Druss, Captain of the Axe, was the stuff of legends--tales of the mighty warrior were told throughout the land. But even as the stories grew in the telling, Druss himself got older. Finally, he turned his back on glory to retreat to a mountain lair high in a lonely country. There he awaited his old enemy, death.

Far below, barbarian Nadir hordes were on the march. All that stood between them and the Drenai people was a mighty six-walled fortress--but now the great citadel was destined to fall.

Druss reluctantly agreed to come down from his mountaintop and lead this last, hopeless fight. Lost causes meant nothing to him--he'd fought in battles hailed as lost causes a thousand times in a thousand lands . . . And could not such a hero as Druss inspire a new generation of legends?