From the introduction: It is summer in the Seven Cities, and the war season is well under way. Despite the looming threat of the draconic Mharoti Empire, the Septime states carry on their formalized warring and raiding with varying degrees of enthusiasm. But not every army mustered and sent forth gains victory on the battlefield. The mercenaries and levies deployed by Capleon are mired in a disastrous series of setbacks and reverses in Kammae-occupied territory.