In the colonial cities and towns of Fatrasta, peace has never been easy. Immigrants fight amongst themselves or turn on the native population, while the governing power of the Kez Army steps in only to enforce the will of apathetic local governors assigned by a distant crown. Young war hero Ben Styke commands a colonial garrison in a sleepy frontier suburb. When the governor’s cruel brother stops for the night, rising continental tensions force Styke to protect the people of his town in a brutal escalation that threatens to destroy everything – and everyone – he has fought for. Occurs twelve years before the events in Sins of Empire

It is the height of the Gurlish Wars. Sergeant Tamas, a young infantryman in the Adran Army, struggles to keep his squad alive despite the blundering incompetence of their superior officers. Not only does Tamas have the curse of being an ambitious commoner in an army where rank is purchased rather than earned, he is also a powder mage. His magical ability to manipulate gunpowder is frowned upon by officers and feared by Privileged sorcerers. When the Adran Army is about to give up on the siege of an enemy fortress, Tamas seizes upon the opportunity to prove his worth as a strategist and mage. But breaking the enemy on his own won't be easy, no matter how strong he is