Recaps

Alice and Arnold’s patrol encountered Half-orcs spying from the woods near Grey Keep, while Baren’s preparations for a night raid faced their first test. The chapter ended as Alarag’s force began its attack on the camp, where the exhausted workers were guarded by soldiers ready for a nighttime assault.

• Alice shot the Half-orc captain as his band watched the riders from the forest, then led Arnold and the others back toward Grey Keep.
• Alice warned Arnold against pursuing the Half-orcs into the woods, and the patrol returned to the castle as dusk approached.
• Half-orc sightings around the pastures became frequent as the creatures prepared to raid the settlement with Wargs.
• Baren ordered a third of his soldiers to focus on guarding the camp and prepared firewood soaked in oil to illuminate the area at night.
• Alarag assembled Warg Riders and Snaga and launched a surprise attack in the latter half of the night.

Baren’s forces repelled Alarag’s raid, but Half-orc harassment continued and led to new defenses around Grey Keep. When Arnold and Alice returned, Allen arrived to take charge, heard Baren’s report, and learned that Thorin had reclaimed the abandoned halls in the Grey Mountains and was on his way to meet him.

• Alarag’s Warg Riders fled when flaming arrows ignited Baren’s firewood, and Baren led his soldiers against the stranded Half-orcs.
• Alice and the Mounted Scouts attacked from behind, breaking the Half-orcs and forcing Alarag to retreat to Mount Gundabad.
• Half-orc raids gave way to persistent harassment, so Baren and Nori built fortified camps near Grey Keep and planned a connecting wall.
• Arnold and Alice returned to Grey Keep and saw the banners and camp of Allen’s growing force.
• Allen thanked Baren, recalled him to his side, and assigned Tuoju to take over his duties at Grey Keep.
• Nori told Allen that Thorin had reclaimed the abandoned halls in the Grey Mountains and was coming to meet him.

After Dwalin asked Allen for help, Allen led a thousand soldiers and a hundred Noldor heavy infantry into the Grey Mountains to reinforce Thorin’s besieged Dwarves. As enemy Half-orcs charged down the slopes, Allen’s army formed up for battle.

• Dwalin told Allen that Half-orcs under a cunning chieftain had cut off Thorin’s supply convoys and trapped the Dwarves in their reclaimed kingdom.
• Thorin refused to abandon the kingdom and pursued the Half-orcs, but their retreat exhausted the Dwarves’ supplies and left them unable to reach the Lonely Mountain.
• Dwalin traveled to seek Allen’s aid, and Allen assembled troops equipped with Greenleaf Armor and Noldor Rune Armor.
• Allen led the force into the central Grey Mountains, where Noldor Rangers signaled an approaching enemy.
• Allen ordered his soldiers to prepare as a mass of Half-orcs surged down the slopes toward them.

Allen’s force fought Ragash’s Half-orc army in the Grey Mountains, where Allen’s fire magic stopped their downhill charge and left the enemy shaken. Allen held back his soldiers and waited for an opening to deliver a decisive blow.

• Snaga archers fired poisoned arrows at the human formation, but the shots bounced harmlessly off the soldiers’ armor, and human archers returned fire.
• Gael rallied his nervous heavy infantry, and Allen unleashed a sweeping pillar of fire that burned hundreds of Half-orcs and halted their charge.
• Ragash ordered the Half-orcs to keep advancing, knowing he needed to stop Allen’s force before it joined the Dwarves, but his troops hesitated as flames and rain filled the battlefield.
• Allen caught his breath and withheld his soldiers, reasoning that the terrain and the Half-orcs’ need for a quick victory had made the battle unfold as he had expected.

Arnod’s archers faced a renewed Half-orc assault after trolls joined the enemy ranks, threatening to break Gael’s infantry line. Thorin II’s Dwarves Cavalry arrived as Allen summoned the Knights and empowered his soldiers, then led the countercharge.

• Arnod ordered his archers to cease firing and recover their strength as Warg Riders and trolls appeared on the slope.
• Ragash’s Half-orcs advanced behind the trolls’ shields, while Gael rallied the infantry to hold the line.
• Allen saw that the trolls threatened to break the formation and searched for a chance to launch his cavalry.
• Thorin II arrived with a mass of dwarven knights and led the Dwarves Cavalry down the slope.
• Allen summoned the Knights, bestowed Blazing Ascension on his soldiers, drew his Sigil Two-Handed Greatsword, and ordered them to charge.

Allen's human forces and the Dwarven cavalry fought the Half-orc horde in the rain as the Uruk deputy Balti led a surprise assault against the human formation. Allen burned through the enemy to reach his endangered soldiers while the hidden Twilight Knights moved toward the Warg Riders.

• Dwarven cavalry and Allen's summoned Swadia Knights charged the Half-orcs across the muddy hillside as the human infantry joined the battle.
• Allen cut down dozens of Half-orcs while assessing the enemy numbers and the threat posed by the Warg Riders.
• Balti led several hundred Uruk around the melee and attacked the western side of the human soldiers' circular formation.
• The Uruk broke through the spear line, and Snaga exploited the breach as Arnod ordered reserve archers to reinforce the struggling soldiers.
• Allen emerged from a burst of flame near Balti and fought toward his troops while the concealed Twilight Knights approached the Warg Riders' slope.

Thorin led the Dwarves Cavalry into the Half-orcs’ left flank, routing many Snagas and breaking the encirclement’s eastern side. When Wargs arrived and surrounded his shield formation, Thorin chose to advance toward Allen’s embattled human forces rather than wait for reinforcements.

• Thorin charged the Half-orcs’ left flank with the Dwarves Cavalry, shattering their formation and driving many Snagas over a cliff.
• Thorin surveyed the battlefield and saw Ragash commanding the Half-orcs while Allen’s human troops remained under attack.
• Thorin recalled his scattered cavalry and ordered the Dwarves to form a tight shield-and-spear square as the Wargs approached.
• The Wargs surrounded the Dwarves while Half-orcs regrouped, preventing Thorin from immediately reaching Allen.
• Thorin led his Personal Guard from the boulder and ordered the Dwarves to advance toward their fighting allies.

Thorin’s Dwarves fought off Uruks, Trolls, Wargs, and Snagas while drawing Half-orcs away from their human allies. Hollimion and the Twilight Knights ambushed Ragash, who fled as Thorin’s forces reached the silver banner and the storm began to ease.

• Thorin led the Dwarves forward, but Uruks, cave Trolls, Wargs, and Snagas attacked and halted their advance.
• Ragash watched the battle and struggled to keep his disrupted forces under control while the Heavy Cavalry fought desperately in the west.
• Hollimion and the Twilight Knights approached Ragash; an arrow killed his Warg, and further arrows wounded him as he escaped the ambush.
• Ragash ordered his guards to protect him, then abandoned his troops and fled by a route he had scouted earlier.
• Thorin’s Dwarves arrived in formation near the silver banner as the rain eased and the Dark Clouds began to thin.

After Allen and Thorin’s forces defeated the Half-orcs, Allen pressed Thorin to withdraw because he feared a greater evil was behind the battle. The army reached Grey Frost Outpost, where the wounded were treated and the two kings began a heated debate.

• Allen assigned Bofur, Kili, and Glóin duties to tend the wounded, recover the fallen, and gather the warriors after the Half-orcs fled.
• Thorin planned to reclaim Mount Gundabad, but Allen urged an immediate retreat because the strange storm suggested the Dark Lord was involved.
• Thorin admitted that his decision to fight had disrupted their plan and caused heavy losses, then agreed to take the army to Grey Frost Outpost.
• Allen’s healing rain eased the wounded soldiers’ injuries as the humans and Dwarves prepared to leave the battlefield.
• The army traveled through a tunnel to Grey Frost Outpost, set up camp, and ate hot soup while Allen and Thorin argued apart from the others.

Allen confronted Thorin over the heavy casualties from their victory in the Grey Mountains, then learned Thorin was rushing to reclaim Mount Gundabad because he was nearing the end of his life and wanted to secure a homeland for his people. As Thorin outlined his plan, Gandalf arrived and urged both kings to withdraw, warning that a darkness had moved north and hinting at dragons.

• Allen demanded an explanation from Thorin for the hundreds of elite soldiers lost in the battle, and Thorin defended his decision to pursue the Half-orcs.
• Thorin revealed that his aging had accelerated and that he had fewer than ten years to live, so he intended to secure Mount Gundabad before Fili inherited the throne.
• Thorin showed Allen a map and planned to pursue the routed Half-orcs, gather supplies, and seize Mount Gundabad in a single assault.
• Allen warned that Half-orcs from the northern Misty Mountains could attack them from behind, but Thorin doubted they would unite.
• Gandalf arrived after investigating Mirkwood and advised Allen and Thorin to withdraw their armies, pointing to a darkness that had headed north and suggesting dragons were involved.

Thorin explained the heavy crossbows the Dwarves had prepared to fight dragons, while Gandalf set out north to track the enemy. Allen doubted the weapons would be enough and planned to seek Ringil; after opening the Simulator, he arrived in Calradia amid the Dark Cult’s invasion and Ragnar’s effort to hire his mercenary company.

• Thorin told Allen and Gandalf that the Dwarves had developed powerful heavy crossbows with alloy components and meteoric-iron bolts, which had shattered a bone in Smaug’s remains.
• Gandalf warned that the Half-orcs could pay the dragons to attack again, then accepted Lembas and Miruvor from Allen and left to watch the enemy’s movements.
• Allen doubted that testing the crossbows on Smaug’s corpse proved they could kill living dragons, and he considered searching for Dramborleg before deciding it was too difficult to reach.
• Allen used his ability to locate Ringil and planned to seek permission to search for the sword beneath the sea, where Angband had sunk.
• Allen opened the Simulator and arrived outside Sargoth, where the Dark Cult’s invasion and rebellions threatened the Nord kingdom.
• King Ragnar summoned his Vassals, promised to secure their lands, and hired Allen’s increasingly powerful mercenary company to help defend the kingdom.

Allen suppressed rebellions, recaptured Rud Castle and Tihlog Castle, and returned to Sargoth as the Nord kingdom’s war against the Dark Order worsened. King Ragnar summoned him to the front and offered him a choice of rewards, but Allen accepted the Azure Rhombus Gem, which the system identified as the Stone of Qi, Gale's Encouragement.

• Allen divided his forces, sending Duntis and Borcha to suppress village uprisings while he led his best troops to retake Rud Castle and Tihlog Castle.
• After three months of fighting and travel, Allen recaptured both castles, rescued their lords’ relatives, and destroyed a rebel force preparing to besiege Sargoth.
• Hel, the Dark Order’s archer commander, drove Allen back with arrows and mental attacks before escaping with Doom Thunder.
• King Ragnar summoned Allen and revealed that the Nords had lost near Tiha, leaving their remaining forces besieged at Tiha and Kurindal Castle.
• Ragnar asked Allen to join the front and offered him either a land grant or a family heirloom; Allen chose the Azure Rhombus Gem, which the system named Gale's Encouragement.

After gaining Wind's Speech, Allen left the Nord war behind and tested his new ability before returning to Fisslet. He then flew to Heidelberg and ordered Alayen to lead an elite force to the Grey Mountains, where Thorin was fighting for Mount Gundabad.

• Allen accepted Ragnar's gem as part of his fee but ended the simulation rather than risk his depleted forces against the Dark Cult's commanders.
• Allen learned to glide using Wind's Speech and flew back to Fisslet, where the Cabinet ordered a troop muster.
• Allen flew to Heidelberg and met Alayen, who welcomed him and arranged a meal.
• Allen ordered Alayen to assemble five hundred elite soldiers and gave him the Ruby Sigil Sword to command the expedition to the Grey Mountains.
• Allen instructed Alayen to guard against Half-orcs from the Misty Mountains and withdraw if the Fire-drake proved too dangerous.

Allen crossed the Misty Mountains and found a recently established human village near the Bruinen, where he met Halbarad and learned that bandits were threatening the settlement. The chapter left Allen considering the village’s troubles over dinner.

• Allen sent letters asking Thranduil to protect the Old Forest Road, Thengel to watch Isengard and the Brown Lands, and Firentis to prepare for unrest east of the Redwater River.
• After crossing the Misty Mountains, Allen approached a settlement near the Bruinen and was surrounded by guards.
• Allen introduced himself to Halbarad, who apologized for the suspicion and welcomed him into the village.
• Camille told Allen that bandits from a nearby stockade had demanded food and money and had recently fought Halbarad’s men.
• Allen listened to Camille’s account and pondered the village’s danger as he ate his meal.

Allen delivered the bandits he had captured to Halbarad, then flew to Hobbiton and reunited with Bilbo. After sharing supper and catching up, Allen agreed to take Bilbo with him to the Grey Havens, though it remained uncertain whether Bilbo would sail onward.

• Halbarad found the bandits bound together and blindfolded, then read Allen Sharian's letter explaining that they were a gift for forced labor and offering advice for Aragorn.
• Halbarad led the bandits toward the village, while Allen continued toward Hobbiton after destroying their stronghold with wind and fire.
• Allen reached Bag End and Bilbo welcomed him warmly, preparing a lavish supper as they reminisced about old friends and Bilbo's adventures.
• Allen told Bilbo that he planned to go to sea, and Bilbo asked to join him on the journey to the Grey Havens.
• Allen agreed to take Bilbo to the Grey Havens, leaving open whether Bilbo would continue across the sea.

Allen and Bilbo traveled from the Shire to the Grey Havens, where Círdan unexpectedly sent them straight to sea on a prepared ship. After more than a week sailing toward Angband, they arrived in a storm and were attacked by a sea serpent.

• Allen and Bilbo climbed the Tower Hills, watched the Grey Havens, and heard departing Rivendell Elves sing as they left Middle-earth for Valinor.
• Círdan welcomed Allen’s party at the Grey Havens, offered Bilbo a place to stay, and sent them aboard a ship captained by Galdor without explaining how he knew of their plans.
• Allen suspected that a Vala had learned of his voyage and arranged the ship, then began helping the Elves sail while Bilbo suffered from seasickness.
• Allen told Bilbo and the listening Elves stories of the First Age as the ship sailed past Himring and toward Angband.
• Galdor warned the crew that a sea serpent was attacking, and Allen struck it with lightning while the Elves fired arrows and crossbow bolts, driving it beneath the waves.

Allen left his ship and entered Angband to search for Ringil, while a sea serpent pursued him into the fortress. After exploring the dark, branching stronghold for about seven days and managing the growing strain on his mind, he was still searching beneath the sea.

• Galdor identified the pursuing monster as a sea serpent, and Allen ordered the ship to leave before diving toward Thangorodrim.
• Allen used Water's Protection to reach a hidden entrance in the mountain, then slipped inside when the sea serpent attacked.
• Allen lit a Crystal Lamp and descended through Angband's passages to a vast stone hall filled with branching archways.
• The oppressive silence and isolation made Allen increasingly agitated, so he entered the simulation to spend time with Sophia, Lord Israndir, and Lady Ardalia.
• Allen continued searching Angband, using the Eye of Heaven and taking breaks to eat, drink, and sleep; about seven days passed.

After finding Ringil beneath Morgoth’s throne in Angband, Allen fought his way through a vast horde of eyeless monsters and escaped, swearing never to return to the sea. He then killed the sea serpent that attacked him and collapsed on Thangorodrim, where a Hobbit witnessed his arrival.

• Allen found Ringil beneath the stone slab at Morgoth’s shattered throne and broke the slab apart to retrieve it.
• Allen fought through the eyeless monsters surrounding him and escaped Angband by retracing his marked route.
• Allen evaded the sea serpent’s attack, wounded it with Ringil, and pursued it as it fled into the depths.
• The sea serpent summoned the eyeless monsters, but Allen severed its head with Ringil before they could help it escape.
• Allen emerged from the sea, collapsed exhausted on Thangorodrim, and was witnessed by a Hobbit on another peak.

Allen sailed toward the Grey Havens while wondering how the war was going, as forces across the northern lands pushed back the Half-orcs. The chapter ended with Firentis cautiously responding to Bal’s offer of an alliance against Ashur by deploying troops and warships along the Redwater River.

• Allen told Bilbo that his ordeal beneath the sea had ended well and shared his worries about the war as they sailed toward the Grey Havens.
• Thorin’s Dwarves broke through the Half-orcs’ defenses on Mount Gundabad, reclaimed their Sacred Homeland, and pursued the survivors toward the Mountains of Angmar.
• Alayen and the Skin-changers routed Half-orcs through the tunnels, drove them into the Ettenmoors, and cleared their camps while the dark figure stayed away.
• Thranduil’s Elves, human warriors, Skin-changers, and Elves from the Golden Wood ambushed Holmras’s army near the Old Forest Road, killing more than two thousand Half-orcs and nearly wiping out the giant spiders.
• Bal rejected Ashur’s authority and sought an alliance with Firentis, who stationed troops and warships along the Redwater River to keep Bal from rejoining Ashur.

Ashur prepared for war against Rhovanion while Bal asked Allen to shelter his tribe and let them fight as mercenaries. After approving the plan, Allen learned Mordor’s forces had entered Mirkwood and hurried toward Mount Gundabad, where Gandalf had brought troubling news about the Fire-drakes.

• Ashur fortified his camp and sent Easterling cavalry to patrol the eastern bank of the Redwater River, while Bal asked Firentis to let his tribe settle southwest of the rivers’ confluence in exchange for mercenary service.
• Allen accepted Bal’s proposal, lent him the Angle southwest of the Running River, and placed his forces under Firentis’s command to keep the Easterlings east of the Redwater River.
• Allen learned that Mordor’s Half-orcs had fought Rohan’s Riders in the Brown Lands and entered Mirkwood despite heavy losses, leaving him suspicious of Sauron’s purpose.
• Allen left Bree for Mount Gundabad, sending Hollimion and his Personal Guard toward Fisslet while he flew ahead.
• Tuck told Allen that Gandalf had returned with bad news and that Thorin’s young subordinate sensed something was wrong at Mount Gundabad.
• Allen concluded that the Fire-drakes had accepted Sauron’s terms and prepared to attack the Durin Dwarves, then rested by a campfire before flying back to Mount Gundabad.

Allen arrived at Mount Gundabad as Thorin and Gandalf prepared for an attack by dragons recruited by Mordor. After explaining how he had slain a sea serpent with Ringil, Allen planned to strengthen the Dwarves’ heavy crossbows before considering the missing Ringwraith’s possible mission against Aragorn.

• Thorin refused Gandalf’s advice to evacuate and committed to defending the reclaimed Sacred Homeland from the dragons.
• Allen flew to Mount Gundabad, recovered from the cold, and heard Gandalf report that two to four dragons might join Mordor’s forces.
• Allen revealed Ringil and described slaying a sea serpent, convincing Gandalf that the sword could help in the coming battle.
• Allen asked Thorin to provide mithril powder so he could prepare Ithildin and enchant ammunition for the heavy crossbows.
• After resting, Allen heard Alayen report that the Ringwraith had led defeated Half-orcs into the Ettenmoors and then disappeared.
• Allen suspected the Ringwraith might have been sent to stop Aragorn and decided that defending Mount Gundabad remained his immediate priority.

Allen prepared enchanted ballista bolts as three fire-drakes arrived to claim Mount Gundabad for Sauron. Thorin led the Dwarves in battle, and the enchanted bolts wounded the charging blue fire-drake, but it began battering the wall as Thorin rallied his people to charge.

• Allen finished engraving silver-glowing runes on a ballista bolt as tremors and a horn call warned of approaching fire-drakes.
• Allen flew north and saw three fire-drakes approach while Thorin led the Dwarves out to face them.
• The white fire-drake Serral offered to spare the Dwarves if they became subjects, but Thorin rejected the offer and the blue fire-drake charged.
• The blue fire-drake attacked the Dwarves and rushed toward the wall while Thorin held back from joining the fighting at Kili's reminder.
• Gandalf ordered the ballistae to fire, and three enchanted bolts struck the blue fire-drake's head, forcing it to abandon its charge and lash the wall with its tail.
• Thorin rallied the Dwarves to charge the wounded fire-drake as the damaged wall shook beneath its blows.

Thorin, Gandalf, Allen, and the dwarves turned the battle against the three dragons, badly wounding Tyr and Serral. Karagung fled, Tyr fell, and Allen pursued the retreating Serral.

• Thorin rallied the dwarves to attack Tyr’s vulnerable belly while crossbow bolts wounded the Blue Dragon and Tyr smashed part of the wall, burying defenders.
• Gandalf confronted Tyr as Serral and Karagung attacked the heavy crossbows, but Allen struck Serral with Ringil despite being briefly immobilized by the dragon’s curse.
• Gandalf wounded Tyr with Glamdring, and Thorin and the dwarves battered his exposed belly as crossbow bolts pierced his back.
• Tyr fled from the wall, Allen severed one of Serral’s legs, and Karagung turned and fled northwest.
• Allen severed Tyr’s tail as Thorin and Gandalf closed in, then pursued Serral after the white dragon fled north.

Allen returned from the northern campaign after killing the White Dragon, helped the Dwarves recover and secure their lands, and later cleared the remaining Half-orc strongholds. With the north settling into peace, he strengthened Rhovanion’s alliances and sent Gandalf to aid Aragorn as he prepared to focus on governing.

• Allen returned to Mount Gundabad with Serral’s head and used his abilities to save wounded Dwarves after the battle against Tyr.
• Allen and Thorin planned to rebuild Mount Gundabad’s defenses and roads, while Gandalf proposed sending Dwarven weapons to Gondor.
• After the blizzards ended, Allen sent Alayen back to Fisslet and spent more than half a year clearing Half-orc lairs with Beorn and the Skin-changers.
• Allen welcomed Bal to Fisslet, rewarded his service, and opened more trade with Rhûn during a week-long victory banquet.
• Allen sent obsolete weapons and armor to Arnor as aid and gave Gandalf the Dwarven Ring of Power before the caravan departed for Aragorn.

After a long era of peace, Allen pursued and killed Durin’s Bane in Moria, then returned to Erebor with proof of the victory just before Thorin II died. Fili reclaimed Moria and became King of Durin, while Allen returned to Rhovanion after advising him on rebuilding and preserving Durin’s Folk.

• Allen pursued Durin’s Bane through Moria and, with help from tentacles rising from an underground lake, beheaded the Balrog and took its horns as proof.
• Allen brought the horns to Thorin II, who ordered Fili to lead the army into Moria before dying in Allen’s presence.
• Thorin was buried beneath the mountain with the Arkenstone, and Fili inherited Orcrist and led the campaign against the Half-orcs.
• After the Dwarves reclaimed Moria, Fili was crowned King of Durin and entrusted the Lonely Mountain and Iron Hills to Dáin Ironfoot and the Grey Mountains and Mount Gundabad to Balin.
• Allen advised Fili on strengthening Durin’s Folk, maintaining alliances, and avoiding dangerous deep mining; Fili accepted the advice and renewed the alliance with Rhovanion.
• Allen returned to Fisslet and resumed his peaceful life.