In a world torn by ancient feuds and burning ambition, the fragile alliance of the Five Kingdoms-Volkar, Meyhar, Chernoval, Solis, and Ishold-teeters on the brink.
Every thirty years, the Great Battle in the capital of Shilan decides who will rule over all. As the next clash draws near, King Severin of Volkar prepares his champion, determined to restore his people's glory at any cost. But history is not written by swords alone. In the shadows of forgotten ruins, the crippled chronicler Yar reconstructs the past piece by piece, wielding a mystical ring that allows him to see through the eyes of others-from kings to thieves. While Severin battles barbarian hordes, his son Borin turns his back on the crown. Driven by a forbidden map and the dreams of his lost aunt, he builds the ship Iris to sail into the unknown West-a place from which no one has ever returned. Across the lands, the paths of the exiled smith Igor, the deadly mercenaries Sylvia and Riven, and the mysterious Jasmine, who views the world from her confinement, converge in an epic tale of survival, betrayal, and the quest for truth. What does Yar see when the sun finally sets?