Chapter Summaries

Renato slaughtered the Half-Drow slaves who attacked him, then confronted the Duwa Family’s Spider Mage. The Mage’s first spell failed to stop Renato, but his Earth Grasp spell erupted beneath him as Renato closed in.

• The Half-Drow slaves charged Renato, and he killed them all in less than thirty seconds.
• The Beast Tamer returned under a spell and tried to attack Renato, but he knocked her aside as he rushed toward the corner.
• Renato saw the Duwa Family’s House Consort, a male Drow Spider Mage, waiting with his Staff.
• The Spider Mage cast a spell that distorted Renato’s senses, but Renato resisted it and kept charging.
• The Mage summoned a giant hand of earth and stone with Earth Grasp to seize and crush Renato.

Renato defeated the Drow Spider Mage after dispelling his Earth Grasp and seeing through Mirror Image, while Aknath swiftly cleared the Duwa Family’s Chapel. Aknath told Renato to enter the Chapel and collect their agreed payment before the Mizzrym Family’s reinforcements arrived.

• Renato’s Gish Cloak and a sudden dispelling of Earth Grasp let him avoid being crushed by the Drow Spider Mage.
• Renato used Dragonkind Senses to identify the real mage and severed his arm with the black sword, breaking his wand in the strike.
• The broken wand unleashed an incomplete Ice Storm, but Renato’s Shadow Shield protected him from most of the blast as the mage died.
• Aknath appeared atop the Chapel spire, having already defeated the defenders and mechanisms there.
• Aknath refused to withdraw and sent Renato into the Chapel to collect the thousand gold coins they had agreed on before reinforcements arrived.

Renato brought loot from the Duwa Family’s treasury to Klauthsura for appraisal, and the Mind Flayer identified the useful materials while enthusiastically examining the Mage’s brain. As Renato left, Klauthsura stopped him and revealed it had a gift for him.

• Klauthsura excitedly examined the Mage’s brain while Renato asked it to appraise the goods he had recovered from the Duwa Family’s treasury.
• Renato recalled that Aknath had already stripped most of the treasury, then explained that he had collected materials and equipment from the storeroom and bodies.
• Klauthsura apologized for spending two hours discussing brain structure and told Renato that its subconscious had appraised his loot during the conversation.
• Klauthsura judged the goods mostly common, identifying a few mithral ingots, inexpensive gemstones, and ordinary alchemical ingredients; Renato kept the weapons and gave the other materials to the Mind Flayer for its research.
• Renato offered Klauthsura money and Gray Zone connections to help supply its experiments, but Klauthsura stopped him and presented a box as a gift.

Renato tried on the Deep Dragon hide boots Klauthsura had secretly crafted to fit him and learned how much care and effort went into making them. Klauthsura explained that Renato’s trust and support had made it feel valued as a companion.

• Renato put on the Deep Dragon hide boots and found that they fit perfectly.
• Klauthsura described the boots’ materials and construction, including dragon hide, scales, bone, and sinew.
• Renato praised Klauthsura’s craftsmanship and asked how it had learned to make boots.
• Klauthsura explained that it had studied the craft using knowledge from Half-Drow servants sent by the Nightwind Family.
• Renato thanked Klauthsura for the gift, and Klauthsura said Renato’s trust and support had made them companions.

Renato left Klauthsura’s supply list with Raven and gave the Iron Price three days and one thousand gold coins to gather three portions of every material. After learning that the Gray Zone had begun calling him “Black Blade,” he chose to use the name Renato Black Blade and left to report for training with Aknath.

• Renato tried to buy Klauthsura’s requested materials from the Nightwind Family quartermaster, but abandoned the effort after learning that the warehouse’s prices followed outdated rules.
• Renato asked Raven to use the Iron Price’s Gray Zone connections to gather the materials and set a three-day deadline.
• Renato gave Raven one thousand gold coins, warned her not to steal from the order, and promised her a one-fifth commission on future jobs.
• Raven told Renato that his defeat of Molantro had made it difficult for the Iron Price to find work and earned him the nickname “Black Blade.”
• Renato rejected Raven’s suggestion to hide his identity and chose the name Renato Black Blade for the Gray Zone.
• Renato left the Breath of Tonnigat to report to Aknath and begin combat training.

Renato trained his evasiveness with Aknath, who recognized Renato’s ability to sense attacks without seeing them and called it Mind’s Eye. Aknath then challenged Renato to attack him with everything he had, beginning their swordsmanship bout.

• Renato dodged stones fired by Aknath’s magical training devices, though several struck his armor.
• Aknath praised Renato’s skill at using his armor and suggested he could sense attacks with his mind.
• Aknath explained his concept of Mind’s Eye and said Renato was the first Drow swordsman he had met who possessed it.
• Renato privately suspected his perception came from Dragonkind Senses rather than swordsmanship training and chose not to correct Aknath.
• Aknath and Renato took their stances, and Aknath challenged Renato to attack with everything he had.

Renato trained with Aknath until Quelyn summoned him to the Nightwind Fortress. He followed her bodyguard into the Chapel, preparing for danger as he went to meet the Matron Mother.

• Aknath overwhelmed Renato in a sword exchange, demonstrating how he controlled distance and dictated the fight.
• Quelyn’s bodyguard arrived and ordered Renato to meet the Matron Mother immediately.
• Aknath told Renato to explain honestly why he had failed to take command of a family troop and said Quelyn could choose another Weapon Master if she wished.
• Renato followed the bodyguard into the fortress, recalling the Chapel’s bloody Coming-of-Age Ceremony and preparing potions and his sword.
• Renato continued through the dim Chapel corridor, wary of Quelyn and uncertain why she had summoned him.

Renato faced the Nightwind Matron in her private reception room, where Quelyn confronted him over disobeying her orders. The chapter ended with Quelyn demanding his reason for helping Aknath instead of taking command of an army.

• Renato entered Quelyn's dark reception room and bowed according to Drow custom.
• Quelyn praised Renato's silence and compared his behavior favorably with Aknath's when he first came to the city.
• Quelyn punished the male servant beneath her feet with a spectral snake, while Renato noticed the servant's powerful physique and Tristana-like purple eyes.
• Quelyn accused Renato of defying her orders by following Aknath to help with his mission and demanded an explanation.

Renato explained to Quelyn why he had followed Aknath and helped destroy the Duwa Family, then persuaded her that his choice had served her interests. Quelyn accepted his explanation and sent him to find Tristana in the library.

• Renato recounted his duel with the Weapon Master, Aknath’s invitation, and the destruction of the Duwa Family to Quelyn.
• Quelyn tested Renato’s loyalty by surrounding him with the vipers of her Serpent Whip.
• Renato argued that defying Aknath would have left him powerless and damaged Quelyn’s prestige, while his actions had helped preserve the family’s balance.
• Quelyn accepted Renato’s explanation, praised him, and said she would deal with Aknath herself.
• Quelyn told Renato to find Tristana in the library because she was worried about him.

Tristana angrily accused Aknath of manipulating Renato, but Renato defended his own judgment and reminded her to arrange a portal through the Spider Mages. After they reconciled, Tristana explained Aknath's alliance with Brichidi and pushed Renato onto the bed, declaring she would take the lead.

• Tristana checked Renato for injuries, then raged at Aknath and destroyed the glowing mushrooms and a lamp.
• Renato told Tristana that Aknath's mission and sword training had benefited him, while Tristana insisted Aknath was protecting his power and supporting Brichidi.
• Renato reminded Tristana that she had promised to speak with the Spider Mages about the portal, and Tristana angrily kicked the mushroom pot against the wall.
• Renato embraced Tristana and said he had given up authority to avoid making enemies for her; Tristana explained that Aknath was Brichidi's biological father and a firm ally.
• Tristana pushed Renato onto the bed and declared that she would take the lead this time.

Renato settled into a routine of combat training and studying Abyssal while Tristana’s rising influence stirred the Nightwind Family’s politics. The chapter ended when a gate guard urgently summoned Renato to the Klauthsura Alchemical Workshop because the mind flayer’s latest potion was ready.

• Renato practiced cutting down the training devices’ flying stones with his longsword while the Weapon Master investigated the unexplained disappearance of drow raiding parties.
• Renato studied Abyssal on his own as Tristana spent her time negotiating with nobles and building support within the Nightwind Family.
• Renato refused Brichidi’s invitation to meet privately because he had no reason to cooperate with her and did not want to trouble Tristana.
• A young guard from the Klauthsura Alchemical Workshop told Renato that the mind flayer had finished its latest potion and demanded that he come immediately.

Renato received an injection of the Wisdom Refinement Elixir, which raised his Intelligence to 14 but caused temporary blue fluorescence in his veins. While he waited for the side effects to pass, Klauthsura revealed that her original body had been a goliath transformed into a deep dragon dragonborn.

• Renato examined the Wisdom Refinement Elixir, which Klauthsura had made from knowledge taken from a drow mage's brain tissue.
• Klauthsura injected Renato with the elixir, and he briefly experienced a rush of memories and chaotic thoughts before recovering.
• Klauthsura told Renato to remain under observation and showed him that the elixir had made his facial blood vessels glow blue.
• Renato noticed that the Crown of Intellect no longer seemed useful after his Intelligence rose to 14 and put it away.
• Klauthsura explained that her appearance was based on a dragonborn whose residual memories she possessed, then revealed that the original had been a goliath transformed into a dragonborn.
• Klauthsura changed her body to reveal its original height and build, and Renato stared in admiration.

Renato accompanied Tristana as she inspected the Nightwind family’s slave enclosures in preparation for Lolth’s holy day, while worrying that the Ruling Council might launch a holy war against the Surface. He needed to earn enough status to secure a place among those granted portal access if the war came.

• Renato recalled how Lolth had deceived and bound Selvetarm, whose fate drow viewed as a warning against defying her.
• The Nightwind Matron assigned Tristana responsibility for purchasing and managing the holy day’s sacrifices, displacing Brichidi from the role.
• Tristana ordered a boatman to take her and Renato across Lake Tonnigat so she could inspect the family’s slave and rothé numbers and investigate missing funds.
• Renato considered the danger of a holy war and resolved to build his reputation before portal slots were allocated.
• Renato, Tristana, and two Nightwind Guards boarded the small ferry, which pushed away from shore.

Renato accompanied Tristana to the Nightwind Family’s ranch on an island in Lake Tonnigat, where she revealed her intention to take control from her exiled sister, Rodi. Tristana confronted Rodi’s subordinates, and Rodi emerged from the lighthouse to stop her.

• Tristana explained that the island ranch produced a large share of Samoriel City’s rothé and substantial income for the Nightwind Family.
• Tristana told Renato she intended to claim the ranch and described Rodi as a disgraced prisoner who had lost her place in the family succession.
• Renato and Tristana passed through the ranch, where the workers and rothé seemed unusually relaxed.
• Tristana slapped a female warrior twice after the warrior tried to speak to her.
• Rodi came out of the lighthouse and ordered Tristana to stop, while Tristana challenged her with the Six-Headed Snake Whip raised.

Tristana visited Rodi to inspect the Nightwind Family’s island assets ahead of the Goddess’s holy day, while Renato kept watch and questioned Rodi. Rodi claimed to be the family’s strongest swordswoman and Aknath’s daughter, but Renato revealed that Aknath had ceased being Quelyn’s House Consort over a century ago.

• Rodi emerged from the tower, apologized for her subordinate’s attack, and asked Tristana why she had come.
• Tristana explained that Quelyn had sent her to inventory the family’s island assets, and Rodi led her and the guards to the storeroom.
• Renato stayed outside to watch Rodi, who tried to share a Bluecap Mushroom and chatted with him about his work and identity.
• Rodi introduced herself as a swordswoman and claimed that only Aknath surpassed her in swordsmanship within the Nightwind Family.
• Renato told Rodi that Aknath had stopped being Quelyn’s House Consort more than a hundred years earlier, leaving her stunned.

Renato sparred with Rodi at Tristana’s request and noticed the Nightwind Guards’ unusual disgust toward her. A severely mutilated Moon Elf appeared at the lighthouse, and Tristana revealed that she was a slave whose purpose remained unexplained.

• Renato and Rodi fought with training swords, but both held back and ended the bout quickly.
• Rodi theatrically pretended to be injured, and the Nightwind Guards recoiled from her with undisguised disgust.
• A blind, mutilated Elf appeared in the lighthouse doorway, and Rodi hurried to escort her inside with unexpected gentleness.
• Tristana told Renato that the Elf was a Moon Elf slave bought by her mother and left on Lake Island.
• Renato asked whether the Elf had a special ability, but Tristana told him he would find out eventually.

Renato reflected on his growing reputation and experience while dealing with Tristana’s drunken demands and volatile temper. He decided to give her wine and use the opportunity to have a proper talk with her.

• Renato reviewed his accumulated experience and estimated he needed six or seven more commissions to reach his next level.
• Tristana woke after being unconscious for hours and demanded thirty-year-old Bloodwine from the empty cellar.
• Renato reminded Tristana that she had drunk and wasted the cellar’s wine during her previous drunken outbursts.
• Tristana flew into a rage, smashed her glass, and demanded wine as the Goddess’s favorite and a daughter of the Nightwind Family.
• Renato produced a sealed bottle of wine and crystal glasses from his Space Ring, intending to let Tristana drink while they talked.

Renato got Tristana drunk over a bottle of Noble Rot Wine and questioned her about the Holy Day Festival and Rodi. Tristana revealed that Rodi was condemned by the Drow for being attracted to women.

• Tristana praised the Noble Rot Wine as Renato refilled her glass and considered how her growing lack of caution might help him escape to the Surface.
• Renato learned that the last Holy War against the Surface had occurred twenty-four years earlier and that any new war would usually be announced on the day of the Holy Day Festival.
• Tristana became drunk, clung to Renato, and laughed about Rodi asking dock servants whether Aknath was still the family's house consort.
• Renato asked why the Drow kept their distance from Rodi, and Tristana explained that Rodi was considered mentally abnormal and had violated the Goddess's doctrine by making advances on women.

Renato learned that noble Drow were asking about his identity after his work in the Gray Zone, while Aknath warned him that trying too hard to earn a priestess’s favor could backfire. Aknath declined Renato’s offer to join the wilderness search, and Renato learned that past Combat Tower tournament champions were chosen for the Council’s search parties.

• Renato reflected on how Lolth-worshipping Drow society condemned love between women, then sparred with soldiers at the military camp.
• Aknath told Renato that minor-family matron mothers had asked about the name Black Blade and his ties to the Nightwind Family.
• Aknath warned Renato that a priestess might see his efforts to prove his worth as a sign of disobedience, and advised him to remain unobtrusive.
• Aknath said he was joining the Ruling Council’s wilderness search party and explained that its selected warriors were past Combat Tower tournament champions.
• Aknath recalled how Quelyn had sent him to the Combat Tower, where he killed the Tower Guardian swordsman and presented the head to her.

Renato planned to enter the Combat Tower and win its championship to attract the Ruling Matron Mothers’ attention and improve his chances of reaching the Surface. Tristana arranged his admission, and Renato was summoned to meet the Nightwind Family’s Matron Mother.

• Renato decided that winning the Combat Tower championship could help him join a Holy War expedition, while he also considered escaping through trade routes if that plan failed.
• Renato told Tristana he wanted to enter the Combat Tower for further training, and the drunken cleric eagerly promised to arrange everything.
• Tristana secured the family’s approval process and arranged for Renato to be summoned the next day.
• A family guard told Renato that the Matron Mother wanted to question him and reassured him that the meeting was likely routine.
• Renato wondered how the Nightwind Family’s eldest daughter would respond as her influence continued to diminish.