On the frigid steppes of the Halpi Mountains, Lord Sveri Egilax has led his clan of Free Dwarfs and their allies to a pyrrhic victory to reclaim the lost hold of Cwl Gen. Devastated by thier losses, and with winter closing in, they are bitterly forced to turn to their reluctant allies to the south: the Dwarfs of Golloch's empire. Banick Kholearm is dispatched as a hero of his people to Caeryn Golloch to try and parlay with their imperial cousins, but his reception does not go as planned. Frustrated and despairing at his lack of progress, Banick struggles with his own demons and begins to suspect there is more to this lackluster response than meets the eye. Ghosts from the past begin to whisper of secrets and lies that hide a bigger and more shocking reason for Golloch's reticence. Meanwhile conspiracies at home bring the Free Dwarfs to a breaking point as they questions wether thay can keep the prize they have captured.