Chapter Summaries

Allen challenged Ulric to a duel to avoid a bloody war for control of the Lion Kingdom, then used his power over lightning to defeat the Lion Knights and kill the king. The nobles, soldiers, and surviving knights submitted to Allen, leaving him recognized as king.

• Allen proposed a duel to settle the conflict, and Duke Aelfwine broke with Ulric and left with nearly a quarter of his supporters.
• Allen sent Sir Azrael and his ten cavalrymen away, then faced Ulric’s charge alone.
• Allen flew above the battlefield and summoned lightning, wrecking the Lion Knights’ formation and scattering the cavalry.
• Allen broke Ulric’s lance, beheaded him, and proclaimed himself king.
• The Lion Kingdom’s lords, knights, and soldiers knelt to Allen, while the surrounded Lion Knights lowered their weapons.

Allen restored the Pendor Kingdom, secured a one-year truce with Marius I, and began rebuilding its knightly orders. In Middle-earth, he planned a vast tower and sent Aragorn toward Lothlórien, leaving the young man ready to continue his journey on a Mearas.

• Allen persuaded Marius I to agree to a one-year truce rather than continue the war, and Marius I planned to investigate the Snake Cult.
• Allen returned to Sarleon, accepted the nobles' pledges, and proclaimed the restoration of the Pendor Kingdom.
• Allen expelled the corrupt Lion Knights, appointed Montevar to rebuild the order, and tasked Risadilan with training both knightly orders.
• Allen assigned Artimenner, Tyr, and an elf from Rivendell to plan a tower at Fisslet.
• Aragorn visited Allen at Fisslet, and Allen advised him to visit Lothlórien before traveling to Rohan and Gondor.
• Allen showed Aragorn around Rhovanion and gave him a Mearas for his journey.

Allen taught Albert about Aragorn’s journey and continued developing his knightly orders and studying magic while living in Fisslet. He then returned to the Kingdom of the Nords, gathered supplies, and marched toward Hrus Castle to join Haediyar against the Dark Cult.

• Allen explained to Albert why Aragorn needed to travel to Gondor and Rohan, then took him to buy candied fruit for his sister.
• Allen continued researching Pendor rune magic and strengthened the Gryphon Knights Order and the Order of the Lion while describing the kingdom’s other orders and its conflicts.
• Allen prepared to resume his campaign in the Kingdom of the Nords, where he planned to help resist the Dark Cult and eventually seek the Earth Gem.
• Allen appeared at the Nord camp near Sargoth, gathered supplies, and led his force toward Hrus Castle to join Haediyar.

Allen investigated the deserted Lubel Village and discovered that Hel of the Dark Cult was conducting a sacrifice there. As Allen rushed to interrupt the ritual, the villagers’ souls began to gather beneath a summoned Dark God.

• Allen defeated Rolf in a duel, and Rolf joined his company.
• Allen sent Duntis with the main force and rode toward Lubel with Rolf and several dozen Free Knights to investigate the deserted village.
• In Lubel’s square, Yulian prepared to burn Simmons for questioning the king’s decree while the villagers protested.
• Hel revealed herself as a Dark Cult commander, threw Yulian onto the pyre, and set him and Simmons ablaze.
• Hel summoned dark clouds and began a sacrifice that drew purple light from the villagers as Allen flew toward her and a glowing arrow struck at her wand.

Allen interrupted Hel’s sacrifice in Lubel, but the villagers had already died and Hel escaped. He continued toward Hrus Castle, where he learned that Tiha had fallen, Kurindal’s survivors had arrived, and Haediyar was preparing to face the Dark Cult’s advance.

• Allen shattered Hel’s summoning wand, freed the villagers from her control, and drove her off before she could complete the ritual.
• Hel escaped to a forest hideout, blamed Allen for the loss of her wand and mission, and vowed to remember him.
• Allen found the villagers dead and, after Rolf explained that Nords rejected cremation, sent messengers to Ragnar and continued toward Hrus Castle.
• Allen ordered Meme Tea to expand the company’s scouting, then reached Hrus Castle three days later and learned that Tiha had fallen and Kurindal’s survivors had fled there.
• Haediyar kept Allen’s mercenaries outside the overcrowded castle, supplied their camp, and prepared to unite the defenders against the approaching Dark Cult.

As the Dark Cult launched a sudden assault on Hrus Castle, Jormungand smashed through its gates and overwhelmed the Nord defenders. Just as he led the Fang of the Mad Python deeper into the castle, a bolt of lightning struck him and halted their advance.

• Allen's hillside camp was fortified as King Ragnar's messages revealed that no reinforcements would come to Hrus Castle.
• The Dark Cult army attacked Hrus Castle, and the Fang of the Mad Python advanced under arrow fire with scaling ladders.
• Haediyar's defenders hurled javelins and throwing axes, knocking down ladders and injuring many attackers.
• Jormungand charged the gates and broke their supporting bars with repeated blows.
• Olaf Jarl attacked Jormungand, but Jormungand shattered his shield and left him unconscious before overpowering the Nord defenders.
• A bolt of lightning struck Jormungand, sent arcs through the gathered fighters, and stopped the Fang of the Mad Python's advance.

Allen defeated Jormungand’s assault on Hrus Castle but let the Dark Cult commander retreat, then urged Haediyar to evacuate before the High Priest arrived. Haediyar faced the choice of abandoning the castle as the Kingdom of the Nords’ defenses collapsed.

• Allen used fire, lightning, and his sword against Jormungand, but could not pierce the commander’s protective qi shield.
• Jormungand called off the fight, warned Allen that the High Priest was approaching and that Jelborg Castle had fallen, then escaped with the surviving Fang of the Mad Python troops.
• Haediyar ordered his men to clear the battlefield and repair Hrus Castle’s gate while Allen’s troops helped.
• After the battle, Allen told Haediyar that he had not pursued Jormungand because fighting him amid the enemy army was too dangerous.
• Allen revealed that Jelborg Castle had fallen and Sargoth was surrounded, then urged Haediyar to leave Hrus Castle with his people before the High Priest Gayev arrived.

Haediyar ordered the evacuation of Hrus Castle, and Allen’s forces protected the slow-moving refugees from sea raiders as they traveled west. When they found Sargoth surrounded by the Dark Cult, Allen advised continuing to Wercheg, leaving Haediyar with no better option.

• Haediyar forced the Nords near Hrus Castle to begin migrating west after arguments and resistance stalled the evacuation.
• Jormungand learned that Hrus Castle had been abandoned, ordered scouts to check for traps, and celebrated taking it without a fight.
• Allen rejected a surprise attack on Jormungand’s camp and later agreed to help Haediyar’s procession against bands of sea raiders.
• Allen divided his cavalry into patrols, and his forces destroyed at least twenty raider bands while Meme Tea watched for pursuers from Hrus Castle.
• Allen and Haediyar reached Sargoth and found it surrounded by the Dark Cult’s army.
• Allen advised Haediyar to take the refugees across the You River, resupply near Zendar, and continue to Wercheg; Haediyar accepted the plan.

Allen convinced Haediyar and the exiled Nord lords to march on Wercheg, which Fenrir’s Dark Cult forces had seized, so they could secure supplies and land. The lords agreed to organize their troops and prepare for the attack, with Allen promising to pursue Elberck Castle afterward.

• Allen arrived near Wercheg and found the Dark Cult’s banner flying over the city, leaving the refugee column without a place to settle or replenish supplies.
• Olaf Jarl suggested seeking help from Yaroglek, while Tragyar rejected the idea and Haediyar angrily ruled out turning back toward Sargoth.
• Allen proposed capturing Wercheg and told the lords that Fenrir was absent, the city held at least two thousand soldiers, and Swadian and Vaegir armies were preparing to march.
• Allen asked Haediyar to lead the other lords through the gates after Allen opened them, and promised Haediyar Elberck Castle if they captured Wercheg.
• Haediyar ordered the lords to organize their soldiers, collect provisions, and march on Wercheg in two days, and the lords agreed.

Allen’s forces seized Wercheg from the Dark Cult, and he killed Dakar while leading the assault. After the city was secured, Allen declared that he would rule Wercheg independently and won the allegiance of the Nord lords, founding the Radiant Empire as he prepared to continue fighting the Dark Cult.

• Dakar learned that attackers had seized Wercheg’s gate and were advancing on the castle, so he gathered nearly two hundred soldiers and went to confront them.
• Allen led the Gryphon Knights through the castle defenses, killed Dakar with Chain Lightning and a sword thrust, and ordered the remaining Dark Cult troops purged.
• Allen’s forces eliminated the cultists in Wercheg, and the lords divided the captured territories, with Haediyar assigning the city to Allen.
• Terg Jarl objected that Allen was a mercenary with no legal right to a fief, but Allen said he would occupy Wercheg in his own name and establish a new kingdom.
• Haediyar and Olaf Jarl urged the other lords to follow Allen, and the assembled nobles accepted his leadership as Allen founded the Radiant Empire.

Allen strengthened his rule in Wercheg while Rhovanion continued to grow, then learned from Bilbo Baggins that the ring Bilbo had shown him had gone missing. Bilbo’s account of three pale-faced men in black robes raised Allen’s suspicion that the theft was connected to Sauron.

• Allen reorganized his forces in Wercheg, rewarded loyal mercenaries, released political prisoners, and established a basic foundation for his rule.
• Harlaus and Yaroglek threatened the Dark Cult from two fronts but sought negotiations, while Allen sent scouts to watch the talks and ordered Duntis to recruit a new Mercenaries Corps.
• Allen and Ymira enjoyed a rare spring outing near Fisslet and discussed their daughter’s visit to Rohan before Baren summoned Allen back.
• Baren told Allen that Bilbo Baggins had arrived, and Allen hurried to meet his troubled old friend.
• Bilbo told Allen that his ring had vanished after his birthday party the previous year and that a night watchman had seen three pale-faced men in black robes near his home.
• Allen suspected the theft was connected to Sauron and planned to use the Eye of the Sky to locate the ring after its cooldown.

Allen confirmed that Sauron had recovered the One Ring at Mount Doom and called the northern lords together to plan a response. He proposed an alliance to destroy Mordor before Sauron regained his full power, then revealed a Silmaril to persuade the council.

• Allen confirmed that the One Ring was at Mount Doom with Sauron and Gollum, and concluded that the war could begin early.
• Legolas, Elrond, Galdor, Fili, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Saruman arrived in Fisslet for Allen's council.
• Allen told the gathered leaders that Bilbo's ring was the One Ring and that Sauron's servants had stolen it back.
• Saruman challenged Allen for withholding the Ring's history, but Allen warned that the Ring would corrupt its bearers; Elrond then confirmed the Ring's identity.
• Allen proposed assembling an army with Rohan and Gondor to destroy Mordor and the Ring, then opened a box that the council recognized as containing a Silmaril.

Allen revealed the Silmaril and proposed using its light to protect the Elves and other peoples of Rhovanion while assembling an alliance against Sauron. The council agreed to gather near Lothlórien in four months to strike Dol Guldur, and Allen began preparing for the campaign.

• The Silmaril’s light restored Gandalf’s and Saruman’s memories of their identities as Maiar, and Saruman thanked Allen for helping him recover his purpose.
• Allen explained that he had found the Silmaril beneath the sea and planned to use runes to spread its light across Rhovanion, countering Morgoth’s power and improving life there.
• Legolas said he would seek Thranduil’s support, while Galadriel offered the Golden Wood’s aid and Fili pledged the Dwarves’ help.
• Elrond committed Rivendell to the war against Sauron, Saruman pledged Orthanc’s forces, and Gandalf said he would seek Gondor and Rohan’s participation.
• The leaders agreed to meet near Lothlórien in four months to begin their campaign against Dol Guldur, while Galdor reserved Lindon’s decision for Círdan.
• After the council dispersed, Allen called an emergency meeting to organize preparations for the campaign.

Allen led Rhovanion’s army and its allies to Dol Guldur, where he defeated Holmras and used the Silmaril to cleanse the fortress of darkness. Exhausted by the effort, he told Gandalf that the jewel’s light could reach Rhovanion, but not the rest of Middle-earth without a different approach.

• Allen gathered troops and supplies at Fisslet, then marched south with his army toward Dol Guldur while leaving forces behind to protect Rhovanion.
• Fili brought dwarven troops, Legolas arrived with news that his father was bringing Woodland Elves, and Elrond joined with Rivendell elves while Lindon’s forces remained absent.
• Allen’s allied army surrounded Dol Guldur, and Holmras tried to flee but Allen killed him with a blast of white light.
• Allen channeled the Silmaril’s radiance across Dol Guldur, driving out and destroying its half-orcs while cleansing the fortress of its darkness.
• After the light faded, Allen collapsed from exhaustion and warned Gandalf that prolonged use of the Elves Jewel might shorten his life.
• Allen told Gandalf that the light could reach Rhovanion, then joked that extending its reach across Middle-earth would require flying aboard Vingilótë.

Sauron returned to a physical body and launched a massive invasion of Gondor, overwhelming its defenses and laying siege to Minas Tirith. He broke the White City's gates with Grond, and his forces poured inside as the city fell.

• Sauron absorbed Holmras's surviving soul into the One Ring, revealed his new body, and summoned Mordor's armies to war.
• Ecthelion received reports of Mordor's mobilization, ordered Gondor's defenses strengthened, and sent Aragorn, under the name Thorongil, to warn King Thengel.
• Sauron's forces broke through Gondor's defenses at Osgiliath and Cair Andros, then surrounded Minas Tirith and devastated the Pelennor Plain.
• Ecthelion rallied the city's defenders while Gondorian troops used arrows, trebuchets, and Dwarven crossbows to slow Mordor's assault.
• Sauron led Grond to Minas Tirith's gates and broke them with a third blow as his Uruk forces reached the walls.
• Sauron advanced through the burning streets, and his troops poured into Minas Tirith as the city fell.

Allen intervened to save Ecthelion and Denethor, then fought Sauron as allied reinforcements arrived and the battle for Minas Tirith turned against Mordor. Sauron escaped through a ring of fire, and although the battle ended with the enemy retreating, the war continued.

• Sauron broke through the gates of Minas Tirith and drove Ecthelion and Denethor to the White City’s Seventh Level.
• Allen arrived in time to protect Ecthelion and Denethor, then battled Sauron with Ringil and the Elves Jewel.
• Reinforcements from the North, Rivendell, the Golden Wood, the Dark Forest, Rhovanion, and Gondor joined the fighting, while Aragorn’s summoned dead routed the Haradrim.
• Galadriel and Gandalf confronted the Witch-king, forcing him to flee, as allied forces attacked Mordor’s armies across the battlefield.
• Sauron escaped through a ring of fire after Allen pressed his attack, and the Half-orcs’ forces collapsed and were driven from Minas Tirith.
• The battle ended before sunset, with many Half-orcs fleeing to Mordor and the Alliance beginning to tend the wounded and count casualties.

Allen led the alliance through the Black Gate, defeated Sauron, and destroyed the One Ring in Mount Doom. He returned to Minas Tirith with Gandalf, leaving the remaining affairs of Middle-earth to others.

• Allen used a tornado and the Gryphon Knights to open the Black Gate, allowing the allied army to charge into Mordor.
• Allen's knightly orders broke the Haradrim, and the allied army advanced across Gorgoroth Plain toward Barad-dûr.
• Allen used the Earth Stone's power to shake Barad-dûr until it began to collapse, forcing Sauron to leap from the tower.
• Allen subdued Sauron and dragged him to Mount Doom, ignoring his pleas before throwing him into the volcano.
• Gollum leaped after Sauron, seized the One Ring, and fell into the lava with it, destroying the Ring and ending Sauron's power.
• Allen watched Mordor's evil towers and the Black Gate crumble, then returned to Minas Tirith with Gandalf.

The author reflected on the completed novel, its shortcomings, and the changes they made to Middle-earth characters’ fates. They thanked readers and concluded that the story ended here, while leaving open the possibility of meeting again in a future work.

• The author thanked readers and called the book a failure because its development and war scenes, writing, and update schedule made it dull.
• The author explained that Thorin died just over two hundred after his soul was drained by exhaustion and dragon-sickness, while his fate still allowed him to reunite with friends in Valinor.
• The author described changing the fates of Aragorn, Frodo and his four friends, and other people in Middle-earth, including ending Sauron’s threat early.
• The author recounted starting the story to explore changing Middle-earth characters’ fates, then reflected on arguing with readers and resolved to avoid that habit in another book.
• The author compared reading a book to riding a bus and ended by saying the story was over and they might meet readers again.