"Man was born of nature, and carries deep within him the will to survive…"
Hardway stands on a lonely rock in the middle of raging seas. Once a prison colony, where the worst criminals were sent to live out their days, it is now a thriving city-state. The people of Hardway are survivors, and have carved out their own society in the grey waste of the ocean. This is a place of exile, a natural home for wanderers and outcasts.
One such is a blind old man, a great soldier in his youth, now condemned to live out his days on the island as a despised cripple. There are few alive who can remember General Dusek in his prime, and his own memories are fading. Another lost soul is Maximilian, an artist in thrall to the criminal gangs that run Hardway. Maximilian believes in fate, his own glorious destiny, but first he must find a way to keep body and soul together.
Yet Hardway is not totally forgotten. To the east lies the realm of the Dragon, King Vazul, whose ancestors once ruled over the vast continent of the Old Kingdom. Those days are far in the past now, and Vazul rules over a shrunken remnant of the once-mighty empire. He dreams of matching the deeds of his ancient forebears. His eyes turn east, to Hardway, a refuge for every outlaw and fugitive from his kingdom. The first step to rebuilding his empire is the conquest of Hardway.
Vazul has a rival. To the west, beyond the shores of the Girdle Sea, lies the realm of Calisse. This is a place of mystery and dark magic, founded on the blood of sacrificial victims. For centuries the witch-queens of Calisse have ruled from the Necropolis, city of tombs, and fought to extend their control over the mountains and plains. The latest Grey Queen has finally crushed her enemies, and the whole of Calisse fallen under her sway. She now turns west to face the growing threat of the Dragon.
Caught in the middle of these great powers, the people of Hardway must do what they have always done; find a way to survive. They have no army, no fleet, and no friends. Who will step forward to defend the helpless?
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