Grimm Afelnor, the youngest Mage Questor in Arnor House, has sworn to expunge the stain from his reviled family name. Grimm’s arduous first Quest with his best friend, Dalquist, seems simple enough at first: to retrieve a magical gem from a magic-using Baron. Along the way, Grimm has to kill a man, destroy a demon, conquer unwitting drug addiction and break free of magical infatuation cast by a young witch-nun. Grimm regards the wealth and title of Baron as more than ample recompense for his pains, but even more good fortune comes his way, when, soon afterwards, he becomes a Fifth Rank Mage Questor, due to a clerical oversight. Life for the young mage seems to be going his way. With a scaly titan, a mighty albino swordsman, an elven thief and a six-inch imp amongst his allies, and Grimm feels confident when ordered to assist in tackling a renegade General who seems to be abducting Guild Mages. His only problems are: the prejudiced and domineering senior mage, Questor Xylox; a young female pickpocket; and a mysterious, insidious sickness lurking in the Shest Mountains. **