The kingdom of Almekia collapses from within when its own commander, Zemeckis, is persuaded he is being framed for treason and leads a revolt of disaffected Rune Knights. The rebellion succeeds: Almekia is renamed the Esgares Empire, King Henguist is killed by the Death Knight Cador, and Prince Lance flees south to Padstow with the remaining loyalists. Those events become the spark that ignites a continent-wide war across Forsena, as six nations compete for dominance in the power vacuum left behind.