Chapter Summaries

Yugulos ascended smoothly to godhood with Green’s support, while Leindorf began his risky ascension through Fire Divinity despite Kossuth’s expected opposition. Green headed for the Fire Elemental Plane to demonstrate the power of Thirteenth-Ring Spells.

• Mystra and the other gods watched from Miracle City as they anticipated Yugulos and Leindorf’s ascensions and discussed Kossuth’s likely opposition to Leindorf.
• Yugulos kindled his Divine Flame with Green’s granted faith, ascended to Weak Divine Power, and established his hidden Divine Realm in Arcadia.
• Leindorf began his God Ascension through Fire Divinity, astonishing the gods who expected Kossuth to intervene.
• The day before the ceremony, Leindorf told Green he feared the Elemental God of Fire would obstruct him, but Green assured him Kossuth was no threat.
• Green left his Divine Realm for the Fire Elemental Plane to demonstrate Thirteenth-Ring Spells to the gods and mages.

Green entered the Fire Elemental Plane, while the gods debated how he could challenge Kossuth over the division of his Divine Office. Ogma concluded that Green had likely mastered Thirteenth-Ring Spells, raising the possibility that he could contend for one of the Four God Thrones.

• Green opened a portal and flew into the Fire Elemental Plane as the gods watched.
• Mystra and the other deities in the tavern wondered how Green planned to make Kossuth accept the division of his Divine Office.
• Ogma revealed that the potential of his Knowledge Divine Office had been rising for ten years, suggesting new knowledge had emerged.
• Ogma connected Green's composure and access to Netheril's early Thirteenth-Ring Spell framework to conclude that Green had likely achieved a breakthrough.
• Kelemvor said Green might qualify to challenge for one of the Four God Thrones, and the gods considered Mystra's own prospects.

Green entered the Fire Elemental Plane to confront Kossuth after splitting the Flame Divine Office. He studied the plane’s elemental currents, then faced Kossuth’s wrath as the Lord of Fire emerged to attack.

• Mystra marveled at Green’s perfected Thirteenth-Ring Spells as the gods watched him arrive near the Fire Elemental Plane.
• Green examined the elemental conduits and reflected on how the Divine World’s fixed purposes contrasted with the unpredictable Faith Force System.
• Green entered the Fire Elemental Plane, suppressed his Godhead’s urge to rule it, and anticipated Kossuth’s response to the split Flame Divine Office.
• Kossuth’s wrath shook the plane, and a burning sphere shot from his towering pillar of flame toward Green.

Green fought Kossuth in the Fire Elemental Plane and revealed that he could stop time across a third of the Divine World. He pierced Kossuth’s body and suppressed his power, leaving the defeated deity unable to resist.

• Kossuth attacked Green with a torrent of Golden Flame, but Green’s white True Protection shielded him from the blast.
• Green and Kossuth exchanged dragonfire and elemental breath, and their clash devastated the Fire Elemental Plane without injuring either of them.
• As Kossuth prepared to draw upon the Origin Force Sea, Green used Time Stop, freezing a third of the Divine World while he alone could move.
• Green pierced Kossuth’s chest with his claw, ending the time stop as Kossuth realized what had happened.
• Green pulled his claw free and infused Kossuth with Divine Power to suppress his recovery, and Kossuth accepted defeat.

Green defeated Kossuth and confirmed that he had cast a Thirteenth-Ring Spell, while Leindorf completed his God Ascension as a Weak Divine Power. The revelation empowered Ogma and Azuth, but Green also took part of their Godhead authority, leaving the gods to reckon with the spell’s consequences.

• With Green preventing Kossuth from interfering, Leindorf completed his God Ascension, became a Weak Divine Power, and opened a passage to Arcadia to establish his Divine Realm.
• Kossuth asked Green whether he had used a Thirteenth-Ring Spell, and Green confirmed that he had.
• The gods watching the battle realized that Green’s Time Stop had halted one-third of the Divine World and confirmed the spell’s immense power.
• In a Miracle City tavern, Mystra panicked when the Time Stop briefly cut off one-third of the Magic Web, while Kelemvor contained the surging auras of Azuth and Ogma.
• Origin Force strengthened Ogma and Azuth, expanding Ogma’s Knowledge Divine Office and raising Azuth to the peak of Weak Divine Power.
• Green took part of Ogma and Azuth’s Godhead authority, sending it toward the Fire Elemental Plane.

After Green’s Thirteenth-Ring Spells changed the world, the World Will awarded him two Authorities taken from Azuth and Ogma. Kossuth agreed to become Green’s Subordinate Deity and signed a contract with him.

• Azuth revealed he had lost the Authority of Independent Casting, while Ogma had lost the Inspiration for Pioneering Knowledge.
• Green received both Authorities from the World Will and understood they rewarded his independent spellcasting and creation of Thirteenth-Ring Spells.
• Kossuth offered to become Green’s Subordinate Deity because he believed Green was most likely to change the world.
• Green presented Kossuth with a contract drawn from the world’s Origin Force, and Kossuth signed it after reviewing its terms.

Kossuth became Green’s subordinate, alarming the gods as they considered how the Dominion Pantheon might expand. Kelemvor concluded that Mystra’s only chance to oppose Green was to develop a Thirteenth-Ring Spell, and summoned a contract to begin arranging it.

• Kossuth’s throne shifted beside Green’s, marking him as Green’s subordinate deity.
• Mystra, Ogma, Kelemvor, and two other gods discussed how Green’s power and steady creation of new gods could draw the pantheons into a losing struggle.
• Kelemvor warned that gods might defect to Green over time, allowing him to become the Sole Supreme God.
• Mystra explained that Green’s Independent Casting had left her unable to reconstruct his spell model through the Magic Web.
• Mystra estimated that, even with the gods’ purified Divine Power, she would need 300 to 500 years to construct a Thirteenth-Ring Spell.
• Kelemvor called upon the Origin Force Sea, and a contract appeared in his hand.

Mystra and four allied deities signed a binding contract to provide her with Divine Power and support her research into Thirteenth-Ring Spells. As they prepared for the coming conflict, Green discussed his plan with Kossuth and then traveled to Arcadia.

• Kelemvor presented Mystra with a contract requiring the gods to supply her with pure Divine Power and her to share her research into Thirteenth-Ring Spells.
• Selûne, Azuth, Ogma, and Kelemvor reviewed and signed the contract, and Mystra signed it last, binding all five deities through the Origin Force.
• Kelemvor and Selûne promised to supply Mystra with Divine Power and protect her, while Ogma pledged to gather knowledge of Thirteenth-Ring Spells.
• Mystra warned the deities to prepare as Kossuth stirred up God of Dominion, and the deities departed in their avatars.
• In the sealed Fire Elemental Plane, Green told Kossuth that pantheons could defend against Thirteenth-Ring Spells and gave him instructions for a plan.
• Kossuth agreed to carry out Green's plan, and Green opened a Plane Passage to Arcadia and stepped through.

The Divine World reeled after Green demonstrated the power of Thirteenth-Ring Spells against Kossuth. As the Orc Pantheon discussed the rise of the Dominion Pantheon, Shargaas urged Gruumsh to avoid conflict and withdraw Orcs from the Prime Material Plane.

• Images of Green's battle with Kossuth spread through the Divine World, and the Thirteenth-Ring Spells that stopped time across one-third of it terrified its inhabitants.
• The Orc deities gathered in the Steel Fortress on the Avalas Layer to discuss the Dominion Pantheon's rise.
• Rusek asked Inov for advice, but Inov admitted he had no political plan and suggested that Shargaas might know what to do.
• Gruumsh ordered Shargaas to speak, and Shargaas advised the Orcs to withdraw from the Prime Material Plane and avoid confronting the God of Dominion.
• Bahgtru rejected Shargaas's proposal and urged Gruumsh to attack the God of Dominion instead.

Gruumsh accepted Shargaas’s warning that Green could weaken and eventually fracture the Orc Pantheon, and ordered the Orcs to avoid drawing the God of Dominion’s attention. Across the Divine World, pantheons began preparing against Green’s growing power, while Demigods whose Divinity clashed with Greater Divine Powers sought the Ruling Church.

• Shargaas warned Gruumsh that Green could divide the Orcs’ Divine Authority and entice their Deities to defect, ultimately breaking apart the Orc Pantheon.
• Gruumsh admitted he could only resist the God of Dominion briefly and ordered Shargaas to gather the Orcs’ forces and avoid provoking Green.
• Other pantheons restrained their forces and avoided the Ruling Church; the Dwarves began forging a powerful Divine Artifact, while the Elves studied Thirteenth-Ring Spells.
• The Orc Pantheon struggled to find allies or a path to greater power, and other pantheons began targeting it as Orc factions faced worsening conditions on the Prime Material Plane.
• Green watched the pantheons’ reactions and continued using Quasi-Gods and Demigods to claim Divine Offices, while Demigods whose Divinity conflicted with Greater Divine Powers sought the Ruling Church.

In Green's Divine Realm, three Neutral-aligned Demigods sought to join the Ruling Church, and Green explained why Demigods of other alignments rarely had that option. Green told the applicants to introduce themselves so he could judge whether they met his standards, leaving them to decide how much of their hidden past to reveal.

• Green surveyed the three Demigods who had come to pledge themselves to him in Arcadia.
• Green considered how recruitment, persecution, and rival Deities restricted Demigods of the Lawful, Good, Evil, Chaotic, and Neutral Alignments.
• Green observed the three applicants: a man with a longsword for a right arm, a humanlike Demigod with a purple scorpion tail, and a lionlike beastfolk Demigod whose presence surprised him.
• Green warned the Demigods that he would send away anyone who failed to meet his standards and ordered them to introduce themselves.
• The three Demigods understood that Green was testing their loyalty and willingness to disclose their deepest secrets.

Green assessed three demigods seeking to join the Dominion Pantheon and offered them contracts after confirming they had been honest about their histories. Korrim Endamara, Frasa Boros Aikenlin, and Jin Mango Lueranno signed, binding themselves to the pantheon.

• Korrim Endamara explained that his Divinity punished evil and that Tyr and Hall had rejected him, while Green recognized him as a fitting Subordinate Deity.
• Frasa Boros Aikenlin described his Divinity of salvation from venom and pain and the opposition he faced from Loviatar and Talona.
• Jin Mango Lueranno revealed that Gruumsh hunted him for his Dominion Divinity over ordinary Orcs and that he had survived in hiding.
• Green declared that all three had passed his test and presented them with the Dominion Pantheon contract and its rules.
• Korrim Endamara, Frasa Boros Aikenlin, and Jin Mango Lueranno reviewed the terms, signed the contract, and became bound to the pantheon.

Green arranged paths to godhood for Endamara, Aikenlin, and Lueranno, while Lueranno's growing power threatened the Orc Pantheon. Gruumsh struggled to respond and began considering the Year of Troubles Calamity, though he rejected the idea for the moment.

• Green promised Endamara and Aikenlin a safe place to develop their Divinity and prepare for God Ascension.
• Green told Lueranno to build a cross-planar kingdom, reach the peak of Demigodhood, and claim as much of Gruumsh's Divine Authority as possible.
• Green suspected the other Pantheons had helped bring Lueranno to him and decided the Orc Pantheon was worth weakening.
• Three months later, Gruumsh learned that Lueranno had established an Orc Empire and was spreading Green's faith.
• Gruumsh rejected starting a war or framing another Pantheon, then considered provoking the Year of Troubles Calamity before turning back to a discussion with the Orc Gods.

Twenty years later, Endamara and Aikenlin prepared to ascend to godhood in Miracle City, where Malakash arrived from the Fire Elemental Plane to join them. All three completed their ascensions without interference, while unrest continued to build across the Divine World.

• Believers gathered in Miracle City to witness Endamara and Aikenlin's God Ascension ceremony beneath Green's statue.
• Malakash emerged from a passage to the Fire Elemental Plane and announced that he had come to ascend alongside the two Demigods.
• Endamara welcomed Malakash and began the ceremony while he waited for his turn.
• Origin Force raised three thrones of Weak Divine Power, and Endamara, Aikenlin, and Malakash successfully ascended.
• The other Deities did not interfere, though tensions across the Divine World continued to rise.

Talos lost part of his Authority over Fire Disasters as Kossuth, backed by Green and the Dominion Pantheon, began weakening him. After roaring in fury across Pandemonium, Talos realized he could not challenge Green and worried Kossuth would take more of his Authority.

• The chapter described Pandemonium’s four layers and the Divine Realms established there by Talos, Cyric, the Queen of Darkness, and the Bear Goblins' Primary Deity.
• Talos’s furious roar shook Pandemonium and intensified its storms after he lost part of his Authority over Fire Disasters.
• Kossuth used Malakash the Fire Genie’s growing power over Forest Fire to gradually strip Authority from Talos, with Green backing him through the Dominion Pantheon.
• Talos slumped on his throne and admitted to himself that he could not compare to Green.
• Talos worried that Kossuth would keep chipping away at his Authority beyond Fire Disasters.

Talos and Loviatar sought allies against the Ruling Church as it weakened their faith and influence. Gruumsh gathered evil powers in Pandemonium, where Asmodeus joined them to oppose the spread of Green’s rule into Hell.

• Talos rejected relying on the hostile deities of his Fury Pantheon and contacted Gruumsh about an alliance.
• Loviatar worried that Aikenlin’s Ruling Church was rapidly eroding her Church and considered reaching out to the Orcs.
• Gruumsh gathered evil deities and isolated beings in a cavern in Pandemonium after receiving invitations from them.
• Asmodeus attended the meeting because high-ranking devils had begun defecting to Green’s faith and wanted his system of rule in Hell.
• Asmodeus looked at Gruumsh and Talos and realized he would likely have to devise their plan himself.

Gruumsh gathered the evil deities to discuss how the Ruling Church was dividing their Divine Authority by cultivating demigods, while Green’s Thirteenth-Ring Spells made direct resistance impossible. After Asmodeus and Diylinka ruled out creating defensive spells or stealing the Dwarves’ Storm Hammer, Asmodeus proposed weakening the God of Dominion.

• Gruumsh warned the gathered evil deities that the Ruling Church could divide up their Divine Authority within two hundred years and that Green was too powerful to confront.
• Gruumsh asked Asmodeus whether spellcasters could create defensive Thirteenth-Ring Spells, and Asmodeus said they lacked the knowledge of the world's Essence required.
• Asmodeus explained that Mystra had gained the foundation for Thirteenth-Ring Spells by trading with the God of Dominion, while the Elven Pantheon’s research had progressed slowly.
• Gruumsh proposed seizing the Dwarves’ Storm Hammer, but Diylinka said its forging would take too long and Kossuth was interfering with the process.
• Asmodeus proposed weakening the God of Dominion as their remaining option.

Asmodeus proposed provoking the Overgod into another Year of Troubles by tampering with the Book of Holiness and the Book of Darkness. The Evil Deities faced the question of who would sacrifice themselves, while Asmodeus secretly enjoyed the distrust he had stirred up.

• Talos warned that a Faith War against the God of Dominion would end in disaster, and Asmodeus argued that only the World Will could suppress him.
• Asmodeus invoked the Year of Troubles, prompting Gruumsh to ask for his plan despite the Deities’ fear of repeating the catastrophe.
• Asmodeus explained how Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal had stolen the Tablet of Fate, triggering the Overgod’s punishment, and how Cyric had ended the crisis.
• Asmodeus proposed disrupting the Book of Holiness and the Book of Darkness to overturn good and Evil across the world and provoke the Overgod’s intervention.
• Asmodeus revealed that he had found a supremely good soul and a supremely evil soul who could sense the books, then asked which Deity would serve as the sacrifice.
• The Evil Deities eyed one another warily, while Asmodeus privately savored the suspicion he had created.

Asmodeus persuaded the Evil deities to use Cyric to destroy the Book of Holiness and the Book of Darkness. They empowered a copy of the Book of Lies and sent it to Cyric, expecting him to act within five to ten years.

• Gruumsh realized Asmodeus was hiding something, and Asmodeus explained that finding the two books through the souls required sacrificing a being with Greater Divine Power.
• The Evil deities considered targeting Talos, but Talos released his power and made clear they could not force him to leave his Divine Realm.
• Asmodeus suggested tempting Cyric, and Talos revealed that Bane's death had recently improved Cyric's mental state.
• Asmodeus produced a magical copy of the Book of Lies and explained that the gods could empower it to influence Cyric.
• The gods poured their Divine Power into the copy, and Asmodeus sent it through a portal to Cyric, predicting he would destroy the two books within five to ten years.

Cyric resisted a magically empowered copy of the Book of Lies and deduced that the Evil Deities had sent it to manipulate him against the expanding Dominion Pantheon. He decided to turn their scheme to his advantage by using the book to cause upheaval, gain the Origin Force’s blessing, and break his Seal.

• Cyric considered reclaiming the Fear Authority to recover some of his lost strength and break his Seal.
• A Book of Lies Copy entered Cyric’s Divine Realm and tried to lure him into opening it with promises of power.
• Cyric resisted the book’s influence, recognized it as a trap, and sealed away its allure.
• Cyric deduced that the Evil Deities had created the copy to drive him mad and use him against the Dominion Pantheon.
• Cyric devised a plan to use the copy to cause a major upheaval, earn the Origin Force’s blessing, and return to his peak.