Thirteen years have passed since the epic battle of Nockmaar, where a wayward band of heroes, brought together by circumstance broke the hold of evil on the land. But the triumph was short-lived. Within a year the land was plunged into an unrelenting storm of war and chaos, lashed by ancient rivalries and unforgiving hatreds in the realms of both flesh and spirit. According to prophecy, there is only one hope for true and lasting peace: the Princess Elora Danan, who will be invested with rank and authority on her birthday.