A land destroyed by an unknown power. An explorer searching for answers. The quest will break him.Eighty years ago, Kores walked out of the Gray Waste, his crew dead or starved. Sixty years ago, he disappeared for ten years to learn the secrets of power from northern tribes. Forty years ago, he traversed the waste's northern boundary with nomads. There, he heard the whispers of the Old One, the Great Terror.Today, he'll do the unthinkable and engage in a blood ritual.Dozens of initiations and secrets learned, but he's no closer to understanding the truth about power.And time has passed him by. He's outlived everyone he once knew. No longer the revered explorer, he's become a pariah to the Schools and his colleagues. They want him to settle down into a respectable life.Maybe they're right?When faced with a choice that will change him forever, will he have the courage to choose the best path? Will that path finally give him what he seeks?It may... if it doesn't kill him first.