Chapter Summaries

Aaron defeated and banished Be'lakor, received gifts and research from Belsa, and left Myth Drannor after helping Lathander's wounded worshippers. As Aaron headed toward Moander's Road, Annomyn heard Aibrando's voice and entered Cormanthor Forest to seek help for his mother.

• Aaron banished Be'lakor with Moradin's Thunderous Divine Incantation, and Belsa gave him a Commander's Cloak and scrolls about the High Celestial Stairway.
• Aaron decided to collect water for Annomyn and imagined building a new High Celestial Stairway called the Astral Express.
• Aaron healed Rockefeller and the wounded Dawn Seekers, left them supplies and a Gold Note, and learned the route to Moander's Road.
• Aaron collected water from the Pool of Radiance and left Myth Drannor, vowing to return stronger.
• Annomyn heard Aibrando promise to save his mother and followed the god's instructions into Cormanthor Forest.

Aaron fought through Moander’s Road, where the corruption stirred Nurgle’s dormant power, and reached the towering rotten tree that held a sealed being. Annomyn arrived with water Aaron had given him, but Be’lakor revealed the deception, possessed him, and returned in full glory to confront Aaron.

• Aaron traveled to Moander’s Road and cut through its corrupted creatures with Chaos Daemons as Nurgle’s Power consumed Moander’s corruption.
• Aaron followed the voice to the towering rotten tree and used Tzeentch’s Fire to clear a path through the ruined valley.
• Annomyn reached Aaron, who gave him a bottle of water and warned him to leave the dangerous area.
• Be’lakor told Annomyn that Aaron had deceived him and claimed that he was also the djinni, the Fey’ri, and Aibrando.
• Be’lakor attacked Annomyn, possessed him, and revealed his restored form before declaring that Aaron would get no second chance.

Be'lakor returned by possessing Annomyn and ambushed Aaron as he tried to free a mysterious fairy girl imprisoned in Moander's corrupted tree. After Aaron wounded him with Drach'nyen, Be'lakor abandoned the fight and climbed toward the fairy, intent on devouring her and becoming a god.

• Be'lakor manifested in Annomyn's body, though he had only a fraction of his former strength and could not replenish it.
• Aaron reached the Corrupted World Tree and found a green fairy girl sealed inside; she said that both Aaron and Be'lakor had heard her calls in their dreams.
• Aaron began breaking Moander's seal, but the fairy warned him of an attack, and Be'lakor revealed himself after ambushing Aaron.
• Be'lakor battered Aaron and dismissed the Chaos Gods' interest in mortals as a game, but Aaron struck him with Drach'nyen and badly wounded him.
• Be'lakor, weakened and unable to finish Aaron, climbed to the fairy and declared that devouring her would make him a god.

Aaron, Annomyn, and Xvim fought Be'lakor as he attempted to ascend by absorbing Moander's divine power. Aaron used Be'lakor's true name and the freed fairy maiden's power to defeat him, ending the contest with Be'lakor's body shattered.

• Be'lakor began breaking Moander's seal around the fairy maiden and absorbing the god's power as he transformed Moander's Road into his divine realm.
• Wounded and nearly powerless, Aaron discovered that Annomyn still resisted Be'lakor's possession and contacted him for help.
• Xvim arrived and attacked Be'lakor alongside Aaron, but both were badly injured and exhausted as Be'lakor's ascension was interrupted.
• Aaron learned Be'lakor's true name through Annomyn and began chanting Demon Rain, which tore Be'lakor's body apart.
• The fairy maiden escaped, opened a protective dome, and pierced Be'lakor with Elemental Burst, allowing Aaron to finish the chant and defeat him.

Aaron defeated Be'lakor and claimed the Crown of Chaos, unlocking some of Nurgle's power after Buer healed him. He found Annomyn barely alive and offered him the chance to become his second Chosen Warrior.

• Aaron destroyed Be'lakor, took his crown, and gained Chaos authority that let him cultivate warlocks and promote Chaos Warriors.
• Buer introduced herself as the daughter of Oberon and Titania, then healed Aaron with her magic.
• Nurgle unlocked part of his power in Aaron, granting Buer the legacy of Isha and leaving Aaron short of full approval.
• Aaron and Buer found Annomyn reduced to a hand, a damaged heart, and a windpipe after Be'lakor's possession ended.
• Aaron offered Annomyn the chance to become his second Chosen Warrior.

Aaron and Buer defeated Be'lakor’s aftermath, restored Annomyn, and renewed their temporary alliance with Xvim. The group then deceived the Fey’ri and looted their treasury, where Xvim claimed the artifact Eternal Grudge to use against Cyric.

• Annomyn refused Aaron’s offer to become his Chaos Warrior, but Buer used Isha’s power to restore his body and gave him a spirit stone to cure his mother.
• Iyachtu Xvim emerged from the ruins, and he and Aaron agreed to continue their alliance against Cyric.
• Aaron imitated Be’lakor’s oracle to deceive the Fey’ri and enter their hidden treasury with Buer and Xvim.
• The group stole the Fey’ri’s wealth, equipment, a legendary Spell Bottle, and a red-sheathed rapier.
• Xvim identified the rapier as Eternal Grudge, the Lord of Brands’ artifact, and claimed he had come to Myth Drannor to use it against Cyric.

Aaron traded Eternal Grudge to Xvim for the remaining treasure, a Spell Bottle, and an Ioun Stone, then learned the Brand King's history before Buer brought him and Annomyn to the Feywild. Oberon welcomed his daughter home and honored Aaron, but reacted furiously when Buer told him she wanted to go with her Sir Knight.

• Aaron refused to touch Eternal Grudge, and he and Xvim agreed to exchange the artifact for the treasure, Spell Bottle, and Ioun Stone, while Buer received the Crown King's Censer.
• Xvim told Aaron that Malkizid had once been a Solar who served Corellon and was banished after Araushnee's betrayal, then Aaron and Xvim parted ways.
• Buer summoned Oberon to take her, Aaron, and Annomyn home, and they arrived in the Feywild, where the local fey celebrated her return.
• Oberon greeted Buer, promised vengeance on Moander and Be'lakor, and declared that Aaron had earned the Feywild's friendship.
• Buer whispered that she wanted to go with Aaron, and Oberon turned his anger toward him.

Be'lakor survived his defeat and received one final chance from the Chaos Gods, while Aaron secured Oberon's approval to take Buer and Isha's legacy into his care. Aaron returned to Wyvernwater with Buer and a haul of valuable treasures.

• Be'lakor returned to the Shadowfell as a ruined soul, still weakened by Lathander's curse, and the Chaos Gods mocked him before sparing him and demanding he peel tens of millions of potatoes for another chance.
• Oberon confronted Aaron over Buer, but Buer explained that she wanted to stay with Aaron to inherit Isha's divine legacy, persuading her father to agree.
• Oberon gave Aaron the White Crescent, which let him travel between the Feywild and the Material Plane, and warned him to treat Buer well.
• Annomyn asked Oberon to teleport him home to Karinport so he could return to his mother, and Oberon granted the wish.
• Oberon sent Aaron and Buer to Wyvernwater, where Aaron found thirty crates of treasure, fifty sets of Fey'ri equipment, an Ioun Stone, the White Crescent, and a curious great featherball.

While Aaron was away in Cormanthor Forest, Eleanor struggled to manage the Sunset Lands, win the residents’ trust, and keep the territory’s finances afloat. An unexpected delivery from Mysty Tanshul eased the shortage but raised Eleanor’s suspicions about Aaron, while news of a new play and a multiverse-wide kill order left her wondering what he had encountered.

• Eleanor faced conflicts among Aaron’s relatives, the territory’s many churches, and other groups, then helped the churches declare Cyric’s Dark Sun sect illegal.
• She inspected the estates, befriended residents, organized Selûne’s worship gatherings, and secretly gathered evidence about local problems.
• Eleanor discovered that the territory’s finances were nearing a deficit and worried that Aaron had sent no news from Cormanthor Forest.
• Robert told Eleanor that armor, weapons, ballistae, coins, and the remains of a red dragon had appeared in the castle garden with a note from Mysty Tanshul calling Aaron her little brother.
• Eleanor sold most of the delivered goods to replenish the treasury, then learned that a play about Aaron’s adventures and a multiverse-wide kill order against Be’lakor had been announced.

After returning to Karinport, Annomyn learned that his mother had died shortly after he left and that his brothers had killed her dog, then they beat and abandoned him. Desperate for power and revenge, he invoked the Chaos words and ascended in a crimson pillar of light, while Aaron sensed a fading Chaos connection and set out to visit Selûne.

• Annomyn returned to Karinport carrying coins from Aaron and the spirit stone Buer had given him.
• Mahmoud, Mustafa, and Abdullah revealed that Selana had been cremated and mocked Annomyn before stealing his coins and spirit stone and beating him.
• Annomyn learned that his brothers had eaten Doobie, attacked them, and was beaten unconscious again.
• Mahmoud, Mustafa, and Abdullah took Annomyn out of Karinport and abandoned him in the winter wilderness.
• Annomyn repeated the Chaos words, gained a crimson Chaos Mark, and rose into the sky in a pillar of light witnessed by Karinport.
• Aaron sensed a fading Chaos Undivided aura through his Chaos covenant, then told Buer they would visit the Seabury Open-Air Shrine so he could see Selûne.

Aaron brought Buer and a trove of Fey'ri spoils to Seabury, then entered Selûne’s divine realm to meet her in person. The chapter left Selûne embracing Aaron and asking what surprise he had brought her.

• Aaron reconsidered his path to godhood and decided that becoming Selûne’s subordinate deity first was the safer goal.
• Aaron and Buer waited in Seabury while Selûne’s clergy collected their Fey'ri treasure and equipment for transport.
• Lady Silverstar told Aaron not to tell Lucian that Disma had favored Xvim, and the head of Dragonspike abandoned thoughts of arranging a marriage alliance for Aaron after Selûne rejected the idea.
• Aaron entered Selûne’s divine realm with Buer, surprising the goddess by appearing without her noticing.
• Selûne hugged Aaron and welcomed him, expecting that he had brought her another surprise.

Aaron brought Buer to Selûne’s Divine Realm and proposed the Heavenly Paradise Plan, using Buer’s inherited powers of healing and abundance to transform the Realms. He left Selûne stunned by declaring that he wanted to help her win the War in Heaven.

• Aaron visited Selûne with Buer and learned that Selûne had kept her distance because she thought he no longer needed her help.
• Selûne teased Aaron about sneaking into her Divine Realm, then Sune and Sharess arrived and fussed over Buer and Aaron.
• Aaron told Selûne, Sune, and Sharess that Buer had inherited Isha’s legacy and could eventually bless barren land with abundant harvests.
• Aaron revealed that Buer could currently bless the entire Sunset Lands under his rule, shocking the three goddesses.
• Aaron asked Selûne whether she wanted to end the War in Heaven and said he would help her achieve complete victory.

Aaron persuaded Selûne to consider a proactive campaign against Shar and presented his plan for a Heaven Pantheon and a prosperous mortal empire. Selûne agreed to hear him out and began discussing the plan, while Aaron revealed that his creators might come to reclaim him.

• Aaron argued that Shar would threaten his growing influence and the Shade Enclave’s return, so Selûne needed to prepare to strike back.
• Selûne explained that defeating Shar would require a powerful alliance, and Aaron urged her to support him; she agreed to hear his plan after Sune and Selûne sent Sharess away.
• Aaron outlined his Heaven Pantheon vision, and Selûne began to believe that building a powerful paradise in the mortal world could end the War in Heaven.
• Selûne said she wanted to preserve Shar if they defeated her and identified Amaunator as the deity who could represent the sun in their pantheon.
• Aaron told Selûne he was an experimental hybrid created by four Greater Deities and that they might try to retrieve him, prompting her to promise to protect him.
• Aaron asked Selûne to wear something he liked, and she promised to visit his territory in a few months.

Selûne urged Aaron to reach legendary strength and promised to help Eleanor grow stronger, while she and Sune discussed Aaron’s plans and the threat his enemies posed. Aaron returned to the Sunset Lands with Buer, reunited with Eleanor, and brought the fairy princess home with them.

• Selûne told Aaron to reach legendary strength within ten years and promised to help Eleanor gain a spark of divinity once he did.
• Selûne warned Sune that Aaron and Buer faced danger and planned to enlist Chauntea’s help, while seeking Eilistraee’s support for Aaron’s plans involving the elves.
• Aaron returned to the Sunset Lands in early November after time passed strangely during his visit to the Feywild, and he found the harbor and town under construction.
• Eleanor welcomed Aaron and met Buer, who identified Eleanor by the traces of Aaron’s energy and scent.
• Aaron took Eleanor and Buer home, and Buer used her mind-reading ability, blushing as she discovered what the two were thinking.

Aaron returned to Sunset Town with Buer, where the snow elves stopped testing him after recognizing the fairy princess and paid their respects. He issued new public holidays and reunited with Eleanor, then met with Barrel and Norrington the next morning to hear their concerns.

• Robert and Maximian told Aaron that the snow elves had caused trouble and demanded special privileges, while Barrel had forced them to back down.
• Aaron arrived in Sunset Town with Buer, and Rellta, Ivenna, and the other snow elves bowed to the fairy princess and apologized for their behavior.
• Aaron announced four new public holidays, including Buer's Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival, and declared a seven-day Golden Week.
• Aaron dismissed his waiting subordinates and spent the evening with Eleanor at Aquitaine Palace.
• Barrel and Norrington waited outside the palace the next morning, and Aaron led them to the Round Table Hall.

Aaron discussed the Pool of Radiance and his plans for his territory, then rewarded Edward Teach and encouraged Rellta to build a Snow Elf force. The Chaos Court of the Covenant began to function with Nurgle attending, and Aaron prepared to demonstrate Buer’s healing power.

• Barrel told Aaron that Myth Drannor’s Pool of Radiance connected to the Feywild and suggested Aaron could establish a similar pool in his territory.
• Norrington reported that the Princess Regent wanted to inspect Aaron’s territory, and Aaron invited her and Charlotte Caladnei to visit in three months.
• Edward Teach reported bringing more than 3,200 Snow Elves from the High Ice and warned that some had contacted the Aquatic Elves of Dragonmere.
• Aaron blessed Edward Teach, strengthening him and granting him Chaos armor and weapons, then assigned him to command a warship and replace Boss Marlon.
• Aaron urged Rellta to recruit Snow Elf Arcane Archers and soldiers, promising him a blessing if he proved himself.
• Nurgle attended the Chaos Court of the Covenant, and Aaron prepared to show his subjects Buer’s healing miracle.

Buer settled into the Absolute Good Palace in Aaron’s fief, while Alusair received Aaron’s invitation to visit with Charlotte in three months. Charlotte then arrived with a plan to get revenge on Eleanor during their upcoming visit.

• Buer moved into the Absolute Good Palace, and Maximian told her she could alter its garden and villa however she wished.
• Buer entered the unfinished Selûne Chapel despite Maximian’s warning, sensed Aaron’s plans, and later surprised Maximian by revealing she was five hundred years old.
• Alusair reflected on her reforms and her frustration at Aaron’s absence before opening his letter in the bath.
• Aaron’s letter invited Alusair and Charlotte to visit his fief in three months, and Alusair wished she could leave the next day.
• Charlotte arrived at the palace, teased Alusair about missing Aaron, and whispered a plan to get revenge on Eleanor.

Reynard traveled to Tantris Harbor seeking Torm’s guidance and accepted Baretta Banjorton’s invitation to join the Order of the Gold Lion. In Waterdeep, Samir encountered Aponia at a rehearsal and learned that Aaron had invited the Realms’ elite to his territory for a grand performance, prompting her to agree to attend.

• Reynard arrived at Tantris Harbor, paid its dock and entry fees, and visited Torm’s temple.
• Baretta Banjorton urged Reynard to set aside his old burdens and invited him to join the Order of the Gold Lion, which Reynard accepted.
• At New Olamn, Samir and Eleanora watched a play about Aaron’s battle with Be’lakor and laughed at its portrayal of the duel.
• Samir recognized Aponia, who remembered him as a nuisance from the Dragonspike family after he mentioned Aaron and her carriage ride with him.
• Jery Ranstoff announced that Aaron had invited people to a grand performance in three months, where he would present his accomplishments and Salian’s Nine Books.
• After Samir asked if she wanted to see Aaron again, Aponia agreed to attend.

Aaron’s planned exposition of Salian’s Nine Books drew the attention of powerful figures across the Realms, while Cyric and Szass Tam each plotted to seize the books. Szass Tam decided to attend the exposition himself and take the books.

• Nastya Baenre accepted Jery Ranstoff’s invitation to attend Aaron’s exposition, while Samir declined because he had urgent matters in Waterdeep.
• Elminster received Aaron’s invitation and decided to attend, asking his apprentice to invite Storm Silverhand and Dove Falconhand.
• Alustriel Silverhand agreed to travel to Cormyr at the Lady of Mysteries’ request to investigate Salian’s Nine Books and try to copy them.
• Cyric ordered Manshoon to destroy the exposition, kill its attendees, and bring him Salian’s Nine Books.
• Szass Tam heard Zack and Rihanna’s report about Myth Drannor, then announced that he would attend the exposition and take the books.

In December 1361 DR, Aaron’s generous labor-service provisions won the peasants’ gratitude, while Aegir awoke stronger after hibernation. Aaron then began planning a grand Veil with Aegir, promising a spectacle that would astound the gods.

• Aaron waived half the territory’s labor-service days and substituted boon work.
• Douglas and the other laborers received generous bowls of pork-offal wheat porridge and winter pickles, and Douglas began to support Aaron.
• A guard told the laborers that Aegir had given up his share of grain so they could eat, strengthening their loyalty to Aaron and prompting rumors about the dragon and Cormyr’s Purple Dragon.
• Aegir flew back to Sallyan Castle, entered through a window, and argued with Aaron before backing down after Aaron struck him.
• Aaron told the newly awakened Aegir to help prepare the grand Veil and said their performance would astound the gods.