From the ashes of the old kingdoms Duchies rise and fall. Rendsheim, the city of embers and charcoal, stands among the last great wonders of the world. Kilns burn day and night to feed the furnaces of the continent, devouring forests and blotting out the sun. Yet for all its might, the city faces dire threats. The interplay of Dukes has set the stage for war, a war that has snatched a young carpenter from his meagre life. Now Ivo, an unwilling conscript, must follow the will of a mad Duke, facing death by blade and other, older evils. All the while, Rudolph, Lord of the Ember, must play a dangerous game in search of a mind-bending narcotic from the depths of time, lest he expire in a burst of flame.