Most of the world worships the fallen god, Malasephus, who promises power to the ambitious, wealth to the greedy, pleasure to the hedonist, and revenge to the vengeful.

And eternal youth and beauty to all.

These gifts are bestowed by the Beckoning. But they come with a price, for the Beckoning twists the mind and soul, reshaping a person until they are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain their desires.

But not all men worship the fallen god. In the far east, in the lands between the Dohminar mountains and the forests of Ymbren Geard men follow the old ways, using runes to ward their villages and homes from the irresistible lure of the Beckoning.

When Jan Ulwin loses everyone he loves, he swears an oath of vengeance, and the Beckoning responds, shaping and twisting him into a terrible weapon of death and destruction. And he must decide what matters more to him, revenge, or his humanity.