When Wischtech threatened to invade the fiefs of Szaalanden, the Emperor sent fourteen youths. Among them, the Seven Heroes stopped the invasion to usher in an era of prosperity, while the four Lances of Betrayal were allegedly defeated. Two decades later, the Lances of Betrayal have resurfaced and established a bandit militia near the frontier fief of Gormbark. A man wielding a black sword and bearing a scar over his left eye kills an entire troop of that militia. He is identified as a boy named Kóinzell, becoming a figure of both fear and hope, even as his own past, motivations, and purpose remain a mystery to those he encounters during his travels.