Chapter Summaries

The Tarnished defeated Moongrum and entered the Grand Library, where the Primeval Sorcerer’s spell made Rennala fight with renewed strength. The Tarnished and his companions struggled against her barrage as he waited for reinforcements.

• The Tarnished fought Moongrum, broke his shield and sword, and knocked him unconscious without killing him.
• The Tarnished rode the lift to the Grand Library, where a glintstone beam blasted him away as the Primeval Sorcerer revealed he had woven Rennala a dream to make her fight intruders.
• The Primeval Sorcerer persuaded the Raya Lucaria Prime to accept his plan by promising him access to a secret research report, then announced their counterattack beneath the rising moon.
• Rennala attacked the Tarnished with faster, more powerful magic and blasted him out of the Grand Library.
• Rodini and Laurendi caught the falling Tarnished, and he joined Edgar, Nepheli, and the two Crucible Knights in confronting Rennala.
• Rennala’s magical barrage overwhelmed the group, and the Tarnished told them to hold on because he had sent his teacher to fetch reinforcements.

Tarnished’s force besieged the Academy while Ranni confronted her mother, Rennala, and the Queen of the Full Moon’s magical dream. As Ranni fought Rennala inside the Grand Library, attacks by Leyndell’s Night’s Cavalry and Volcano Manor threatened Stormveil’s gains, and Tarnished set out to face the latter alone.

• Rennala mistook Nepheli for Marika and attacked the group, but Sellen arrived with Ranni, who countered Rennala’s Full Moon spell.
• Ranni challenged Rennala in the Grand Library, defeated her Comet Azur, and told everyone else to leave the courtyard.
• Edgar reported that Stormveil’s troops were advancing through the Academy, while Vila and Maren hunted sorcerers in the towers.
• A messenger reported that two members of the Night’s Cavalry and their elite soldiers were attacking Lord Alexander and Lord Nipendeth at the Gate Town Bridge; Tarnished identified the Royal Capital of Leyndell as their backer.
• Another messenger reported that Volcano Manor was attacking through the North Gate, where Lord D was fighting; Tarnished refused to divide his forces and declared that he would go alone with only two hundred and thirteen men.

Tarnished arrived at the North Gate and slaughtered all 213 Recusants who had nearly killed D, while Melina’s phantom Minor Erdtree helped sustain him. As D watched Tarnished stand amid the corpses, a new force—the Night’s Cavalry—approached.

• A dying undead soldier sacrificed itself to save D, and D retaliated before the Recusants overwhelmed him.
• Tarnished arrived alone, rescued D, and told him the Gate Town Bridge had also been attacked.
• Tarnished fought the Recusants while Melina summoned a phantom Minor Erdtree that healed him and restored his stamina.
• Tarnished killed the Recusants’ leader and pursued the survivors until all 213 were dead.
• D watched Tarnished stand among the bodies and thought he looked like a king, then heard the Night’s Cavalry approaching.

Patches and Bernahl watched Leyndell’s army confront the battered Tarnished, who tried to delay them before charging into their cavalry alone. He fought through their ranks and challenged their commander, but the Night’s Cavalry broke Tarnished’s Greatsword, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Patches explained that Volcano Manor had withdrawn under its lady’s orders, while Bernahl questioned his loyalty and predicted Leyndell would defeat Stormveil.
• A Night’s Cavalry commander offered Tarnished a chance to surrender, but Tarnished bluffed about his past victories and taunted the Leyndell troops.
• When the five hundred cavalrymen prepared to charge, Tarnished summoned Torrent and rode at them, cutting down the squad sent to stop him.
• Tarnished tore through the cavalry ranks and clashed with their glaive-wielding commander while Bernahl and Patches watched.
• The commander’s warhorse kicked Torrent, and the commander used Giant Hunt to snap Tarnished’s Greatsword.

Tarnished defeated the Night's Cavalry and led Stormveil to victory, then struggled with the casualties and the mountain of postwar work. He sought more laborers among Those Who Live in Death and found D questioning his convictions after one of them saved him.

• Agheel delivered a colossal sword to Tarnished, who used it to defeat the Night's Cavalry and charge alongside Stormveil's reinforcements.
• Tarnished and Nepheli drove Leyndell's forces back to the Grand Lift of Dectus, where Tarnished halted the exhausted army and declared victory.
• Tarnished spent three days managing casualties and postwar affairs, then hugged Melina and tried unsuccessfully to kiss her before returning to work.
• Tarnished asked Fia to recruit more Those Who Live in Death to help with the workload, and she explained that D could not assist because his convictions had been shaken.
• Tarnished visited D and learned that he doubted himself after one of Those Who Live in Death saved his life.

Tarnished helped D accept that Those Who Live in Death could coexist peacefully with the living, then comforted Maren after she let the dying Raya Lucaria Prime surrender the Academy instead of killing him for Rogesi’s murder. The chapter ended with Maren choosing to remain as a paid maid and Tarnished being summoned to deal with a clogged toilet.

• Tarnished brought D to a camp where the living reunited with Those Who Live in Death, and D began to reconsider his beliefs before returning a headless undead’s skull.
• D resumed supervising the undead and went with Fia to recruit more workers from the Catacombs.
• Vila told Tarnished that Maren was brooding on the Academy’s tallest tower after the Raya Lucaria Prime, who had killed Rogesi, died before she could take revenge.
• Tarnished reminded Maren that Rogesi would have sacrificed revenge to save others, and Maren accepted that she had made the same choice when she helped the Raya Lucaria Prime secure the students’ surrender.
• Maren rejected Tarnished’s offer of freedom without wages and demanded to be paid as a free maid, then left with Vila while Tarnished struggled down from the tower.
• A Demi-Human soldier told Tarnished that the Cuckoo Conspectus toilet was clogged again, apparently with a crab monster, and Tarnished went to handle it.

Tarnished collected the Academy’s scattered Glintstone Crowns, fought Latenna and Ruby, and handled a flood of tasks while Sellen began reforms. When Patches arrived seeking an alliance against Leyndell, Tarnished rejected his offers and revealed he had spared a Night’s Cavalry rider.

• Tarnished persuaded Sellen to admit students of every race and artificial beings, and she tasked him with finding four Glintstone Crowns.
• Tarnished found the crowns with Latenna and Ruby, then sparred with them before returning the crowns to Sellen.
• Tarnished completed numerous Academy errands as his companions recovered, while Ranni secretly watched him.
• Patches offered Volcano Manor’s alliance, the Godskin Stitcher, and a million runes as Leyndell prepared to attack the Academy.
• Tarnished claimed he had another way to deal with Leyndell’s army and brought in a wounded Night’s Cavalry rider he had spared.

Tarnished freed Rudy and sent him to Leyndell with a ceasefire proposal and claims that he could rescue Marika, then pushed for a five-party alliance by bluffing the other leaders into joining. After Nipendeth agreed to consult Jerren, Tarnished headed to the Grand Library to approach Ranni.

• Tarnished freed Rudy and asked him to carry a proposal for Leyndell to withdraw, ally with Stormveil, and sign a nonaggression pact, adding that he knew where Marika was and could rescue her.
• Tarnished proposed a five-party alliance including Leyndell, Volcano Manor, the Redmane Army, and the Carian Royal Family; Rudy and Patches left to deliver the plan to their leaders.
• Tarnished told Nipendeth that the other parties had agreed to the alliance, and Nipendeth promised to consult Jerren and urged him to support it.
• Rodini and Laurendi falsely assured Nipendeth that the other four parties had agreed, prompting him to hurry off and report the news to Jerren.
• Tarnished ended the meeting and went to the Grand Library, intending to speak with Ranni.

Tarnished visited Ranni in the Grand Library, persuaded Caria to join his growing alliance, and warned her that Miquella was secretly influencing others while pursuing godhood. Ranni agreed the threat was serious and considered joining an alliance to stop Miquella’s ascension.

• Tarnished teased Moongrum about his relationship with Lily before entering the Grand Library to see Ranni.
• Tarnished repeatedly proposed to Ranni, then made her agree to bring Caria into the alliance in exchange for releasing her foot.
• Tarnished revealed that he knew Ranni was seeking the Fingerslayer Blade, and told her Gideon Ofnir had informed him.
• Tarnished explained that Miquella’s charm had influenced Ranni and Malenia, and that Miquella intended to become a god and impose his idea of happiness on the world.
• Ranni recognized the danger of Miquella’s influence, and Tarnished proposed an Alliance Against Miquella’s Ascension with Caria and the other allied forces.

Ranni agreed to join Tarnished’s Five-Party Alliance after learning that Miquella was Trina and that he was in the Land of Shadow. Tarnished secured Leyndell’s support by offering a way into the hidden land and welcomed Morgott despite his Omen heritage.

• Tarnished explained to Ranni that Miquella and Trina were two souls in one body, prompting Ranni to join the alliance and bet that Tarnished could not form it within a week.
• That night, Morgott arrived at the Academy with two Tree-Type Crucible Knights and refused Tarnished’s proposal after hearing that it involved the frenzied flame.
• Rodini and Laurendi clashed with the Tree-Type knights, but Tarnished stopped the fight by revealing that Siluria was in Deeproot.
• Tarnished explained that the Land of Shadow held an unsealed portion of the frenzied flame and offered to share a way in if Leyndell joined the Five-Party Alliance.
• Morgott agreed to the alliance after Tarnished explained that he wanted peace because he had promised Liurnia would suffer no more wars.
• Tarnished revealed Morgott’s Omen identity, and Morgott removed his hood and asked whether Tarnished would still ally with him; Tarnished affirmed his respect and promised Stormveil would protect him.

Morgott learned about Stormveil’s support for ordinary people and saw how Tarnished had earned their loyalty by giving them safer, better lives. After saving a worker from a collapsing beam and joining the crew for wine, Morgott arrived at the Dean’s Office as Tarnished negotiated with Sellen over a sugar-making project.

• Morgott woke late, spoke with an orphaned girl who told him Stormveil provided children with daily goat’s milk, housing, and lessons, and grew more curious about Tarnished.
• Morgott walked through the Academy’s repairs and watched humans and nonhumans work together, then realized Tarnished was rebuilding the Lands Between through practical restoration and renewal.
• Morgott caught a falling beam and saved Joe, and the workers thanked him and invited him to share their fruit wine.
• Morgott concluded that ordinary people followed Tarnished because he gave them peaceful, good lives, and he reached the Dean’s Office slightly drunk.
• Tarnished offered Sellen three hundred sets of school uniforms in exchange for developing an affordable, efficient way to make sugar, and Sellen agreed to begin the project.

Tarnished assigned Sellen a wide range of practical research projects and learned that a steam engine had already been attempted, while glintstone energy remained scarce because Radahn had sealed the stars. As Morgott and Ranni joined Tarnished to receive Tanith at the Academy, the Volcano Manor consort arrived with a Crucible Knight, beginning a delicate new encounter.

• Tarnished demanded research into transport, heating, agriculture, housing, and other practical needs, persuading Sellen to accept by offering Academy supplies.
• Tarnished proposed using steam power, but Sellen explained that an earlier inventor had died in the war with Caria and described a highly efficient glintstone power system that could not be widely used because glintstone was scarce.
• Tarnished invited Sellen and Morgott to Radahn's festival; Morgott agreed to attend and urged Tarnished to invite Ranni and Rykard, while Sellen refused.
• Jar Bro announced that Tanith had arrived through the Academy's underground Waterwheel Lift, and Morgott decided to accompany Tarnished to receive her.
• Ranni joined Tarnished and Morgott, and Tanith arrived at the Academy with a silent Crucible Knight.

Tarnished persuaded Tanith to bring Volcano Manor into the alliance, while Ranni’s outburst and Tanith’s skill at manipulating emotions revealed tensions among the leaders. With the five factions gathered at Raya Lucaria Academy and its defenses strengthened, Tarnished entered the summit that would shape the Lands Between’s future.

• Tanith charmed Tarnished and Morgott with elaborate praise, then provoked Ranni’s emotions by expressing sympathy for her doll body.
• Tarnished announced that he had proposed to Ranni, and Ranni blasted him across the room with Glintstone Pebble.
• Tarnished and Morgott agreed that Tanith was dangerous at reading and manipulating people, but Tarnished insisted Volcano Manor was essential to their plans.
• Tarnished assigned Fia to attend Tanith, prompting D to complain that he had been left with extra work; Tarnished promised Roger would help.
• Jerren and Nipendeth arrived in Liurnia, and Sellen, Vera, and Maren fortified Raya Lucaria Academy for the five-party summit.
• With Stormveil’s delegates supporting him, Tarnished entered the conference hall and took the presiding seat as the summit began.

Tarnished established the Five-Party Alliance and secured agreements on a ceasefire, economic recovery, and aid for the Redmane Army. After arranging for the factions to attend Radahn’s memorial festival, Morgott asked Tarnished how to reach the Land of Shadow.

• Tarnished proposed the Five-Party Alliance, and Morgott, Ranni, Tanith, and Jerren agreed to form it.
• Tarnished secured an immediate end to hostilities and gained approval for Stormveil to trade with the factions and hire workers from their territories.
• Tarnished persuaded the alliance to provide free military and civilian supplies to the Redmane Army in exchange for containing the Scarlet Rot and reporting any unusual activity.
• Tarnished proposed that each faction send powerful warriors to Radahn’s memorial festival, then announced a large Stormveil delegation.
• Morgott asked Tarnished how to reach the Land of Shadow, surprising Tanith and Jerren and drawing Ranni’s attention.

The Tarnished revealed why Morgott, Ranni, and the Redmanes wanted to reach the Land of Shadow, then persuaded the alliance’s reluctant members to join the journey. The Five-Party Alliance prepared to travel there, with Tanith tempted by the prospect of expanding Volcano Manor’s power.

• Tanith pressed Morgott to explain his plans, and the Tarnished revealed that Morgott wanted to retrieve the Frenzied Flame kindling and rescue Marika from the Erdtree.
• The Tarnished exposed Ranni’s need to find Miquella and Saint Trina, then revealed that Radagon was Marika and that Ranni intended to create her own Order and kill the Two Fingers.
• Jerren questioned whether rescuing Marika would bring peace, but the Tarnished convinced him to join the journey by revealing that Miquella planned to claim Radahn’s soul as his promised consort.
• Tanith refused to join, so the Tarnished revealed that Rykard had been swallowed by the Great Serpent and urged her to seek Hornsent in the Land of Shadow as food for the serpent and a chance to expand her power.

Tarnished persuaded the alliance to let Volcano Manor claim territory in the Land of Shadow and revealed that Miquella planned to use the Gate of Divinity to become a god. After explaining that Mohg’s power could open a passage into the Land of Shadow, Tarnished disclosed that Mohg had fallen in love with Miquella, prompting Morgott to prepare a rescue mission.

• Tarnished offered Volcano Manor territory in exchange for the God-Devouring Serpent’s support, and Tanith accepted the alliance.
• The leaders voted to march into the Land of Shadow with five objectives, including stopping Miquella from becoming a god.
• Tarnished explained that Miquella could charm others and might ascend through the Gate of Divinity in Belurat, Tower Settlement.
• Tarnished revealed that Mohg had secretly founded the Mohgwyn Dynasty and could open a passage through the Goddess’s barrier; he asked Morgott to bring him a shield from the Sewers.
• Tarnished said Mohg had fallen in love with Miquella, and Morgott concluded that Miquella had charmed his brother and ordered troops mobilized for a rescue.

Tarnished persuaded Morgott that the alliance should rebuild the road to the Mohgwyn Dynasty so Morgott could rescue Mohg with an army. He then set out three goals for the Five-Party Alliance: kill Radahn at the festival, help Ranni become a god, and reach Mohg to prepare for the journey to the Land of Shadow.

• Morgott asked Tarnished how to reach the Mohgwyn Dynasty, and Tarnished explained that the route required a secret medallion and a portal in the Consecrated Snowfield.
• Tarnished proposed that the alliance rebuild the collapsed road to the Mohgwyn Dynasty, and Morgott accepted their help.
• Tarnished revealed that Radahn was still alive but had been driven mad by Scarlet Rot, and Jerren explained that Radahn had ordered the festival to end his suffering.
• Tarnished argued that the alliance should kill Radahn despite the possibility of helping Miquella, and Ranni agreed after learning that Radahn's death would release the stars and advance her fate.
• Tarnished convinced the alliance to support Ranni's ascension so they would have a god capable of opposing Miquella.
• Tarnished summarized the alliance's three goals: attend Radahn's festival, help Ranni become a god, and rebuild the road to Mohg.

Tarnished and the leaders of the Five-Party Alliance announced the Lands Between Peace Accord and assigned roles to govern and maintain the new peace. After visiting Caria Manor, Tarnished discovered more than thirty Royal Revenants crawling through its courtyard.

• Tarnished persuaded Morgott, Jerren, Tanith, and Ranni to sign the alliance speech, then claimed to be a future Elden Lord who had traveled back in time; none of them believed the story.
• The five leaders announced the Peace Accord, and crowds celebrated with a feast that lasted seven days and nights.
• Morgott returned to Leyndell and left two Crucible Knights as alliance messengers; Jerren departed for Caelid, while Tanith stayed at Caria Manor and accepted a role as the alliance's publicity ambassador.
• Tarnished assigned Morgott as commander-in-chief, Jerren to oversee ideological work, and Ranni as a technical adviser.
• Tarnished visited Caria Manor and found more than thirty Royal Revenants crawling through the courtyard.

Tarnished visited Ranni at Caria Manor and discovered she had gathered Caria's loyalists and created Royal Revenants for the alliance. Ranni agreed to capture General Radahn's soul before the Radahn Festival and offered the Revenants to Tarnished, who had yet to answer whether he liked them.

• Hanwuna escorted Tarnished past Royal Revenants and Caria Loyalists to meet Ranni and Tanith.
• Ranni told Tanith she had summoned Caria's old retainers to build her own faction and gain leverage over Tarnished; Tanith encouraged her plan while privately deciding to watch her fall in love.
• Tanith left with Hanwuna and Fia to meet Liurnia's Ancestral Followers and investigate a Catacombs.
• Tarnished nominated Ranni as the alliance's Technical Advisor and asked her to secure General Radahn's soul before the Radahn Festival.
• Ranni explained that Carian scholars had developed a Soul-Sealing Technique, revealed she had made the Royal Revenants, and offered them to the alliance; Tarnished hesitated when she asked if he liked them.

Tarnished took thirty-six Royal Revenants to reclaim Frenzied Flame Village and confronted the lingering spirit of Vyke outside the Church of Repose. Vyke mistook Tarnished for a fellow Lord of Frenzied Flame and tried to reach the past to save a woman, so Tarnished ordered the Revenants to tear him apart.

• Ranni asked Tarnished to reclaim Frenzied Flame Village and lent him thirty-six Royal Revenants, explaining that another Two Fingers had cursed Caria to weaken the royal family.
• Tarnished led the obedient but clingy Royal Revenants to Frenzied Flame Village, where they killed the Frenzied Flame-afflicted residents attacking them.
• Tarnished met Burning Fingerprint, Vyke, outside the Church of Repose and began fighting him after Vyke told him to turn back.
• Vyke sensed the Frenzied Flame on Tarnished and concluded that he could return to the past to save a woman by becoming the true Lord of Frenzied Flame.
• Tarnished tried to stop Vyke from releasing the Frenzied Flame, but Vyke accused him of hypocrisy and struck a nerve by mentioning the girl Tarnished had burned.
• Tarnished broke Vyke's spear and knocked him down, then ordered the thirty-six Royal Revenants to tear him apart.