De Sardet, a noble of the Merchant Congregation, prepares to travel to the newly-settled island of Teer Fradee. De Sardet's cousin, Prince Constantin d'Orsay, has been named governor of New Serene, the Congregation's capital on the island, with De Sardet to act as his Legate. The Congregation hopes that the exotic environment of Teer Fradee will yield a cure for the malichor, a deadly plague spreading on the continent.
