Chapter Summaries

Abdel resisted the Emperor’s attempt to teach him to control his Bhaalspawn impulses, while Elminster delivered Mystra’s demand that the Emperor leave Realmspace, which he refused. As Aaron returned toward the Realms, he learned that reinforcements had gathered against the Great Horned Rat and Be'lakor, then found Charlotte and Eleanor waiting in wedding dresses.

• The Emperor warned Abdel that the beast within him was trying to take control and offered to teach him restraint, but Abdel rejected his advice and joked about pursuing Jaheira.
• The Emperor regained control of his vision of Abdel, then met Elminster, who conveyed Mystra’s order for him to leave Realmspace.
• The Emperor refused Mystra’s demand, and Elminster left after declaring him unwelcome.
• Aaron learned that Aegir, Buer, Nastya, a mixed legion, and three Emerald Enclave leaders were gathering to support the fight against the Great Horned Rat and Be'lakor.
• Aaron returned to his cabin and found Charlotte and Eleanor dressed as brides, with Charlotte announcing that their marriage ceremony would begin that night.

Abdel's party learned from Elminster that the Skaven Clanrats were erasing villages and threatening the Realms, then continued toward Baldur's Gate. There, Nastya recruited Aegir and Buer to carry out Aaron's plans against the Skaven as she prepared to answer Lolth's summons.

• Imoen found a diamond in a bird's nest, and Abdel decided he would find Jaheira a magnificent diamond.
• Elminster warned Jaheira, Khalid, Imoen, and Abdel that the Skaven Clanrats had made entire villages vanish and urged them to stop the threat in Baldur's Gate.
• Elminster questioned Abdel about his golden-light dream, then left without joining the party, which decided to turn in its commission before heading to Baldur's Gate.
• Nastya welcomed Aegir and Buer to her mansion and explained that the Skaven were building a Doom Bell they planned to ring thirteen times beneath Baldur's Gate.
• Nastya assigned Aegir to pose as the city's guardian dragon and defend Baldur's Gate, while Buer was to help stop the Doom Bell in the sewers.
• Nastya exchanged identities with Kyoka and left to answer Lolth's call after learning that something major had happened.

Nastya confronted her former Lolth-sworn companions after learning they had been ordered to keep Eilistraee’s followers from reaching her, and she turned against them to help Vanessa and Kafka. Kafka revealed that Nastya was Eilistraee’s Chosen by birth and that Carniss and Ginavfe were her parents, just as Lolth appeared to confirm the revelation herself.

• Nastya left Aaron’s group, reflecting that Lolth’s demands forced her to choose between the Spider Queen and Aaron.
• At a meeting in the Black Forest, Nastya found her former companions fighting Vanessa and Kafka, who accused Lolth and her followers of deceiving Nastya and named Carniss and Ginavfe.
• Nastya joined the battle, killing Zhuo, Sawa, Tus, and Strya, then demanded that Kafka explain her origins.
• Kafka told Nastya that Eilistraee was her goddess and that she had been the Dark Maiden’s Chosen since birth, with Carniss as her father and Ginavfe as her mother.
• Lolth confirmed that Kafka was telling the truth, emerged from Zhuo’s corpse as a giant human-faced spider, and promised to tell Nastya everything herself.

Lolth revealed that she had murdered Nastya’s parents and manipulated her life, but Nastya found hope in her memories of Aaron and defied the goddess. Lolth attacked her, and Aaron arrived to protect her.

• Lolth told Nastya that Jinaphy Baenre was her birth mother and that she had forced Jinaphy to kill Carniss Felivah, Nastya’s father.
• Lolth recounted how she had deceived Jinaphy into raising Nastya and later killed her after revealing their blood relationship.
• Nastya drew strength from her memories with Aaron, rejected Lolth, and refused to give the goddess the despair she wanted.
• Lolth lost control of her anger after Nastya insulted her, then ordered an Abyss Widow Giant Spider to attack Nastya.
• Aaron arrived in a burst of golden flames, blasted the spider back, and told Nastya he was there.

Aaron arrived to rescue Nastya and fought Lolth’s spider incarnation, ultimately destroying it with Dorn’s Fist. Lolth possessed Nastya and threatened to kill her, but Nastya broke through her fear, and Shar’s voice offered her power to resist.

• Aaron teleported to Nastya’s side, reassured her, and challenged Lolth’s spider incarnation.
• Aaron fought Lolth with the Golden Law Beast and Chaos magic, using Nurgle’s Stew to weaken her before striking her incarnation with Dorn’s Fist.
• Lolth’s will transferred into Nastya and forced her to stab Aaron, but Aaron survived by shedding his skin with Slaanesh’s magic.
• Lolth took control of Nastya and threatened to destroy her, while Aaron faced her with his mana exhausted.
• Nastya broke through Lolth’s brand and resisted her, and Shar’s voice offered to give Nastya the power to fight back.

Shar intervened as Lolth controlled Nastya, helping Nastya break free and wound the Spider Queen with Aaron’s aid. After Lolth escaped, Shar offered to officiate Aaron and Nastya’s marriage, while Nastya mourned her past and found comfort in Aaron.

• Shar arrived during Aaron and Lolth’s standoff and challenged the Spider Queen over her treatment of Nastya.
• Shar urged Nastya to choose revenge and life, and Nastya accepted the Lady of the Night’s power and broke Lolth’s control.
• Nastya and Aaron joined their powers through the Sun-Moon Blades and struck Lolth’s will, forcing the Spider Queen to retreat.
• Shar stopped Aaron from pursuing Lolth and told him to comfort Nastya as she grieved and embraced him.
• Shar offered to officiate Aaron and Nastya’s marriage, and Aaron accepted while the pair thanked her.
• Nastya remembered her birth mother and adoptive mother as Aaron held her, and she wept as she began a new life.

After Lolth suffered a defeat, Eilistraee considered recruiting Nastya to help end her mother’s atrocities. While Aaron, Nastya, and Shar camped, Nastya wrestled with her past and her feelings toward Eilistraee, and Aaron discovered a Skaven Warpstone Rocket was falling toward Baldur’s Gate.

• Lolth blamed Shar for her defeat and summoned Yor’thae as she prepared a plan to ascend to greater deity.
• Eilistraee witnessed Lolth’s defeat and considered discussing a plan with Selûne to enlist Nastya against Lolth.
• At the campsite, Shar taunted Aaron about Selûne, while Nastya struggled with guilt, revenge, and resentment toward Eilistraee.
• Aaron comforted Nastya, who decided that having him was enough despite her doubts and hatred.
• While discussing the Chaos Gods over dinner, Aaron and Nastya saw a Twin-tailed Comet fall toward Baldur’s Gate, and Aaron recognized it as a Skaven Warpstone Rocket.
• The Warpstone Rocket struck Baldur’s Gate and exploded.

Aaron, Nastya, and Shar saw a warpstone bomb strike Baldur’s Gate, and Shar persuaded Aaron to rest before returning. At dawn, Aaron and Nastya flew toward the city, picked up Drizzt on the way, and prepared to meet Aaron’s hidden army as Eleanor, Charlotte, and Ana learned of the explosion at sea.

• Aaron and Nastya saw a green mushroom cloud rise over Baldur’s Gate, and Aaron confronted Shar for keeping the attack from him.
• Shar agreed that Aaron could return after resting, revealed that Mysty Tanshul had been stillborn as Shad’s daughter, and departed.
• Aaron and Nastya spent the night recovering, then flew toward Baldur’s Gate while Aaron analyzed Lolth’s understanding of Chaos.
• Aaron and Nastya found Drizzt atop a pile of Skaven corpses, and Aaron gave him a ride toward Baldur’s Gate.
• Aboard a galleon, Charlotte mistook the Twin-tailed Comet for a shooting star, but Ana identified it as an aircraft before the explosion shook the sea.

Skaven forces invaded Baldur’s Gate, overwhelming the city’s defenses with weapons and a bell that weakened divine protections. Buer and Aegir joined the battle to defend the city, though Aegir mistakenly believed the people had called her Ansur.

• The Skaven emerged throughout Baldur’s Gate and attacked its neighborhoods while Gond’s clerics and other defenders fought back.
• The Skaven deployed weapons teams and a great bell, whose destructive power weakened the Temple District’s divine shield.
• Buer appeared and used healing energy, wooden dragons, and emerald blasts to destroy Skaven forces and disable their weapons.
• Aegir attacked Skaven forces near the High Lord’s Hall, and Duke Eltan mistook her for the dragon Ansur.
• Aegir heard the defenders calling for Ansur, assumed they were praising her, and prepared to save her mortal vassals.

The Doom Bell’s third toll awakened Baldur’s Gate’s hidden legendary defenders, who routed the Skaven’s surprise assault across the city. As Netanyahu Rat realized the invasion was faltering, the Grey Seers rang the bell a fourth time, bringing the Great Horned Rat’s prophesied arrival closer.

• Liu Kang revealed himself as a legendary Shaolin Dragon Disciple Monk and destroyed a Skaven legion with his ice-and-fire martial arts.
• Bronn transformed into a towering legendary barbarian and cut through the Skaven attacking his fruit shop.
• Reinsdorf’s bodyguards, including Wagner, fought the Skaven while Jery Ranstoff used the Warrant of Trade to summon four Legion of the Damned Warriors.
• Aturo emerged from Baldur’s Gate’s fountain and annihilated Clan Pestilens before it could poison the city’s water supply.
• Morgan and Raphael wagered Soul Coins on which devil could kill more Skaven, then led forces from Hell into battle; the Monarch and Umberlee’s forces also drove back the invaders.
• Netanyahu Rat recognized that the Skaven were outmatched and ordered the Grey Seers to ring the Doom Bell for the fourth time.

Gorion revealed Abdel’s origins and gave him one final lesson before staying behind to defend the Temple of Ilmater from a Skaven Hell Pit Abomination. Meanwhile, Aaron, Nastya, and Drizzt raced to stop the Great Horned Rat’s summoning and encountered Astarion.

• Gorion awoke in the Temple of Ilmater and learned that Abdel, Jaheira, and Khalid were outside amid the Skaven attack.
• A Hell Pit Abomination overwhelmed the Iron Warriors guarding the temple, while Father Larr led the evacuation.
• Gorion told Abdel that he was Baal’s son, gave him a Harpers badge, and taught him that the Harpers answered calls for help.
• Gorion froze the Hell Pit Abomination, then stayed behind to fight it so Abdel and Imoen could escape with Jaheira and Khalid.
• Aaron, Nastya, and Drizzt fought through Skaven ambushes as they hurried to destroy the Doom Bell before its thirteenth toll.
• Astarion stopped Aaron’s group and asked Lady Julia for help, reminding her that they had met at a banquet hosted by Cazador.

Astarion offered Aaron, Nastya, and Drizzt a secret route to the Doom Bell in exchange for help escaping Cazador, while Slaanesh marked him as a Chosen. As the bell rang for the seventh time and Takkus led Baldur's Gate's forces into battle, Aaron summoned a hundred Chaos Warriors to attack the Skaven.

• Astarion told Nastya that Cazador was a higher vampire and offered Cazador's fortune in exchange for killing him and freeing the vampire spawn.
• Aaron rejected Astarion's request at first, but accepted his offer of a secret passage to the Doom Bell; Slaanesh marked Astarion as a Chosen.
• Astarion led Aaron, Nastya, and Drizzt through Cazador's underground complex and brought them near the Doom Bell as it rang for the sixth time.
• Nastya heard Takkus's horn, and Baldur's Gate's army assembled as the bell rang for the seventh time and Be'lakor ordered a charge.
• Aaron summoned a hundred Chaos Warriors through the Golden Law Ring and prepared to lead them through the door toward the Skaven camp.

Aaron led a hundred Silver Dragon Knights in a charge through the Skaven army toward the Doom Bell, joining Be'lakor's forces as they tried to stop the Great Horned Rat's arrival. After the tenth toll, several Doomlords appeared beside the bell, leaving the battle at a critical point.

• Aaron overcame his urge to keep retreating and assembled the Silver Dragon Knights to attack the Skaven's central camp and Doom Bell.
• Be'lakor's army clashed with the Skaven, and Aaron's knights charged into the battle, breaking through the Clanrats and reaching the Doom Bell.
• The Doom Bell rang for the eighth and ninth times, weakening Baldur's forces as Aaron and Be'lakor fought their way toward it.
• Be'lakor prepared to cast Warp the Void on the Doom Bell, but a green warpstone-energy tide forced him to dodge and killed the Fey'ri behind him.
• Several Skaven Doomlords appeared beside the Doom Bell, and its tenth toll rang out.

The Skaven used the Doom Bell to summon the Great Horned Rat, while Aaron’s allies fought to destroy it. Imoen, Abdel, and Reynard broke the bell, but its destruction unleashed the god’s full descent into Baldur’s Gate.

• The Doom Bell restored the Skaven and summoned Doomlords, who fought Aaron, Be'lakor, Drizzt, Nastya, and other legendary combatants.
• The bell’s eleventh toll incapacitated most fighters, but Abdel and Imoen remained standing and received Aaron’s order to destroy it.
• Abdel, Imoen, and Reynard reached the Doom Bell, broke its defenses, and destroyed its suspension, causing the bell to fall and split apart.
• The broken bell unleashed green lightning that struck Netanyahu Rat and raised a pillar of light over Baldur’s Gate.
• The Great Horned Rat emerged in a towering form, revealing that it had descended upon the Realms.

Aaron and Buer joined forces in the Golden King Avatar to fight the Great Horned Rat and drain its divine power. Be'lakor, Malkizid, Malcanthet, and Aegir joined Aaron's ambush, leaving the Great Horned Rat wounded and unleashing a desperate explosion.

• The Great Horned Rat descended, killing or incapacitating Aturo and Bronn while Nastya escaped into the Shadowfell.
• The Great Horned Rat attacked Aaron, who evaded its strikes until Buer arrived and summoned Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
• Aaron and Buer combined their powers into the Golden King Avatar, which fought the Great Horned Rat and absorbed its divine power.
• Be'lakor chose to ambush the Great Horned Rat and coordinated attacks with Malkizid and Malcanthet.
• Aaron struck the Great Horned Rat with Dorn's Fist, then called Aegir to hurl a force-energy Star Core at it.
• The wounded Great Horned Rat screamed and released its remaining power in a violent explosion.

Aaron pursued the Great Horned Rat into the Astral Plane, where six deities helped him destroy the rat god and seize a Golden Tree Seed. Back in ruined Baldur's Gate, Eleanor and the people of Joyfort arrived to help, but Charlotte and Baizi led them toward the Counting House to claim its money for their lord god and disaster relief.

• Aaron's Golden King battered the Great Horned Rat until the rat god escaped through a spatial rift, and Aaron followed him into the Astral Plane with Buer and Big Dragon Aegir.
• The Great Horned Rat began casting his Thirteenth Spell, but Lathander and five other deities arrived and suppressed him.
• Aaron pulverized the Great Horned Rat, absorbed his power into the Golden Law Ring, and obtained a Golden Tree Seed as the rat god fell from Intermediate Deity to Lesser Deity.
• Charlotte, Eleanor, Ana, and the people of Joyfort arrived in the devastated Lower City; Ana left to confront Balduran while Eleanor looked for survivors to help.
• Baizi and Charlotte rallied the people of Joyfort to take money from the Counting House, and Eleanor told them to set some aside for disaster relief.

After Baldur’s Gate defeated the Skaven, Aaron used Archduke Takkus’s death and will to gain wealth and influence, while Be’lakor escaped disguised as the city’s savior. Ana confronted The Monarch at the Iron Warriors factory, and the Great Horned Rat ended the chapter trapped inside Aaron’s Golden Tree Seed.

• Ana found The Monarch at the Iron Warriors factory, exposed him as a mind flayer, and made him lead the way to the sealed core chamber.
• The Flaming Fist and Silver Dragon Knights crushed the Skaven, while Be’lakor abducted Abdel and escaped as the Iron Warriors lost control.
• Aegir declared that she had defeated the Mouse God, and the exhausted Aaron predicted that Be’lakor’s stolen heroic identity would shape him through the city’s faith.
• Baldur’s Gate mourned Takkus, and his will gave half his assets to Aaron, appointed Lady Julia a duke, and entrusted reconstruction to Jery Ranstoff’s company.
• Aaron gained the will’s material benefits as Be’lakor gained public prestige, while the Great Horned Rat remained trapped in the Golden Tree Seed.

At Archduke Takkus's funeral, Aaron reassured Baldur's Gate's rulers that he would not interfere in the city's affairs, then sang “See you again,” tying Takkus's memory to the song and weakening Be'lakor's chance to become a hero-god. After the funeral performance, Aaron came face to face with Szass Tam, who asked about the next Salian Grand Celebration and book.

• Takkus's lavish funeral brought Baldur's Gate's survivors together as his coffin was carried to the grave.
• Entar Silvershield and Duke Eltan asked Aaron not to meddle in Baldur's Gate's internal affairs, and Aaron agreed in exchange for trade benefits.
• Entar Silvershield proposed that Aaron marry his daughter Ski, but Aaron deflected the proposal by invoking Princess Regent Alusair.
• Aaron sang “See you again” as Takkus's coffin was lowered, moving the crowd and binding the song and Takkus's memory together.
• Aaron's performance redirected some of the people's faith and reverence away from Be'lakor and toward himself.
• Szass Tam introduced himself to Aaron and asked when the next Salian Grand Celebration would take place.

Aaron negotiated with Szass Tam over the release of Salian’s Seventh Book, then heard Storm Silverhand’s warning about the Master of Mankind and faced a new crisis when Imoen reported that Abdel had been captured. Meanwhile, Barrel discovered one of the Three Elven Holy Swords in the Underdark.

• Szass Tam apologized to Aaron, offered Thakorsil’s Seat, and paid one hundred thousand gold pieces for details about Salian’s Seventh Book.
• Aaron announced the Salian Multiverse Invitational, where teams would compete for ten years’ ownership of the Seventh Book.
• Storm Silverhand told Aaron that Mystra opposed the Master of Mankind and asked him to choose a side; Aaron withheld his decision and questioned the Emperor’s plans.
• Lady Julia brought Imoen to Aaron, and Imoen reported that Abdel had been taken.
• Barrel found the War Sword beneath the Skull Tunnel and resolved to pursue the Cormanthor coronation with Aaron’s help.

Aaron used Imoen’s connection to Bhaal’s Divine Realm to locate Abdel in Amn and sent her to search for him while he prepared to return to Cormyr. Meanwhile, Ana ambushed Be'lakor, but a horned woman rescued the daemon prince, and Ana chose not to pursue them.

• Imoen told Aaron that Gorion had died and Abdel had vanished after a gray shadow appeared during the Doom Bell’s destruction.
• Aaron performed a ritual with Imoen in Bhaal’s Divine Realm, where she sensed Abdel’s presence in Amn.
• Aaron told Imoen to travel to Amn, form an adventuring party with Nastya’s help, and gave her a thousand Golden Lions.
• Ana ambushed Be'lakor and pinned him to a rock wall with a golden spear, while Varo and the Monarch watched.
• A horned woman used Legendary Charm to distract Ana, Varo, and the Monarch, then escaped with Be'lakor.
• Ana let Be'lakor go and turned to more important matters.