In the stark, shadowy deserts of Illmanther, mystic home of necromancy and a people bound to an empire of the past, mastery over magic is the law. Shameless nobles squabble and petty politics abound, but above it all sits Orovaul, lich king, tyrant, and puppet master. Evedur, the second son of House Thal’id, serves as his master’s hand, loyal sword, and trusted servant, and in Illmanther, his trade is death. Can Evedur rise to meet the lofty expectations of his undead lord, or will he be torn apart in the web of lies and peril that suffuses the inscrutable land of dark magic?