This is an immediate continuation of the last episode, where Sonia and the voice seek out the source of a magical aura from a ruined manor house in Battlerise. There she finds some Sembian Helms guarding a spherical "beacon." She she tries to acquire the orb, she is attacked by the Helms and by the Shadar-kai. Jendal, Ciran, and Mitoa come to help Sonya and the orb gets broken, causing the magical effects of the beacon to end... and those plunging the newly formed earthmote of Jarliel (which we mistakenly call Jariel) to the ground- killing everyone in Jarliel. When Mitoa's Harper friend, Harald, is attacked by the Shadar-kai, he orders Mitoa and crew to go north into the Vast Swamp. Their goal- to find out more about the beacon and about Aldond's relationship to the Shadar-kai.