"When war comes, where do the people turn for protection?" Since the dawn of conflict, people have sought security in a Dark World. As war clouds roll over Tenebrae, its denizens feel the weight of the question: who protects the land, the people? Nobles struggle to own it. Heroes struggle to provide it. And commoners are left to simply struggle. As knowledge of an ancient God kindles, a new source of Protection comes to light: The Shield of Life. Like the famed Staff of Insight, this Shield is the second Ancient Artifact blessed by the One True God, and if offers an impenetrable defense against dark prayers and the undead creatures spawned from these unholy devotions. This is the explosive continuation of the epic story which began with a young mage coming of age in Volume I, In Pursuit of Wisdom. In a Dark World threatened by forces few understand, the quest for protection accelerates for everyone: the burdened Queen, the anointed Warrior, the resurrected Mage. Even the forces of evil that threaten the entire realm seek protection...from themselves.