For more than eighty generations, two obscure societies have been at war with one another. One has worked to hide all knowledge of magic. The other has sought to exploit magical power that would enable it to unleash long-sequestered magical beings that once destroyed ancient kingdoms. A young bladesmith, Ereben Leaf, is swept into this hidden conflict when his family is inexplicably murdered-a crime for which he is blamed. With his only clue being the advice of a hated adversary to "seek out a Stump named Whittig Trench," he flees the one home he has ever known, into lands peopled by races named only in tales told to children. This journey will place at center stage his ignorance of the secrets contained within the dagger forged by his own hands and coveted by his relentless pursuers. The fate of civilization hangs in the balance.