Master Gareth and the Royal Court of Wizards unearth a forgotten tomb deep in the heart of Korlandia. Tricked by false prophecies of great weaponry and unrivaled heroes, King Till orders them to break the magic seals. Master Gareth and all of the Royal Court of Wizards are killed in the ensuing tragedy by the four Enemies of the gods unleashed in the process, with Rhonin the only survivor who manages to escape due to fact that she is deemed to be of no consequence by the Mindflayer leading them.

The Enemies of the gods assault Esej Keep, decimating the royal guard in an attempt to assassinate King Till. There are few survivors, though Sven "Thrillkiss" Johnson and his father Alrik manage to muster up a small militia that defends the keep from the rampaging Troll Huntsman while Rhonin and the Royal Bard Handal escort the King to safety. Alrik is wounded in the ensuing battle, and Princess Violet is kidnapped by the Mindflayer who is wearing the flesh of Master Gareth as a disguise.

A young bard turned dying vagrant, Archer Merchant drinks away his problems in a small rural tavern until he comes to the aid of a fair Elven maiden with flowing blonde hair who is being accosted by scoundrels. She accompanies him back to his room, only to reveal that she is the Drow in disguise. She proceeds to torture and experiment on him through a mixture of flesh molding and carnal desire, claiming they are linked before curing his liver. He vows to find her again and exact revenge.

While seeking to eliminate Kobold bandits that retreated into the Emerald Marshes, the heroes come across a pair of Swamp Elven scouts. Fascinated by Archer, the leader, Ar-Nyatrah, invites him to their camp, and they spend the night together. After voicing her concerns about a Black Wyrmling that is devastating their ecosystem, the heroes manage to convince the dragon to leave with them. Grateful, the Swamp Elves allow a trade outpost for Korlandia to be established on the edge of their marsh.

Small bands of undead skeletons are spotted with increasing frequency along the eastern trade highway of Korlandia. Nobleman Henry Donavin and the Holy Father Thomas Adrian seek aid from King Till, and even mercenaries, but are unable to find sufficient help.

Having received formal word from the Evergreen Forest that Princess Violet has been found, King Till dispatches the heroes to negotiate her release immediately. The Elven Commander of the Guard, Corynth, is unwilling to release her, however, and requests that she be allowed to take Violet to the High Elf capitol, the Mithral Spire, so they can experiment further. The heroes reluctantly agree, much to the anger of King Till. However, word soon reaches that Violet was in fact a magic clone.

The heroes are smuggled into the capitol of the Blunbokk Nation, the Iron Citadel, by a Gnome airship. Using the sewer, they manage to find and free their captive friend, Vigik, who is being held in the Emperor's private dungeon. Seizing the opportunity presented, they then break into the palace itself, assassinating the fully armored Emperor by decapitating his helmet before taking his sword. However, rumors of his death are quickly silenced when he is seen alive the following morning.

When Archer deliberately leads the Blunbokk Nation's scouts away from the rest of his party so that they can escape to Snespef after assassinating the Emperor, he collapses due to exhaustion days away from the border. The Drow tracks him through magic, seizing the opportunity to abduct him. Through further torture and carnal desire she experiments once more, again attempting to discover how they are linked before leaving him at the main gates of Esej. All witnesses are killed before she departs.

In recognition of the embarrassing blow struck against the Blunbokk Nation, King Till awards an abandoned outpost along the eastern trade highway of Korlandia to Rhonin, and asks that she destroy the wandering undead. Thrillkiss wastes no time as commander of the guard, amassing a squad of twenty soldiers, christened the Wolverines, to patrol the area. Various noblemen begin to whisper how Ashkevron Keep is suspiciously on a direct path to Esej should the Blunbokk Nation invade.