The Warlord of Mars · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Chapter 1
On the River Iss
John Carter pursues the black warrior Thurid along the River Iss, reflecting on the false religion of the Holy Therns and the entombment of Dejah Thoris. He witnesses the horrors of the river's charnel islands and observes a secret meeting between Thurid and Matai Shang, indicating a conspiracy against him and his allies.
Chapter 2
Under the Mountains
John Carter navigates a subterranean river beneath the mountains, following clues from a sorapus nutshell to track Thurid. He encounters two therns, Lakor and his companion, who guard a passage. After a tense parley, Carter reveals his identity as John Carter, Prince of Helium, and is allowed to pass through a left-hand corridor chosen by his loyal calot, Woola, despite Lakor's deceptive intentions.
Chapter 3
III: The Temple of the Sun
John Carter fights two therns in a corridor, aided by Woola who kills them. He then discovers the base of the Temple of the Sun and finds a door opened by a light-based lock, using a formula from Thurid's torch. Woola insists on a different path, leading them away from the spiral stairway.
Chapter 4
The Secret Tower
John Carter and Woola track Dejah Thoris's abductors to the hidden fortress of Matai Shang, the Father of Therns, in the Otz Mountains. Carter is lured into a trap and finds himself in an arena facing a dozen banths, but Thuvia of Ptarth uses her power to command the beasts to retreat. Carter leaps to the balcony where Dejah Thoris, Thuvia, and their captors are gathered. A struggle ensues, and Matai Shang drags Dejah Thoris away into the tower, while Phaidor offers Carter a choice: accept her love and save Dejah Thoris, or refuse and face doom.
Chapter 5
On the Kaolian Road
John Carter survives a fall from the tower, escapes the fortress of the Holy Therns with Woola, and pursues Thurid and Matai Shang's flier toward Kaol. After a perilous journey through the Kaolian jungle, he is attacked by a sith but rescued by Torkar Bar, Dwar of the Kaolian Road, who offers his aid despite their nominal enmity.
Chapter 6
A Hero in Kaol
John Carter, disguised as Dotar Sojat, warns the Kaolians of a green warrior ambush, fights alongside them in a fierce battle, and gains the favor of Jeddak Kulan Tith. He is presented to his enemies Matai Shang and Thurid, who do not recognize him. Carter hopes to find Dejah Thoris and Thuvia within the palace.
Chapter 7
New Allies
In the court of Kulan Tith, John Carter confronts Matai Shang and Thurid, revealing that they hold Dejah Thoris and Thuvia as prisoners. Thuvan Dihn, learning of his daughter's captivity, allies with John Carter, challenging the authority of the Holy Therns. Kulan Tith, torn between his faith and the truth, orders the prisoners returned, but Matai Shang and his party flee during the night, leaving the court in shock.
Chapter 8
Through the Carrion Caves
John Carter and Thuvan Dihn, stranded at the ice-barrier, discover the Carrion Caves as the only passage to the land of the yellow men. They navigate through seven caves filled with rotting corpses and stench, then face a lair of apts in the eighth cave. After killing the sentry apt, they cross the chamber. Carter sends Woola back to Helium with a note for Carthoris, urging him to gather a force and follow through the caves, while he and Thuvan Dihn press on toward their goal.
Chapter 9
With the Yellow Men
John Carter and Thuvan Dihn encounter Talu, Prince of Marentina, who saves them from black-bearded warriors and explains his conflict with his uncle Salensus Oll, the tyrannical ruler of Okar. Talu advises them to disguise themselves as yellow men to infiltrate Kadabra and rescue their captured friends. They travel to Marentina, learn about the magnetic shaft that trapped the Helium fleet, and later enter Kadabra by joining a hunting party, using rings given by Talu to identify allies.
Chapter 10
X: In Durance
John Carter, disguised as an aspirant to the palace guard, witnesses Thurid's assault on Dejah Thoris in the garden of Salensus Oll. He intervenes, defeating Thurid, but is later imprisoned. Dejah Thoris and Thuvia inexplicably reject Carter and Thuvan Dihn, leading to confusion and heartache. Salensus Oll develops a desire for Dejah Thoris, complicating the situation.
Chapter 11
The Pit of Plenty
John Carter is thrown into the Pit of Plenty by Salensus Oll, but is aided by a Marentinian ally via a signal ring. After a day of darkness, he is tantalized by a vision of food and drink that disappears. He is later brought to trial, where Thurid reveals his disguise, leading to a confrontation. Dejah Thoris declares her love and loyalty to John Carter, refusing Salensus Oll's proposal. The chapter ends with John Carter being subdued after a fierce fight.
Chapter 12
Follow the Rope
John Carter escapes the Pit of Plenty by following a rope left by an unknown ally, crawling through a tunnel to a hidden chamber where he overhears Thurid conspiring with the yellow scientist Solan to use a powerful lever to abduct Dejah Thoris before Salensus Oll can marry her.
Chapter 13
The Magnet Switch
John Carter battles guardsmen in the armory, frees Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak, then fights a desperate duel with Solan in a buried chamber to throw the magnet switch and save an approaching fleet from destruction.
Chapter 14
The Tide of Battle
John Carter interrupts the forced marriage of Dejah Thoris to Salensus Oll, killing the tyrant in the throne room. He fights off the nobles until a messenger announces the city has fallen to southern forces. Kantos Kan leads red warriors into the palace, and John Carter joins the battle. Meanwhile, Matai Shang and Phaidor observe from a doorway, their expressions ominous.
Chapter 15
Rewards
John Carter realizes Dejah Thoris has been taken by Thurid, pursues him through hidden corridors and a frozen landscape, and ultimately rescues her after a confrontation. Phaidor, transformed by witnessing true love, saves John Carter and then sacrifices herself by leaping from the flier.
Chapter 16
The New Ruler
John Carter and Dejah Thoris, reunited after twelve years, return to Kadabra to find the city in the hands of their allies. Carter prevents the escape of hostile nobles by threatening to destroy the palace with a lever, and Talu arrives to arrest them. In the great audience chamber, Carter proposes Talu as the new Jeddak of Jeddaks of the North, uniting the yellow race with the other nations of Barsoom. After Talu's induction, the fleet sails south, and Carter reflects on the progress toward peace among the races. Thuvan Dihn and Thuvia are rescued from dungeons, and the chapter ends with a celebration of unity and hope for the future.
