From the back of the book: The petty and traitorous schemes of a distant Hinterland commander strike at the very heart of the empire. Rumors of collaboration with dismal, gloomy foreign powers send the Imperial Council into a panic, and the brink of war looms again over an uncertain future for the peoples of the Imperium. Thrust into the intrigues of mighty nations and the sinister plans of the far flung cities of foreign lands, the players go in secret with an Imperial legate on a task of direst importance to the ancient outpost of Sicaris. The mission is twofold: To bring back a wayward noble daughter of the Imperial family, and to find the source of the turmoil that seeks to tip the teetering balance of power. These objectives will lead the heroes into a shadow war of sinister alliances, secretive cabals, assassins, spies, and unfolding machinations, a twisting path that may lead to both theirs and the Empire's salvation, or its downfall.