Now that a false king has usurped the throne by dark and magical means, the kingdoms are in chaos. Champions wage war for gain and not for honor. Armies fight for one more foot of bloody land. And while humans destroy each other daily, the creatures of the Shadow gather for the final assault: a frenzy of ghouls, trolls, vampires, and men who are no longer men. Only the true king can stop the slaughter, but he is a prisoner of the Shadow, and he will never be the same again.