Tungdil Goldhand, a young blacksmith, is the only dwarf in Ionandar, one of Girdlegard's five enchanted realms. These realms, rich in magical energy forcefields, are ruled by magi, while other lands are ruled by the kings and queens of Girdlegard. Tungdil's "foster father", the venerable magus Lot-Ionan, sends him on an errand to return some artifacts to one of his former pupils and travel to the secondling dwarf kingdom. Along the way he meets Boïndil Doubleblade and Boëndal Hookhand, two secondling twins, who lead him to Ogreʼs Death, a fortress in their kingdom. They slaughter orcs and avoid Nudin the Knowledge-Lusty, a magus who has fallen under the spell of The Perished Land. Nudin betrays the magi, kills them, and corrupts the forcefields so that he alone can use them. The Perished Land attempted and succeeded in infiltrating Girdlegard and defeating the dwarves' fifthling kingdom eleven hundred cycles ago. Whoever dies on the Perished Land is raised as a revenant in service of the Perished Land's spirit; however, if the revenant's spirit is strong enough, it can resist the Perished Land's influence. Tungdil owns the books that explain the only way to defeat Nudin: forge a magical axe called Keenfire that needs to have a steel blade, a hilt made of the extinct tree known as the sidguredaisy, and runes engraved with a combination of all the known metals. They decapitate Nudin, but he survives thanks to the dark power of the spirit of the Perished Land possessing him. They meet Andôkai, the last surviving maga, and her bodyguard, Djerůn. Tungdil is also involved in a plot to delegitimize Gandogar's claim to the throne. Gandogar has been convinced by his evil advisor, Bislipur Surestroke, who is secretly a thirdling that the elves betrayed the fifthlings and want to create a war with them while they're weak from the constant battles with the Perished Land. Tundgil and Gandogar then set out to forge Keenfire for the fifth challenge that was taken out by chance by Bislipur in the draw. The fifthlings Soon Glamdolin Strongarm, a thirdling spy who was thought to be sick, opened the door. Glandallin, a brown haired and brown eyed dwarf, cut him down and charged the door with the few dwarves left alive to give the door time to close. Giselbert Ironeye, Glandallin, and eight other dwarves who were revenants helped forge Keenfire. They held the orcs off with the help of the undead Bavragor Hammerfist. The symbol of the fifthlings is a circle of red vraccasiam chain links. It is said in one of the fifthling tablets "it is possible to rekindle a frozen dwarves innerfurnace with white hot coals."
