Captain Dorav Minos has been sent on a suicide mission to sack Tepley's infamous fortress, Ship-Breaker-Sharn. His only hope to survive lies with the five Blades of Mepsia sent by King Hervine's Warmaster to assist him, and the willingness of his loyal crew to die for their country. Nihengale has been entrusted with Dorav's success and safekeeping by the Warmaster, but also with a secret mission of his own. He must ensure the survival of his fellow Blades and protect the Warmaster's secret, or they risk igniting the flames of war between Vinergale and Tepley. A weary team of hungover shinn-miners toil against the black rock of Kaira, dreaming of riches and an escape from the arduous churn of their lives, until they discover a forgotten valley with a bleak history drowned in blood, madness, and ash. An ancient power stirs within that vale whose awakening will engulf them all in a wave of horror and carnage.