Chapter Summaries

Bal received a proposal from Firentis to help obtain more than two hundred dwarf slaves for a secret gold mine, in exchange for increased trade and enchanted armor. Bal demanded a higher price, while Brendan left with orders for Bal to gather information and with personal hatred for the warlord who had killed his father.

• Bal interrupted a hunt and rode back to his territory after hearing that a western envoy had arrived with a lucrative order.
• Bal met Brendan, who delivered Firentis's letter asking him to arrange over two hundred dwarf slaves or identify tribes that held them.
• Bal reasoned that the request likely came from the human king and agreed to help, but demanded ten times the goods and ten suits of armor.
• Brendan refused to promise the increased payment, told Bal to begin gathering information, and left to report his demands to Firentis.
• Brendan concealed his hatred for Bal, who had once had Brendan's father dragged to death for asking that exhausted slaves be allowed to rest.

Allen watched Bal begin gathering Dwarves for a trade, then caught and interrogated Raval, a messenger carrying Ashur’s threats and demands. Allen let Raval go with his hand intact, hoping Ashur would remain unaware of him as he continued his plans against the Easterling chief.

• Bal sent riders north to gather Dwarves for the lucrative trade, while Allen secretly watched his camp.
• Allen and his companions found Raval trying to steal their Elves Horses, and the horses had pinned him down.
• Allen discovered Ashur’s message on Raval and threatened him until he read its demands for a map, information about warships, and enemy troop numbers.
• Allen spared Raval’s hand and ordered him to pretend he had never seen Allen, then rode away.
• Raval restored the message cloth to its original folds and left, regretting his attempt to steal the horses.

Allen approved Firentis’s mobilization against the Easterlings after learning that the raiders across the Redwater River were a relatively small, divided group rather than the full strength of Rhûn. Knights and cavalry gathered at Lurens, leaving Allen satisfied with the force assembled as preparations for war advanced.

• Brendan reported Bal’s proposed terms to Allen and Firentis, and Allen thanked him before sending him to rest.
• Firentis urged Allen to reject ransom negotiations and lead an attack across the river, citing years of Easterling raids against Lurens.
• Allen explained that he wanted Bal to reveal the raiders’ direction and told Firentis he could issue the mobilization order.
• Allen described how prisoners had taught him that the Easterlings invading Rhovanion were a small, impoverished group, distinct from the powerful tribes deeper in Rhûn.
• Firentis summoned his knights, who arrived in Lurens with cavalry and auxiliaries as the weather grew colder.
• Allen inspected the assembled force and decided not to assess the knights’ manor administration on the eve of war.

Allen identified the Easterling tribe holding Thar’s captured Dwarves and scouted its settlement to plan an attack. When he learned the tribe was moving Dwarven slaves under guard, he rode out with the Twilight Knights to intercept them, beginning the battle.

• Allen matched reports of a silver Cold-drake to the tribe that had captured Thar’s people and chose it as the first target of the war.
• Allen and Hollimion reconnoitered the settlement, noting its defenses, water source, livestock pens, and slave quarters before escaping detection by the guards.
• A bird reported that Easterlings were escorting about forty Dwarven slaves, so Allen sent Hollimion to summon Firentis and cavalry reinforcements.
• Allen charged after the Easterlings with the Twilight Knights and killed their commander and mounted soldiers with his bow, starting the battle.

Allen and the Twilight Knights freed Dayev and his fellow Dwarves from an Easterling escort, and Dayev pledged his people’s service after reading Thar’s letter. Allen led the rescued Dwarves and captured Easterlings west toward the Redwater River, where Firentis arrived with far more cavalry than Allen had requested.

• Allen and eleven Twilight Knights ambushed the Easterlings, killed most of the escort, and forced the survivors to flee or surrender.
• Allen gave Dayev Thar’s letter and the keys to the Dwarves’ shackles, and Dayev pledged his people’s allegiance to Allen.
• Allen supplied the freed Dwarves with food and beer, ordered Dayev to care for them, and gathered the loose warhorses and chariot.
• Allen bound the surrendered Easterlings together and led the Dwarves and prisoners west toward the Redwater River under the Twilight Knights’ guard.
• Firentis arrived with seven or eight hundred knights and squires, far more than Allen had expected, and Allen decided they should do something before leaving.

Easterling tribes fled east after Allen’s cavalry defeated their allied army, and Bal begged Allen for mercy when Rhovanion’s forces reached his camp. Allen intimidated Bal into surrendering his Dwarven captives and intended to use fear to stop raids across the Redwater River.

• Easterling scouts heard a survivor describe how a few hundred Rhovanion cavalry had routed an army of nearly ten thousand, prompting the tribes to send out mounted scouts.
• Bal begged Allen to let his tribe leave, explaining that he had stayed out of the war but was trapped after the Easterling chiefs fled the defeat.
• Allen threatened Bal and rejected his offer of the Dwarves as sufficient compensation, reminding him that the captives would belong to Allen either way.
• Allen revealed that he wanted Bal as a merchant and had staged rumors about the bloodshed to make the Easterlings fear Rhovanion and stop their raids.

Allen returned from his campaign against the Easterlings after dividing the captured people and resources with Bal, while planning to pursue Ashur and recover his depleted finances. He had obtained the Fire Stone and its combat abilities, and on the road to Zendar he encountered a familiar young man wearing a golden emblem.

• A rumor spread across Rhûn claiming that a deity punished Easterlings who shed blood near the Redwater River and the Running River, prompting a tavern brawl when a captain mocked it.
• Allen left Bal control of most of the captured Easterlings and grain, brought more than five thousand people back to Rhovanion, and warned Bal to keep his followers away from the rivers.
• Allen considered how to prevent conflict between Easterlings and Rhovanion’s people, then resolved to monitor Ashur and eventually settle his grudge against the commander.
• Allen revealed that the Fire Stone granted Flame Manipulation and Blazing Ascension, which could summon fire and spend denars to greatly strengthen his troops.
• Allen set out for Zendar to consult Earl Alaesis about the Star Horn’s hint, but encountered a familiar young man wearing a golden emblem.

Allen encountered Duntis and his warriors preparing to burn captured outlaws alive as a sacrifice to the Dark Lord. After resisting Gayev’s mind control, Allen attacked the high priest and stopped his followers, but Gayev escaped, leaving Allen to wonder who the true protagonist was.

• Allen watched Duntis’s warriors prepare to burn their prisoners alive, while Duntis said the captives’ souls needed purification.
• Allen confronted Duntis and recognized that Gayev, the gray-haired high priest, was behind the ritual.
• Gayev used a spell to command Allen to worship the Dark Lord, but the Star Horn’s call freed Allen from its influence.
• Allen attacked Gayev, cut off three of his fingers, and struck down the Dark Order warriors with lightning before Gayev escaped in black smoke.
• Allen gave the Star Horn to Duntis and picked up the Fire Stone Gayev had left behind, questioning who the true protagonist was.

Allen returned the Hero's Emblem to Duntis and invited him to join his cause of uniting the divided continent. The next morning, Duntis followed Allen's instructions at an ancient bridge, where a mysterious woman appeared and asked him to identify a shield.

• Duntis told Allen that Gayev had deceived him while seeking the treasure at the Sharpshade ruins, then offered Allen the Hero's Emblem.
• Allen fastened the emblem back onto Duntis and invited him to help establish a peaceful country; Duntis agreed to follow him.
• Allen told Duntis to ride back and forth across a bridge west of Zendar the next day and to answer any questions by following his heart.
• After Duntis's iron shield fell into the You River, a whirlpool of gold and silver light formed, and a blond woman appeared holding two shields.
• The woman asked Duntis whether the shield he had dropped was golden or silver.

Allen secured the Shield of Destiny on the Fantasy Continent, then returned to Fisslet and prepared defenses against the Easterlings while arranging a northern settlement at Grey Keep. The chapter ended with Allen seeing the herders depart and planning to lead troops north to meet Thorin.

• Allen obtained the Shield of Destiny after a mysterious blonde woman appeared, while Earl Alaesis continued researching the Star Horn clue.
• Allen returned to Winterry Castle and gave his young daughter Andrea a carved Araluan Bison figure that Firentis had prepared for her.
• Allen ordered Firentis to build two harbors on the Redwater River and strengthen defenses against possible Easterling retaliation.
• Allen approved the migration of five hundred trained cavalrymen and their families to Grey Keep, appointing Tuoju to manage the settlement.
• Allen saw the herders depart from Horse-herding Village and planned to lead a force north to meet Thorin.

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.