The event that came to be known as the Fall fundamentally changed the world physically as well as politically, destroying the ancient Kingdom of Ur and giving rise to the chaotic and desolate region known as the Shadowlands. Now, a thousand years later, the Empire of Holy Inari spans a third of the world, its power and prestige are unmatched. Locomotives connect distant parts of the world and steel clad airships soar through the skies. Life is comfortable for most, but not all is as it would seem within the Empire. With the Empress dying and old rivalries coming to the fore once more, the fragile peace that the world has known during her long reign is on the brink of collapse. In the Eastern Colonies, the forgotten son of a noble house is forced to claim his rightful place as heir, while a young baker's apprentice undertakes a mission into the Shadowlands in the name of friendship. All the while war brews in the west and an old threat stirs in the east.