Chapter Summaries

Buer defeated Aegir in the summit war, earning Aaron’s praise and a promise to attend the Flower Goddess’s Birthday Festival with her each year. After the group played a tabletop adventure and settled in for the night, the women discussed the gathering and laughed about Aaron.

• Aaron watched Buer and Aegir’s high legendary battle while worrying that he still could not advance to the legendary tier without unlocking Nurgle’s remaining power.
• Buer’s Greater Lord Rukkhadevata avatar overwhelmed Aegir, shattered his force shield, and pinned him down until he surrendered, making Buer the summit war’s winner.
• Aaron praised Buer, embraced her, and promised to attend the Flower Goddess’s Birthday Festival with her every year as her reward.
• Aaron played a tabletop role-playing game with the group, and they defeated the Thirteenth Seer of the Skaven, though the emperor’s cousin died and they were exiled to the Border Princes.
• After Aaron left, Alusair, Charlotte, Eleanor, Nastya, and Buer talked with Aegir about the gathering and joked about Aaron until laughter filled the room.

Nastya resisted Eilistraee’s attempt to contact her, then accepted Lolth’s command to conceive Aaron Salian’s child and kill him. Back at Aaron’s estate, she hid her turmoil while Aaron received warnings about Malcanthet and allowed Annomyn to return to Calimshan in search of an Imperial Fists relic.

• Nastya encountered the Sword-Dancing Maiden in a vision, rejected her appeal, and escaped their weakening connection.
• Lolth praised Nastya for resisting the vision, then ordered her to conceive Aaron Salian’s child and kill him; Nastya reluctantly agreed.
• Back at the estate, Nastya concealed her distress from Aaron while teasing him about his lack of free time.
• Aaron read Samir’s warning that Malcanthet had sent the Shining Sisters to pursue him and might try to seize his divinity.
• Annomyn told Aaron that his family’s books described the Imperial Fists’ symbol, and Aaron permitted him to return to Calimshan to search for it.

Aaron questioned the Four Gods about Lorgar Aurelian’s arrival and asked them to open the Chaos Crusade to mortals seeking their blessings. The gods let Aaron handle their servants but planned a new trial for him, as Tzeentch sent a ringing bell toward the western coast.

• Aaron sent Doherty north to explore Anauroch and dispatched Rellta and Ivenna to explore Hulek Forest and the Thunder Peaks.
• Aaron learned from Halsin that Rodok had recently visited the Sacred Grove and spoken with Daba-Thorn, leading him to suspect the Four Gods had resurrected Rodok.
• Aaron summoned the Four Gods and asked why Lorgar Aurelian had appeared in the Realms; Tzeentch explained that Lorgar worshipped all four gods while believing chiefly in himself.
• The Four Gods told Aaron he could deal with their servants as he pleased, and Aaron asked them to open the Chaos Crusade to mortals seeking their blessings.
• After Aaron left the throne hall, Khorne accused him of exploiting their gifts, while Tzeentch rang a tiny bell and sent it toward the western coast.
• A supreme being in a ruined Warp realm heard the bell and raised his head from a pit of mud, sewage, and corpses.

Helm convened the High God Council to vote on whether to sanction Aaron Salian’s Chaos Expedition, which risked sending mortal souls beyond the Crystal Sphere and admitting four foreign greater deities into the pantheon. The vote reached a tie, leaving Shar’s decision unresolved as the chapter ended.

• Helm opened the High God Council, and the gathered deities learned from Oghma that failed Chaos Expeditions could cost mortals their souls and let four foreign greater deities enter the Realms.
• Talos proposed sanctioning Aaron Salian, and the council began voting on whether to ban the Chaos Expedition.
• Talos, Lathander, Oghma, Chauntea, and Cyric voted in favor of sanctions, while Tempus, Sune, Silvanus, Tyr, and Midnight opposed them.
• The council’s vote stood at five to five, and Shar rose to cast the deciding vote.

Shar supported Aaron Salian’s Chaos Expedition, and the High God Council barred the gods from interfering with it. Meanwhile, Xvim gained strength through the death of a hidden Bane Godspawn, while Reynard continued his hunt and a new divine seat appeared unnoticed by most of the gods.

• Shar argued that the Chaos Expedition and Aaron Salian’s other works treated good and evil equally, then voted against halting the expedition; the council rejected Talos’s proposal by five votes to four.
• Disma warned Xvim that Thay’s Red Wizards were using dangerous Astral Magic, mutating, and secretly worshipping a mysterious new deity, but Xvim accepted any magic that served his plans.
• Xvim told Disma that Reynard had been helping their cause, provoking Disma’s anger toward his former senior.
• Reynard and the Order of the Gold Lion arrested Baron Rivera, exposed him as a Son of Tyranny, and killed him with a Holy Spear.
• Baron Rivera’s death sent a wisp of Bane’s divinity to Thay, strengthening Xvim and causing his new divine seat to appear in the Pantheon; only Helm noticed.

Aaron prepared his first Space Marine offspring in the Pool of Souls while planning to pursue the Godspawn of Baal, then Be'lakor was released from his void prison. Be'lakor returned to the Realms determined to reclaim what Aaron had taken from him.

• Aaron used the Pool of Souls and Chaos power to transform abandoned children into future Space Marines, whom he called his children.
• After adventurers returned successfully from the Chaos Expedition, Aaron continued analyzing Lorgar's divine rank crystal and decided to visit Baldur's Gate for the Godspawn of Baal.
• Aaron secluded himself for several months and learned Slaanesh's eighth-circle spell, Thousand Illusions.
• Be'lakor finished peeling the vast mound of potatoes, but the Chaos Gods blasted him and his work apart instead of restoring his power immediately.
• The Chaos Gods repaired Be'lakor, opened his prison, and gave him another chance to return to the Realms.
• Be'lakor escaped through the gateway, declared his freedom, and vowed to reclaim everything from Aaron Salian.

Varo arrived in the Sunset Lands to document its growth, the Chaos Expedition, and Viscount Aaron Salian’s influence. After learning about Annomyn’s transformation into the vigilante called Spawn, Varo decided to rewrite his guide to present the Sunset Lands as Cormyr’s jewel.

• Varo disembarked at Wyvernwater and recorded the diversity of the passengers, the strict Shepherd Legion, and the dangers and rewards of the Chaos Expedition.
• Robert greeted Varo, took him through the bustling shopping district, and treated him to an extravagant night at the Three Crowns Hotel using Aaron’s budget.
• Varo noted how Aaron’s innovations had helped turn the Sunset Lands into a thriving city, then recalled how Annomyn had taken revenge on Selim VII’s sons and become the regenerating vigilante known as Spawn.
• Robert led Varo toward the Round Table Hall, where Varo learned that mages were working in the Sunset Lands in exchange for repeated access to the Silver Grand Library.
• Varo toured the city’s attractions as adventurers gathered for the Chaos Expedition and the force dragon welcomed visitors to the Sunset Lands.
• Varo crossed out his old opening and began his revised guide by introducing the Sunset Lands as the jewel in Cormyr’s crown.

Be'lakor impersonated the resurrected Bhaal to draw faith from his worshippers and planned to become a god in the Realms. Aaron sensed Be'lakor's return in the western Realms and set his sights on Candlekeep, where he intended to bring a gift.

• In Amn, Bhaal's Archbishop Bane and two Deathstalkers debated whether to abandon their silent god, but Bane insisted they complete their ritual.
• Bane prayed at Bhaal's shrine, and an apparition claiming to be Bhaal appeared, saying he had returned but was too weak to grant divine magic.
• Be'lakor revealed that he had impersonated Bhaal to siphon faith and planned to recover Bhaal's divinity before killing a weak true god and taking its portfolio.
• Be'lakor considered potential divine targets and ruled out Tiamat as too troublesome.
• At Sallyan Castle, Aaron sensed Be'lakor in the western Realms while speaking with Varo about Candlekeep.
• Aaron recalled Candlekeep and prepared to visit it with a substantial gift.

Aaron prepared to leave for Baldur’s Gate to hinder Be’lakor, while Eleanor resolved to accompany him despite the danger. The chapter ended with Eleanor catching Aaron getting a massage from Buer and Aegir crushing the bench beneath him.

• Alusair objected to Aaron leaving but agreed after he persuaded her, and Aaron planned to take Charlotte, Barrel, and Eleanor while meeting Dark Elf Sister in Baldur’s Gate.
• Lady Silverstar told Eleanor about Lucian and Disma’s falling-out, then discussed Aaron’s departure with her.
• Eleanor declared that she would follow Aaron into danger because he needed someone beside him, and she urged Lady Silverstar to take the initiative with Lucian.
• Aaron asked Buer to massage his back by stepping on him, but Eleanor arrived and pinned his head down with her foot.
• Eleanor summoned Aegir to step on Aaron, and Aegir’s boot broke the bench beneath him.

Aaron prepared to travel to Baldur's Gate to face Be'lakor by recruiting companions and testing the new spells and powers he had gained. Charlotte joined the expedition, while Buer was left behind, and Aaron and Charlotte departed to prepare for the journey.

• Aaron persuaded Barrel Moonflower to accompany him to Baldur's Gate by offering him a Gold Note and promising to cover his expenses.
• At the training grounds, Aaron tested Thousand Illusions, creating Bloodthirster Aaron, Lord of Change Aaron, and Keeper of Secrets Aaron, while the Great Unclean One form failed to appear.
• Aaron summoned Tzeentch's Destiny Tome and learned it could cancel and record nearby spells, though maintaining it consumed one of his eighth-circle spell slots.
• Aaron reviewed his ability to summon Khorne's avatar, which required him to pay Divinity from a deity whose domain was related to Khorne.
• At the café, Charlotte agreed to travel with Aaron and recalled the Sacred Dragon Emblem Amulet, while Buer failed to secure an invitation and wished them a safe journey.

Tianzi was abducted by a mind flayer and intercepted by the Githyanki, then fought little devils aboard the Nautiloid. He took a day off.

• Tianzi was abducted by a mind flayer.
• The Githyanki intercepted Tianzi.
• Tianzi fought a bloody battle against little devils aboard the Nautiloid.
• Tianzi took a day off.

Aaron set out for Baldur's Gate with Charlotte and Eleanor while Arien's delegation and Nastya traveled by separate routes. On the passenger ship, Barrel revealed his ambitions and used magic to search for a fate connected to becoming the Coronal's man.

• Aaron divided his forces into three groups, sending Arien's diplomatic delegation toward Baldur's Gate and Nastya to negotiate with the Church of Lolth before meeting Samir.
• Aaron traveled aboard a passenger ship with Charlotte, Eleanor, and Barrel, who explained the Elves' arrival in the Realms and served them a stew made from a White Dragon wyrmling and Owlbear eggs.
• Eleanor spotted two female Drow following them, and Aaron recognized them as performers aboard the ship.
• Barrel told Aaron that he had come to the Realms because Aaron's Astral Magic offered hope of advancement beyond the Elven High Mage Council.
• Barrel rejected Vanessa and Kafka when they tried to approach him on behalf of the Dark Maiden, and the Drow resolved to find another way to advance their mistress's plan.
• Alone in his room, Barrel used magic to inspect shifting fates as he searched for the outcome he wanted.

During the voyage to Baldur's Gate, Aaron discussed his plans for the Bhaalspawn with Barrel and learned about the adventurers’ Chaos Expedition. After Eleanor introduced him to a father and daughter she had helped, a Nautiloid descended on their passenger ship and mind flayers attacked.

• Aaron told Barrel he hoped to obtain Charname and Imoen’s divinity while protecting them from Be'lakor, and promised not to seize it by force.
• Barrel agreed to help Aaron only if he avoided murdering or robbing the Bhaalspawn, then went out for a stroll.
• Aaron listened as adventurers aboard the Harvest Moon recounted their Chaos Expedition and showed off their rewards.
• Aaron joined Eleanor on deck, where she introduced William and Rebecca, whose gnoll curse had been cured by Her Highness Buer.
• A Nautiloid descended onto the passenger ship, and mind flayers began landing on deck as the crew and passengers prepared to fight.

Aaron and Eleanor fought off the Mind Flayers attacking the Harvest Moon as a colossal Nautiloid seized the passenger ship. Aaron wounded the vessel with a seventh-level spell, but a Legendary Mind Flayer restored control, and Charlotte, Barrel, and two Drow survived below deck as the ship was pulled toward the Nautiloid.

• Aaron resisted a Mind Flayer’s Mind Blast, killed it, and joined Eleanor in driving back the attackers while Mind Flayers killed or seized passengers and crew.
• Aaron ordered Eleanor to take the survivors inside and find Barrel and Charlotte as the colossal Nautiloid descended and wrapped its tentacles around the ship.
• The Nautiloid lifted the passenger ship and began swallowing it, while Aaron cast Skull of Chaos into its open maw and badly burned it.
• A surge of psychic power let a Legendary Mind Flayer regain control of the wounded Nautiloid and haul the passenger ship upward again.
• Charlotte and Barrel cleared the cabins of Mind Flayers, and Barrel secretly pocketed a recently activated White Chalcedony Ring.
• Two Drow named Kafka and her companion emerged from hiding and asked to travel with Charlotte and the others.

Aaron and Eleanor fought through the Nautiloid with Barrel and two Drow emissaries, then Aaron entered the hatching chamber and killed a Mind Flayer guarding the tadpoles. The Elder Brain demanded the Crown of Karsus from Aaron, who rejected its offer to teach him psionics.

• Aaron and Eleanor killed the Mind Flayers in the salvage hall while Eleanor's divine silence concealed their attack.
• Barrel warned Aaron that a Perfect Mind Flayer was aboard, introduced the Drow emissaries Vanessa and Kafka, and reported that Charlotte was evacuating the surviving passengers.
• Aaron ordered the group to destroy the Nautiloid and seize the Legendary Mind Flayer's mind and wealth.
• Aaron entered the hatching chamber and stabbed the Mind Flayer watching the tadpoles, freeing the captives in the breeding pods from their intended transformation.
• The Elder Brain demanded the Crown of Karsus and offered to teach Aaron psionics, but Aaron refused.

Aaron corrupted the Mind Flayer Elder Brain’s spawning pool and discovered the Nautiloid had been drawn to the Crown of Chaos, which the Elder Brain mistook for Karsus’s Crown. He defeated a legendary Perfect Mind Flayer and found a wisp of divinity linked to Ilsensine.

• Aaron overwhelmed the Mind Flayer Elder Brain with chaos force and learned that it sought Karsus’s Crown and believed the artifact was aboard the passenger ship.
• Barrel revealed that a White Chalcedony Ring had been activated with Tzeentch’s script, and Aaron realized the Mind Flayers had mistaken his Crown of Chaos for Karsus’s Crown.
• Aaron and his companions fought off the Mind Flayers as Vanessa and Lady Kafka attacked in coordinated melee, Eleanor protected the group, and Barrel watched their surroundings.
• A Perfect Mind Flayer arrived, but Aaron’s Destiny Tome absorbed its psionic attacks and Khorne’s power forced it into close combat.
• The Perfect Mind Flayer grappled Aaron and attempted to extract his brain, but Aaron blasted it with Words of Truth and used the Destiny Tome to finish it.
• A wisp of divinity emerged from the defeated creature’s cracked psionic brand, and Aaron suspected it came from Ilsensine.

Aaron negotiated with Ilsensine instead of absorbing the mind flayer god’s divinity, gaining protection from low-level psychic and divine magic and access to the nautiloid’s hoard. There he found Karsus’s Magic Box, which had apparently produced four more Charlottes, leaving him stunned.

• Aaron rejected absorbing Ilsensine’s divinity and agreed to a deal that enhanced his staff, revealed the nautiloid’s hoard, and secured Ilsensine’s promise to warn space mind flayers against attacking him.
• Aaron ordered Vanessa and Kafka to kill the surviving mind flayers and infected captives, while Eleanor cremated the dead and prayed for them.
• Aaron and his companions entered the nautiloid’s brain-filled hoard and searched its contents for valuable items and the artifact Ilsensine had mentioned.
• Charlotte arrived carrying Karsus’s Magic Box and begged Aaron to save her, warning that more of her had appeared.
• Four Charlottes dressed as a cleric, druid, mage, and paladin appeared in the corridor and each claimed to be Aaron’s big sister.

Charlotte retrieved Karsus's Magic Box, which manifested four alternate versions of her based on her subconscious wishes, before the five Charlottes combined their power to create a giant Aaron doll. Charlotte collapsed from the strain, and the Githyanki Lich Queen arrived at the Nautiloid with Red Dragon Knights, forcing Aaron and his companions to flee.

• Charlotte explained that a voice in her divine blood had guided her to retrieve Karsus's Magic Box from the Nautiloid.
• Four alternate Charlottes appeared, each with a different class, and crowded around Aaron until Eleanor's rebuke calmed them.
• Barrel identified the box as a Mechanus artifact, and Aaron realized it had manifested Charlotte's subconscious wishes as alternate versions of herself.
• Aaron reassured Charlotte that he loved her in every form, and the Charlottes combined their strength to make a giant Aaron doll before Charlotte collapsed from mental exhaustion.
• Githyanki Knights and Red Dragons attacked the Nautiloid, and the Githyanki Lich Queen arrived with reinforcements, prompting Barrel to shout for everyone to run.

Aaron and his companions escaped the Githyanki Queen’s search aboard the Nautiloid, but their rushed getaway left them falling from the sky. After Aaron summoned a Tzeentch Sky-Chariot to save them, they landed in Elturel, Eleanor’s hometown, where Hellriders approached.

• Vlaakith arrived at the Nautiloid, sensed the power of a Githyanki Silver Sword, and ordered her warriors to search for whoever had killed the Perfect Mind Flayer and corrupted the Elder Brain.
• Barrel revealed himself as a Chronurgy Archmage and froze time across the Nautiloid for fifteen seconds, giving Aaron and his companions a chance to escape.
• Aaron tore open a Chaos conveyor and transported the party through the Warp, but he could not choose their destination and they emerged thousands of meters above the ground.
• Vlaakith’s warriors found the empty Hoard after time resumed, and Vlaakith killed a Master Githyanki warrior before ordering the search to continue.
• Aaron summoned a Tzeentch Sky-Chariot to catch the falling party, and Eleanor helped pull everyone aboard as Aaron grew exhausted.
• The Sky-Chariot landed in a river valley near Elturel, where Eleanor recognized her hometown and pointed out approaching Hellriders.

Aaron and Eleanor arrived in Elturel, where the Hellrider Hild welcomed them and Eleanor revealed that Zariel had saved her as a child. Their stay left Aaron wondering about Zariel’s fate and ended with Jaheira and Khalid entering the inn, suggesting the events of Baldur’s Gate were about to begin.

• Hild recognized Aaron and Eleanor, waived their toll after Aaron presented Cormyr’s royal document, and escorted them into Elturel.
• Aaron met Elturel’s upper chamber, received the city’s welcome, and learned that an Ilmater cleric appreciated his relief-meal donations.
• At the Eagle Inn, Hild told Aaron that Zariel had led the Hellriders into Hell, and Eleanor confirmed that Zariel had rescued her from Morningwind Village.
• A bard sang Elturel’s ballad before Jaheira and Khalid arrived at the inn, prompting Aaron to realize the Baldur’s Gate events might be starting.