The year is 1570 AF - approximately one hundred years after the end of Selenay's reign. Things have drastically changed in Valdemar since Selenay's time; dangers from within the country have managed to overwhelm the King and his Heralds. Jonathan III, a man nearing fifty years of age, was generally considered a weak leader, particularly by the upper classes, who had grown used to the iron hand of his father. The growing feelings of dissent were not the only things causing problems for Jonathan - he had as many issues within the Royal Apartments as outside of them. His wife, a Karsite, had left him and their two sons some years ago after finding that their eldest son, Caleb, would not be Chosen - and he would not be Chosen for good reason, as he had grown into an arrogant, sadistic, power-hungry young man with inflated notions of his own worth. These notions began to cause problems and, eventually, forced Jonathan to disown his oldest child.

Caleb, however, was not happy with his father's course of actions and found support among many of the upper class nobles who were sick of Jonathan and the Heralds. On a cold winter's night, they marched on the palace with what essentially was a small army. The Heralds were given advance warning, but only just - a single note and a flash of foresight had them sneaking out of the palace before they predicted the attack was to happen, but it came earlier than expected and they were forced to fight and flee. The result was many wounded, many dead, and no place to go now that Caleb was in control of the throne. They headed to the k'Valdemar Vale with the hopes of sanctuary, but no one really knows how long they'll be able to remain there - if at all.

This leaves Valdemar in a precarious position, with the forces of any one side pushing to tilt the balance of the kingdom in their favor - and it is only a matter of time before one succeeds, and who will come out on top remains yet to be seen. Will this tale result in a ballad as well known as Sun and Shadow, or will the Heralds come out on the losing end this time?