"THE WORLD HAS FALLEN INTO RUIN. MYTH AND LEGEND HAVE PROVEN TRUE. MONSTERS HAVE RETURNED TO ILLIAN. Orcs, an ancient fiend thought lost to history, have risen from The Under Realm. Their hunger for total dominance has plunged Illian into war, pushing the survivors to Namdhor, the last refuge of man at the top of the world. For those who stand up to this foe, they do so in darkness. Ash clouds smother the skies, blocking out the sun as the orcs rampage across the land. Behind it all, manipulating from the shadows, The Black Hand fuels the war on both sides. The Crow, the one who was promised, has seen the future and works in the depths of The Bastion to forge a new weapon, a weapon that can stand against the dark at all costs. Gideon Thorn is adrift, his order decimated, and his oath to protect the realm meaningless assaster Dragorn faces his greatest test yet, balancing his duty to the people and his duty to his order. Inara Galfrey has a choice to make as the realm's darkest hour approaches. Malliath and Asher cannot be ignored but holding fast to her courage could save the world. It could also spell her end. Doran Heavybelly finds himself at the throne of his father. There are realms of hell he would rather visit than the halls of his ancestors. Shackled and bound, however, the dwarf has no choice but to face his past..."--