Even young Cassian, just eighteen, cannot grasp the true nature of the tome in his hands. It once belonged to his father, and before that to his grandfather, stretching back through distant ages. Its pages are covered in indecipherable characters, a script far older than any language known today.
He deduces it must be a grimoire from the few symbols he recognizes, ones he studied at the Sereltha Magic Academy in the small city of Miriar, on the far edge of the kingdom of Erionulkar.
The tome is bound in a cover of pure black, without a title or any markings. Despite the age it suggests, its pages remain flawless, as if freshly written. It is the only possession of his father that remains untouched.
His father, Balthor Thalukvar, was executed ten years earlier, accused of performing dark rites in honor of the Primordial Shadow, Nyratalir. Every writing or artifact he owned was cast into the flames, yet for some mysterious reason this book escaped the eyes of his executioners.
