For several moons now, the Freefolk have suffered under the cruel depredations of puppet-like horrors known as Carrionettes. Once tormented by them and now directing them is Valtherion ni Shaerach, formerly of Callas Selvarion and almost a Witch-King of the West. Unfortunately, this individual has not stopped at simply ravaging Midworld with Carrionettes and Face-takers. From his impregnable stronghold, he seeks to rend the very veil between worlds asunder… and with the help of Anubisath and the Western World Lock — his goal is well within his grasp.

To counter this new threat, the Kingdoms of Midworld are working together to find a way to breach his defenses within the Aether and end his mad scheme. The depths of the Aethereal realm must be dredged and a forgotten relic must be recovered– or the Western Kingdoms will fall to the nightmarish horror of the self-styled Prince of Thorns.

The coming of summer and the warming of days herald a bright future for the frontier town of Freehold, but the trials of yesteryear are not so easily brushed aside. In a handful of years, the Freefolk have defeated many a threat and lost many an ally – great and small, mighty and meek. It has been said by the wise that “the guide to the future lies in the lessons of the past”. But some regrets and some memories may be too horrifying to relive and too dangerous to dwell upon, especially in a world where an enspelled thought is deadly to an ignorant mind and mental echoes can manifest as perilous horrors. Rumors now claim that such a being now roams the Hinterlands, a winged terror to those unfortunate enough to encounter it. What then can Freehold do to an enemy that fights not only with magic, but with weaponized thought and memory?