Chapter Summaries

Lorne questioned Igor about the pirates trapped in strange waters and learned of a ghost ship, deadly supernatural events, and an unknown honorific name. Unable to contact the outside world, Lorne and Sharron resolved to face the danger together, while Lorne suspected the anomalies involved both the Marauder and Monster Pathways.

• After the starving pirates ate, Igor told Lorne that Vice Admiral Dusk's fleet had become trapped in the waters while following suspicious transport ships and could not find a way out.
• Igor described encountering ships from earlier epochs and a ghost ship where sailors went mad, aged into skeletons, became monsters, and were attacked by translucent worms.
• Igor gave Lorne a written honorific name: “The error of fate, the causality without solution, the embodiment of chaos and disorder”; neither Danitz nor Milverton recognized it.
• Lorne and Sharron found that they could not enter the Spirit World or send messages outside, and Lorne promised to keep everyone safe.
• Sharron said Milverton seemed to have noticed her, and Lorne suspected the anomalies were connected to both the Marauder and Monster Pathways.

Lorne investigated the fate-related anomalies in the waters, then moved to exploit a battle near Vice Admiral Dusk’s fleet. In Backlund, Antigonus reconsidered the royal family’s Black Emperor ambitions and failed to locate Lorne, while investigators arrived to question Earl Hall.

• Lorne told Sharron that the waters interfered with his perception and seemed connected to fate, then decided to keep Mill Walton under watch and keep Sharron hidden.
• Danitz reported finding little aboard Igor’s ship, and Lorne let him keep the coins and jewelry before discussing pirate bounties.
• Lorne, Danitz, and Mill Walton saw Vice Admiral Dusk’s fleet engulfed in battle, and Lorne gave the men luck charms before proposing they use the confusion to investigate Igor’s withheld clues.
• Antigonus judged the Augustus Family’s plan to create a Black Emperor inferior to Solomon and Roselle, then wrote Lorne about taking over sensitive businesses through Viscount Scott.
• Antigonus learned that his messenger could not find Lorne, while military investigators arrived at the Hall mansion and demanded that Earl Hall accompany them, saying the Church of Evernight had joined the investigation.

Lorne and Mill Walton confronted Vice Admiral Dusk aboard the Glory after infiltrating his battered fleet, but Amon’s sudden appearance interrupted their fight. Amon claimed he had become independent of the original and offered to help them escape the abnormal sea.

• Lorne and Mill Walton boarded the Glory and found Vice Admiral Dusk and his crew weakened by the recent battle.
• The pair fought Bulatov Ivan, using Mill Walton’s theft and Lorne’s luck manipulation and Mental Storm to disrupt his attacks.
• Amon emerged from a broken cell and persuaded the fighters to negotiate rather than continue fighting.
• In the Captain’s Cabin, Lorne offered food and fresh water while he and Mill Walton explained their retaliation against Igor.
• Amon said the original had abandoned him after a trap in the sea mutated, leaving him independent, and offered to guide them out.

Lorne and Mill Walton considered Amon’s offer to find special ships that could lead them out of the trapped waters, while Lorne suspected the trap was connected to the corruption he had encountered in Backlund. After two days without an escape, the group prepared to explore, and Amon tried to tempt Mill Walton into following him.

• Amon explained that special ships could serve as stepping stones out of the trapped waters and offered to share secrets about the original Amon if Lorne and Mill Walton cooperated.
• Lorne and Mill Walton privately debated whether to trust Amon, and Lorne divined that cooperation might be worthwhile before connecting the trap’s disturbance to the corrupted Amon he had met in Backlund.
• After two more days of failed attempts to escape, Lorne arranged to explore the ghost ships with the others and left Danitz to guard the cargo ship with Sharron and the zombie sailors.
• Ivan recognized the cargo ship’s deckhands as zombies and suspected that a powerful Wraith was hidden aboard.
• Amon approached Mill Walton and urged him to follow his heart, then suggested that they both wanted the same thing.

Lorne, Amon, and Vice Admiral Dusk’s crew sailed through the anomalous waters in search of a special ship while Amon explained how high-sequence Marauders could steal and alter fate. They found their target: a colossal ship built for giants in the Third Epoch and later salvaged in the Fourth Epoch, leaving Lorne wondering whether giants were connected to Marauders.

• Lorne, Mill Walton, Amon, and Vice Admiral Dusk’s pirates set out aboard a faster, less damaged ship to search the waters for Amon’s target vessels.
• Amon told Lorne that high-sequence Marauders could steal and tamper with fate, and confirmed that stolen fate had caused explorers to lose their identities and turn into monsters.
• The crew passed a treasure ship that Amon warned was trapped, then sailed into dense fog as Vice Admiral Dusk ordered everyone to stay alert.
• Lorne sensed movement in the fog, and the crew spotted an enormous ship that Amon identified as a vessel built for Giantkind in the Third Epoch and salvaged in the Fourth Epoch.
• Lorne wondered whether giants had some connection to Marauders.

Lorne and the pirates boarded an enormous ancient giant ship, hoping to sail out of the sealed waters and claim its treasures. After a deadly encounter with a giant evil spirit, Vice Admiral Dusk Ivan was possessed, and Lorne faced him as Amon and Mill Walton disappeared.

• Amon told Lorne that the ship had been a research facility used by one of his elders, and claimed that his father had protected humanity and been betrayed by the Seven Gods.
• The pirates boarded the ship after Amon said it could sail out of the trapped waters and held valuable artifacts, and Lorne and Ivan agreed to search it despite their doubts.
• Lorne, Amon, Mill Walton, Ivan, and the pirates forced open a hatch, but one pirate fell through the rotten floor and died as they explored.
• The group reached the captain's cabin, where falling debris killed several pirates and revealed a giant evil spirit that attacked them.
• As Ivan fought the evil spirit, the floor collapsed and the spirit seized him; Amon and Mill Walton vanished, and the possessed Ivan rose to confront Lorne.

Lorne fought and killed the evil spirit possessing Ivan, then confronted two Amon avatars who had used him to scout ahead and battle the spirit. As the Amons moved to attack, Sharron arrived and helped Lorne turn the tables.

• Lorne used Mental Storm, firearms, grenades, charms, and his incomplete mythical creature form to weaken the evil spirit controlling Ivan.
• The possessed Ivan briefly regained awareness, but the corruption worsened his loss of control, and Lorne eventually killed him after a brutal fight.
• Amon and Mill Walton reappeared, and Lorne recognized that Mill was Amon while questioning the identity and motives of the other Amon.
• The two Amons prepared to attack Lorne, but he trapped one beneath falling rubble and restrained the other with his abilities.
• Sharron appeared and blasted Mill Walton away with a blizzard, giving Lorne a dependable ally.

Lorne and Sharron defeated Mill Walton and trapped Amon aboard the ancient ship, but Amon revealed that bringing Lorne there was the objective. After Lorne and Sharron apparently killed him, Amon rewound the cabin’s events and began praying.

• Lorne revealed that Sharron had hidden in his Portable Space and ambushed the two Amon avatars while Danitz guarded the cargo ship with the Blood Ring.
• Lorne incapacitated Mill Walton and questioned the trapped Amon about how to escape the abnormal stretch of sea.
• Amon refused Lorne’s offer of protection and said that bringing him aboard the ship had been the objective.
• Amon began praying, so Lorne and Sharron attacked him with a Mental Storm, a shotgun, and Star Sand, apparently destroying him.
• Amon restored himself by rewinding the cabin’s events and resumed his prayer.

Lorne and Sharron were caught in a struggle between two Amon avatars over a corrupted power aboard the ship. As a living, corrupted Trojan Horse of Destiny attacked Lorne, he made one last attempt to call for help, and a dragon's roar sounded in his mind.

• Lorne and Sharron fled Amon's attacks, but the ship collapsed and then rewound, dragging Sharron back with it.
• The independent Amon explained that he had brought Lorne aboard to resist the corruption and activate the ship's arrangements, while Mill Walton revealed that Jowes had created what lay within.
• Amon dissolved into silvery worms as the captain's cabin opened, revealing a living Trojan Horse of Destiny corrupted by high-level Fate power.
• The corrupted Worms of Time overwhelmed Lorne, who could not reach Antigonus or Mr. Fool and feared the worms would also endanger Sharron in his Portable Space.
• As Lorne's consciousness began to fail, he recited something, and a dragon's roar sounded in his mind while thunderclouds gathered above the ship.

Lorne survived a confrontation between the corrupted Trojan Horse of Destiny and the Mind Dragon, while Klein sensed the disturbance through the gray fog and feared for him. The corruption subsided, but the crystal and distant Crystal Pillar remained dangerous, and Amon and Antigonus moved toward the aftermath.

• Lorne struggled against the mutated Worms of Time as the Mind Dragon tried to keep him from losing control.
• A distant gaze disrupted the stalemate, and the crystal's power reached the gray fog, leaving Klein trembling as he watched Lorne's divination scene.
• Lorne regained consciousness after the abnormalities subsided and concluded that the corruptions had worn each other down, though the Crystal Pillar remained dormant and dangerous.
• Lorne speculated that the crystal came from a Wheel of Fortune Beyonder consuming a Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic and suspected Jowes had created it as a form of cancellation.
• Lorne found no trace of the two Amons and decided to leave the ship, wary of the treasure map's increasingly dangerous locations.
• Amon sensed the corruption weakening and prepared to claim the spoils, but paused when a figure appeared nearby; Antigonus later arrived after divining Lorne's location.

Lorne and Sharron escaped the corrupted giant ship, but their pirate ship was wrecked amid the chaotic seas. While searching the wreck that rammed them, Lorne discovered it was the legendary Laurel, carrying a vast treasure from East Balam.

• Lorne reflected on the threat posed by powerful Beyonders and the need to build a force of his own.
• Lorne released Sharron from the Three of Diamonds, and she embraced him before they discussed their escape and planned to reunite with Danitz.
• Lorne and Sharron found the sailor aboard their pirate ship dead and set out across the turbulent waters, but a drifting wreck rammed their ship and drove it onto reefs.
• Lorne recognized the wreck as the vessel Amon had pointed out, confirmed its trap had stopped working, and searched inside.
• Lorne found an East Balam Company nameplate and recognized the wreck as the Laurel, the legendary ship said to have sunk with a cargo of gold, jewels, and other valuables.

Earl Hall realized that political allies had abandoned him after details of his dealings with Intis were exposed, while Lorne discovered the Laurel’s treasure and reunited with Sharron and Antigonus. Antigonus rewarded Lorne for securing the Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic and agreed to his requests for potion ingredients, a divinity-rich mummy, and an Abomination pathway characteristic.

• Earl Hall suspected that the Royal Family had left him to serve as a scapegoat, and he resolved to stop pretending that the nobility’s dealings were respectable.
• Lorne found the Laurel’s vast treasure and discussed a nearby fleet with Sharron, who had detected unusual movement at sea.
• Antigonus appeared, confirmed that he had been searching for Lorne, and heard his account of the giant ship, Jowes, and the Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic.
• Antigonus transported Lorne to the giant ship and made it vanish, then returned with him to Sharron at the Laurel.
• Lorne recognized that the Society’s assets could help him build influence in Loen and requested a Sequence 3 potion, its ingredients, a divinity-rich mummy, and a Sequence 3 Abomination pathway characteristic.
• Antigonus agreed to all of Lorne’s requests, including the characteristic Lorne sought for Sharron.

Lorne secured Antigonus's agreement to provide a Silent Disciple characteristic and arranged for Sharron to cooperate with the Society as external personnel. After returning to Danitz, Lorne revealed the Laurel and planned to use its discovery and treasure to influence events in Backlund.

• Antigonus agreed to provide Lorne with a Silent Disciple characteristic and recruited Sharron to cooperate with the Society against the Indulgence Faction.
• Lorne became the liaison between Sharron and the Society, then discussed the Laurel's treasure and possible uses for it with Antigonus.
• Danitz fought off pirates who tried to seize his cargo ship, and Lorne returned after killing Vice Admiral Dusk and dealing with the pirates aboard the Glory.
• Lorne used the Disguise Cufflink to bring Danitz and their ships near the Laurel, then let Danitz gather treasure from the wreck.
• Lorne planned to publicize the Laurel's discovery and Vice Admiral Dusk's death to redirect attention and bring money and influence back to Backlund.

Lorne salvaged treasure from the Laurel, arranged for Sharron and Danitz to leave, and faced questions from the Loen navy after killing Vice Admiral Dusk. Klein discovered Danitz amid a mountain of gold, while Lorne read of Backlund’s escalating political scandals and opened his door to two demigods.

• Danitz eagerly gathered gold and jewels from the wreck of the Laurel while Lorne discussed him and Vice Admiral Iceberg, Edwina Edwards, with Sharron.
• Lorne told Sharron to take the valuables and leave with Danitz to discuss cooperation with Maric, while he stayed behind to meet the Loen authorities.
• Klein safely divined Danitz’s location and saw him laughing as he stuffed valuables into his clothes on a mountain of treasure.
• Naval officers questioned Lorne about encountering Vice Admiral Dusk’s fleet, and Lorne said he had killed Dusk and seized the flagship Glory.
• Lorne read newspapers reporting scandals and political attacks across Backlund, then realized his new noble title might give him an unusually clean public image.
• Two demigods arrived to question Lorne, and he opened the door to a powerful Storm cleric and a stern admiral.

Lorne convinced Jahn Kottman and Amyrius Levitt that Amon had caused the sea's abnormalities, then secured the right to claim the treasure aboard the Laurel. Danitz returned to Bayam with gold and found Gehrman Sparrow waiting, who confronted him about his windfall.

• Lorne recounted his encounter with Amon and blamed him for the abnormal waters, the dead pirates, and the disappearance of the giant ship.
• Jahn Kottman and Amyrius Levitt accepted Lorne's account, and Lorne made clear that the treasure aboard the Laurel belonged to him.
• Lorne offered to use the money for the kingdom's development and cooperate with publicity efforts, while noticing that something was wearing away Amyrius's luck.
• Danitz and Sharron returned to Bayam, where Danitz buried his gold, slept for a day, and decided to check on Gehrman Sparrow.
• Gehrman Sparrow greeted Danitz with an unsettling smile and said he had heard Danitz had come into quite a fortune.

Klein learned that Danitz had profited from Scott’s voyage and decided to demand compensation despite his embarrassment. Meanwhile, Lorne arranged for the Glory to be exhibited in Backlund, where his fame and the Laurel’s treasure could strengthen his standing with the Church of Evernight and other factions; he began to consider becoming Loen’s most powerful noble.

• Klein confronted Danitz about the money he had gained while sailing with Scott, and Danitz described their discovery of the Laurel and its treasure.
• Klein decided that he would not sacrifice money to preserve his dignity and began writing Scott a letter.
• Lorne learned that the navy planned to take the Glory to Backlund for a public exhibition, with both the Churches of Storms and Evernight supporting the publicity.
• The Church of Evernight saw Scott’s fame and the discovery of the Laurel as a chance to offset its scandals and find a new noble representative after the Hall Family’s impending collapse.
• After the naval officer left, Lorne reflected on his ritual and considered using the opportunity to become Loen’s most powerful noble.

After recovering from the corruption caused by the Trojan Horse of Destiny, Lorne sailed back to Loen and learned the Admiralty planned to use his victory to distract the public from a scandal. Duchess Georgina met him to claim the Laurel’s treasure, and Lorne offered it to fund royal reforms, leaving her convinced he was a loyal patriot seeking a political role.

• Lorne woke from a disturbing dream and realized the Trojan Horse of Destiny’s corruption had left him with memories and impressions of its former owner, Jowes.
• Lorne arrived in Loen’s coastal waters aboard a fast navy warship and learned the Admiralty had arranged a public ceremony to promote his exploits and divert attention from unfavorable reports.
• Lorne accepted the Admiralty’s schedule for displaying the captured Glory at Pritz Harbor and accompanying it to Backlund.
• Duchess Georgina visited Lorne aboard the warship and questioned him about Amon, the sea voyage, and the sunken Laurel.
• Lorne offered all the Laurel’s treasure without compensation to support royal reforms and relief efforts, and Georgina praised him as a true patriot.

Lorne negotiated with Duchess Georgina, pledging a vast treasure and support for the Royal Family’s reforms in exchange for political influence. Afterward, he considered upgrading naval weapons while news of his involvement with the Laurel and a pirate admiral spread through Backlund.

• Lorne pledged several million pounds’ worth of gold to the Royal Family and supported its civil service system and Industrial Coordination Committee.
• Duchess Georgina offered Lorne influence over government appointments and industry, and hinted that his title could be elevated in recognition of his loyalty.
• Lorne and Duchess Georgina agreed to keep the treasure donation secret until the Glory reached Backlund and the publicity surrounding it peaked.
• After the meeting, Lorne toured the warship and considered developing improved guns and steam-gas torpedoes for the navy.
• News of Viscount Scott’s connection to the Laurel and a pirate admiral spread through Backlund, leaving housekeeper Asnia puzzled by the invitations arriving at his villa.

Lorne watched the navy turn Vice Admiral Dusk’s defeat and the Laurel treasure into a publicity campaign, while the announcement drew reporters to his Backlund villa. Sharron brought Maric a divine mummy and a vast treasure, leaving him wondering whether Lorne’s generosity was a bride price.

• The navy credited the Pritz and Viscount Scott with defeating Vice Admiral Dusk, then announced that Scott had found and salvaged the Laurel.
• Lorne prepared to give a patriotic speech and realized that the treasure announcement would keep him in the newspapers.
• After the news reached Backlund, Asnia hired guards to protect Scott’s villa from reporters and visiting dignitaries.
• Sharron told Maric that the Glory’s arrival would soon draw attention to the Port District, so they went to retrieve sensitive supplies.
• Sharron opened a hidden door in a warehouse, revealing a divine mummy and a huge pile of gold and jewels.
• Maric asked whether Lorne had given Sharron all the treasure and wondered if it was a bride price.

Maric and Sharron transported the treasure Scott had left behind, while Dela Negan recognized Scott’s influence as an opportunity to advance her own political position. As the Hall Family faced collapse, Hibbert decided Scott might be their last chance for help.

• Maric and Sharron moved the treasure through Spirit World Traversal, saving the heavy mummy for last.
• Dela Negan considered how Scott’s fame, wealth, and connections could help her gain political capital during the coming reforms, then ordered gifts prepared for a visit.
• Hibbert reviewed the Hall Family’s worsening financial and political crisis as their allies withdrew and Earl Hall prepared to send his family abroad.
• After failing to find help elsewhere, Hibbert learned about Scott’s powerful connections and wondered whether he might help the Hall Family out of personal loyalty.