From the introduction: At the headwaters of the sacred River Avah rose a mighty city on the slopes of a legendary mountain—a testament to the greed of Runelord Karzoug. This is Xin-Shalast, festooned with the plunder of a thousand campaigns. It has remained hidden for millennia in its narrow valley in the shadow of Mhar Massif—a mountain of mythological proportions and sinister history. Atop this peak, bearing the unsettling carven visage for which it was named, stand the fabled Spires of Xin-Shalast, rising above the city like the pinnacles of a crown. Thus did Karzoug show his mastery over both the earth and the realms beyond.