The vile orc and ogre hordes released by the sorcerer-king are surging out of the Ice Mountains in all-out war. With one ally overthrown and the other unprepared, Saxthor, only recently crowned king, faces overwhelming odds. His kingdom's demands and a sudden shift in Dagmar's political situation deny them the happiness in their personal lives he sees so clearly in that of his closest friends, Bodrin and Tonelia. All attention must now focus on the horrendous threat sweeping down and devastating the southern peninsula.