In a fantasy world transformed by mass-produced magic, five individuals find themselves drawn into a mystery five hundred years old. They are: Blade, an AdventureSport warrior at the tail end of a once glittering career; Presto, a disgraced and unemployed ex-wizard once of the Imperial University; the Storm, the herb-addicted lead lutist of the rock band Northern Fire; Darick, a priest whose career progress is blocked by his possession of actual religious beliefs that his church no longer shares; and Dani, a grifter who lives her life on the margins of a complex and soulless society.
Thrown together by circumstances outside of their comprehension, they find themselves embarking on a quest that will take them from the towering spires of Empire City to the wild and bleak Eastern Territories, and from the decadence and glamour of Upabove to a final confrontation upon which rests the fate of their world.