Chapter Summaries

Rowan tried to secure supplies for Morris Shipyard and joked with Jaina, who burned off his eyebrows when he teased her about marriage. On the voyage to Boralus, Rowan learned how powerful mages could become and resolved to pursue magic; the cargo ship reached the harbor two days later.

• Jaina gave Rowan a list of trade contacts and said she could not help him obtain twenty cannons.
• Rowan offered Jaina a bottle of Anchor Weed tea, then joked about buying a house for their marriage, provoking her into burning off his eyebrows.
• Rowan departed for Boralus with Byron, who first promised to avenge his eyebrows before learning that Jaina had burned them.
• Byron told Rowan that mages could vastly outmatch other classes and described the extraordinary power of a Guardian-ranked archmage.
• Rowan decided that magic offered better prospects, and two days later the cargo ship entered Boralus harbor.

Rowan negotiated a contract with Gazlowe to trade blackstone ore for iron ingots, securing a deal despite Gazlowe’s misgivings. After Gazlowe left, Moss Ashvane mocked Rowan for buying from Goblins and pursuing shipbuilding without Wind Runes or Tidesages.

• Rowan and Byron visited a merchant association in Boralus, where Rowan met Gazlowe and negotiated over ten tons of iron ingots.
• Rowan offered blackstone ore at seventy gold coins per ton, and he and Gazlowe signed a supply contract.
• Gazlowe left the merchant association with his assistant after discussing the supply arrangements.
• Moss Ashvane confronted Rowan, criticized the price he had paid for iron, and mocked his shipbuilding plans.

Rowan completed a deal with the Goblin trading company without paying gold, impressing Jaina and Lucille while irritating Moss. He then flirted awkwardly with Lucille, prompting Jaina’s feelings to swing between delight and displeasure.

• Moss insulted Rowan, but Byron defended his young master and berated Moss for lacking noble manners.
• Jaina and Lucille found Rowan with Moss at the trading company, and Jaina checked whether Rowan had mishandled the deal.
• Rowan showed Jaina a contract proving that he had closed the deal without paying gold, surprising Lucille and pleasing Jaina.
• Rowan commented on Lucille’s long legs, then complimented her looks while comparing her unfavorably with Jaina.
• Moss accused Rowan of smooth talk and lacking noble bearing, and Jaina’s joy increased.

Moss told Prashiri that Rowan had bought iron ingots while Jaina had arranged to purchase Ashvane blast furnaces, leading Prashiri to suspect the deal was meant to help Rowan. Rowan then left Tradewinds Harbor for Morris Town to prepare for a coal delivery to Gazlowe.

• Moss realized Jaina behaved unusually around Rowan and wondered whether her purchase of five blast furnaces was connected to him.
• Lord Ashvane warned Prashiri not to interfere with the fleet or munitions works and left after criticizing her actions.
• Moss told Prashiri that he had seen Rowan and Jaina at the Goblin Trade Company and that Rowan had bought iron ingots.
• Prashiri considered whether Jaina had purchased the blast furnaces in Dalaran's name to help Rowan, then left the manor for the harbor.
• Rowan boarded a cargo ship for Morris Town after the iron ingots and grain were loaded, while Byron said goodbye to Leah.

Rowan used Sharphead Pickaxes to speed coal production and prepared Morris Town’s Ironworks, but pirates ambushed a cargo convoy carrying five Iron Smelting Blast Furnaces. After the pirates escaped, Rowan led a rescue effort and learned from a survivor that the attackers had planned their ambush in advance.

• Rowan sent twenty Sharphead Pickaxes to North Mountain Mine to boost coal output and meet Gazlowe’s delivery deadline.
• Rowan watched Kobi, Wrench, and Ironhammer’s smiths work on a large Steam Engine before cannon fire interrupted them.
• Wrench spotted three Pirate Warships attacking four cargo ships, including the ships carrying Rowan’s five Iron Smelting Blast Furnaces.
• Rowan sailed to the wreckage with Byron and ordered the crew to search for survivors; Byron healed and revived several sailors and Merchants' Guild personnel.
• A rescued sailor told Rowan that the pirates had hidden behind a nearby island and were fully prepared for the attack.

After pirates ambushed a shipment near Morris Shipyard and killed most of its crew, Rowan vowed to avenge the dead despite his warships being unable to sail. He ordered Byron to stop Ellen from leaving to report the attack, and Byron challenged him with a holy attack.

• Rowan learned that twenty-two sailors and guild staff had died when pirates seized the blast furnace shipment near Morris Town.
• Ellen revealed that he was Lucille's guard and identified the pirates' cannon as a newly produced A3 Rapid-Fire Cannon.
• Ellen proposed reporting the attack to Lord Aldrius and House Vikress, but Rowan argued that official action would take too long.
• Rowan insisted on finding the pirates and avenging the dead of the Norwington Family and the Second Fleet.
• When Ellen tried to leave, Rowan ordered Byron to persuade him to stay, and Byron prepared to use his Crusade-Judgment combo.

Rowan hurried to build a steam-powered machine for a warship after pirates attacked a merchant ship near Morris Town. Jaina arrived to help weld it, and her Mirror Magic talent produced three copies of herself.

• Byron used his glowing warhammer to persuade Ellen to stay, then invited him to team up in arena matches.
• Rowan’s blacksmiths finished forging the steam engine’s components while shipyard workers modified a warship to fit it.
• Rowan asked Jaina to help weld the machine, and she learned that pirates had seized a cargo ship and killed its sailors.
• Jaina offered to bring her father’s fleet against the pirates, but Rowan refused and said he would lead the fight himself.
• Jaina agreed to help Rowan build the machine, using Potions of Clarity and her Mirror Magic talent to create three identical copies of herself.

Rowan and Jaina completed a steam engine and installed it aboard a warship, while Rowan resolved to rebuild the Second Fleet and defeat the pirates of Freehold. As the ship’s departure ceremony began, Rowan invited Jaina to light the engine’s first flame.

• Rowan, Jaina, and the blacksmiths finished building the steam engine after a full day of work.
• Rowan told Jaina he wanted to rebuild the Second Fleet and wipe out the pirates of Freehold, and Jaina urged him to focus on getting the warship to sea.
• The next morning, townspeople gathered at Morris Shipyard for the fleet’s departure ceremony as Byron brought the engine to the harbor.
• Byron and the workers installed the steam engine and its smokestack aboard the warship.
• Jaina arrived by Teleportation Spell, and Rowan invited her into the hold to light the first flame.

Rowan and Jaina launched Morris Town’s first steam-powered warship, proving it could sail without wind runes or raised sails. After the ship ran out of coal far out at sea, Jaina used magic to drive it back toward town.

• Jaina ignited the coal, and Rowan opened the steam valve until the engine’s piston and paddle wheel propelled the warship out of the harbor.
• Lusen celebrated with Esenk, Kande wept, and Byron praised Rowan as the townspeople watched the ship sail without sails or wind runes.
• Rowan rewarded the workers and Byron, while Jaina took the helm and Rowan declared that the age of sailing warships had ended and the steam age had begun.
• Byron reported that the ship had run out of coal, and Ellen estimated that one ton had carried it about seventy nautical miles.
• Jaina refused to stoke the boiler, so Rowan ordered the sails raised and Jaina used a powerful current of air to send the ship back toward Morris Town.

Jaina told Daelin that Rowan had launched a steam-powered warship and planned to rebuild the Second Fleet. She asked for two warships to help him pursue the pirates who stole an iron smelting blast furnace, but Daelin grounded her for three days after realizing she had concealed the truth about Dalaran’s agreement.

• Daelin recognized that Jaina had visited Morris Town and teased her about her feelings for Rowan.
• Jaina placed a model of Rowan’s Second Fleet in the naval sandbox and explained that his steam-powered warship had sailed at thirteen knots.
• Jaina told Daelin that Rowan intended to rebuild the Second Fleet, and Daelin warned her not to get involved before Rowan became its captain.
• Jaina asked Daelin for two warships so she could help Rowan take revenge on the pirates who stole the iron smelting blast furnace.
• Daelin realized Jaina had misrepresented Dalaran’s agreement and ordered her to stay home for three days.

Rowan installed thirty-six cannons on his steam-powered warship and prepared to pursue the pirates with Leonard. The chapter left Rowan and Leonard ready to board, while an unexplained notification awarded Rowan shock points from Admiral Daelin Proudmoore.

• Leonard returned from Norwington Estate with twenty A4 Shipbreaker Cannons and an IOU for 3,000 gold coins.
• Rowan learned that Byron and Ellen were searching for the pirates and planned to sail once they found the fleet.
• Rowan persuaded Leonard to join him aboard by claiming he needed to fulfill a childhood wish involving firing a cannon.
• Rowan explained that the steam engine could handle the warship's thirty-six cannons and that he had added watertight compartments to limit flooding.
• Rowan received 100 shock points from Admiral Daelin Proudmoore.

Lord Ashvane learned that pirates were operating near Morris Town and discovered that Priscilla had arranged the attack as a warning to the Proudmoores and a plot against Rowan. He sent the Third Fleet north to protect Rowan, while Aldrius noticed the fleet’s departure and summoned a hidden agent.

• Admiral Daelin privately ordered Lord Ashvane to deal with pirates near Morris Town, leading Lord Ashvane to suspect the Ashvane family’s businesses were involved.
• Priscilla admitted she had taken the Iron Smelting Blast Furnace and arranged the pirates’ attack to pressure Daelin and eliminate Rowan, the Norwington Family’s young master.
• Lord Ashvane ordered the warship Stormrain and its escorts to sail for Morris Town, hoping to reach Rowan before the pirates did.
• Five Third Fleet warships left Hook Point, and Aldrius and Elena wondered why they were heading north.
• Aldrius sent Elena aboard, then whistled for a hidden figure, who appeared and pledged his service.

Byron and Ellen returned from scouting the pirates’ base after surviving an uncanny cannon bombardment, and Rowan set out with a warship to attack them. The two ships met near the pirates’ hidden camp, where Rowan ordered his crew to fire first.

• Byron and Ellen told Rowan that pirates had spotted them during their scouting mission and bombarded them with cannons that repeatedly struck them despite their attempts to escape.
• Rowan sent Ellen home to rest and brought Byron along as the party’s healer.
• Rowan sailed east toward Screaming Wharf with soldiers and sailors aboard a warship armed with thirty-six Shipbreaker Cannons.
• Rowan’s warship found the pirates’ hidden base just as Lambert and his crew prepared to leave aboard their own ship.
• Lambert threatened Rowan’s ship with his cannons, but Rowan ordered his crew to open fire immediately.

Rowan’s steam-powered warship overwhelmed Lambert’s pirate fleet with repeated cannon volleys and its ability to turn without sails. Lambert called on Stuart to summon sea fog for a desperate attack, but Rowan’s ship outran the fog, leaving Lambert convinced the battle was unwinnable.

• Rowan’s warship fired eighteen cannons, destroying Lambert’s flagship’s mainmast and prompting Lambert to order a counterattack.
• Lambert’s pirates struck Rowan’s mainmast and mizzenmast, but Rowan turned the warship and fired another volley that damaged the pirate ships and knocked Lambert into the sea.
• Lambert took the helm and ordered Stuart to summon sea fog so the pirates could close in for a fight to the death.
• Rowan ordered his gunners to stand by and steered the warship away from the fog, outrunning it with Leonard at the helm.
• Lambert watched Rowan’s sail-less warship pull ahead and concluded that the battle was unwinnable.

Rowan’s steam-powered warship crippled Lambert’s Pirate Flagship and let Leonard and Byron confront the pirate leader, but the remaining pirate ships damaged Rowan’s vessel. The chapter left both sides taking on water as Lambert escaped and boasted that Rowan’s warship would sink.

• Lambert drove the Pirate Flagship out of the sea mist and charged Rowan’s warship, prompting Rowan to order a head-on collision.
• Rowan ordered Byron to run the Steam Engine at full power, and the warship shoved the Pirate Flagship off course and fractured its hull.
• Leonard leapt aboard the pirate ship and attacked Lambert, while Byron joined the fight after climbing up from the water.
• Byron and Leonard wounded Lambert with their combined attacks, but Lambert called on the two remaining pirate ships to fire.
• The pirate ships struck both vessels, and Lambert escaped as seawater flooded compartments on Rowan’s warship and the Pirate Flagship.

Rowan’s forces defeated Lambert’s pirates, while Jaina feared Rowan had died and teleported aboard the Stormrain. The chapter left Jaina crying at sea, unaware that Rowan had survived.

• Rowan’s warship kept sailing and firing after its compartments were damaged, and Lambert realized his pirate flagship was sinking.
• Byron blinded and stunned Lambert, allowing Leonard to break his legs, tie him up, and carry him aboard the warship.
• Jaina decided to leave her room and search for Rowan, and Betty told her the Third Fleet’s ship was the Stormrain.
• Jaina teleported aboard the Stormrain, where Captain Tarenford told her the battle had ended and Rowan’s chances looked grim.
• Jaina watched the sea and wept, pleading for Rowan not to leave her.

Jaina and the Third Fleet reached Morris Town expecting to rescue Rowan from pirates, but found that Rowan had already defeated them. After reuniting with him, Jaina rejected Rowan’s attempt to get another hug.

• Jaina spotted a sea fog and warned Captain Tarenford that a Tidesage was helping the pirates.
• Jaina used her magic to disperse the fog, revealing Rowan’s warship, and saw Rowan standing alive at its bow.
• Jaina told Tarenford that Rowan had defeated the pirates, then teleported onto Rowan’s ship.
• Tarenford saw the three pirate ships sunk and Rowan’s damaged warship still sailing, then watched Jaina embrace Rowan.
• Rowan credited Jaina with helping build his steam engine and asked to share another hug, but Jaina told him, “In your dreams!”

After defeating the pirates, Rowan questioned the surviving captives and learned that the Pirate Council had arranged warships supplied by House Stormsong's Merchants' Guild. He left Jaina wondering who in Kul Tiras had hired the pirates, while recognizing that their victory might draw the attention of a powerful hidden employer.

• Rowan had Byron throw the silent Lambert into the sea after refusing to question him further.
• Stuart pleaded for his life, and Rowan ordered him sunk until he revealed that the Pirate Council had arranged the warships and House Stormsong's Merchants' Guild had supplied them.
• Stuart said the pirates had won a bid in Freehold to raid merchant ships around Morris Town and Cape Town, without knowing the buyer's motives.
• Rowan had Leonard knock Stuart unconscious and throw him into the sea after hearing the information he wanted.
• Jaina questioned how anyone in Kul Tiras could collude with pirates, and Rowan warned that their employer might be powerful and had likely noticed the pirates' defeat.

After realizing the pirates’ mission may have been designed to endanger him, Rowan decided he needed to become a mage to protect himself and Jaina. Jaina told him his zero arcane affinity made that impossible, but Rowan refused to give up and turned his attention back to docking the ships.

• Rowan suspected the pirates’ broad orders around Morris Town and Cape Town had been intended to put him in danger, and he worried that a less advanced fleet would have been destroyed.
• Rowan told Jaina he wanted to become a mage so he could defend himself against stronger enemies and stop relying on her for help.
• Jaina explained that Rowan had zero affinity for arcane energy and was too old to begin mage training, then suggested he train as a paladin, Stealth User, or warrior instead.
• Rowan asked whether potions could improve arcane affinity, but Jaina said no and offered to handle magic while he built the Second Fleet.
• Rowan resolved privately to find a way to become a mage, then asked Leonard and Byron to inspect the hulls before docking.

Jaina admitted that she had asked her father to send a fleet to save Rowan, while Rowan teased her about her feelings. At the pirates’ base, Byron challenged the Third Fleet’s claim to the seized goods, and Tarenford accused him of violently resisting law enforcement.

• Leonard found the warehouse containing all twenty-five crates of the dismantled Iron Smelting Blast Furnace.
• Jaina told Rowan she had asked her father to send a fleet and admitted she had worried about him; after Rowan asked what she liked about him, she blushed and ran away.
• Tarenford arrived with the Stormrain’s soldiers and told Byron that the Third Fleet would take any goods found at the pirate base to Boralus.
• Byron argued that the Norwington Family’s warships and the Second Fleet gave his side a claim to the goods, but Tarenford ordered his soldiers to seize him.
• After seeing Byron’s holy light, Tarenford called him a criminal for obstructing the search and violently resisting law enforcement, leaving Byron unable to answer.