Chapter Summaries

Redd watched King Ghidorah defeat the Dark Red Demon Dragon, while Ehm revealed how much stronger it had grown. After the Dark Red Demon Dragon was pinned and drained of energy in the Rhoyne, it tried to escape by breaking into scattered flames, but King Ghidorah gathered them in a tornado.

• Redd praised Ehm after it demonstrated its ability to radiate intense heat.
• King Ghidorah overwhelmed the Dark Red Demon Dragon with Gravity Beams and knocked it into the Rhoyne, boiling the river.
• Redd and Ehm watched the boiling water cook fish, and Redd ate some of them.
• King Ghidorah pinned the weakened Dark Red Demon Dragon and drained its energy while it tried to absorb energy in return.
• The Dark Red Demon Dragon attempted to escape by scattering into flames, but King Ghidorah's tornado gathered and trapped them.

After the Red God’s dragon egg shattered, a small illusory dragon entered Redd and left a fading Red God mark on his chest, which the system’s healing ability suppressed. Redd began arranging Douglas’s takeover of Volantis and settled in the ruined city for the night, where the dead rose as ghosts.

• King Ghidorah shattered the Dragon Egg, and the small illusory dragon turned from the Smoking Sea and plunged into Redd.
• Redd’s body overheated, but the system spent 5,000 Energy Points to heal him; he found a fading Red God mark on his chest.
• Redd decided to seize the surrounding towns and sent a raven to Douglas in Braavos, ordering him to bring the fleet and men to take over Volantis’s territory.
• Redd searched the ruined city for survivors, found none, and chose a damaged but tidy castle to spend the night.
• As night fell, the souls of those killed during the day awakened as ghosts in Volantis.

After the battle in Volantis, cursed ghosts attacked Redd in his sleep, but his barrier, Ehm’s Dragonfire, and King Ghidorah’s lightning destroyed them. Redd suspected the ghosts were connected to the Valyria Ruins and stayed awake to lure out more of them.

• Cursed ghosts formed from the dead in Volantis and charged toward Redd while he slept.
• An invisible barrier stopped the ghosts from reaching Redd, and the screams woke him, King Ghidorah, and Ehm.
• Redd used magic to see the ghosts, then rushed outside and ordered Ehm to keep attacking them with Dragonfire.
• Redd ordered King Ghidorah to summon a thunderstorm, and lightning wiped out the ghosts across the area.
• Redd wondered whether the ghosts and the Valyria Ruins shared a hidden cause behind the supposed natural disaster.
• Redd stayed awake and wandered through Volantis as bait to draw out more cursed ghosts.

After clearing Volantis of cursed ghosts, Redd flew to Velonserys Town to seize control of the settlements. King Ghidorah destroyed the town’s defenses, and its soldiers surrendered to Redd.

• Redd finished searching Volantis for cursed ghosts and confirmed none remained.
• Redd rode Ehm with King Ghidorah to Velonserys Town, where Tiger Party members ordered the soldiers to fire Dragon-shooting Crossbows at him.
• King Ghidorah destroyed the incoming bolts and smashed the town’s walls with his golden beams.
• Redd asked for the town’s highest-ranking officer, and a commander serving the Belis Family identified himself.
• Redd declared the soldiers under his rule, and the soldiers and Tiger Party members knelt in submission.

Redd secured control of Velonserys, Valissa, and Seahoru Towns, then returned to Volantis to oversee its reconstruction as a base for his return to the Valyrian Peninsula. His conquests spread fear across the Free Cities, whose remaining six city-states began searching for ways to defend themselves against his dragon.

• Redd took control of Velonserys Town and Valissa Town, where the Elephant Party members submitted without resistance.
• Redd reached Seahoru Town, accepted the Tiger Party member’s submission, and waited there for Douglas and his army to arrive.
• Douglas’s forces took control of Volantis’s territory, and Redd returned with Douglas to the city.
• Redd began rebuilding Volantis, intending to make it a bridgehead for returning to the Valyrian Peninsula.
• News of Volantis’s destruction and Redd’s conquests terrified the remaining six Free Cities, which began researching ways to counter the demon dragon.

Redd expanded the Black Stone Dragonpit and refined the power of faith while considering his dream of creating a God's Domain. Rhaenyra and Rhaenys arrived in Volantis on Syrax, apparently seeking his help in their failing war in Dorne.

• Redd judged the Black Stone Dragonpit too small and added the former Temple of R'hllor site to its grounds, killing the Red God's followers there.
• Redd absorbed and refined the power of faith each day, removing others' thoughts from it as he pursued the creation of his own God's Domain.
• Redd spotted a dragon approaching and recognized it as Syrax, carrying Rhaenyra and Rhaenys.
• Redd went to the Black Stone Dragonpit to welcome the two women, where Ehm greeted him and King Ghidorah rested nearby.
• Syrax landed in the Dragonpit, and Rhaenyra and Rhaenys dismounted.

Redd welcomed Rhaenyra and Rhaenys to his castle, but left their meal after learning of a crisis at Volantis harbor. There, he boarded a battered merchant ship carrying more than a hundred people afflicted with greyscale and faced the desperate crowd.

• Redd welcomed Rhaenyra and Rhaenys, who joined him for a lavish meal in the Reception Hall.
• A guard informed Redd of an urgent problem, and he left the two women to hurry to the harbor.
• Redd found a storm-damaged merchant ship whose more than one hundred crewmen and sailors showed symptoms of greyscale.
• Douglas warned Redd that the disease was contagious, but Redd claimed his dragon blood protected him and boarded the ship.
• The afflicted passengers crowded toward Redd, begging for help, food, and a chance to leave, so he drew his sword to hold them back.

Redd ordered the infected crew aboard a ship to be killed and the vessel burned, while everyone exposed to them was quarantined to prevent Greyscale from spreading through Volantis. He returned to Rhaenyra, and after spending the night with her, he encountered Rhaenys waiting outside his room the next day.

• Redd questioned the Greyscale-infected captain, who explained that Stone Men and a storm had driven the ship down the Rhoyne to Volantis.
• Redd ordered Douglas to kill the infected crew and quarantine everyone who had come into contact with them.
• Douglas had the soldiers shoot the crew with flaming arrows and burn the ship, then ensured the exposed people remained in quarantine.
• Redd returned to the castle and reunited with Rhaenyra.
• The next day, Redd left their room and found Rhaenys waiting for him.

Rhaenys asked Redd to help with the war against the Dornish and warned him that an improved giant ballista had wounded Meleys and threatened Demon Dragons. Redd dismissed the weapon and claimed that his High House Targaryen bloodline made him unafraid of dragon-slaying weapons, angering Rhaenys.

• Redd realized it was already afternoon, then agreed to talk with Rhaenys over a meal.
• Rhaenys asked Redd to help in the war against the Dornish and urged him to keep Rhaenyra from fighting.
• Rhaenys told Redd that an improved giant ballista had wounded her dragon, Meleys, and could pierce a Demon Dragon’s head from long range.
• Redd dismissed the ballista as a threat that required too many soldiers, while Rhaenys warned that the kingdoms’ continued research could produce a weapon capable of killing a Demon Dragon in one strike.
• Redd recounted the history of dragon-slaying weapons and said his House Targaryen’s bloodline made him unafraid of them, prompting Rhaenys to call him arrogant and conceited.

Redd refused Rhaenys's request to borrow his dragons, and she left to seek Rhaenyra's help in changing his mind. News then reached Redd that Stone Men had spread greyscale along the upper Rhoyne; he ordered Marcus to lead an army north to eliminate them and studied a map of the Lands of Sorrow.

• Redd told Rhaenys that his dragon would one day surpass the gods, then refused to lend her the three adult dragons because of his agreement with the Princess of Dorne.
• Rhaenys stormed out and decided to tell Rhaenyra what had happened and discuss a plan to persuade Redd.
• Douglas reported that greyscale had appeared in towns along the upper Rhoyne, and Marcus said Stone Men from the Lands of Sorrow were moving south.
• Redd ordered Marcus to take fifty thousand slave soldiers north, kill all Stone Men and greyscale-infected people, and burn every corpse; he directed Marcus to work with Douglas on protective measures.
• After Douglas and Marcus left, Redd examined a map of the Lands of Sorrow and recalled its history as Chroyane, once a great Rhoynar city cursed by Prince Garin.

Redd researched legends about a Dragon King sealed beneath the Lands of Sorrow while Rhaenyra came to ask for help with her predicament. After hearing her out, he agreed to help on the condition that she accept one requirement, which he had not yet revealed.

• Redd studied records about the Lands of Sorrow and planned to investigate whether a Dragon King was trapped beneath the river.
• Rhaenyra hurried into Redd's study and told him that Rhaenys wanted her to persuade him to change his mind for the greater good.
• Redd drew Rhaenyra onto his lap and told her he could help as long as the terms were reasonable.
• Rhaenyra explained her predicament and what help she needed while Redd listened.
• Redd agreed to help Rhaenyra but said she had to accept one condition.

Redd comforted Rhaenyra and asked her to face whatever came with strength; after their intimacy was interrupted by Rhaenys, he promised to protect Rhaenyra on her journey home while refusing to join the war between Westeros and Dorne.

• Redd asked Rhaenyra to promise she would face adversity with strength, and she agreed.
• Redd and Rhaenyra embraced and nearly kissed before Rhaenys opened the door and caught them together.
• Rhaenys hurried away after apologizing, and Redd and Rhaenyra resumed their intimacy.
• At dinner, Rhaenys watched the embarrassed, weakened Rhaenyra while Redd redirected the conversation to business.
• Redd told Rhaenys he would send a dragon to protect Rhaenyra on her journey home, but his dragons would not take part in the war between Westeros and Dorne.

Rhaenys tested Redd’s limits over dragons, but he refused to let Corlys claim Grey Ghost and warned of the danger of taming Sheepstealer. As Rhaenyra prepared to leave for the Stepstones, she admitted she felt uneasy about acting against her unborn sibling, and Redd suggested someone else might already be handling it.

• Rhaenys asked whether Redd intended to invade the Disputed Lands, and he said Volantis’s rebuilding and the stone men crisis had to come first.
• Rhaenys asked Redd to let Corlys try to tame Grey Ghost, but Redd suggested Sheepstealer instead and warned that taming wild dragons could be deadly.
• Rhaenys recognized Redd’s refusal and warning, then decided to put the matter aside for now.
• Rhaenyra told Redd she would return to the Stepstones the next day, and Redd agreed to see her off.
• Rhaenyra revealed that Viserys might have another child in a few months and admitted she felt reluctant to act against the unborn baby.
• Redd told Rhaenyra that ruthless people could not stand firm and suggested someone might already be secretly dealing with the matter.

Redd warned Rhaenyra to distrust the Citadel and Otto Hightower, leaving her troubled by doubts as she departed for the Stepstones with Rhaenys. After they sailed, Redd ordered an expedition to the Lands of Sorrow to investigate the Stone Men and the region’s secrets.

• Redd questioned whether Otto Hightower and the Citadel served the realm or their own interests, and raised doubts about their role in developing dragon-piercing ballistae.
• Rhaenyra protested that Redd had no evidence, but his warnings left a seed of doubt in her mind.
• Redd escorted Rhaenyra and Rhaenys to the docks and assigned Ehm to protect them on the journey to the Stepstones.
• Rhaenyra and Rhaenys sailed away with Ehm and Syrax guarding their ships, while Redd returned to the Black Wall Fortress.
• Douglas reported that Stone Men had been mostly cleared from the lower Rhoyne but were more numerous and dangerous near the Lands of Sorrow.
• Redd ordered Douglas to prepare an expedition to the Lands of Sorrow, insisting that he would go see the region himself.

Redd arrived in the Lands of Sorrow with a Volantene fleet and found the region shrouded in mist and inhabited by numerous Stone Men. He ordered a blockade and cautious probes while seeking contact with the Shrouded Lord, leaving his forces poised for either negotiation or a dragonfire assault.

• Douglas prepared the Volantene fleet, and Redd sailed up the Rhoyne toward the Lands of Sorrow.
• Redd reflected on his shortage of capable advisers and resolved to replace the disloyal Sealord of Braavos.
• Marcus welcomed Redd and reported that his hundred thousand soldiers had found no large-scale Stone Men assaults but faced more Stone Men than expected near the Dream Bridge.
• Redd ordered Marcus to blockade the river, strengthen defenses, probe the Stone Men, and attempt to negotiate with the Shrouded Lord.
• Redd monitored the campaign from headquarters as small clashes continued and the ruined, blighted landscape revealed the dangers of the Lands of Sorrow.

Redd’s army entered the cursed Lands of Sorrow, where Greyscale-infected soldiers were forced to the front as cannon fodder. At the ruins of Chroyane, Redd met the Shrouded Lord, who demanded to know why he had invaded and slaughtered his people.

• A hundred thousand slave soldiers marched into the cursed territory, and officers sent those showing Greyscale symptoms to the front lines.
• Redd kept the army in formation with King Ghidorah looming behind it as the fleet and troops rendezvoused at Chroyane.
• Redd prepared to order an attack on the ruined city, but a cloth-wrapped figure approached from the ruins.
• Redd rode forward to confront the Shrouded Lord, who accused him of invading his territory and slaughtering his people.

Redd failed to negotiate with the Shrouded Lord and ordered Marcus to launch an assault on the Stone Men. The battle began with Greyscale sufferers sent as cannon fodder, while Redd planned to have King Ghidorah destroy the island castle’s walls once the defenders were weakened.

• Redd and the Shrouded Lord blamed each other for the spread of Greyscale and refused to yield over food for the Stone Men.
• Redd dismissed the Shrouded Lord’s threats, ended the parley, and rode back to his army.
• The Shrouded Lord cursed Redd and his army as Redd returned to Commander Marcus and ordered that no Stone Men be spared.
• Marcus commanded the troops to charge, and burning arrows set the ruins around the island castle ablaze.
• Redd sent Greyscale sufferers ahead as cannon fodder to exhaust the defenders, planning for King Ghidorah to destroy the walls with its Gravity Beam.

Redd watched King Ghidorah unleash his power against the Stone Men's defenses, ending the prolonged siege in moments. The surviving soldiers and slaves stared at the immense devastation in stunned silence.

• Redd assessed the battlefield and calculated that enemy casualties outnumbered his forces' losses five to one.
• As the Stone Men's resistance weakened, a powerful will stirred King Ghidorah, who rose to his full height.
• King Ghidorah gathered energy in his three heads and fired three golden lightning beams over the slave army.
• The beams erased the walls and the Stone Men behind them, then tore through the castle and everything in their path.
• The lightning carved a passage dozens of meters wide and over a dozen kilometers long, leaving a charred wasteland.
• The surviving soldiers and slaves gazed silently at the destruction.

Redd oversaw the aftermath of the battle and investigated the curse surrounding the Sorrowful Palace and the Rhoyne. After learning the Shrouded Lord had escaped toward Qohor, he ordered an excavation of the ruins and an investigation of the riverbed.

• Redd ordered Douglas to organize slaves to clear the battlefield after King Ghidorah’s attack.
• Redd compared the curse near the Rhoyne with the curse on the Valyrian Peninsula and considered using the region as a testing ground.
• A soldier reported that most of the Stone Men had been eliminated, but the Shrouded Lord had fled toward Qohor.
• Redd searched the ruins, found no sign of the curse’s source, and suspected it lay underground or beneath the Rhoyne.
• Redd ordered the Sorrowful Palace ruins excavated and the riverbed near the Dream Bridge investigated.

Redd’s excavation at the Sorrowful Palace uncovered an immense avenue, walls, and structures made entirely of gold, stirring intense greed among the workers. As the crowd teetered toward losing control, Marcus drew his sword to snap them out of it.

• Redd vowed to uncover the origins and secrets of the thousand-year-old power, while beginning to want control over it.
• A slave struck a hard object while excavating and uncovered a gleaming piece of gold.
• The workers discovered a broad avenue paved with gold bricks and towering gold walls beneath the ruins.
• Redd and the slave soldiers stared in shock as the vast golden ruins were revealed, and greed spread through the crowd.
• Titan King Ghidorah watched the workers, while Redd noticed the slave officers were distracted by the gold.
• Marcus drew his sword and ordered everyone to snap out of their daze.