Chapter Summaries

Aaron confronted the Queen's Blade over its arrest of Samir Morningstar, confirmed that Samir was not the wanted warlock Mepham, and let the Harper accompany him and Eleanor. Samir revealed that he was investigating a Zhentarim plot in Cormyr led by the Son of Tyranny.

• Aaron questioned Hendry Higginson about the Queen's Blade's arrest of Samir and realized they had detained him because he was too powerful to subdue.
• Aaron confirmed that Samir Morningstar was not Mepham, and Hendry apologized and departed with the Queen's Blade.
• Samir greeted Aaron as a brother and urged him and Eleanor to join the Harpers as they rode together to the King's Forest.
• Samir told Aaron and Eleanor that Bane loyalists in the Zhentarim had formed the Soldiers' Salvation Association to recruit soldiers and were plotting under the leadership of the Son of Tyranny.

Aaron refused to join the Harpers but allied with Samir, whose dangerous past involved both celestial and abyssal patrons. After Aaron’s victory at Eveningstar Town reached Suzail, Alusair promoted him to full Purple Dragon Knight, while a rival plotting to win her favor ordered his plans for Cormyr accelerated.

• Aaron declined Samir’s offer to join the Harpers, and Samir revealed that he had survived the Nine Hells and the Abyss while serving both a celestial emissary and an abyssal fiend.
• Aaron, Eleanor, and Samir continued their journey as a report of their victory at Eveningstar Town reached Alusair in Suzail.
• Alusair decided Aaron was ready for full knighthood and ordered him awarded 1,000 Golden Lions while his deeds were publicized throughout Cormyr.
• A sinister man learned that Aaron had ruined his scheme to become a hero by rescuing Eveningstar Town and blamed himself while reassuring his followers.
• The man revealed that his elder brother was imprisoned in Zhentil Keep, then ordered his followers to advance their plans to take Cormyr.

Aaron returned to Seabury with Eleanor and Samir, learned how Vander Dragonspear had truly ascended to godhood, and visited Selûne’s shrine. He summoned the Lady of Silver and announced that he had a gift that would astonish the world.

• Samir explained that Vander Dragonspear became a god only after sacrificing himself to defeat Moander and receiving Ao’s permission to ascend, and Aaron thanked him for the valuable information.
• Samir failed to persuade Aaron to join the Harpers, and the three companions parted ways in Seabury.
• Aaron and Eleanor visited Selûne’s crowded open-air shrine, where Aaron admired a dancing Mooncaller before asking Lady Silverstar for permission to enter the temple’s private chamber.
• Aaron prayed before Selûne’s statue and used his extraordinary charisma to draw the chamber’s attention, causing the goddess to appear in person.
• Selûne asked Aaron whether he had encountered trouble, and he prepared to show her his astonishing gift.

At the midsummer celebration, Eleanor showed how much her journey had changed her by giving a poor girl biscuits for free, then encountered a fiery-haired beauty who went unnoticed by the crowd. Meanwhile, Aaron presented Selûne with a skin-healing cosmetic made using Slaanesh’s Gift and persuaded her to accept his plan to sell it, aiming to restore her to the rank of greater deity.

• Eleanor sold cheese biscuits at Lady Silverstar’s direction and gave a penniless little girl a free sample, remembering her own childhood.
• A fiery-haired beauty approached Eleanor and asked her name, while everyone nearby seemed to avoid noticing the stranger.
• Aaron showed Selûne a cosmetic he had developed with Slaanesh’s Gift, and Selûne confirmed its remarkable effects.
• Aaron proposed selling the cosmetic for two hundred gold coins per bottle and said he wanted to offer it only to Selûne.
• Selûne tacitly accepted Aaron’s plan after he explained that wealth could help them win the War in Heaven and restore her to greater-deity status.

Aaron persuaded Selûne to partner with other churches to expand her cosmetics trade and strengthen her influence, then received a reforged sword and asked Eleanor to stay by his side. Eleanor had not yet answered when the chapter ended.

• Aaron concluded that money, faith, and wider influence could help Selûne regain the rank of greater deity, and proposed selling cosmetics to fund her church.
• Aaron suggested that Selûne involve Sune’s church and use the trade to help reconcile the God of Guardians and the God of Honesty.
• Selûne agreed to let Eleanor remain with Aaron if Eleanor wished, then reforged Aaron’s broken sword into the Sword of the Dark Moon.
• Selûne asked Eleanor whether she wanted to stay with Aaron or return to Seabury for another assignment.
• Eleanor asked whether Aaron wanted her to stay for his own sake, and Aaron told her it was his personal wish before asking her to come with him.

Aaron and Eleanor grew closer after Eleanor accepted his supervision and took the keys to his house, while Aaron considered the deities blocking his path to the portfolio of Chaos. The caravan stopped on its way to Suzail, and Aaron and Samir went to investigate.

• Eleanor took Aaron's hand, agreed to supervise and train him, and accepted the spare keys to his house.
• Aaron reflected on Selûne's information about the portfolios of Strife, Deception, Betrayal, and Chaos, and identified Bane's Godspawn, Cyric, and Lolth as obstacles to his ascension.
• Aaron and Eleanor discussed Samir's secrets and questioned whether he cared more about Aaron's favor than recruiting them into the Harpers.
• Samir spoke with Ailiu, a succubus he had rescued, about finding a way to free her from the Succubus Queen and considered asking Aaron for help.
• When the caravan stopped, Samir and Aaron agreed to go see what had happened ahead.

Aaron and the Dragonspike caravan guards followed troll tracks into a forest valley, where they found a pack of trolls attacking sun elves. Aaron joined the fight, but the sun elf captain insulted the rescuers just as a troll charged at him.

• Eleanor blessed Aaron and Samir before they left to investigate the tracks with the caravan guards.
• Samir identified the footprints as belonging to six or seven trolls and persuaded the reluctant group to pursue them.
• Aaron, Samir, and about twenty guards followed the tracks to a rocky valley and found trolls fighting a group of sun elves.
• Aaron briefed the guards on how to avoid the trolls' attacks and joined the battle as the trolls killed more elves.
• The sun elf captain demanded that Aaron's group hurry and threatened to complain to the Princess Regent, while a troll charged at Aaron.

Aaron helped the caravan guards fight off a Troll attack that killed the Sun Elves, including their captain, Omost Fel, who warned him about the Sun Elves and something in their cargo. After a mysterious female Elf arrived and asked Aaron to help avenge her fallen kin, he agreed to join the fight.

• Aaron used Tzeentch's Pink Fire and the Sword of the Dark Moon to badly wound a Troll as the battle began.
• The Sun Elf captain and the last Sun Elf warrior fell while fighting the Trolls, and Aaron killed another Troll with Moonblade.
• Samir set the Trolls ablaze with magic as the caravan guards charged, and Aaron supported them with Chaos Bolts and Tzeentch's Blue Fire.
• Omost Fel told Aaron that the Sun Elves had been ambushed beside a Troll tribe and warned him to beware of El-Tay-Kuether before he died.
• Aaron blocked a Troll's vomit with the Sun Elf captain's kite shield and killed the Troll with Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt.
• A red-haired female Elf appeared, mourned the dead Sun Elves, and asked Aaron to help avenge them; he agreed.

Aponia, an elven Bladesinger, arrived during the troll battle and helped Aaron and the caravan guards win. After revealing that the sun elves’ cargo included Soul Stones, she hired the caravan to escort her and the stones to Suzail, while Aaron’s suspicions about her eased.

• Aponia joined the fight against the trolls, and Aaron and the caravan guards defeated the remaining attackers.
• Aponia thanked Aaron, arranged compensation for the caravan’s dead and wounded, and hired the group to escort her and an important item to Suzail.
• After the sun elves were buried, Aponia told Aaron that a traitorous guide had lured her away before the attack.
• Aponia showed Aaron a locked chest of Soul Stones containing the souls of sun elf heroes and explained why they could not be taken to Evermeet.
• Aaron returned to the wagons with Aponia, where she and the young Cleric eyed each other with mutual suspicion.

Aaron resisted Slaanesh’s urge to devour elven soul gems and traveled with Eleanor and Apollonia in the Dragonspike caravan. After Aaron revealed that he understood the sorrow behind Apollonia’s bladesong, she warmed to him and offered to teach him about Bladesinger magical tattoos.

• Eleanor questioned Apollonia about how she had met Aaron, and Aaron explained their encounter in the forest.
• Apollonia teased Eleanor about her relationship with Aaron and called him “Little Noob” as she joined them in their carriage.
• Aaron resisted Slaanesh’s craving to devour the elven soul gems, fearing the effects on his soul and the wrath of the Elven Pantheon.
• As the caravan resumed its journey toward Suzail, Aaron shared food with Eleanor while Apollonia watched him with amusement.
• Aaron described the sorrow and longing he had heard in Apollonia’s bladesong, provoking her anger before she realized he truly understood her.
• Aaron asked about Apollonia’s magical tattoos, and she offered to teach him how they worked.

Aaron learned magical tattooing from Aponia and created the Chaos Mark, an ability that could grant its bearer a lasting connection to divine power. After the pair reached Suzail and parted, the chapter revealed a wounded sun elf fleeing a murderous attacker who planned to use her as a stepping stone toward godhood.

• Aaron persuaded Aponia to teach him magical tattooing, and she agreed in exchange for a favor.
• During an all-night lesson, Aaron used his chaos blood and cosmic magic to create the Chaos Mark and began planning a new system of spellcasting called Eight Winds Magic, or Astral Magic.
• Aponia refused Aaron's payment, accepted his Eight-Pointed Star pendant, and left him with a personal gift and the promise that they would meet again.
• Aaron woke as the carriage reached Suzail, where Aponia departed; he told Eleanor that Aponia would likely visit the Princess Regent.
• In the King's Forest, a gravely wounded sun elf fled an attacker who declared that he wanted to start a war and intended to kill her as part of his plan to become a god.

A sinister godspawn killed Lady Aponia and arranged for her soul to become Apollonia Sullivan, then planned new steps to seize control of Cormyr after Duke Caspar refused to support a war against the elves. In Suzail, Aaron and Samir parted on friendly terms and agreed to work together on the campaign to retake Arabel.

• The sinister man defeated Lady Aponia, promised to let her escape, and killed her before he counted to ten.
• The sinister man crushed Aponia’s corpse, trapped her soul in a black gemstone, and sent it to a concealed figure who became Apollonia Sullivan.
• The sinister man considered his plans to control Cormyr, noting that Duke Caspar had refused to provoke a war with the elves and that Alusair and the court mage remained obstacles.
• The next day in Suzail, Samir invited Aaron to visit him at the Temple of Tymora and asked whether Aaron planned to join the campaign to retake Arabel.
• Aaron confirmed his plans, and he and Samir agreed to share news and work together.

Aaron returned to Suzail with Eleanor, received his Purple Dragon Knight insignia and a thousand gold coins, and prepared to investigate the Warlock while navigating royal and military politics. After choosing fame over money, titles, and an internal recommendation, he headed to Charlotte Caladnei’s manor with expensive magic scrolls and a present for her.

• Aaron came home with Eleanor, and Mellie told him that the Regent had sent his knight insignia and a thousand-gold reward after Mellie chased off a Queen’s Blade seeking a bribe.
• Eleanor explained that Selûne’s blessing had raised her from Touched One to Moon-Bathed, and she left to focus on developing her strength after Aaron promised they would continue together later.
• Aaron asked Marlon to search the Dragonmere’s shores for Mepham and supplied the Dragon’s Tooth Gang with five hundred Golden Lions to help with the investigation.
• After Apollonia Sullivan praised Aaron to the Regent, Lucian asked whether he valued money, fame, titles, or strength; Aaron chose fame, so Lucian removed him from the order’s internal recommendation list and warned him to avoid its factional conflict.
• Aaron traveled to Charlotte Caladnei’s manor with magic scrolls he had bought for fifteen hundred Golden Lions and a present for Charlotte.

Aaron reunited with Charlotte and used their soul synchronization to develop Astral Magic by combining his knowledge of Chaos magic with her connection to the Astral Plane. After a month and a half of practice, Charlotte successfully cast a spell using the new system and gained a sorcerer level.

• Aaron gave Charlotte a bottle of cosmetic and asked her which nobles had recently pursued Alusair; Charlotte mistakenly thought he was interested in the princess and offered to help him court her.
• Aaron showed Charlotte the first volume of Salian's Nine Books and began training her through soul synchronization.
• Aaron discovered that Charlotte's connection to the Astral Plane could let them harness astral energy and adapt Chaos magic into a new magical system.
• After a month and a half of practice, Aaron and Charlotte found that controlling their emotions opened a gateway to the Astral Plane and enabled them to bypass the Weave.
• Charlotte cast Armitok's Web with astral energy, and her sorcerer class level increased.

Aaron and Charlotte completed their new Astral Magic system, and Aaron gave Charlotte Salian's First Volume so they could continue developing it together. After leaving Kaladnei Manor, Aaron learned that Edward Teach had found the Warlock's hiding place.

• Aaron explained Astral Magic's abilities, limits, and reliance on Chaos runes personally written by him.
• Charlotte celebrated their discovery, accepted Salian's First Volume from Aaron, and promised to study and create stronger Astral Magic with him.
• Charlotte gave Aaron a list of three men who fit his description of Alice's pursuers.
• Aaron left Kaladnei Manor after learning several new spells, including Misty Step and Mirror Image.
• Edward Teach stopped Aaron and announced that they had found where the Warlock was hiding.

Aaron accepted a one-copper commission from a desperate fishing couple to find their missing daughter, turning their plea into a public call for justice. He set out for Dimlight Village to confront Mepham, joined by Reynard and Disma.

• The Dragon's Tooth Gang located Mepham near Dimlight Village, where villagers had vanished after saying the sea was calling them.
• Aaron gave Edward Teach magical knowledge and an eight-pointed-star mark, then arranged for the missing girl's parents to travel to Suzail.
• The fisherman's plea at the Church of Justice forced its paladins to confront their limits, and Aaron publicly accepted the case in exchange for one copper coin.
• The Purple Dragons debated whether Aaron's actions represented their order, while Grand Inspector Ian Hutson decided to wait and see how the mission went.
• Aaron prepared to leave for Dimlight Village, but Reynard and Disma stopped his carriage and joined him.

Aaron traveled to Dimlight Village with Reynard and Disma to confront the warlock Mepham, a follower of Cyric. After discovering the villagers were hearing a supernatural summons and Mepham was preparing to leave by sea, Aaron devised a plan with his fellow apprentices.

• Aaron reviewed his weapons, equipment, and finances before Reynard and Disma joined him on the journey from Suzail.
• Aaron told Reynard and Disma that their commission involved Mepham, a warlock of Cyric, and persuaded them to help confront him.
• Aaron and his fellow apprentices arrived at Dimlight Village, where a Dragon's Tooth Gang member reported that Mepham lived in a trapped cave and visited the tavern while waiting for a smuggling ship.
• The gang member revealed that villagers were being summoned by the sea and some had begun worshiping strange beings, while gang members heard an incomprehensible language in their dreams.
• Aaron concluded that Mepham was conducting a ritual and proposed a stage play; Reynard and Disma agreed, though they were unsettled by his plan.

A hooded servant of the Black Sun watched a noble paladin and an extremist druid fight in Dimlight Village, hoping they would kill each other. When they mistook him for an accomplice, they attacked him, while the paladin’s attendant prepared to join the battle.

• A Purple Dragon Knight arrived in Dimlight Village and ordered a huge live salmon to eat raw at the tavern.
• A hooded man arrived, recognized the visitor as a likely paladin, and sat apart to eat while privately cursing him.
• A druid confronted the knight for torturing the fish, and the two clashed after the knight cast Detect Evil and Good on him.
• The paladin and druid wrecked the tavern with Thunderous Slash and Thorn Spikes, then both mistook the hooded man for an accomplice and charged him.
• Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt struck the hooded man, and the paladin and druid followed with Divine Smite and Twin Wolf Assault.
• Outside, the paladin’s servant drew Moonlight Flow as the hunt began.

Aaron, Reynard, and Disma’s tavern ambush against Mepham failed when the tavern owner revealed himself as the Warlock’s accomplice and collapsed the building, triggering a ritual that transformed Dimlight Village’s residents into fishfolk. Aaron tracked the wounded Mepham to his cave, where he resisted the sea’s maddening call and confronted the Warlock as more fishfolk came ashore.

• Aaron’s staged tavern fight drew Mepham into a trap, but the tavern owner attacked the group and collapsed the tavern after Mepham was badly wounded.
• The ritual transformed villagers into fishfolk, so Reynard rallied the survivors while Disma pursued the tavern owner and Aaron went after Mepham.
• Aaron headed toward Mepham’s cave instead of following the Warlock’s blood trail and saw numerous fishfolk emerging from the darkened sea.
• Aaron fought the cave’s fishfolk guards, resisted the maddening roar by stabbing his own arm, and destroyed the cave with Metal Flow.
• Mepham appeared behind Aaron, recognized him as Baal’s Godspawn, and prepared to fight as more fishfolk came ashore.

Aaron defeated Mepham after a brutal clash, but the Warlock revealed that Aaron’s blood had completed a ritual and summoned a vast entity from the sea. Mepham died as the creature began to surface, leaving Aaron and the fishing village facing a new calamity.

• Aaron asked Mepham what he had done to Abby, and Mepham admitted that he had sacrificed her as a trivial offering.
• Mepham attacked Aaron, but Aaron used Mirror Image, spells, and the Sword of the Dark Moon to break through the Warlock’s defenses and knock him down.
• Mepham trapped Aaron with bloodsucking tentacles, but Aaron cast Moonblade and severed the tendrils, freeing himself.
• Aaron demanded that Mepham end the ritual, but Mepham revealed that Aaron’s blood had completed the magic circle and brought the Sahuagin ashore to flee the entity he had summoned.
• Mepham died, and a gigantic creature with skeletal wings and tentacles began emerging from the sea as the will of his Patron descended.