The Eve of the Riftwar is here! Pug and the ducal party at last fulfill their desperate quest and arrive at the Kingdom's capital city of Rillanon. But the unease and growing tension of their long journey culminates in frustration as King Rodric the 4th reveals himself as a sovereign unhinged, plagued by indecisiveness and terrifying personality shifts. Treachery abounds, and not all is as it appears to be. As Duke Borric contemplates treason against the crown, the Riftwar finally erupts as the mighty Tsurani Empire begin their conquest of Midkemia.