From the Introduction: Eight hundred thousand years ago a massive shard of black obsidian ripped through the fabric separating the world of mortals from the Far Realm. It crashed down into the earth, piercing the planet and creating a wound that would never heal. Eight hundred thousand years later, the winds of time have uncovered the obsidian shard and the mountain that grew around it, now known as the Black Spire. Dark wizards, necromancers, and beasts beyond the world of man sought out its tainted mystery. One of these, a black dragon named Grenthoel, sent the others from the mountain or to the bottom of the chasms that riddle the caverns of the Black Spire. There the dragon, armed with the necromancy of the spire’s former inhabitants, transformed himself into a dracolich and became known as Gravemyst. Centuries later, the small village of Winter’s Dusk prospered nearby using the energy stored in a magical artifact known as the Star of Summer. Their crops flourished, their herds grew, and the villagers found rest and prosperity. Nine months ago, dark agents of the dracolich calling themselves the Children of the Spire, attacked the town and stole the Star of Summer before returning to their lair in the caverns below the Black Spire. Drought, pox, and famine now cling to the village, leaving its people in despair.