Chapter Summaries

Renato and Klauthsura analyzed a glacier shown by the artifact and found evidence of a crafted dragon scale, but Renato rejected it as too dangerous a teleport destination. He decided to keep searching for a place with manageable conditions and fresh signs of a settlement before returning to the surface.

• Klauthsura used psionics to project the artifact's information onto a whiteboard so she and Renato could study a frozen region.
• Klauthsura estimated the glacier's temperatures and wind speeds, while Renato identified a shed scale from a young White Dragon with a smooth, crafted hole.
• Renato inferred that intelligent inhabitants might live in the region, but rejected it because the glaciers could harbor dangerous creatures and hostile settlements.
• Renato and Klauthsura established that a suitable destination needed tolerable natural conditions and at least one recently crafted item among the artifact's findings.
• Renato chose to wait for a safer destination before teleporting back to the surface.

Renato prepared to teleport to a tropical island, and Klauthsura equipped him with provisions and a modified Space Ring. She named the reforged ring Klauthsura's Ring as Renato prepared to depart.

• Renato studied the artifact's visions of a beer barrel, a maintained scimitar, and a burned parchment, then decided to teleport to the island.
• Renato drank his last bottle of Noble Rot Wine while Klauthsura prepared supplies for his journey.
• Klauthsura showed Renato her nutrient-dense energy bars, and he sampled one and found it tolerable.
• Klauthsura packed water and a Seawater Distillation Device, advising Renato to seek a natural water source.
• Klauthsura stored Renato's supplies in a reforged silver Space Ring and named it Klauthsura's Ring.

Renato and Klauthsura said goodbye as he prepared to leave, and she gave him a newly fused magic ring. They parted believing their paths would eventually meet again.

• Renato read the details of Klauthsura's Ring and realized she had fused his Space Ring and Ring of Protection into a stronger item.
• Klauthsura explained how she had improved the ring and returned it to Renato.
• Renato embraced Klauthsura and gave her his Amulet of Adaptation as a parting gift.
• Klauthsura told Renato that they shared a destiny to pursue the world's heights and the universe's ultimate truth.
• Klauthsura kissed Renato goodbye and urged him to go, calling him Thought-Touched.

Barnaby’s mutiny against Captain De Leon left the Hispaniola wrecked and its surviving loyalists barricaded behind a rune-engraved door. As Barnaby’s crew argued over how to break in, he planned to seize the Magic Key and use the ship to rebuild his pirate crew.

• Barnaby’s mutinous sailors failed to open the captain’s quarters, and a young sailor blamed him for refusing to use a cannon.
• The young sailor challenged Barnaby’s authority, and other sailors argued that they deserved a say in finding another way inside.
• Barnaby recalled how someone hiding in an apple barrel exposed the mutiny plan, forcing his crew into an early attack on Captain De Leon’s men.
• De Leon returned at dawn and attacked, leaving both sides with heavy casualties while he and four others held out in the captain’s quarters.
• Barnaby resolved to take the Magic Key, punish the sailors who challenged him after returning to White Harbor, and went below to find dry match cord.

De Leon prepared to retake the Hispaniola from mutinous sailors, but a black-armored warrior killed the pirates before he could attack. The warrior asked De Leon where he was and why the pirates had attacked him.

• De Leon recalled his search for the Fountain of Youth and the pirates' attempt to seize the Hispaniola.
• De Leon gathered the four other loyal survivors and planned to exploit the pirates splitting up to open the Magic Door.
• A crash and brief battle sounded on deck, followed by sudden silence.
• De Leon led his companions out of the cabin and found the pirates dead and a black-armored warrior wielding a colossal Black Sword.
• The warrior spoke with a refined North noble's accent and asked De Leon where he was and why the pirates had attacked him.

Renato teleported to a sunlit island and appeared on a battered ship, where he killed the armed sailors who attacked him. As several survivors emerged from belowdecks, he lowered his sword and began asking them for information about his unfamiliar surroundings.

• Renato arrived on a sailing ship after teleporting, and noticed the artifact's teleportation had dispelled magic attached to him.
• Renato found a wrecked deck littered with corpses and faced armed sailors gathered by the captain's cabin.
• Renato killed the sailors with the Silent Lady while their matchlock shots failed to pierce his magical defenses.
• Renato regretted not keeping an attacker alive to question and reflected that his time in the Underdark had changed his instincts.
• Several survivors emerged from belowdecks, and Renato lowered his sword before asking them about the situation.

Renato learned that he had landed aboard Captain Ponce de León’s ship during a pirate mutiny, and that the paladin Lectus was another passenger. After questioning Renato’s arrival, de León offered to help him if he could.

• Renato dispelled Dakoul’s Blessing and learned that Ponce de León captained the ship, where disguised pirates had tried to seize control.
• The remaining pirates surrendered after seeing the slaughter on deck, and de León’s men bound them.
• Renato asked how de León would deal with the pirates and whether Lectus commanded the ship, and de León insisted that he alone was captain.
• Renato recalled that Lectus was a paladin of Tyr and stayed wary despite Lectus showing him no hostility.
• De León asked how Renato had suddenly landed aboard the ship and offered to help if Renato needed it.

Renato concealed his strange journey by telling Captain De Leon he had been displaced by a magical experiment, then accepted the dead navigator’s cabin aboard the Hispaniola. After showing he wanted neither the ship nor its rewards, Renato asked whether the vessel could sail again and where De Leon planned to go.

• Renato invented a story about a runaway Mage Academy experiment that had swept him from his fief to the Storm Sea.
• De Leon gave Renato the late navigator’s cabin and explained that he offered it as a reward for stopping the mutiny.
• Renato declined to dwell on payment, and his vanished gold coins convinced De Leon that he possessed powerful spatial equipment.
• Renato went to the sterncastle railing and asked De Leon whether the Hispaniola could sail again and where he intended to go next.

Renato and the Hispaniola’s crew held a vote to decide the fate of seven captured pirates after one escapee was shot and eaten by sharks. As the prisoners blamed one another, the Adventurer’s Guide opened and showed Renato a new quest.

• Renato learned the Hispaniola was a Magic Ship, and De Leon and his mates pushed it off the shoal after releasing its Magic Anchor.
• A pirate escaped over the side at night, but De Leon shot him, and sharks soon reached the body.
• The crew and two passengers began voting on whether the seven remaining pirates should live or die.
• A disguised noble youth demanded that all the pirates be executed, while Lectus abstained until he could determine their roles in the crimes.
• Barnaby begged Renato for mercy and offered him a ransom, but the Adventurer’s Guide opened and presented Renato with a new quest.

Renato considered the Sea of a Thousand Islands and decided Barnaby’s quest offered too little reward for its risks. De Leon revealed he would spare Barnaby for now because the Hispaniola needed the pirates’ help to sail, while still promising to have him hanged in White Harbor.

• Renato read Barnaby’s quest description and reflected on the Sea of a Thousand Islands as a hub for trade, pirates, and potential quests.
• Renato decided not to take the quest, judging that its reward did not justify the risks of opposing the captain.
• De Leon told Barnaby that mutiny meant death but offered him a chance to reach land, prompting the young nobleman to protest.
• Barnaby realized De Leon needed the pirates to operate the Hispaniola and said they would have to work together until reaching White Harbor.
• De Leon told Barnaby to enjoy his remaining days at sea and vowed that White Harbor’s governor would prepare a noose for him.

Renato toured the Hispaniola with Captain De Leon and learned how the short-handed crew planned to sail back to White Harbor. He confronted Andrei after overhearing the young noble suspect him of serving an evil god, then revealed he had recognized Andrei as a woman.

• Renato watched the Hispaniola’s sailors work and asked De Leon whether the pardoned mutineers could be trusted.
• De Leon explained that the sailors had to cooperate to reach port and were frightened by Renato’s strength.
• De Leon showed Renato the gun deck and described the ship’s twelve cannons.
• Renato overheard Andrei calling him suspicious and asking Lectus to use his paladin abilities to judge Renato.
• Andrei ran into Renato’s armor, and Renato accused her of slandering him and offered to teach her noble etiquette.

Lectus challenged Andrei’s assumption that Paladins and Clerics could identify a person’s morality through divine magic, explaining that judgments of good and evil depended on context and law. He then addressed Renato directly, warning that Tyr’s justice would eventually reach him if he had sinned.

• Renato’s blunt words exposed Andrei’s identity, while Lectus and Captain De Leon showed little reaction.
• Lectus explained that Detect Evil and Good sensed certain creature types rather than judging a person’s morality, and said Clerics could still deceive or break the law.
• Lectus asked Andrei about a historical law sentencing young thieves to death and explained how different circumstances shaped people’s ideas of justice.
• Andrei fell silent after Lectus argued that rules and order guided people toward good, while changing standards made a universal spell for judging morality impossible.
• Lectus warned Renato that he need not fear him if he had committed no sin, but Tyr’s justice would eventually reach him if he had.

Renato considered the dangers of The Edict of Dakoul and decided to delay reading it until he could learn more about its effects. Afterward, he enjoyed a lavish dinner aboard the returning Hispaniola.

• Renato recalled that The Edict of Dakoul was draining the knowledge and spiritual essence from the Skin of the Nameless One.
• Renato remembered Klauthsura's warning that the black grimoire contained dangerously toxic knowledge.
• Renato put both grimoires away and planned to have scholars investigate The Edict of Dakoul before he read it.
• Renato ate the pan-fried mackerel Captain De Leon had prepared and savored the meal.

Renato learned why fishing from the fast-moving Hispaniola was difficult, then questioned the imprisoned pirate Barnaby for intelligence about White Harbor. Barnaby began describing the port while Andrei continued watching Renato, and the ship was still en route to its destination.

• De Leon explained that the Hispaniola's speed and the scarcity of fish in deep waters made fishing unlikely, and estimated the voyage would take at least fifteen days.
• Renato abandoned his fishing attempt after hours without a bite and learned that large fish were more likely near islands, currents, or schools of fish.
• Renato visited Barnaby in the hold to ask about White Harbor's factions, port management, and governor, since De Leon's view of the place seemed biased.
• Barnaby flattered Renato and began offering information about White Harbor while Andrei watched Renato closely.

Renato questioned Barnaby about White Harbor’s trade and factions while Andrei disparaged the port. Their discussion ended when a mysterious tapping and rattling chains signaled that Sea Devils had targeted the ship.

• Barnaby described White Harbor as a crowded port dependent on passing ships and their trade.
• Andrei recalled the filth and disorder he had seen when the Hispaniola stopped at White Harbor.
• Barnaby explained that Governor Alvaro de Sousa held authority over the harbor and commanded the respect of pirates.
• Renato rose and gripped the Black Sword when rhythmic tapping sounded against the ship’s hull.
• Barnaby panicked, begged to be freed, and warned that Sea Devils were attacking the ship.

Renato stayed aboard the Hispaniola to defend it from the Sahuagin, whose organized attack began as the fog thickened. The sea creatures climbed over the gunwales, and Renato prepared to fight.

• Renato cut through Barnaby’s cell chains, and Barnaby warned that Merfolk called Sea Devils were approaching the Hispaniola.
• Andrei identified the creatures as Sahuagin, armed a matchlock, and ran to the deck to fight alongside the crew.
• Renato followed Andrei onto the deck and spotted the Sahuagin encircling the ship underwater.
• De Leon called Renato to the sterncastle as the Hunting Conch sounded across the foggy sea.
• Sahuagin armed with bone cleavers climbed over both sides of the Hispaniola and began storming the deck.

Renato and Andrei faced a Sahuagin boarding attack as the ship’s sailors fired on the creatures. When Andrei bravely tried to hold the line, Renato lifted him out of the fight, warning that he was outmatched.

• Andrei shot the foremost Sahuagin in the eye, and Renato caught the harpoon it hurled back.
• Nearly a hundred Sahuagin charged across the deck as the captain ordered the sailors to fire their matchlocks.
• The bullets wounded few of the attackers, and the pirate leader fled belowdecks while Andrei stayed beside Renato.
• Andrei drew his dagger and offered to hold the left flank despite his fear.
• Renato praised Andrei’s courage, then grabbed his collar and lifted him off the deck to keep him out of the fight.

Renato slaughtered the sahuagin attacking the Hispaniola while the Sahuagin Priestess supported them from the sea. She raised a towering wave that struck the ship and threatened to sweep its crew overboard.

• Renato hurled a harpoon through a sahuagin and cut down several more with the Silent Lady.
• Renato spotted the Sahuagin Priestess casting Mass Healing Word but stayed aboard the Hispaniola because the ocean and her shark guards made approaching her dangerous.
• Renato used Shadow Shield and Dakoul's Blessing to fight without defending himself, killing more than twenty sahuagin in seconds.
• The surviving sahuagin hesitated, and the Sahuagin Priestess raised her glowing staff and conjured a huge wave beside the ship.
• The wave slammed into the Hispaniola, tilting it sharply and sweeping water, blood, and debris across the deck.

Renato, Captain De Leon, and the crew fought off the Sahuagin attack aboard the enchanted Hispaniola, while Lectus killed the Sahuagin Priestess and calmed the sea. As the crew prepared to resume sailing, Lectus spotted a human corpse in the water, prompting De Leon to check whether anyone had fallen overboard.

• Renato stood firm as the Sahuagin's magic rocked the Hispaniola, whose enchantments kept the ship upright and intact.
• Captain De Leon led the crew's counterattack, and Renato and the sailors fought the Sahuagin warriors on deck.
• Lectus walked across the water and killed the Sahuagin Priestess with Divine Smite, causing the sea to calm.
• The remaining Sahuagin fled, and the sailors celebrated their victory as De Leon ordered them to stay alert.
• Lectus spotted a human corpse floating beneath the ship, and De Leon ordered a head count to find out whether anyone had fallen overboard.

After the Sahuagin attack, De Leon punished Barnaby while Renato and the crew discovered an unconscious Sea Elf and locked her in a cabin. Andreia confessed her real name and offered to repay Renato, who held her in place and suggested she do so immediately.

• De Leon punched Barnaby for abandoning the crew but honored his promise to let him reach White Harbor alive, and the sailors beat Barnaby before dragging him to the hold.
• Renato and the sailors hauled an unconscious Sea Elf from the water and discovered her gills and distinctive appearance.
• De Leon and Lectus overruled sailors who wanted to throw the Sea Elf overboard, and De Leon locked her in a cabin for observation.
• Andreia waited outside Renato's room, thanked him for saving her, and revealed that Andreia was her real name.
• Andreia promised to repay Renato someday, and Renato caught her by the shoulders and told her she could repay him immediately.