After
the Riftwar against the Tsurani, alien invaders from the world of
Kelewan, peace reigned in the Kingdom of the Isles for nearly a year.
King Lyam and his brothers, Prince Arutha and Duke Martin, toured the
eastern cities and neighbouring kingdoms, then returned to Lyam’s
capital at Rillanon. The Princess Carline, their sister, gave an
ultimatum to her lover, Laurie the minstrel: wed her or leave the
palace. Arutha and Princess Anita became engaged, and plans were made
for their wedding in Krondor, Arutha’s city.
When Arutha
finally returned to Krondor, late one night, Jimmy the Hand, a boy
thief, stumbled across and foiled a Nighthawk, an assassin, whose
target was Arutha. It was a standing order among the Mockers that all
news of the Nighthawks be reported at once. Jimmy became confused
about where his loyalty lay, with the Mockers -the Guild of Thieves –
or with Arutha, whom he had known the year before. Before he could
decide, Jimmy was set up for murder by Laughing Jack, an officer in
the Mockers, proof Jack was in league with the Nighthawks. During the
ambush, Jimmy was wounded and Laughing Jack killed. Jimmy then
decided to warn Arutha.
Warned of the
plot, Arutha, Laurie and Jimmy trapped two assassins and imprisoned
them in the palace. Arutha discovered the Nighthawks were somehow
connected to the temple of the Death Goddess, Lims-Kragma. He ordered
the High Priestess to attend him, but by the time she arrived one of
the assassins had died and the other was dying. She sought to
discover how her temple had been infiltrated by the Nighthawks. Upon
dying, one of the captured Nighthawks was revealed as a magically
disguised moredhel, a dark elf. The now dead creature rose up, called
upon his master, Murmandamus, and attacked the High Priestess and
Arutha. Only the magic intervention of Arutha’s adviser Father
Nathan balked the otherwise unkillable creature.
