Chapter Summaries

Jose discovered that the Dormant Abyss Curse had spread through the Deep Underdark and recorded an undead army fighting the Termode Demon Spiders. He alerted Tydanore’s major powers, then warned their emergency council that the undead army was likely only a small part of the threat.

• Jose identified an undead caveman’s head as evidence that the Dormant Abyss Curse had spread through the Deep Underdark, and he granted the Gnoll Church a Familiar Contract.
• Jose ordered Red Dagger to evacuate, flew over Spiderweb Forest, and saw the Termode Demon Spiders fighting a vast undead army.
• Jose recorded the battlefield with a Memory Crystal and teleported back to his Magic Tower.
• Jose showed the evidence to Gemas Eternal Blaze and alerted the Church of Justice, his Elven allies, and other major powers.
• Jose joined an emergency magical council and explained that the undead were battling four Legendary Termode Demon Spiders, warning that the curse’s spread was likely far greater than the scene showed.

Jose secured an alliance of major powers to fight the Undead Scourge, along with a nonaggression contract protecting the Sussex Kingdom and magical knowledge in exchange for its support. After sending troops into the Underdark, he began constructing a teleportation gate to connect the Northern Lands with the southern forces.

• Moorlin united the gathered factions against the undead, and they pledged troops, supplies, and other support.
• Jose promised one hundred thousand Sussex Kingdom troops and supply transport, conditional on protection from invasion and contributions of advanced magical knowledge.
• The factions agreed to provide Jose with magical knowledge, and the Dragon Worship Cult and Northern Witch Council signed a contract barring them from invading Sussex Kingdom for the duration of the war and twenty years afterward.
• Jose signed the contract with Breath of Terror, Eldo, and Doria, then ordered Sussex forces to gather at Oka City and march into the Underdark under Ergou.
• Jose arrived near Blackstone Mine and began building a teleportation gate to connect the Northern Lands with the southern factions.

Jose completed a massive portal, allowing the Pompeii Empire’s elite Dawn Legion to enter the Underdark and advance against the Termode Demon Spiders blocking the route to the undead. The legion’s opening bombardment devastated Spiderweb Forest, and Dallebo ordered the Steel Golems and Legendary squad to finish off the survivors.

• Jose activated the portal, and a Legendary knight tested it and confirmed it was exceptionally well made.
• The Dawn Legion crossed through the portal, and Jose met its vice commander, Dallebo Ukovalan, before explaining the route and the threat posed by four Legendary Termode Demon Spiders.
• Dallebo led the ten-thousand-member Dawn Legion into the Underdark, where its soldiers scouted the terrain and advanced toward Spiderweb Forest in formation.
• Dallebo demanded that the spiders clear the way, but they refused, so the Dawn Legion prepared its Magic Crystal Cannons and a large-scale Root Entanglement spell.
• The spell bound the spiders as ten cannon shells blasted through Spiderweb Forest, killing many spiders and leaving only two of the four Legendary Termode Demon Spiders alive.
• Dallebo ordered the Steel Golems to charge and the Legendary squad to eliminate the surviving leader.

The Dawn Legion overwhelmed the Termode Demon Spiders, then advanced to battle an undead army commanded by a mysterious elf undead. As elite undead charged and casualties mounted, Dallebo asked Jose to help relieve the pressure on the legion.

• The Dawn Legion’s legendary squad killed the last Termode Demon Spider, and the remaining spiders fled as Jose watched the army’s swift victory.
• Dallebo led the Dawn Legion through Spiderweb Forest and identified the undead as victims of the Dormant Abyss Curse.
• Jose spotted an elf undead mounted on a skeletal unicorn, but the creature countered Hawkeye Technique and cut off his vision.
• The Dawn Legion fought off waves of undead using its blessed shield wall, rotating soldiers while Steel Golems and Hunter teams countered stronger enemies.
• The elf undead rallied its elite forces, and Dallebo ordered the Assault Team to stop them before asking Jose to intercept some undead.

Jose devastated the undead ranks, but Matthew sacrificed a Mummified Bat to expose him to the Dormant Abyss Curse. Jose survived the attack by exhausting much of his magical reserves, and the battle resumed with both sides still fighting.

• Jose flew over the undead army, burning thousands of skeletons while battling the Mummified Bat in the air.
• Dallebo ordered the Dawn Legion’s Mage Corps to unleash its full power, and the two forces’ mages clashed.
• Matthew sent the undead army charging and prepared an ominous spear aimed at Jose.
• The Mummified Bat self-destructed, and Matthew used the explosion’s cover to strike Jose with the spear and a cloud of cursed black fog.
• Jose endured the black fog by pouring vast amounts of magic into his Fire Elemental Barrier, dispersing it before Matthew’s source energy could corrupt him.
• Dallebo ordered a Dimensional Anchor as Jose hurled a fireball at Matthew, restarting the battle.

Jose joined the Dawn Legion’s battle against the undead, learned that the returning force belonged to the Eternal Night Monarch’s army, and investigated how the Legion treated the Dormant Abyss Curse. The chapter ended with Jose examining a bottle of the Legion’s black medicinal liquid and asking a priest what it was.

• Jose helped hinder the retreating legendary undead, but the Elf Undead escaped after casting Death Wither against the Dawn Legion’s legendary squadron.
• Dallebo told Jose that the Elf Undead was likely a commander of the Eternal Night Legion and explained the Eternal Night Monarch’s origins and past Undead Scourge.
• Jose and the Pompeii Empire’s legendary experts discussed the connection between the Eternal Night Monarch and the Salvation Church while Dallebo contacted headquarters.
• Jose visited the wounded settlement to see how the Dawn Legion treated the Dormant Abyss Curse.
• Jose took a half-used bottle of black medicine from a priest and asked what it was.

Jose investigated the aftermath of the undead battle, learned about Immaculate Potions, and saw how the undead had turned an Underdark region into Withered Soil. As the alliance struggled to find more undead, Dallebo called for the arguing commanders’ attention.

• Jose questioned a priest about an Immaculate Potion, then learned from Dallebo that the Church of Justice sold each jar to the Pompeii Empire for ten gold coins.
• Jose and Dallebo explored a nearby cave and found a ruined Underdark region covered in Withered Soil; Dallebo recalled entering an undead plane and explained why he had joined the fight.
• Dallebo reported five Dawn Legion soldiers dead and twenty-one wounded after their victory, then ordered elite teams to explore with the Legion’s limited supply of purification potions.
• Jose returned to the portal camp, where Ergou warned that southern visitors were insulting the monster soldiers; Jose instructed him to monitor them and allow controlled fistfights if needed.
• Over the next three days, the alliance found few undead, and its commanders argued over how to locate them; Dallebo clapped his hands and told everyone to listen.

Dallebo revealed that the Undead Scourge was gathering around the Red Nest Lair, and the leaders agreed to investigate it in person. Jose visited Azure Fang to seek local knowledge and support, leaving with a plan to use the Lair’s passages to reach the undead and contact O’Neal and Emerald of Venom.

• Dallebo reported that Greater Prophecy had located dense Necromantic Energy around the Red Nest Lair, and the representatives pooled what they knew about the danger there.
• Jose proposed an on-site investigation, and the leaders agreed to gather in Oka City the next morning before teleporting to the Red Nest Lair.
• Jose traveled to Thunder Pulse Fortress and met Azure Fang, who urged him not to involve the dragons in the undead conflict.
• Jose explained that the Eternal Night Monarch’s forces threatened his kingdom and were hidden beneath the dragons in the Deep Underdark.
• Azure Fang agreed to help after learning the undead were nearby, and Jose asked him for routes into the Deep Underdark and to notify O’Neal and Emerald of Venom.

Jose traveled through the Underdark to seek Wings of Havoc’s support against the undead, learning that the legendary dragon remained fiercely loyal to the Red Nest Matriarch despite his severe wounds. At Redrillaz’s lair, Jose revealed his formidable power, and Redrillaz emerged furious and demanded to know if he was the one who had provoked him.

• Azure Fang told Jose that Wings of Havoc had once fought a demigod to a draw, was still the strongest Legendary Dragon, and was loyal to the Red Nest Matriarch.
• Jose asked Azure Fang to help him pass through Emerald of Venom’s and O’Neal’s territories, then flew toward Wings of Havoc’s domain.
• Jose reached Red Sand Fortress, where Yuglas mistook him for a newly adult dragon seeking to join Wings of Havoc and claimed the Matriarch would soon return.
• Yuglas escorted Jose to Redrillaz’s Lair and told him that Wings of Havoc was waiting in the lava lake below.
• Jose released his powerful aura outside the lair, prompting Redrillaz to emerge and confront him in anger.

Jose fought Wings of Havoc—Redrillaz in his Underdark territory, then persuaded him to cooperate against the Salvation Church and the undead. The two swore not to sabotage each other, and Wings of Havoc agreed to clear the guards around the passage into the Deep Underdark.

• Wings of Havoc attacked Jose, and the two battled with powerful strikes, spells, and mirror images.
• Jose used the Fire Elemental Barrier to absorb Wings of Havoc's energy attack and then damaged the surrounding Underdark with spells.
• Wings of Havoc halted the fight when the battle threatened to collapse his territory.
• Jose told Wings of Havoc that the Salvation Church and the Eternal Night Monarch were behind the Undead Scourge hiding in the Deep Underdark.
• Wings of Havoc agreed to clear the passage guards, and he and Jose swore in the Dragon Queen's name not to sabotage each other over the undead.

Jose investigated the Deep Underdark and found a hidden, densely packed undead army, but a tiny skeleton detected his presence. The undead leaders also discovered an intruder while demanding that the Salvation Church account for its role in their plans.

• Jose learned from Yuglas that Radiant Scales spent two out of every three days mad and was rapidly deteriorating.
• Yuglas led Jose to a narrow Deep Underdark passage, where Jose found undead gathered beyond a boulder and realized a higher undead was controlling them.
• A tiny Gnoll skeleton noticed Jose disturbing the dead vines, alerting the higher undead and forcing Jose to retreat.
• Belde confronted the three Legendary undead over their breach of the agreement and the danger their expansion had brought to the Salvation Church.
• The undead told Belde they could unseal a monster to attack their enemies and demanded an update on Radiant Scales.
• One of the undead sensed an intruder in the darkness.

Jose was discovered while scouting the undead in the Deep Underdark, but he quickly assembled forty-eight Legendary allies and led them back to strike before the enemy could relocate. The chapter ended as Jose approached an undead ambush guarded by three Elf Undead and twenty-nine Legendary beast-type undead.

• Jose escaped the probing undead, collapsed the passage behind him, and contacted Ergou to summon allies to Oka City.
• The High Priest of the Salvation Church and three undead commanders argued over the breach and debated abandoning ordinary undead to preserve their elite forces.
• Jose built a concealed spatial beacon and gathered more than forty Legendary experts, then persuaded them to attack before the undead could relocate.
• Jose led the force back through the collapsed tunnel, and spellcasters located the undead as their elites were relocating through portals.
• The Legends charged toward the undead passage, destroyed a swarm of undead bats, and protected Jose with layers of defensive magic.
• Jose advanced toward three Elf Undead and twenty-nine Legendary beast-type undead waiting in ambush at the passage exit.

Jose led the allied Legendary Experts out of the collapsing cave and fought Matthew to a standstill, but the Salvation Church and the undead army threatened to overwhelm the battle. Jose agreed to summon Fire Elementals for ruby payment and called Baron Honasde to the battlefield.

• Jose endured the undead’s barrage with shields and scrolls, then burst through the cave rubble and gave his allies time to escape.
• Jose and the allied Legendary Experts fought the undead, while Jose battled Matthew and proved strong enough to match the ancient Elf Undead.
• The High Priest of the Salvation Church brought Evil God Cultists into the fight, and the Elf Undead ordered their retreating army to join the battle.
• A Dawn Legion mage asked Jose to secure a safe place for planar teleportation, and Jose offered to summon Fire Elementals in exchange for High-Grade Rubies.
• Jose summoned Baron Honasde, who crossed through a portal and greeted his old friend.

Jose summoned a Fire Elemental army that helped the allies turn the battle against the undead, but the Salvation Church threatened the seal and forced both sides into negotiations. As the negotiations stalled, Radiant Scales began losing control of the Dormant Abyss Curse while fighting Redrillaz.

• Jose summoned more than eight hundred Fire Elementals led by Honasde, helping the allied forces gain the upper hand and kill a beast-like Legendary undead.
• The Salvation Church High Priest threatened to destroy the seal, prompting the allied leaders to negotiate; they agreed to let three Legendary Elf Undead leave in exchange for the undead below Legendary rank, but disputed the beast-like undead's fate.
• Radiant Scales and Redrillaz began fighting above the Red Nest Lair, and Jose sensed that something was wrong but could not leave the negotiations.
• Redrillaz recognized that the Dormant Abyss Curse was close to consuming Radiant Scales, who briefly suppressed the black mist before declaring that he would never submit.

Moorlin let the Dormant Abyss Curse corrupt Radiant Scales so he could wound the monster sealed beneath the Red Nest Lair, then fought the transformed dragon. In the Underdark, Jose and the allied forces defeated Matthew and drove the Salvation Church to ruin, though the remaining undead escaped.

• Moorlin explained that he had allowed the sealed monster to turn Radiant Scales into an avatar so destroying it would weaken the monster, while Wings of Havoc left the Underdark.
• Moorlin attacked the fully corrupted Radiant Scales, and their demigod-level battle shook the Underdark and prompted Dallebo to urge the allied forces into a full assault.
• Jose, Honasde, and Monk Flame Howl overwhelmed Matthew, who destroyed himself to break the Dimensional Anchor and let the remaining undead escape.
• The Necromantic Energy from Matthew's explosion hampered the Salvation Church, and its High Priest fled while the allied forces captured seven abandoned Legendary cultists.
• Dallebo thanked Jose for the victory after the allied forces crippled the Salvation Church, despite the undead escaping.

Jose traveled to the Elven Ruins, where Moorlin and three dragons reinforced a seal, and joined their ritual to study Moorlin’s magical techniques. After refusing Moorlin’s offer to leave Tydanore in exchange for a bloodline purification ritual, Jose received Cezar’s Diary as payment for his help.

• Jose found Blue Dragons and their families migrating to the surface on Azure Fang’s orders, suggesting the guardianship contract had ended.
• Jose reached the Elven Ruins and watched Moorlin, Azure Fang, Emerald of Venom, and Blackblood Tyrant combine their magic to reinforce the seal.
• Moorlin invited Jose to supply magic, and Jose participated in the ritual for several days without needing to rest.
• After completing the seal reinforcement, Moorlin gave the three dragons Red Nest Matriarch’s blood and the Mordenkainen Bloodline Purification Magic Platform in exchange for their oaths to leave Tydanore.
• Moorlin offered Jose a bloodline purification ritual if he would leave Tydanore, but Jose refused because he would not abandon his kingdom and people.
• Moorlin accepted Jose’s choice and gave him Cezar’s Diary as payment for helping reinforce the seal.

Jose learned from Caesar's Diary how the Death Star Magic Research Society awakened the Storm Crow and caused the transformation of its members and nearby elves into Harpies, then used the twenty years of respite from the Undead Scourge to strengthen the Sussex Kingdom and claim the abandoned Red Nest Lair. As Jose accepted the Moon Elf Princess’s offer to restore the Withered Soil, Savannah dismissed Redrillaz’s call to punish the three dragons who had betrayed him and showed interest in Jose.

• Jose read Caesar's Diary and discovered that the Death Star Magic Research Society’s attempt to extract the Storm Crow’s power had awakened her, leading to a curse that created the Harpies.
• Jose copied valuable spells and alchemical formulas from the diary, postponed exploring the Earth Elemental Demiplane, and resolved to use the Sussex Kingdom’s twenty years of safety to grow stronger.
• Jose ordered Ergou to cooperate with the Dawn Legion and Church of Justice, absorb the Red Nest Lair’s former subjects, and send the remaining followers of other dragons to the Dragon Worship Cult; Black Dragon followers were left to face their former victims.
• Jose accepted the Moon Elf Princess’s proposal to send Druids to restore the Withered Soil and began writing his reply.
• In the Fire Elemental Plane, Redrillaz urged Savannah to punish the three dragons who had dealt with Moorlin, but Savannah refused and remarked that Jose was interesting.

After the Undead Scourge, Jose agreed to help heal the Withered Soil in exchange for protection and training for Sussex druids, then considered expanding the kingdom’s professions and trade. The chapter ended in Redstone Keep, where VanCleef delivered His Majesty’s will to Belden.

• Jose and the druids negotiated a plan to heal the Withered Soil, with each faction providing a Legendary Expert to protect the teams.
• Yarley promised to train Master-level Druids, and Jose agreed to send Sussex druids to help restore the land.
• Jose reviewed the kingdom’s druid records and decided to develop all professions while seeking wealth through trade with the Duchy of Norn.
• Jose considered how to help Belden claim the throne as the trade route to the Duchy of Norn neared completion.
• VanCleef met Belden in a secret chamber and announced that he had brought His Majesty’s will.

Luna Bloodfeather and Red Dagger helped the Second Prince Belden seize the throne of the Duchy of Norn, advancing Jose’s trade-route plans. Jose warned that the Northern Witch Council remained the real opponent, while Luna left to visit Anna in the Deep Underdark.

• Luna Bloodfeather coerced Hill Viscount Cook Eugene into cooperating with Red Dagger and marked Hill Territory as secured.
• Red Dagger’s plans intensified the conflict between the First Prince and Sixth Prince, allowing the Second Prince Belden to build support.
• After the First Prince was assassinated and the Old King died, Belden seized the crown and became the new king of the Duchy of Norn.
• Jose congratulated Ergou, VanCleef, and Luna Bloodfeather, then warned them to prepare for the Northern Witch Council’s response.
• Luna told Jose that Anna had invited her to the Deep Underdark, and Jose granted her permission to go.

The Northern Witch Council learned that Francisco Trinida Jose had grown powerful and secretly backed Norn’s new king, but Taelrica ordered the witches to wait until Doris returned from seclusion. A month later, Grem Stone Hammer and Gauluki returned to Oka City with the victorious army and were summoned to meet the Red Dragon.

• Taelrica told the Northern Witches that Francisco Trinida Jose had become a major threat and had interfered in the Duchy of Norn.
• The witches discussed attacking Francisco, but Taelrica said they should stay still until Doris emerged from seclusion.
• The triumphant army arrived at Oka City, where citizens cheered as soldiers displayed the corpses of defeated Extraordinary Beasts.
• Ergou welcomed the returning soldiers and declared them heroes before they entered the city for the victory celebration.
• Grem Stone Hammer and Gauluki went to Red Fort, where they saw the Red Dragon seated on his throne.