The Shining West has long stood as a beacon of freedom, guarding its people from the evils of the Loszians. Aquis is the largest of the Western Kingdoms, ruled by its benificent Queen Erella, High Priestess to Garod, leader of the gods of light. The son of a farmer, Cor Pelson had always been different. Shortly after he was born came the horrific coughing attacks. His skin changed color to the gray of the grave. He is a Dahken, feared by the Loszian necromancers, reviled by the Western priests and thought extinct by both. Frightened and determined to protect those he loved, Cor steals away from home. He finds that the world is not the safe place that his parents taught him of, but in fact is a brutal place where blood flows readily. He finds, even on the open sea, that those who would control the power within his blood follow him, intent on inflicting harm upon those around him. He must learn to tap the power within his blood to find his own path, take revenge and build a new world for his kind.