Ashlin Smith is dissatisfied with his pointless job as supervisor of the Royal Badger Survey. He wants nothing more than to quit and go back to being a blacksmith like the rest of his family wanted. However, due to politics, and an inexplicable plot set in motion decades earlier, his job is about to become a lot more interesting, and not in a good way. A giant badger, murderous cultists, abominations and dinner guests straight from the fairy tales, and a frighteningly clever and stubborn empress soon stand in the way of Ashlin's desire to return to a quiet life.