"This land thirsts for blood."
That's not a metaphor. It's a fact.
In the eastern plains of Gravemire, the ground is a deep red. Every inch conquered, every stone stacked to build the walls, requires a blood offering. Goblins call it the Cursed Lands. Reed calls it the foundation.
"Let them die. Just so the walls stand," Reed tells the foreman.
And stand they do. Slowly but surely, Gravemire is transformed from a barbarian camp into a war city.
In the palace, the strategy room is dimly lit. In its center, a crude map fashioned from monster hide and skull bones shows the world around it.
There are four human kingdoms surrounding Gravemire:
• Valenheim: a kingdom of northern nobles, religious fanatics and advocates of "human purity."
• Luron: a neutral—but cunning—merchant kingdom.
• Ebron: a desert kingdom nearly extinct, but with remnants of technology from the world above.
• Caeldor: a warrior kingdom, where strength is more important than race.
