Chapter Summaries

Li Wei mastered Círdan’s shipbuilding techniques, left his completed ship in Lindon, and gave Círdan a Golden Apple and a beacon that revived the Grey Havens Elves’ vitality. Back at Roadside Fortress, he planned waterways and ports across his Territories and decided to open new specializations at the school.

• Li Wei showed Círdan a ship dozens of meters long, and Círdan declared that Li Wei had mastered shipbuilding and offered him sailors and navigators.
• Li Wei left the completed flagship in Lindon, where it was named the Apprentice after it passed its trial voyage.
• Li Wei gave Círdan a Golden Apple in return for teaching him shipbuilding.
• Li Wei placed a beacon in Grey Havens, and its light restored vitality to the Elves living there.
• Li Wei studied a map and marked potential ports and waterways near Roadside Fortress and in Anduin Valley.
• Li Wei decided that the school needed several new specializations.

Roadside Fortress expanded its naval program as the new year began, while Gandalf and Balin escaped Thorin at the Lonely Mountain and traveled west along the Sky Road. They reached the area near Cairn Town, where they spotted Beorn atop Carrock, contemplating the oversized bees around him.

• Roadside Fortress opened a naval technology program with instructors from Lindon and added ship engineering to the Craftsmen's Academy.
• At the start of 2949, Balin fled the Lonely Mountain with Gandalf before Thorin could stop them.
• Balin and Gandalf discussed their journey west, Balin's visit to the Blue Mountains, and the Dwarves' drunken embarrassment at a Roadside Fortress banquet.
• Gandalf and Balin traveled along the Sky Road, passed Starting Town, and reached the area near Cairn Town by nightfall.
• Balin spotted Beorn on Carrock, where Beorn wondered why some bees were as large as a human head.

Gandalf and Balin discovered Grey Road and Riverside Fortress, then visited Li Wei at the new settlement. Balin warned Li Wei that Moria lay nearby.

• Gandalf and Balin learned that Li Wei was away from Roadside Fortress, but they changed course after discovering Grey Road and hearing that it led to Riverside Fortress.
• Li Wei built Grey Road to connect Roadside Fortress with a new fortress at the river delta, where he planned to establish a naval shipyard and a branch campus.
• Gandalf and Balin arrived at Riverside Fortress, guided by its beacon, and Li Wei welcomed them with dinner.
• Balin told Li Wei that Moria was right next to Riverside Fortress.

Li Wei learned that at least ten thousand Orcs and several Ringwraiths had gathered near Moria and were preparing to attack Riverside Fortress. Gandalf and Balin abandoned their journey to the Shire, but Li Wei dismissed proposals to summon reinforcements and left the next move unresolved.

• Balin warned Li Wei that Riverside Fortress was dangerously close to Moria, and Gandalf urged him to strengthen its defenses while the city remained vulnerable.
• Gandalf and Balin prepared to leave Riverside Fortress, but Falrodan arrived with news that Orcs and powerful ghostlike figures had gathered at Moria's western gate.
• Li Wei and Gandalf identified the figures as Ringwraiths, and Gandalf and Balin postponed their journey to the Shire to help respond.
• Falrodan reported that the enemy force numbered at least ten thousand, prompting Balin to suggest calling troops from Roadside Fortress and Gandalf to propose seeking aid from Rivendell.
• As Gandalf and Balin discussed gathering reinforcements, Li Wei said there was no need.

Li Wei judged the available defenders insufficient and left to visit every Territory, while Falrodan organized the mobilization and Gandalf and Balin stayed to guard Riverside Fortress. Balin found a Dwarven battle axe in the armory as preparations for the Orc attack continued.

• Li Wei learned that the nearby Territories could provide over a thousand Rangers and about three thousand trained soldiers, but said the force was not enough.
• Li Wei ordered the city walls raised and left to visit all the other Territories.
• Falrodan traveled to Roadside Fortress and was chosen to lead the mobilization.
• Gandalf and Balin remained at Riverside Fortress, and Gandalf took Balin to the armory.
• Balin chose a Dwarven fine-steel battle axe.

Gandalf and Balin prepared Riverside Fortress for an approaching Orc army by directing scouts and reinforcing the defenses. The chapter ended with the fortress’s walls completed overnight as the waves struck the new stone revetments.

• Gandalf took command of Riverside Fortress with Li Wei’s permission and organized defenses while Balin wondered whether they should act.
• Gandalf suggested Balin seek reinforcements from Rivendell, but explained nearby allies might come without being asked if Li Wei faced urgent danger.
• A returning ranger reported that at least fifteen thousand Orcs, siege behemoths, and at least three Ringwraiths would arrive in as little as two days.
• The ranger and his returning scouts joined the wall-building effort, and the rangers became the main force constructing the defenses.
• Gandalf and Balin ate dinner while workers labored in shifts, finishing the encircling wall and reinforcing the riverbank with stone.

Falrodan and Gandalf prepared Riverside Fortress for an approaching Orc army with more than fifteen thousand troops and at least three Ringwraiths. Li Wei’s emergency order sent forces from Dale and Cairn Town toward the western mountains, while Thorin and Thranduil began mobilizing support.

• The Rangers killed approaching Orc scouts, and Gandalf and Balin advised the workers as construction continued at Riverside Fortress.
• Falrodan arrived with Roadside Fortress’s army and Ranger instructors, and Gandalf warned him that more than fifteen thousand enemies and at least three Ringwraiths were approaching.
• Gandalf offered to fight two Ringwraiths, Falrodan agreed to face another, and Balin argued with Gandalf over his role.
• Bard ordered Dale’s forces to march toward Riverside Fortress, and the Beorn people of Cairn Town gathered their fighters to join them.
• Thorin learned that Li Wei had summoned forces to the western mountains and considered gathering Erebor’s troops, while Thranduil ordered Black Forest forces mobilized and learned they were nearly out of the forest.

The Orc army attacked the fortress, where Gandalf, Falrodan, and the defenders struggled against the Ringwraiths and siege beasts while waiting for Li Wei. Elsewhere, Legolas met Orolóir, who was heading to Erebor to warn that shadows from the east were closing in.

• The Orc army halted beyond the rockets’ range, and Gandalf and Balin decided to stall for time until Li Wei returned.
• The Ringwraiths ordered an assault, and the defenders battered the Orcs and burning siege beasts with arrows and fire.
• A Ringwraith wounded Falrodan and several soldiers with a Morgul Blade, but Falrodan recovered with a Healing Potion and joined the fight again.
• Gandalf drove one Ringwraith back with his staff, but the other two climbed onto the wall as siege beasts battered the gate until it began to fail.
• Legolas met Orolóir in Dale and learned that he had come to warn Li Wei about shadows advancing from the east.
• Legolas told Orolóir that Li Wei and the local deputy were away, then took him toward Erebor to seek help from the Dwarven king.

Falrodan, Balin, and Gandalf fought three Ringwraiths atop the city defenses while the Orcs attacked below. The defenders held their ground, but Trolls advanced with siege ladders as the soldiers began resisting the Ringwraiths’ fear.

• Balin joined Falrodan and Gandalf, and the three faced three Ringwraiths.
• Balin struck a Ringwraith with his axe, while Falrodan stabbed another in the helmet and drove it back.
• Gandalf rescued Balin, and the three held the Ringwraiths in a stalemate as afflicted soldiers were carried away.
• The Orcs shattered the gate only to discover a second wall behind it, while Trolls advanced with siege ladders.
• Falrodan urged the trainee Rangers to attack for extra points, and one fired an arrow at a Ringwraith as the soldiers began overcoming their fear.

The Orcs breached Roadside Fortress's wall with an enormous earthworm and launched a full assault, but Falrodan's contingency plan used explosives and coordinated troops to repel them. The fortress held for now, while the Ringwraiths continued observing the battlefield without committing to another attack.

• The Ringwraiths concluded that Li Wei was absent and ordered an attack after their underground creatures finished digging beneath the walls.
• An enormous earthworm burst from the ground and tore open the wall, allowing Orcs, Trolls, and giant beasts to surge toward the breach.
• Gandalf and the soldiers fought to hold the breach as the Ringwraiths targeted the Iron Golems and the repair team struggled to respond.
• Falrodan ordered the troops to retreat from the breach, then commanded the demolition team to blast the enemies gathered there.
• The repair team barricaded the breach, and the engineering crews began restoring the defenses as the attackers' assault failed.
• The Orcs continued their attacks while the Ringwraiths changed positions and watched, leaving their intentions unclear.

The Ringwraiths forced the Orc army to continue its futile assault on Riverside Fortress, killing its chieftain and cloaking the battlefield in darkness. Gandalf dispelled some of the darkness as a signal revealed an approaching force of silver-white cavalry, who charged into the Orcs.

• An Orc chieftain urged the Ringwraiths to retreat, but one strangled him and appointed a one-eyed Orc as his replacement.
• The Ringwraiths ordered a final assault, and the one wearing a ring summoned dark clouds that plunged Riverside Fortress and the surrounding battlefield into darkness.
• Gandalf raised his staff to dispel the darkness while Orcs climbed the siege towers and fought the defenders on the walls.
• A white firework revealed a sword-bearing figure and ranks of silver-white cavalry to Falrodan, Gandalf, and the soldiers, restoring their courage.
• Gandalf denied making the signal as the cavalry charged from the north into the darkened Orc army.

Li Wei and the cavalry routed the Orc army, while Li Wei defeated the Ringwraiths with help from Glorfindel. After the battle’s darkness lifted, Glorfindel told Li Wei that the Great Eagle had arrived with news, and Li Wei asked to hear everything.

• Bard led the cavalry in repeated charges that scattered the Orcs, and he killed a giant beast with a spear.
• Falrodan, Gandalf, and Balin watched the battle before Balin urged them to help, and Roadside Fortress’s soldiers charged out through the broken gate.
• Li Wei blocked the Ringwraiths’ escape and fought all three, using his shield and sword to ignite one of them.
• Glorfindel arrived with a Great Eagle, and Li Wei defeated the Ringwraiths as they tried to flee.
• The clouds cleared, and Glorfindel explained that the Great Eagle had brought news before the battle began; Li Wei asked him to share it.

Li Wei and Glorfindel joined forces to defeat Trolls near Last Bridge, then raced to see who could kill more. After the battle, news from a Great Eagle sent Glorfindel hurrying south to catch up with Li Wei.

• Li Wei led his soldiers off the Sky Road to exterminate Trolls, where Glorfindel arrived with Rivendell cavalry to investigate and offer support.
• Li Wei and Glorfindel fought together, killing Trolls as the soldiers restrained them and the remaining creatures fled north.
• A Troll recognized Li Wei as the Treasure-Gobbler, but Glorfindel caught and killed it as it tried to escape.
• Li Wei and Glorfindel competed to see who could kill more Trolls, and Li Wei claimed victory by one kill.
• Li Wei led his army south toward Riverside Fortress while Glorfindel prepared to return east to Rivendell.
• A Great Eagle delivered urgent news from east of the Misty Mountains, so Glorfindel mounted his horse and followed Li Wei south, with the Eagle flying alongside him.

Thorin prepared Erebor and Dale for an approaching invasion while Legolas rallied the Woodland Realm and informed Li Wei. As the enemy army reached Dale, Thorin took command of the defenders and ordered the heavy crossbows ready.

• Thorin dismissed Orolóir’s doubts about the defenders’ strength, and Legolas volunteered to contact the Woodland Realm and Li Wei.
• Thorin suspected Orolóir might secretly be a former ruler, but accepted that he was not an enemy.
• Legolas found the Woodland Realm army already mobilized, then sent news to Li Wei through a Great Eagle at Cairn Town.
• Li Wei received the report from Glorfindel, and Gandalf told him the situation there was under control and he could leave.
• An army of Dark Men and Uruks arrived outside Dale, where Thorin ordered the defenders to prepare their heavy crossbows.

After the battle at Riverside Fortress, Li Wei left the cleanup to the others and returned to Dale, where he and Thorin puzzled over Sauron’s strangely ineffective attack. Li Wei went out through the city gate to end the fighting, and the Uruks reacted with fear when they saw him.

• Riverside Fortress’s wounded soldiers survived their injuries, and a soldier fooled his instructor by pretending he was dying so he could praise the taste of Healing Potions.
• Li Wei departed with the Great Eagles, leaving Gandalf and Balin to continue their journey and tell Bilbo what had happened.
• Li Wei returned to Dale through the Nether Portal and learned from Thorin that the defenders were holding off the Olog-hai with almost no losses.
• Li Wei and Thorin discussed the attacks on Riverside Fortress, Dale, and Lake-town, and wondered what Sauron’s forces were trying to accomplish.
• Li Wei drew his sword and walked out through Dale’s opened gates, frightening the Uruks.

Li Wei and the allied forces defeated the attack on Dale, while Orolóir met Thranduil and revealed his wish to remain independent. In Mordor, the Ringwraiths regained their bodies and received new orders from Sauron.

• The Uruk chieftain realized the Witch-king had accused him of betraying Sauron, then fled the battle as the elves, dwarves, and men routed the enemy.
• Thranduil arrived with the Black Forest army, and the allied forces overwhelmed the attackers and secured the Dale Region.
• Li Wei thanked Orolóir for warning Dale about the enemy, and Thranduil recognized him from a meeting more than a thousand years earlier.
• Orolóir asked Thranduil to keep his visit private and explained that Dovonian avoided conflict, while Thranduil urged him to reconsider his assumptions about Li Wei.
• Three Ringwraiths regained their bodies in the Black Tower and learned that Sauron had given them new orders.

Three months after the battle against the Ringwraiths and Orcs, Li Wei showed Gandalf and Balin the Nameless Tower’s newly arranged great library. Gandalf examined a history of Roadside Fortress and asked about Li Wei’s research, which the lord insisted was safe.

• A historian recorded the battle in detail, including Gandalf’s efforts on the walls, Balin’s charge, and Glorfindel’s arrival.
• Three months after the battle, Gandalf and Li Wei discussed how the people were adjusting to Li Wei’s return to his Territory.
• Balin met Gandalf and Li Wei at the Nameless Tower, and the three entered its great library.
• Balin praised the library and said Bilbo planned to write a book, while Gandalf found a recently updated history of Roadside Fortress.
• Gandalf read the history, recognized its account of the battle, and asked Li Wei about the tower’s upper floors and his research.
• Li Wei showed Gandalf the Rune Rings on his hand and assured him that his research was safe.

Balin returned to Erebor and discussed strange symptoms among the Dwarves mining deep underground, while Li Wei continued developing Riverside Fortress and exploring Moria. Elsewhere, a crippled Uruk seized control of the Orc camps and was appointed leader by the Ringwraiths, who ordered their forces to avoid a monster beneath the crossroads.

• Balin returned to Erebor with Gandalf, shared stories of his journey, and learned about the battle near Dale.
• Thorin and the Dwarves discussed miners' breathing trouble and gloomy moods in the mountain's deepest excavations.
• Li Wei led construction in Riverside Fortress, explored Moria's western gate, and left markers along the passage.
• A crippled Uruk returned to an Orc camp, killed an Uruk who mocked him, and forced the others to submit.
• The Uruk replaced his injured foot with a prosthetic, had iron plates fitted to his skull, and became known as the Crippled Oddity.
• The Ringwraiths appointed the Crippled Oddity as leader, then ordered their forces to avoid the monster beneath the crossroads.

From 2950 to 2951, Sauron expanded Mordor’s armies and infrastructure while secretly reoccupying Dol Guldur. Meanwhile, Li Wei completed Riverbend Shipyard and launched its enormous flagship, The Practice.

• In 2950, an Orc squad secretly entered Moria, while Uruks in Mordor hatched and raised a vicious winged beast for Sauron.
• Mordor expanded its farms, population, mines, and defenses as Easterling nobles supplied Sauron, the Eye Cult grew in Umbar, and Khand’s king resisted some orders.
• Alatar remained near the Harnen River for three days to investigate, and a military commander agreed to cover for him.
• Three Ringwraiths secretly reclaimed Dol Guldur and gathered dark creatures to rebuild the abandoned fortress.
• Li Wei’s Riverbend Shipyard officially opened, and trainees began practical training aboard its ships.
• Li Wei presented the shipyard’s enormous flagship and named it The Practice.

Li Wei completed The Practice, prompting Gondor to open Pelargir's harbor to allied fleets. He then traveled east to Isengard and asked Saruman to give him Eärendil's Star, leaving Saruman ready to explain the cost of surrendering it.

• Li Wei completed The Practice, and Gandalf and Círdan admired the vessel as Gandalf recalled Númenor's sunken flagship.
• After hearing of the ship's launch, Turgon ordered Pelargir's harbor opened to the fleets of the Free City-States and wrote to Li Wei.
• Li Wei passed Gondor's messenger on the road and confronted Brown Lands hunters, who admitted Saruman had sent them to watch travelers.
• Li Wei reached Isengard, entered Orthanc, and asked Saruman for Eärendil's Star.
• Saruman admitted he had the star after Li Wei insisted he knew it was there, and Li Wei offered to pay for it.