Synopsis - The temple of cards conceals many dark secrets but, far beyond its warped and twisted wall, men whisper of the Slow Room which dilates time, extending pleasure or pain infinitely. But, for those who enter that room there is sometimes a terrible price to be paid when human fleshis wagered upon the outcome of the babaric combat ritual of Chain, Hook and Blade. Facing Kum, the demonic Temple Guardian, many warriors have died in slow agony. But now, as clouds of war darken the land, a new challenger approaches from the Est. His name is Mercer, a man who is perhaps the greatest horse warrior of that age. Yet, at the centre of it all is a woman who must fianally stand between the forces of light and the powers of ultimate darkness. Her name is Haye but to others, she is known simply as Mercer's Whore.