Fifteen years ago, the Kingdom of Orastus suffered defeat at the hands of the Union armies. For Sir Markard Greystone, it ended his pride and glory. Despondent and forlorn, the knight disappeared into obscurity, his honor and vows only a fading memory. When the newly knighted Sir Ryan Stalgard comes bearing a proposal, Markard finds himself once again in the world of politics and treachery. The King of Tarys is surrounded by conspirators and traitors who seek to take his crown, and it is the promise of Euric Terathan, the ambitious ruler of Orastus, to rid the Tarysian court of the opposition and secure a strong alliance with his neighboring counterpart. Swords in-hand, Markard and Ryan venture forth with their liege to bring about a new age for the Kingdom of Orastus. But the king's blades learn that power always has a price.