gang members, and the chapter ended with a red-haired Dwarf demanding to know who they were and what they wanted.

• Xia Lin asked Sesti about the mysterious force binding Arcane Energy and swordsmanship, and Sesti identified it as the [Converge Spell] unique to each Magic Warrior.
• Kade and Sera agreed that Sesti was clear-minded and dismissed rumors that he was an addict.
• The next afternoon, Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera entered the Black Horn Tavern and targeted a thug bearing the Misty Hand symbol.
• Xia Lin deliberately spilled ale on the thug boss, then broke his wrist and knocked him unconscious when he threatened them.
• Xia Lin swiftly defeated the boss's dozen or so men without inflicting life-threatening injuries, while Kade and Sera watched.
• A red-haired female Dwarf arrived with armed gang members, surveyed the tavern, and demanded to know who Xia Lin and his companions were and what they wanted.

Xia Lin and his companions followed the Misty Hand’s female Dwarf leader into the Deadfire Arena, a hidden underground palace beneath Restov. After learning that the gang’s second-in-command was gone, Xia Lin signed the group up for matches and volunteered for a solo bout.

• Xia Lin confronted the female Dwarf with the crumpled flyer, and she agreed to take him and his companions to the Misty Hand’s hidden venue.
• The female Dwarf led Xia Lin, Kade, and Sera down a concealed staircase into a vast underground palace filled with vice, violence, and a gladiatorial arena.
• At the arena’s registration counter, Marcus explained that winning three matches would earn a reward and the right to challenge the champion team.
• A Demon Bat interrupted Marcus to say that the Misty Hand no longer had a second-in-command, confirming Xia Lin’s suspicion that something had happened within the gang.
• Xia Lin signed the team up and volunteered for the fourth match, but Marcus said he had to prove himself before learning about his opponent.

Xia Lin entered the Deadfire Arena and defeated the Half-Orc Barke in an instant, shocking the crowd and overturning the betting odds. Marcus announced Xia Lin as the winner, leaving the arena buzzing with astonishment and angry gamblers.

• Xia Lin watched three lackluster warm-up fights before Marcus introduced the arena’s rules and called him into the ring.
• Kade blessed Xia Lin, while Sera offered a sharp-tongued warning before he faced Barke the Butcher.
• Barke charged Xia Lin with a berserk axe attack, but Xia Lin blocked it with Shield Spell and evaded his follow-up sweep.
• Xia Lin struck the tendon behind Barke’s knee, then knocked him unconscious with his sword’s pommel.
• Marcus announced Xia Lin as the victor, while shocked spectators cheered and gamblers who had bet on Barke cursed their losses.

Xia Lin won his first arena match and Kade volunteered to face the next opponent, the ranger Fang and his hyena Bite. Kade killed Fang and won the two-on-one death match, leaving the arena crowd cheering.

• Xia Lin insulted host Marcus after defeating the Half-Orc, then returned to the competitors' tunnel and was praised by Kade.
• Marcus gave Xia Lin a report on the next opponent, and Kade chose to fight the cruel ranger and his animal companion.
• Kade entered the arena as Marcus introduced Fang and the giant hyena Bite, while spectators placed bets on the match.
• Kade detected evil in Fang and endured the ranger and hyena's coordinated attacks, using Lay on Hands to heal his wound.
• Kade used Smite Evil to strike Fang with his mace, killing him, and Bite retreated as the crowd cheered Kade's victory.

After Xia Lin’s team won two arena matches, the organizers changed the rules and arranged a dangerous opponent for their decisive bout. Xia Lin discovered Marcus was a Thieves’ Descendant, and Marcus agreed to help them by poisoning the monk before the match.

• Xia Lin learned the arena would use a blind draw for the decisive match, and he suspected the organizers were trying to prevent their bonus.
• Xia Lin approached Marcus for information but spotted a broken-key tattoo on his arm when Marcus’s Demon Bat stole his meat.
• Xia Lin told Kade and Sera what he had found, and Sera showed Marcus the broken-key token Hill had given her.
• Marcus recognized the token and Thieves’ Descendant signals, then revealed that their next opponent was a spell-resistant monk who worshiped the Faceless God.
• Marcus offered to have a trusted arena worker put a fast-acting paralytic poison in the monk’s pre-match drink.