Forty years have passed since the destruction of Chaos, and war once again threatens the dwarves of Thorbardin. However, their young thane, Tarn Bellowsgranite, does not renounce the world and its troubles, as the dwarves have always done in the past. Instead, he reaches out to those in need and tries to heal ancient wounds that have long divided the races. The disaster that follows may cost Tarn his crown. Assassins stalk the streets of Thorbardin, while a new danger sleeps beneath the city, and fundamentalist extremists are determined to seal the mountain from the world.