Lodoss, the accursed island has seen wars ravage its kingdoms for thousands of years. Now, an evil beyond any it has ever faced before, and a party of six are drawn together in battle. Among them: Parn, a young fighter who lacks experience but who is destined to become a legendary hero; Deedlit, a beautiful but deceptively deadly elf; Ghim, a grizzled dwarf warrior; Etoh, a young priest; Slayn, a wizard; and Woodchuck, a good-natured thief.
For years, Emperor Beld has eyed Lodoss with hungry eyes from his fortress on the dark island of Marmo. Now, poised to strike with an army of monsters and evil dragons, his only obstacle is the Kingdom of Valis and the wise, but venerable King Fahn - once his closest friend! However, Beld is not alone in his dreams of conquest. His advisor, the dark wizard Wagnard, has plans of his own - the resurrection of Kardis the Destroyer! But first, Wagnard will have to wrest the Scepter of Domination from the ancient dragon, Narse. Behind the scenes, Karla, the mysterious "Grey Witch," watches and manipulates the heroes like pawns on a chessboard - hoping to prevent any one man from controlling all of Lodoss...

Man against wizard. Dragon against dragon. Light against darkness. Six who barely know each other but who are destined to become heroes as they encounter enemies and allies beyond their wildest imaginations. The war for the future of Lodoss has begun!