In the resplendent city-state of Diadem, an embattled monarch seeks out the aid of a self-styled corsair. In exchange for a commuted sentence in the dockside prison, Stella Nautica is to be employed in rooting out a malignant evil plaguing the land. Dawnguard patrols have gone missing, political conspiracy abounds, and the modernization of the small nation is being undermined by a bellicose and emboldened aristocracy. An ex-pirate and a motley crew of adventurers seem woefully unprepared to face down such problems. But their relative obscurity may be their one, essential advantage.