Recaps

Redd turned back from the mine after a sandworm briefly emerged and vanished, leading him to suspect that something had deliberately guided them there. As he and Douglas prepared to leave, a calm orc in black armor rode up on a black horse and faced King Ghidorah.

• Redd chose not to enter the mine because King Ghidorah could not fit through its passages and the tunnels were unknown.
• A smaller sandworm emerged nearby, watched them, and withdrew underground as King Ghidorah fired three beams at the closing breach.
• Redd connected the worm’s appearance and the clear footprints leading to the mine with a deliberate reconnaissance attempt, then told Douglas to head back.
• Hoofbeats approached from the direction of the mine, and King Ghidorah prepared to attack as Redd waited for the rider.
• A black-armored orc on a tall black horse stopped about thirty paces from King Ghidorah and showed no fear of the dragon.

Redd learned that an unnamed inviter had brought a powerful military force through a transport network anchored by the Valyrian Peninsula, and rejected the rider’s demand that he leave. After King Ghidorah killed the rider and his horse, Redd returned to camp considering the threat and the limits of attacking the underground mines.

• The masked rider told Redd that an inviter had opened a passage between worlds using the peninsula’s volcanoes and magical network as beacons.
• The rider offered to avoid war if Redd and his dragons left, then warned that his forces had a vast military legacy and a continually calibrated transport network.
• Redd ordered King Ghidorah to kill the rider, and King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam erased the rider, his horse, and the ground beneath them.
• Redd concluded that the passage exited within the Valyrian Peninsula, that King Ghidorah could dominate large ground forces, and that the underground mines would hinder attacks on the Half-orcs’ lair.
• Redd, Douglas, and King Ghidorah returned to camp, where the supplies and tents had been reorganized after the inventory.

Redd spent a sleepless night considering the Half-orcs’ arrival and the underground passage that could bring more forces onto the peninsula. In the morning, he ordered a sweep to clear the island’s surface before nightfall and assigned King Ghidorah to intercept anything emerging from underground.

• Redd returned to his tent while King Ghidorah kept watch at the edge of the scorched area.
• Redd reasoned that the passage beneath the Fourteen Flames had operated for some time and could send more enemies through different exits.
• After resting through the night, Redd left his tent and went to the temporary command post, where Douglas awaited orders.
• Redd ordered the Demon Dragon Legion to clear living creatures from the surface before nightfall to prevent the curse’s black mist from gathering again.
• Redd assigned King Ghidorah to provide aerial surveillance and kill any Sandworms, worms, or Half-orcs that emerged from underground.

Redd oversaw the morning advance and ordered food supplies requisitioned after learning the Demon Dragon Legion’s meat would last only twenty-one days. He remained in camp studying the clearing map as Douglas left to deliver the order.

• Douglas organized the teams’ advance, while the Demon Dragon Legion took flight to clear its assigned areas and King Ghidorah circled above the region.
• Redd returned to his tent and updated the clearing-progress list as Dragonfire struck the ground in the distance.
• Douglas reported that the soldiers’ food would last about three months, but the Demon Dragon Legion’s meat would last at most twenty-one days at the current pace.
• Redd ordered food delivered within twenty days through Volantis Port Authority and the Magistrates of the nine City-States, threatening to dispose of officials who failed.
• Douglas took the requisition order and inventory list toward the docks, while Redd stayed behind to examine the clearing map.

Redd tracked the Demon Dragon Legion’s progress clearing the terrain while supplies were adjusted to meet the dragons’ enormous appetite. The first dragons returned to camp to feed as the clearing operation stretched farther and consumed more fuel.

• Camp officers reduced dry rations and dried meat and added dried beans and grain to the soldiers’ meals.
• Redd ignored the hostile rumors spreading through the nine Free Cities because they did not affect his plans or supply lines.
• Douglas considered how the newly appointed Magistrates would meet Redd’s grain demands to avoid losing their positions.
• Redd listened to reports, marked the Demon Dragon Legion’s advance and terrain on a map, and noted that fuel use rose with the length of the clearing route.
• The first Demon Dragons returned to camp and rapidly ate meat and bone from the shrinking food piles.

Redd monitored the camp’s recovery and studied the supply route from Volantis across the dangerous Smoking Sea, recalling how its volcanic hazards had nearly killed him. As the Demon Dragon Legion returned, the food shipments remained dependent on a route Redd feared could fail.

• Redd surveyed the camp as soldiers rested, replenished equipment, and made space for the returning Demon Dragons while King Ghidorah watched from high above.
• Redd reviewed and annotated a topographic map, then marked Volantis as the origin of the Fleet’s planned food shipments.
• Redd considered the Smoking Sea’s unpredictable steam eruptions and ongoing volcanic activity, remembering an incident that had nearly killed him.
• Redd checked the distant horizon for signs of trouble, then returned to the map and traced the shipping route more firmly.
• Redd felt the ground tremble as the Demon Dragon Legion lowered its altitude and returned to camp.

Redd focused on clearing the surface and strengthening the camp while leaving the mine tunnels untouched until reinforcements arrived. As the black mist receded and the camp grew into a fortified settlement, King Ghidorah patrolled overhead to eliminate underground threats that surfaced and disperse the clouds.

• Douglas reported that the ground between the camp and mine had been cleared, the black mist was thinning, and no new footprints had emerged from the mine.
• Redd ordered his people to avoid the mines and finish clearing the surface before dealing with the underground threats.
• Over several days, the camp expanded with double walls, wooden houses, a tower, and organized paths and living areas.
• The Demon Dragon Legion continued burning away surface creatures and their hiding places as Redd marked their progress on a map.
• Redd assigned King Ghidorah to survey the area from above, kill Sandworms and Half-orcs that surfaced, and gradually disperse the clouds.

Redd oversaw the camp’s progress on the Valyrian Peninsula, where the completed harbor opened a supply route for reinforcements and reconstruction. A shortage of timber forced him to pause expansion and request more workers and supplies from Douglas, while a faint tremor passed beneath the camp before the chapter ended with Redd checking its firelit defenses.

• Redd planned to establish a Valyrian Freehold centered on himself and the Demon Dragon Legion.
• Redd inspected the completed harbor and received Douglas’s dispatch saying reinforcements and craftsmen would soon depart from Volantis.
• Redd planned the harbor’s expansion and camp layout as soldiers speculated about future construction.
• Redd suspended the camp’s expansion because timber was scarce and prioritized harbor repairs and lighting.
• Redd sent Douglas a raven message urging faster delivery of supplies and personnel, especially craftsmen.
• Redd felt a faint tremor beneath the ground and later inspected the perimeter wall from the camp’s wooden tower.

Redd maintained the camp’s defenses while waiting for the half-orcs to act, and a transport fleet arrived carrying supplies and workers from Volantis. Douglas reported that the Smoking Sea was calming and that Volantis’s officials had hurried to fulfill the requisitions.

• Redd continued watching the ground for signs of underground movement, but detected no tremors and kept the camp’s defenses in place.
• A lookout spotted a fleet of more than ten ships approaching the harbor and alerted the camp.
• Douglas arrived with the fleet and told Redd that the voyage had been calm and the Smoking Sea had fewer steam vents.
• Douglas handed Redd a list of grain, fire oil, tools, and building materials, and reported that craftsmen and laborers from Volantis had come to help with construction.
• Douglas explained that Volantis’s officials had gathered supplies quickly because the previous magistrates’ executions had frightened them into action.

Douglas presented Redd with a shorter sea route that could keep supplies arriving regularly, while the camp expanded and secured its facilities. After confirming the island was clear of creatures, Redd traveled to the ruins of Valyria City and announced that he wanted to rebuild it.

• Douglas showed Redd his revised route from Volantis and estimated that the fleet could complete a round trip in about thirteen days.
• Redd ordered the camp to begin laying warehouse foundations, and Douglas warned that storing six months of supplies would require more space and building materials.
• Craftsmen reinforced the harbor, dug warehouse foundations, and installed supports along the perimeter wall as Redd inspected the construction and drainage.
• King Ghidorah and the Demon Dragon Legion patrolled the camp's expanded perimeter, and Redd confirmed that no creatures remained nearby before reducing large-scale clearing operations.
• Redd led craftsmen and guards to the ruins of Valyria City, accompanied by King Ghidorah and Ehm.
• Redd surveyed the ruined city and told Douglas that he wanted to rebuild it.

Douglas estimated that rebuilding the ruins would take five years, but Redd ordered him to aim for three. Douglas accepted the deadline while keeping letters describing worsening shortages and unrest in the city-states from Redd.

• Douglas assessed the island’s defenses, ruins, and supply needs, then estimated that completing the main structures would take five years.
• Redd told Douglas to aim to finish the reconstruction within three years, easing some of Douglas’s concern about the deadline.
• Douglas recalled that years of requisitions had strained the Trade Federation’s warehouses and the city-states’ ability to provide supplies.
• Douglas considered Theora’s warning about grain shortages and Marcus’s report of protests, a ration dispute, and laborers fleeing a mine.
• Douglas kept the letters’ more alarming details from Redd and reported only supply and transfer problems in neutral terms.

Douglas surveyed Valyria’s ruins and found that many foundations and underground waterways could be reused, giving reconstruction a head start. As the cursed power receded, hidden altars collapsed and a sealed fissure began opening beneath the mines, while the Half-orc laborers turned toward its approaching sound.

• Douglas organized craftsmen to survey the ruins and record which structures and underground pipes could be reused.
• Douglas showed Redd the survey report and explained that the preserved foundations could save construction time and materials.
• The cursed power faded from Valyria as the clouds thinned, plants began to sprout, and the sulfurous smell weakened.
• The runes on the underground altars dimmed and vanished, causing the altars to crack and collapse.
• The weakening seals allowed a fissure of darkness to open and spread upward through the mine tunnels.
• The Half-orc laborers stopped working and turned toward the sound rising from the fissure.

The Balrog, a flame dragon, and Sauron emerged through the rift into an underground mine. Sauron judged the site suitable for a workshop and foundry, and said they would face only a human on the island with a demon dragon and his subordinates.

• The Balrog emerged from the rift, causing the half-orcs to retreat instinctively.
• The flame dragon squeezed through the passage, then obeyed the Balrog's whip and slipped into the magma.
• Sauron emerged and surveyed the underground space, the half-orcs, the dragon, and the Balrog.
• Sauron said the abandoned mines could support a large workshop and that the underground veins and magma suited their casting needs.
• The Balrog asked whether an ancient being would intervene, and Sauron said it would not because they had already crossed over.

Sauron sent Earth Serpents and Half-orcs through underground tunnels to attack Redd’s seaside camp and supplies while Valyria was being rebuilt. Redd spotted the attack’s distress signal and flew back on King Ghidorah, arriving as the camp lay in ruins.

• Sauron watched Half-orcs move supplies and weapons through a passage beneath Valyria while reconstruction continued aboveground.
• Redd surveyed the recovering ruins as signs of the land’s decay receding appeared, unaware that a new threat was forming underground.
• Sauron decided to target Redd’s provisions and Demon Dragons rather than fight them directly, and ordered Earth Serpents to tunnel toward the seaside camp with Half-orc legions following.
• Redd saw the camp’s distress signal and rode King Ghidorah back from Valyria at close to the speed of sound.
• Redd descended over the camp and saw that its perimeter walls had been destroyed and the camp divided into disconnected sections.

Redd ordered King Ghidorah to destroy the Half-orcs’ mobile ballista platforms after surveying the devastation and the Demon Dragons’ losses. King Ghidorah swept the battlefield with Gravity Beams, while Sauron and the Balrog watched from the camp wall.

• Redd surveyed the burning camp, saw the fallen Demon Dragons, and ordered King Ghidorah to tear apart the enemy.
• King Ghidorah fired Gravity Beams at the Trolls, destroying them and melting their ballistae.
• King Ghidorah swept over the Half-orc ranks with his beams, killing large numbers and disrupting their attack.
• The fleeing Trolls trampled Half-orc overseers as the mobile ballista crews were wiped out.
• Sauron and the Balrog watched King Ghidorah from a half-collapsed section of the camp wall.

Sauron and the Balrog retreated through an underground passage as King Ghidorah and Ehm destroyed the Half-orc forces. The wounded fire dragon was left outside the passage, where Redd approached it as it lay dying.

• Sauron reassessed King Ghidorah's power and told the Balrog he needed the fire dragon.
• The Balrog signaled the fire dragon to withdraw, but Ehm wounded its right wing as it broke away.
• Sauron and the Balrog entered the narrow underground passage while the fire dragon landed near its entrance and could not follow.
• Ehm scorched the passage entrance with dragonfire, preventing anyone outside from pursuing Sauron and the Balrog.
• King Ghidorah finished sweeping the camp, and Redd inspected the passage before walking toward the injured fire dragon.
• The fire dragon stopped moving as the light in its eyes faded.

After the Half-orc attack, Redd inspected the camp’s casualties and damage, then ordered repairs and a search for other underground exits. The survivors began organizing the cleanup and rebuilding as the night gave way to morning.

• King Ghidorah tore apart the dead fire dragon, then refrained from firing his Gravity Beam into the narrow passage.
• Redd confirmed that most of the Half-orcs had been wiped out or driven underground and inspected the camp’s damage.
• Douglas reported that fourteen Demon Dragons had fallen, and Redd ordered their bodies cremated while preserving usable scales and bones.
• Redd surveyed the damaged walls, harbor, ships, and supplies as Douglas estimated the repairs needed.
• Redd ordered the harbor and walls repaired, usable supplies stored, and the passage searched for larger exits that could accommodate giant creatures.

Douglas and the search teams repaired the camp while mapping fissures and tunnels used by the retreating Half-orcs. Redd confirmed that the underground passages led toward a deep-pit mining area with active magma, but ordered the teams not to venture farther underground yet.

• Douglas reported three circular areas of subsidence and a heat-scorched fissure behind a ridge, and Redd chose to prioritize repairs over pursuing the Half-orcs underground.
• Douglas oversaw repairs to the harbor, walls, and supply stores while the search teams traced the Half-orcs’ retreat through passages linking the surface fissures to the mine tunnels.
• Redd inspected the fissure with King Ghidorah and Ehm, then instructed the search teams to keep marking the route without going deeper.
• Redd compared the underground route map with the recorded altar sites and mine entrances, confirming that the main passages connected to a deep-pit mining area surrounded by volcanic rock and active magma.

Redd studied the surface and underground maps to locate the Half-orcs’ territory, weighing the need to destroy the altars against the danger of entering the volcanic passages. At dawn, he decided to lead an expedition underground with King Ghidorah while Douglas and the Demon Dragon Legion remained on the surface.

• Redd annotated the passage map and planned to clear the underground creatures and destroy the altars to prevent more forces from entering through the network.
• Redd identified the unexplored area where Half-orcs had ambushed the exploration team as their likely core territory and the site of many altars.
• Redd considered the loss of his surface advantages and the risk of volcanic eruptions and collapsing passages, while noting that King Ghidorah was still a subadult and too costly to advance.
• After spending the night studying the maps and weighing the risks, Redd ordered Douglas to assemble a hundred elite soldiers with three days of supplies, fire oil, and lighting equipment.
• Redd announced that he would lead the underground expedition with King Ghidorah, while Douglas stayed in camp and Ehm and the Demon Dragon Legion remained on standby.

Redd led the soldiers and King Ghidorah into the Great Rift Valley, following the magma river toward the old mine. After finding signs of recent human activity, Redd noticed a pair of golden, slit-pupiled eyes watching him from a crevice.

• Redd led the party down the narrowing passage while King Ghidorah crawled behind them, absorbing heat from the air.
• The party reached an underground magma river, where poisonous gases made some soldiers cough and weep.
• Redd consulted the map at a fork and took the left passage toward the old mine.
• Redd noticed fresh tracks, wall scratches, and discarded mining tools that suggested people had recently used the passage.
• Redd sensed someone watching him and spotted golden eyes inside a dark crevice.

Redd and his soldiers followed signs of wolf activity through the mine passage, with Redd concluding that Half-orcs were nearby. After about an hour, they entered a broad underground hall littered with ancient human bones.

• Redd killed a wolf hiding in a crevice with a thrown sword and found dried mud on its paws.
• Vyx searched nearby crevices and found fresh wolf fur and tracks matching the dead animal.
• Redd ordered the exhausted soldiers to continue, and Vyx led them onward behind Redd and King Ghidorah.
• The group followed increasingly clear signs of frequent passage and artificial markings as the tunnel widened.
• Redd found long-decayed human bones scattered across the underground hall, with the fragments growing denser farther ahead.

Redd and his group passed an ancient altar surrounded by the remains of hundreds of shackled victims, then continued deeper underground. They discovered a large Half-orc war fortress under construction, revealing that the enemy’s underground operation was far larger than Redd had realized.

• Redd identified the bone-and-stone mound as an altar, while Vyx recognized the shackles on the remains as those once used on enslaved miners.
• Redd ordered the soldiers to avoid the bones, rest, and ration their torches and lamp oil before leading them farther into the passage.
• Redd and the group emerged into a vast underground plaza reinforced with pillars and surrounded by fortified walls.
• Redd saw numerous Half-orcs repairing the defenses and realized they were expanding a substantial underground military stronghold.
• King Ghidorah squeezed through the plaza entrance behind Redd, shifting his body sideways to get through.

Redd entered the underground plaza with King Ghidorah and faced the Half-orcs’ fortified wall. After Sauron sent a messenger to request talks, Redd agreed to meet him, partly because he wanted to learn more about the One Ring.

• King Ghidorah emerged into the plaza, and the Half-orcs halted their work and aimed their defenses at him.
• Redd noticed the Half-orcs were afraid of King Ghidorah despite preparing their ballistae and other weapons.
• A Half-orc riding a Direwolf rode out and told Redd that his master wanted to talk.
• Redd recognized the master as Sauron and considered whether he could kill him and take the One Ring.
• Redd agreed to meet Sauron, who designated an open space in the center of the plaza as their meeting place.

Redd met Sauron at a distance of fifty paces while King Ghidorah remained near the passage, and the two began negotiating over their conflict. Sauron offered a Ring of Power as compensation, but Redd demanded every Ring, including the one Sauron wore, and Sauron said his own Ring could not be wielded by anyone else.

• Redd and Sauron stopped fifty paces apart while King Ghidorah waited near the passage entrance.
• Sauron warned Redd not to have his Demon Dragon attack, and Redd denied that he planned to break off negotiations.
• Sauron proposed peaceful coexistence, but Redd reminded him that Sauron's subordinates had killed his people and dragons.
• Sauron offered a Ring of Power to compensate Redd, and Redd demanded all the Rings, including Sauron's One Ring.
• Sauron refused to give up the Ring on his hand, saying it had been made for him and Redd could not wield its power.

Redd rejected Sauron’s offer and ordered King Ghidorah to attack, badly wounding Sauron and destroying the underground fortress. Sauron escaped with the Balrog into a deeper passage while Redd chose not to pursue and prepared to destroy the altars.

• Sauron offered to forge a Ring of Power for Redd and promised to hand over other Rings later, but Redd rejected his promises and called out his tricks.
• Redd sent King Ghidorah to attack Sauron, and a Gravity Beam destroyed one of Sauron’s thighs as he tried to escape using his Ring’s invisibility.
• The Balrog carried the wounded Sauron away through a passage behind the wall while King Ghidorah blasted the fortress’s defenses and drove the Half-orcs into a rout.
• Redd decided not to pursue Sauron into the deeper passage and prepared to have the altars destroyed once the remaining resistance was cleared.
• King Ghidorah wiped out the last Half-orc resistance, leaving the square filled with ruined fortifications, craters, and scorched ground.