In the depths beneath the Everbright City lies a vast complex of caves known as The Shade. The Underking of the Shade, Salidar thulu'Khant, seeks to free the demons imprisoned in the city above and use them to unseat King Neredos, the immortal ruler of humanity. The future of the world rests in the unwilling hands of young thief and Shade native, Styx, who is thrust into the middle of a conflict which has perpetuated for centuries.