Chapter Summaries

Tarny arrived in the Lands Between, where he mocked Varré, fled the Tree Sentinel, and bargained with Kalé for supplies. At the Gatefront grace, he met Melina, accepted her offer of an accord, and declared her his first wife.

• Tarny met Varré at the First Step, claimed to be the Elden Lord, and tricked him into revealing information before fleeing toward the Church of Elleh.
• Tarny provoked the Tree Sentinel, escaped into the Church of Elleh, and persuaded Kalé to give him a Crafting Kit.
• Tarny traveled to Gatefront, avoided the soldiers, and rested at the site of grace, advancing time into the night.
• Melina offered Tarny an accord and a Spectral Steed Whistle, and Tarny accepted after jokingly demanding a dragon and a dowry.
• Tarny asked Melina to put the ring on his finger and proclaimed her his first wife.

Tarn fled through Stormgate, met a frightened girl at Stormhill Shack, and collected spirit-summoning items from Witch Renna and Melina while repeatedly changing his wives’ rankings. After preparing his flasks and summons, he returned to the gatefront to demand armor and was attacked by the soldiers.

• Tarn rode Torrent through Stormgate under a volley of bolts, escaped a Stonedigger Troll, and reached Stormhill Shack, where he promised the frightened Little Red Riding Hood he would defeat Stormveil Castle’s lord.
• Little Red Riding Hood gave Tarn the Spirit Jellyfish Ashes and stayed at the shack, while Tarn traveled back to the Church of Elleh to ask Kale about a Spirit Calling Bell.
• Witch Renna appeared at the church, gave Tarn the Spirit Calling Bell and Lone Wolves Ashes, and vanished after he mistook her for a grafted monster.
• Tarn summoned Klara and the Lone Wolves, and Melina gave him flasks and turned his Golden Seed into an extra flask as he reassigned the women in his wife rankings.
• Tarn returned to the gatefront to demand armor from the soldiers, who attacked him, prompting him to ring the bell and call on Klara for help.

Tarnished defeated the soldiers at Gatefront, collected their gear, and learned from Melina how to spend runes on leveling up. After raising his strength once, he headed to Kale to sell his spare equipment and earn runes for his attempt on Stormveil Castle.

• Tarnished defeated fourteen Godrick soldiers, including a Godrick Knight, with help from Klara, then stripped the bodies for equipment.
• Tarnished chose a Godrick's Soldiers' Straight Sword and claimed the Brass Shield as his fourth wife, demoting Melina to wife number five, but found the shield too heavy to wield.
• At the Gatefront Site of Grace, Melina channeled Tarnished's runes and explained how he could distribute them among his attributes.
• Tarnished spent 689 runes to raise his strength from 10 to 11, leaving him short of the cost to reach level 3.
• Tarnished said he would defeat the lord of Stormveil Castle for Little Red Hood and Melina, then went to Kale to sell his spare armor and weapons.

Tarnished sold Godrick soldiers’ equipment, leveled up, and set out for the Limgrave Tunnels to earn more runes, but got lost and stumbled into a dangerous ambush. After escaping with a Great Epee, he discovered he could attack while guarding with his shield and decided shield poking was the reason he was destined to become a lord.

• Tarnished sold the soldiers’ equipment to Kalé, spent runes to reach level 11, and returned to the Gatefront Ruins to find more treasure.
• Tarnished found a Whetstone Knife and Storm Stomp in a cellar, sold another load of equipment, and leveled up to 16 after Kalé recommended mining smithing stones.
• Tarnished got lost on the way to the Limgrave Tunnels, rode south instead of north, and was interrupted by a Kaiden Mercenary while singing.
• Tarnished killed the mounted Kaiden Mercenary with a Square Off thrust, then blocked a sorcerer’s Glintstone Pebble with his Brass Shield.
• Tarnished charged through a camp under fire from sorcerers, took an item from a chest, and escaped the pursuing soldiers and a bridge ballista before resting at a site of grace.
• Tarnished examined the Great Epee and realized he could thrust with it while guarding with his Brass Shield.

Tarny agreed to take Irina to Castle Morne so she could persuade her father to flee, then carried her through the Castle Golem’s barrage and entered the rebel-held castle. He fought through the Misbegotten guarding a heap of corpses and prepared to follow Irina toward the ramparts, where fighting continued.

• Tarny agreed to escort Irina to Castle Morne so she could ask her father to leave, and carried her on his back instead of merely delivering her letter.
• Tarny overloaded himself with Godrick Knight armor and rode Torrent past the Castle Golem’s arrows into Castle Morne.
• Tarny saw the Misbegotten gathered around a mountain of corpses and advanced to confront them while Irina clung to his back.
• Tarny killed the Winged Misbegotten and defeated their Scaly Misbegotten leader with his shield and Great Epee.
• Tarny heard fighting ahead and followed Irina’s directions toward the armory and the ladder to the ramparts.

A-Tui rescued Irina and rallied Castle Morne's surviving soldiers, then agreed to retrieve the castle's treasure so Irina's father could leave with her. He reached the shoal and found the Leonine Misbegotten wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword, while the castellan joined him for the fight with his Halberd +8.

• A-Tui found a Greatsword in the armory, and Irina let him keep it as thanks for helping Castle Morne.
• A-Tui rescued a wounded soldier and led him and Irina to the ramparts, where he helped the human soldiers defeat the Misbegotten and reclaim the occupied sections.
• A-Tui gathered more than thirty soldiers and reached the exhausted castellan, who refused to abandon Castle Morne without recovering its treasure.
• A-Tui promised to retrieve the treasure so the castellan could leave with Irina, then jumped down toward the shoal where the Misbegotten leader was waiting.
• A-Tui discovered the Leonine Misbegotten wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword, and the castellan arrived with his Banished Knight's Halberd +8 to fight beside him.
• The castellan cast Golden Vow to empower A-Tui as the Leonine Misbegotten prepared to attack.

Tui and Edgar defeated the empowered Leonine Misbegotten, and Tui helped save Castle Morne’s survivors. After the dead were buried, Edgar recruited Tui as Castle Morne’s knight-captain and tasked him with protecting Irina, despite Tui insisting he was already the Elden Lord.

• Tui and Edgar fought the Leonine Misbegotten until he used the Grafted Blade Greatsword’s Oath of Vengeance to greatly increase his power.
• When the Leonine Misbegotten threatened to kill Edgar, Tui shielded him, then discarded his armor and shield and defeated the enemy with repeated Lion’s Claw attacks.
• Three days later, Irina and Edgar joined the survivors in mourning those killed in Castle Morne’s rebellion, and Tui realized he had changed the past.
• Edgar asked Tui to become Castle Morne’s knight-captain and proposed sending the Grafted Blade Greatsword to Godrick to secure an official appointment, but Tui refused both the sword exchange and the castellan role.
• Tui told Edgar that he was already the Elden Lord, but Edgar misunderstood and publicly appointed him knight-captain, responsible for military affairs and for protecting Irina.
• Tui accepted the appointment after Edgar named Irina as part of his duties, prompting the crowd to tease them.

Tarnished leveled up, received armor from Irina, and brought the Demi-Humans into Castle Morne after earning their trust by killing a Rune Bear. Edgar accepted the new residents, and humans and Demi-Humans began to bond over a feast.

• Melina raised Tarnished's Vigor, and Irina helped him put on the armor she had altered for him.
• Edgar sent Tarnished north to deal with the Demi-Humans threatening the Forest Lookout Tower garrison.
• Tarnished persuaded the Demi-Human Queen to join Castle Morne by promising homes and food in exchange for work and protection.
• Edgar questioned the agreement, but Tarnished explained that he had earned the Demi-Humans' trust by killing an Adult Rune Bear.
• The Demi-Human Queen invited Tarnished to mate with her, but he refused and showed Edgar the staff and talisman he had found.
• Tarnished brought back an enormous Morne Bear for a feast, and Castle Morne's humans and Demi-Humans shared their first meal together.

After defeating the Rune Bear, A-Tui gained a level and joined Irina and Edgar to discuss Castle Morne’s military affairs. His patrol brought back new residents and business opportunities for the castle, while he also revealed that he had killed the prisoner in a failing Evergaol.

• A-Tui leveled up his vigor, then accompanied Irina to Edgar, who assigned him several patrols and errands around the Weeping Peninsula.
• A-Tui returned with the Tower of Return garrison, Minor Erdtree guardians, and mushroom people, and persuaded Edgar to accept the newcomers.
• A-Tui proposed that the guardians grow tarnished golden sunflower for holy water, and he and Edgar agreed to split the profits evenly.
• A-Tui explained that the mushroom people would grow food in a poison swamp outside Castle Morne, and their leader swore the group’s service to the castle.
• When Edgar asked about the loose seal at the Forlorn Hound Evergaol, A-Tui said he had killed its Ancient Hero of Zamor prisoner and handed Edgar Radagon’s Scarseal.

Tarny strengthened Castle Morne and arranged to help Kenneth Haight reclaim Fort Haight after its commander seized it. He rode there alone and returned with the commander’s severed head before the soldiers finished cooking.

• Tarny reclaimed Morne Tunnel, gained a Pickaxe, and accepted greater authority from Edgar.
• Tarny developed Castle Morne and persuaded Edgar to contact Fort Haight about rebuilding Waypoint Street.
• Edgar learned that Fort Haight had fallen to a knight commander and gave Tarny his token to find Kenneth Haight.
• Tarny found Kenneth Haight near Mistwood and promised to retake Fort Haight for him.
• Tarny rode to the fort alone and returned with the knight commander’s head before the mushrooms were cooked.

Ah Tui brought Kenneth Haight to Castle Morne, where Kenneth saw the community Ah Tui had built and joined his effort to create a world that welcomed different peoples. Kenneth began planning the settlement’s economy and revealed that he possessed one half of the Dectus Medallion, offering a possible route to trade with Leyndell.

• Kenneth Haight tried to recruit Ah Tui, but learned that Castle Morne already welcomed Demi-Humans and Mushroom People and tasted their cultivated mushrooms.
• Kenneth chose to go to Castle Morne instead of reclaiming Fort Haight, whose people had been murdered, and Ah Tui persuaded Edgar to allow him to hold Irina’s hand.
• At dinner, Kenneth challenged Ah Tui’s plans to accept other races, but Edgar defended Ah Tui and Kenneth ultimately joined their rebellion.
• Ah Tui and Kenneth discussed rebuilding Waypoint Street and selling local produce, while Kenneth recommended eventually establishing their own caravan.
• When Edgar raised the difficulties of reaching the Altus Plateau, Kenneth revealed that he carried one half of the Dectus Medallion.

A-Tui strengthened Castle Morne’s foothold in Limgrave and began rebuilding Waypoint Street, where humans and Demi-Humans risked their lives to protect one another from a Rune Bear. A-Tui arrived to save them, and Blaidd joined the fight as the chapter ended.

• Kenneth Haight explained the Dectus Medallion’s history, gave A-Tui an order to recall Limgrave’s excavation teams, and entrusted him with the Bloody Slash Ash of War.
• A-Tui recruited more than two hundred people for Fort Haight, while Kenneth Haight gathered the Demi-Human groups and learned the Demi-Human Queen’s name, Mako.
• A-Tui arranged for guardians to protect the Minor Erdtree in Mistwood and received three Crystal Tears as gifts.
• A-Tui’s workers began rebuilding Waypoint Street after burning away its poisonous Miranda flowers, but an adult Rune Bear attacked their logging camp.
• Human and Demi-Human workers united to escape the Rune Bear, and A-Tui arrived, rescued a little Demi-Human, and tried to hold the beast off.
• Blaidd stopped the Rune Bear’s charge and introduced himself to A-Tui.

A-Tui defeated a Rune Bear, then helped Blaidd find and kill Bloodhound Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol. Blaidd rewarded A-Tui with Darriwil’s weapon and smithing stones, and agreed to visit Fort Haight for a meal.

• A-Tui used Scholar’s Shield and Bloody Slash to defeat the Rune Bear, earning cheers from the rescued workers.
• A-Tui told Blaidd about his mission to build a safe community for people of every race, and Blaidd asked him to help locate Bloodhound Darriwil.
• A-Tui found Darriwil imprisoned in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol and joined Blaidd in killing him.
• Blaidd gave A-Tui Bloodhound’s Fang and four somber smithing stones as thanks for protecting him.
• Blaidd initially declined A-Tui’s invitation to Fort Haight, but agreed to stay after hearing that mutton would be served.

At a feast in Limgrave, Tarny showed Blaidd how his community’s fair rules and shared sacrifices had made cooperation real, and Blaidd departed impressed. Tarny then recalled meeting Sellen and becoming her apprentice; after she taught him about Primeval Sorcery and her plan to reclaim the academy, he promised to stand by her.

• Tarny explained to Blaidd that Castle Morne and Fort Haight’s people worked together under fair rules, and Blaidd realized Tarny’s vision had become reality.
• Blaidd left after offering Tarny a blacksmith’s recommendation for when he traveled to Liurnia.
• Tarny recalled defeating a Pumpkin Head in a cellar and discovering Sellen, whom he begged to take him as her apprentice.
• Sellen criticized Tarny for learning only Scholar’s Shield, then explained that she and other Primeval Current sorcerers had been expelled from the academy.
• Sellen vowed to revive the Primeval Current and reclaim the academy, and Tarny promised to stand by her before she left without eating the stew.

After the demi-human queen Mako was captured by Grafted Nobles and taken to Stormveil Castle, Tarn rode out to rescue her despite the danger. Edgar and his soldiers joined him at Stormgate, where their feint drew enemy fire until reinforcements arrived from across the region.

• Tarn celebrated Waypoint Street’s reopening and secured a trade agreement with Kale, intending to earn runes through commerce.
• A messenger reported that Grafted Nobles had captured Mako and taken the Grafted Blade Greatsword to Stormveil Castle, and Kenneth Haight opposed a rescue mission.
• Tarn insisted on rescuing Mako, and Melina helped him find enough runes to gain one level before he continued toward Stormveil Castle.
• Edgar and more than twenty soldiers caught up with Tarn and attacked Stormgate to draw the castle’s attention, but enemy archers pinned them down.
• Kaiden Mercenaries charged the archers, then Tarn saw mushroom people, Minor Erdtree Guardians, Gravitas, and a mass of demi-humans arrive as reinforcements.

Tarny rallied a diverse army, broke through Stormgate, and led an advance toward Stormveil Castle to rescue the Demi-Human queen. After recruiting Rogier, he faced Margit the Fell Omen at the sealed Stormgate Tunnel and summoned Klara to attack him with poison.

• Kenneth Haight explained that Tarny's followers had joined the battle because they considered him their true king, while Sellen destroyed a ballista and Irina organized healing for the wounded.
• Blaidd and Edgar joined the fight, and Tarny used a Merchant Rune to level up his strength before leading the army to capture Stormgate.
• Tarny protected the fighters from an explosive greatbolt with his Brass Shield, then rallied them to defeat Godrick's Soldiers and destroy another ballista with Sellen's magic.
• The army secured Stormgate Tunnel, and Tarny conscripted Rogier, promising to help him investigate after they took Stormveil Castle.
• Margit sealed the tunnel gates and confronted Tarny, who summoned Klara and ordered her to spray him with poison.

Tarnished and his companions defeated Margit's projection, broke through Stormveil Castle's defenses, and learned that Godrick was performing a grafting ritual with a recently captured giant creature. Edgar stayed behind to fight his former student Gray while Tarnished and the others continued toward the rampart tower.

• Tarnished and his companions overwhelmed Margit, who revealed that he was only a projection before dissolving, and Sellen destroyed the defenders and siege weapons at Stormveil Castle's main gate with Founding Rain of Stars.
• Tarnished led the army into the castle, defeated the Exile Soldiers, and learned that the Demi-Human Queen was likely being held in the inner ward.
• Tarnished, Blaidd, Rogier, and Edgar bypassed the inner ward's defenses by taking a cliffside route, spared the civilians they encountered, and learned Godrick was performing a grafting ritual with a recently captured giant creature.
• Tarnished opened the guards' rest room and was attacked by Gray, Edgar's former student and a loyal knight of Godrick.
• Edgar deliberately let Gray knock him into crates so he could take the Rusty Key, then held Gray off while Tarnished, Blaidd, and Rogier climbed the rampart tower.

Tarnished and Nepheli confronted Godrick in the grafting grounds, but Godrick’s use of the Grafted Blade Greatsword overwhelmed them. After Nepheli was badly injured, Tarnished faced Godrick alone and renewed his attack, still demanding to know what happened to Mako.

• Edgar and Gray fell after their duel, while Blaidd stayed behind to fight an Omen Child so Tarnished and Rogier could continue.
• Tarnished and Rogier attacked the defenders from behind, and Tarnished left Rogier to lead the troops while he hurried toward the grafting site.
• Nepheli Loux joined Tarnished, and the two confronted Godrick over his grafting and Tarnished’s effort to rescue Mako.
• Tarnished and Nepheli fought Godrick, but he drew the Grafted Blade Greatsword and used Oath of Vengeance to disarm and badly injure Nepheli.
• Tarnished protected Nepheli and went on alone; after Godrick claimed Mako might already be part of his body, Tarnished struck him and charged back into the fight.

Tarnished fought Godrick by repeatedly thrusting his blood-affinity Great Epee to trigger blood loss, enduring devastating injuries as Godrick’s strength and rage escalated. After his Brass Shield shattered, Tarnished found a greatshield among Godrick’s grafted victims and prepared to face him again with Radagon’s Soreseal and Scholar’s Shield.

• Tarnished repeatedly shield-poked Godrick, inflicting three instances of blood loss before Godrick knocked him through gravestones and broke several of his ribs.
• Tarnished drank healing flasks, cast Scholar’s Shield, and continued fighting, bringing Godrick to his fifth instance of blood loss.
• Godrick’s desperate blows shattered Tarnished’s Brass Shield and left him badly injured, but Tarnished refused to flee and protectively stood up for Nepheli.
• Tarnished blocked Godrick’s next axe strike with a Manor Towershield found among the corpses, then struck Godrick’s eye with a Kukri.
• Tarnished equipped Radagon’s Soreseal to meet the greatshield’s strength requirement, cast Scholar’s Shield, and advanced toward Godrick with his Great Epee.

Tarnished and his allies defeated Godrick, who died before he could graft a dragon, and discovered that Mako had been rescued. Tarnished entered Stormveil Castle in a public ceremony as Limgrave’s future king, then celebrated with the people who had helped him.

• Tarnished drove Godrick to the brink of defeat, but Godrick began grafting a dragon before Rogier and the others arrived and attacked him together.
• The wounded Godrick died after declaring his wish to lead everyone home, and Tarnished learned that Gostoc had helped Blaidd and the others rescue Mako from a cell.
• Tarnished mourned the destruction of his Brass Shield, then rode through Limgrave in a procession and swore to rule and protect its people.
• Kenneth Haight completed Tarnished’s entrance ceremony at Stormveil Castle, and Tarnished thanked Gostoc and asked him to stay by his side.
• The group feasted and celebrated, raising a toast to Tarnished and the people working together to build a better future.