William Drake, a modern day Illinois blacksmith, is no stranger to unusual orders, but the latest one is odder than most. He has been commissioned to create a sword of bizarre specifications, and the sword isn't the only thing that's strange. His customer, Markham, is definitely not a local, and balks at the bill.  The sword is stolen by Markham, and William storms after him, finally retrieving the blade at the top of a rented Scottish tower. During the confrontation, William is transported, artifact in hand, to an alternate world called Wayland.Sly bartering demons, the Aos Si, wish to claim Wayland, as does a rival duke and his mage, Veddick. Meanwhile, a banished dieity, Credine, is seeking return to Wayland by using William as his unwilling avatar. Caught in a web between the three competing powers, William must unravel the mystery of the sword he has forged, stave off the encroaching god Credine and save the residents of Wayland from the god, the usurpation of the rival duke, and the Ao Si.