Book excerpt: For nigh 150 years, the Marcs of Desryol have been embroiled in the Era of Campaigns. Season after season, campaigns are waged with little to nothing gained. What began as a power struggle has long devolved into a farce. And there are those who have had enough… Recha Mandas – The marquesa sworn to vengeance and the end of the campaigns. For three years, La Dama Recha Mandas has precariously balanced her Marc of Lazorna on a knife’s edge. Despite her swift rise, she has pursued neutrality with the three larger marcs surrounding her, forsaking the campaigns entirely, regardless of the damage to Lazorna’s prestige, all for one purpose—the destruction of Si Don Emaximo Borbin, Marqués of Orsembar, the man responsible for the death of her beloved. This season appears to be her last chance, and she plans to wage a campaign the marcs haven’t seen since the beginning of the era. In doing so, she may face a challenge greater than a marc three times her size. Will she be able to keep her lofty oath to end this destructive era, or will she lose herself to the thrill of campaign? Necrem Oso – The scarred blacksmith who longs for home. Nothing good comes from the campaigns, especially for Necrem Oso and his family. They have scarred both him and his wife and cast his family into destitution. What little happiness he can provide for his daughter, his little miracle, and the few good days his wife has are all that keeps him going. But the campaigns don’t care for a steel-working man’s happiness, nor does Marqués Borbin when he has grand campaign plans for this season. If men can’t contribute to the campaign effort through their labor, then they will be forced into it another way. However, opportunities can arise on campaigns. But for Necrem, if given such an opportunity, is it enough for a wronged man to keep his shoulders hunched and go home, or raise his fists and demand retribution? For over 500 years, the status of the world has gone unchanged. In one year, three events will shatter it. The second happens in the west.