Banished by Lord Ailaan to the caverns beneath the Range of Noorn, Gronag's hatred rankled, something awful, so he built a great stronghold, which he named 'Kalidrae', and set about concocting a plan to rid himself of the despised Guardian of the Earth.... In due course, with the help of the Baccra, terrible creatures from the depth of Beanden Tull, Gronag embarks on a reign of terror, subjecting all who live in the light (especially humans) to the horrors of the night. When her grandfather is spirited away by the Baccra, Jaedea Raal is thrown into a quandary and, in the days that follow, finds herself not only endeavouring to free the old man from the clutches of Gronag, overseeing the fortification of Witchet and liberating a whole coffle of prisoners from the mines of Kalidrae, but also attempting to rescue her father, Tyle the Watcher, from the dungeons below Taan Crag. Once the danger to Witchet is realised, Jaedea races off to the Valley of Light to fetch reinforcements. Her companion on this journey, a journey fraught with danger and mishaps, is Jadikij, a Sylvan endowed with ancient powers who, it appears, is just as headstrong as his charge. Ultimately, of course, our protaginists are charged with destroying the underworld citadel of Kalidrae, in an effort to thwart the evil plan of Gronag Podargus, but on the way down to Kalidrae, Jaedea Raal caused more than a few raised eyebrows...