In a land split open by brutal sibling rivalry, the castle of Vervenal is under siege.  
Two Princes, Balter and Nmazim, struggle for dominion and for the throne of their
father.  Prince Balter commands a noble knighthood called the Keeplords in defense
against a dark horde of fell warriors under Prince Nmazim.
   
Caught in the midst of this is a young man named Eric.  In his quest to escape the boredom
of being a farmer, Eric enlists as a pitchman.  After all, how dangerous could it be to keep
boiling oil hot and fire arrows lit?  Eric soon finds there is danger enough for all of them as
he takes part in a daring midnight mission to lift the siege.  Through luck and bravery, Eric
leads the Keeplords to victory, and even earns the right to be trained by the war master,
Tobias Grinlash, but there are many questions left unanswered.

As Eric struggles under the tutelage of Lord Grinlash in the remote mountain proving
grounds, he is forced to confront his own destiny.  Labor a thousand times harsher,
physically and mentally, than farming is laid at his feet.  Just when he thinks he has a chance
to complete the trials of Lordship, he comes face to face with an evil whose name is only whispered in a
hush.  Barely a warrior, he is all that stands between his beloved home of
Vervenal, and a darkness that walks like a man...