At a snowbound inn on the edges of the Northern Kingdom, a blizzard keeps the guests trapped for several days. Among them are miners, nobles, fearsome bandits and an old warrior called Havald, who seeks nothing but warmth while he waits for death. Then a mysterious guest appears: Leandra, a half-elf swordmage who is sent on a mission by the queen of Illian. She wants to find the mythical city of Askir, the long-forgotten capital of a once powerful empire. When Havald uncovers that a dangerous creature is hiding among the guests of the inn, he and Leandra are forced to work together and confront an ancient power ...