Chapter Summaries

Trit returned to the outpost, where Kane apologized and Li Wei healed him with a potion. That night, Trit knocked out a teammate and escaped toward the Harnen River ferry crossing, while Li Wei watched him leave and Kane confronted Li Wei.

• Kane introduced Trit to Li Wei, who told Trit that Kane had felt guilty about his capture.
• Kane apologized to Trit, and Li Wei gave him a Healing Potion that quickly healed his injuries.
• Trit asked to take the next watch, then knocked out the ranger on duty and climbed out of the cave.
• Trit deceived another guard, left his post, and headed south toward the Harnen River ferry crossing.
• Li Wei watched Trit disappear into the night, but Kane stopped him when he moved to pursue.

Kane led the Assault Team and Li Wei into an ambush against Haradrim cavalry, while their commander learned of Li Wei's supposed powers and ordered a larger force to capture him. The Assault Team destroyed the raiding party, but one enemy recognized Li Wei as the Shadow of War before he was killed.

• Kane decided not to pursue Trit and instead prepared to ambush the Haradrim forces approaching before dawn.
• Trit told the Haradrim commander that Li Wei was a northern Great Lord with miraculous healing sorcery, prompting the commander to send cavalry against the stronghold and gather a larger force to capture him.
• Kane moved the Assault Team from its lakeside stronghold to a dark stretch of road, where Li Wei joined the rangers in waiting for the cavalry.
• Kane signaled the first volley, and the Assault Team cut down nearly half the cavalry before charging into the confusion.
• The deputy captain recognized Li Wei as the Shadow of War and tried to flee, but the rangers brought down his horse and killed him.

The Haradrim army surrounded the Assault Team, and Kane realized the trap had been aimed at Li Wei. After Kane was wounded by an arrow, Li Wei led the team’s breakout and struck terror into the Haradrim.

• A Haradrim commander rallied his army and ordered a complete encirclement of the lakeside stronghold.
• Kane ordered the Assault Team to retreat after spotting a large cavalry vanguard, but scouts reported Haradrim forces approaching from every direction.
• Kane concluded that the Haradrim had come for Li Wei and ordered a northward breakout.
• A Haradrim archer shot Kane, and Li Wei gave him a Healing Potion before charging into the encircling army.
• Li Wei’s black armor and rune-lit sword withstood the Haradrim attacks, and his assault made soldiers on both sides retreat in fear.

Li Wei led the Assault Team through the Haradrim encirclement, then stayed behind alone to face the pursuing army and its Mammoth War Elephants. When the commander recognized him as the legendary Shadow of War, he asked Li Wei to make peace.

• Li Wei broke through the Haradrim shield wall, and the Assault Team followed without being attacked as the enemy soldiers faltered.
• The Haradrim commander abandoned Trit and rode after Li Wei, while Kane and the Assault Team escaped north.
• Li Wei ordered Kane to withdraw with the team and remained behind to confront the approaching army.
• The commander ordered his troops to crush Li Wei, but Li Wei’s Rune Shield and emergency shockwave brought down a Mammoth War Elephant.
• The commander recognized Li Wei from the battle at Khand two years earlier, and his soldiers parted as he asked Li Wei to make peace.

Li Wei forced the Haradrim army to retreat and secured Bashir’s promise not to attack Gondor or enter the land again. Kane learned why the Haradrim had withdrawn, mourned Trit’s death, and set out for Gondor with Li Wei and a Ranger squad.

• Kane spotted Li Wei holding the Haradrim commander at swordpoint, and the Haradrim army began retreating.
• Li Wei made Bashir promise to call off the hunt for the Blue Wizard and keep his forces out of the land; Bashir explained that Sauron had summoned the Haradrim east to fight Li Wei.
• Bashir returned to his army, rebuffed his suspicious deputy, and led the Haradrim across the river to the southern bank.
• Li Wei told Kane that the Haradrim had withdrawn because Sauron had called them east to fight him, and Kane asked to report the news to Gondor.
• Kane learned that Trit had been killed by the Haradrim commander, selected four men for a Ranger squad, and left for Gondor with them and Li Wei.

A wounded ranger rescued an orphaned boy from Uruks in Ithilien and urged him to remain loyal to Gondor. Meanwhile, Li Wei entered Minas Tirith with the Ithilien Assault Team and explored the White City, where residents recognized him but kept their distance; he ended the chapter entering a guarded garden.

• A ranger hiding in Ithilien killed three Uruks who were about to eat a boy, though the fight reopened his old rib injury.
• The ranger learned that the boy's family had been killed, then disfigured his own face and told the boy to grow up loyal to Gondor.
• Kane and four rangers entered Minas Tirith with Li Wei, and Kane explained that many city residents, including himself, had fled Mordor's attacks on Ithilien.
• Kane led the Assault Team to report to the Steward while Li Wei wandered around the White City and drew wary attention from its residents.
• Li Wei entered a guarded garden after a soldier let him pass, asking only that he keep quiet.

Li Wei was summoned to meet Gondor's Steward Turgon after secretly duplicating flowers in the royal garden. Their meeting grew tense when Turgon challenged Li Wei's status, leaving Ecthelion trying to prevent a confrontation.

• Li Wei used Bone Meal to duplicate flowers in the royal garden, then was stopped by Gondorian guards who said the Steward wanted to see him.
• Turgon complained that Li Wei had commanded Gondorian soldiers and waited in the palace to assess the famed northern lord.
• On the way to the palace, Li Wei observed that the White Tree in the fountain square was dead.
• Ecthelion greeted Li Wei, but Turgon challenged him to show proper respect and accused him of provoking Gondor.
• Li Wei stepped forward, and Ecthelion placed himself between the two men while Turgon insisted Gondor's forces could stop Li Wei if he challenged the throne.

Li Wei’s tense meeting with Gondor’s Steward, Turgon, ended without agreement, but Gondor still became his ally. Ecthelion spoke with Li Wei about Gondor’s growing dangers and introduced his son Denethor, while Turgon discovered them together and stormed away.

• Turgon ordered Ecthelion to keep his distance from Li Wei, but Ecthelion later met Li Wei in the royal gardens.
• Ecthelion explained how Mordor, the southern pirates, and wavering nobles threatened Gondor, and Li Wei encouraged him to preserve Gondor’s glory.
• Ecthelion introduced his son Denethor to Li Wei, who tried to pick him up before Denethor politely refused.
• Turgon brought grapes to the garden hoping to spend time with his family, but found Ecthelion and Denethor happily speaking with Li Wei and left in frustration.

Li Wei met Denethor and later spoke with Turgon about Gondor’s friendship and the danger of Sauron’s influence. Turgon refused Li Wei’s request to borrow the Palantir, leaving Li Wei to consider how to address the risk without confronting Sauron on his home ground.

• Denethor challenged Li Wei to a sword duel, lost, and was urged to train at the Roadside Fortress.
• Ecthelion told Turgon about rumors from the South and Far East concerning Li Wei, keeping Turgon awake through the night.
• Turgon declared that Gondor was willing to befriend Li Wei and offered the Steward’s promise in return for his aid.
• Li Wei asked to borrow Gondor’s Palantir, but Turgon refused, explaining that only the king had the right to use it and that it could expose its user to Sauron.
• Turgon warned Li Wei that speaking Sauron’s name could draw evil’s attention and corrupt people, and Li Wei decided the threat needed careful planning.

Li Wei failed to gain access to Gondor’s Palantir, then met Ecthelion and Kane at a tavern and discussed his northern Territory. He asked Gondor for an unclaimed plot of land where he could build a foothold and store supplies.

• Turgon refused Li Wei access to Gondor’s Palantir because the king alone could decide how it was handled, and young Denethor became determined to surpass Li Wei after learning of Sauron and the Palantir.
• Ecthelion escorted Li Wei through the city, where Li Wei said he planned to meet Kane, captain of Ithilien’s Assault Team.
• Li Wei, Ecthelion, and Kane ate together at a tavern, and Li Wei described his Rangers, their training, and the northern road linking the Shire and Rivendell.
• Kane explained that Rangers and Assault Teams were essentially the same kind of fighters, differing mainly in whether they operated alone or in groups.
• Li Wei asked Ecthelion for an unclaimed plot of land in Gondor where he could build a house, store supplies, and establish a foothold.

Li Wei secured permission from Ecthelion and Turgon to claim a dangerous stretch of wilderness between Osgiliath and Mordor as his own. He headed east to the site and was attacked by Uruks and Wargs, who fled after he killed the first Uruk.

• Li Wei marked a stretch of land near Henneth Annûn on the map, and Kane explained that the Assault Team's hidden outpost lay inside a cave behind a waterfall.
• Ecthelion warned Li Wei that Orcs, Uruks, and Wargs plagued the disputed wilderness, but Li Wei insisted he could handle the danger himself.
• Ecthelion obtained Turgon's permission for Li Wei to do whatever he wanted in the area.
• Li Wei left the White City, passed through Osgiliath, and traveled east toward the land he had claimed.
• Uruks ambushed Li Wei, but he beheaded their leader with one sword stroke, causing the others to flee.
• A pack of Wargs arrived, and the last Uruk pointed them toward Li Wei before running after the retreating group.

Li Wei slaughtered the Wargs, Orcs, and Uruks pursuing him, then warned the Uruk captain to keep Mordor’s forces out of his territory. The captain used Li Wei’s name to persuade two Rangers to release him, while a faint crack appeared in the darkness controlling his mind.

• Li Wei killed the Wargs and Orcs, then pursued the Uruks toward Minas Morgul as they fled.
• Li Wei defeated the Uruk captain near the crossroads and ordered him to tell his people that the territory was his.
• At dawn, two Rangers captured the Uruk captain and questioned him about the previous night’s slaughter.
• The Uruk captain claimed he was delivering orders for Lord Li Wei, and the Rangers released him so they could investigate.
• The Uruk captain returned toward his main force, and the evil will seized his mind again, though a faint crack remained.

An Uruk captain killed an elite who challenged his order to avoid a location, and the Witch-king rewarded him with command of the forces in the crossroads region. The new leader reported Gondor's stalemate and revealed that someone had claimed territory within the combat zone.

• An elite Uruk questioned the captain's authority, fought him, and was beheaded after losing.
• The Witch-king watched the captain's brutality through a bat and summoned him to Minas Morgul.
• The Witch-king placed the captain in command of the forces in the crossroads region and promised him power and rewards.
• The Uruk leader reported that Gondor's defenders remained entrenched and the Rangers stayed hidden.
• The Uruk leader told the Witch-king that someone had claimed territory within the combat zone.

The Witch-king sent an Uruk leader to poison Li Wei’s Territory, but Li Wei caught him and challenged the Witch-king to a duel. Sauron forbade the Witch-king from accepting, and another Ringwraith set out toward Li Wei’s challenge.

• The Witch-king gave the Uruk leader a cursed vial and ordered him to contaminate Li Wei’s Territory.
• Li Wei destroyed a swarm of bats, then caught the Uruk leader beside a patch of grass poisoned by the vial.
• Li Wei replaced the corrupted water and soil, learned the Witch-king had ordered the attack, and sent a challenge for a duel at the crossroads.
• The Witch-king prepared to ride out, but a Ringwraith stopped him and reminded him that Sauron had forbidden him to act.
• The Ringwraith left the fortress, while the Witch-king warned him to prove himself against Li Wei.

Li Wei fought and defeated an unusually powerful Ringwraith at the crossroads, then returned to his Territory after the wraith was drawn back to Mordor to await resurrection. News of the battle reached Gondor, leaving Turgon awake and regretting how he had treated Li Wei.

• Li Wei waited at the crossroads for the Witch-king but was confronted by a silent Ringwraith wielding a broken sword.
• The Ringwraith attacked with rapid arrows, sudden movements, and a strengthening war hammer, but Li Wei countered with his equipment and sword techniques.
• Li Wei set the Ringwraith ablaze with a sword thrust and tried to question him, but the wraith spoke only once before his spirit was pulled back toward the Black Tower of Mordor.
• Li Wei picked up the Ringwraith's broken sword, returned to his Territory, and resumed excavating and building.
• Rangers carried news of the battle to the White City, and Turgon stayed awake regretting how he had treated Li Wei.

Li Wei planned a Nether Highway network and returned to the peaceful crossroads, while the Witch-king decided not to attack him without Sauron’s orders. Two Gondorian rangers then delivered an invitation for Li Wei to meet Gondor’s Chancellor.

• Li Wei recorded the Nether Portal’s coordinates, returned to the underground fortress in Gondor, and prepared it as a base for future routes.
• Li Wei found the crossroads peaceful, with the Uruk leader keeping Orcs and Wargs away from the area.
• The Witch-king and another Ringwraith considered attacking Li Wei but decided to wait for Sauron’s order.
• The Witch-king recalled how Glorfindel had once driven him from battle without fighting.
• Two rangers found Li Wei at the crossroads and told him that Gondor’s Chancellor had invited him to a meeting.

Li Wei arrived in Gondor to a citywide celebration for his defeat of the Witch-king, then made peace with Vizier Turgon and accepted a ceremonial shortsword as a testament to friendship. The gift’s blank emblem represented Turgon’s family and would serve as a sign of Gondor’s support when needed.

• Before leaving for Gondor, Li Wei signed an autograph for a young ranger and encouraged him to use his cloak in the wilderness.
• Gondor’s residents welcomed Li Wei as a hero, and the young ranger explained that news of his revenge on the Witch-king had spread throughout the city.
• Ecthelion persuaded Turgon to let the people celebrate, saying the welcome would lift the spirits of Gondor’s strained residents and soldiers.
• Turgon welcomed Li Wei as Gondor’s ally, and the two put their earlier disagreement behind them.
• Turgon presented Li Wei with a Vizier’s Short Sword bearing his family’s blank emblem, which could identify Li Wei as a friend of Gondor.
• Li Wei accepted the sword on behalf of himself and his Territory’s people beneath the withered White Tree as Gondor’s residents applauded.

After Gondor’s council reviewed the kingdom’s recent military reports, Turgon waited for Li Wei so he could introduce him to Gondor’s leaders. Li Wei arrived late, met the council members, and recognized an envoy from the House of Dol Amroth as having Elven blood.

• Turgon and the council heard reports that the Haradrim and Uruks were withdrawing and that Gondor’s warriors had destroyed pirates near Lebennin.
• After the official business ended, Turgon told the council he was waiting for Li Wei, whom his messengers had been unable to find.
• Ecthelion brought Li Wei into the great hall, where he arrived eating an apple pastry.
• Turgon introduced Li Wei to Gondor’s officials, commanders, lords, and envoys.
• Li Wei noticed that an envoy from the House of Dol Amroth had Elven blood, and the envoy praised his perception.

Li Wei met Senger, Rohan’s heir, and heard why he had left his father’s corrupt court to serve Gondor. He agreed to cook lunch for Senger and Ecthelion, then learned that a caravan from his Territory had reached Gondor.

• Turgon introduced Senger to Li Wei after the meeting.
• Li Wei asked about Senger’s disagreements with Fengel, and Senger described his father’s misrule and explained why he had left Rohan.
• Li Wei predicted that Rohan and Gondor would prosper, then reflected on how quickly the years had passed.
• After Turgon left, Li Wei invited Ecthelion and Senger to lunch and offered to cook for them and their families.
• Ecthelion mentioned wine brought by a caravan from the Roadside Fortress, and Li Wei was surprised to learn the caravan had arrived in Gondor the previous day.

Li Wei found his caravan in Gondor and learned how its Rangers had helped it travel safely. He praised trainee Rangers Alger and Aven for their training and escort work, promising them extra credit when they returned.

• Li Wei flew down from the upper floors to find the caravan at the northern market, where crowds had gathered around its wagons.
• The caravan manager, Charlie, greeted Li Wei and explained that the caravan had followed the main road with help from trainee Rangers and their instructors.
• Alger and Aven told Li Wei how they had encountered a Barrow-wight, been rescued by Instructor Falrodan, and learned to avoid confronting such creatures rashly.
• The two Rangers explained that they had completed their training, fought in more than a dozen battles, helped wipe out the Orcs of the South Downs, and guided the caravan along the Greenway.
• Li Wei praised Alger and Aven and promised them extra credit when they returned.