The Companions of the Tattered Cloak leave Marienburg and wind their way along the banks of the River Reik towards the village of Pfeifeldorf, to carry out Lady Selena Reiva's errand and to pursue the Crusade of the Child.
Under the eaves of the Drakwald they encounter danger and must fight for their lives.
Investigations continue in Pfeifeldorf as our heroes face corruption, snobbery, buffoonery and worse in their quest to find and rescue Gertie the Chicken. Allies are found in unexpected places, and for some the weight of their guilty conscience is too much...
A showdown occurs with on one side the companions, their new allies in the Blauesblut and on the other the foul Hollenbach and his summonings. Will the arrival of a third party complicate things? Will the vile Lennhart von Speier be saved, despite his many sins? What of those of his brother?
Reeling from the previous night's events the people of Pfeifeldorf resolve to investigate where their ghoulish attackers came from. The Company of the Tattered Cloak join forces with the Blausblut and strike forth to Pfeifeldorf's hinterlands in search of answers. Instead they find madness, disease and corruption that seeks to turn the very land against them.
Wendell Ott, now de-facto leader of the Blausblut struggles with the pressures of command...