A voice calls to them from Volendam.Five misfits are forced together by fate.A vampire marked by a shadow woman possessing his blood.A thief with a price on her head for attempting to assassinate the sultan of Shoma.A man who lost his name.And two lizardfolk. One seeking the knowledge of immortality. The other, a life that is their own.When the ground opens up and sends them underground, the five strangers land inside a cavern overrun by rakken - grotesque, mutated rats worshiping a god whose return will bring about the end of days. As they fight their way to the surface, they're each branded with dark magic that connects them. Now a sudden urge pulls them to Volendam, a city of many secrets.But when they arrive, will they find a cure for their branded curse or trigger the awakening of the dragons of Vilanthris?