Inspired by dwarf lore and elven splendor a dragon slips beneath the veil on a mission of destruction. The artificial intelligence of the adversary system is supposed to make Great Illusions Games a break-out success. Yet in one disastrous evening the AI Adversary brings down the Great Tree of Life and immolates himself and the entirety of the Elven Kingdom. The loss of data is immense and couldn't come at a worse time. Don Archer, the game's creative director and chief architect, has just a few weeks until the game's public debut to train up a new AI Adversary and recreate a third of the massive world. Jaxom Cain is a bard and accomplished illusionist and yet he is as green as they come. While traveling in the Orc Borderlands he is recruited by a group of adventurers on a quest for Jaribae's Beard and the Chests of Lore. He blunders through the first few orc encounters but learns fast. He's never known any world but this one, and yet the paladin, hunter, rogue and druid he adventures with speak of strange things that hint at another reality. The paladin Loki befriends Jaxom and recruits him for his arena team. Little do they know that one day they will become great rivals for control of the Illusion Game.
