Forced to leave the elven forest because of his barbarian heritage, half-elven Toran finds work in a rundown tavern in Eridan's thieves' quarter. Combining his keen elven senses and barbarian battle skills he thwarts an assassination attempt on a visiting princess and earns an invitation to join the secret protectors of Eridan, known as the Warders. Working with a traitor, a second assassin poisons the princess. Led by the dwarf Draham, Toran and the princess's lady in waiting, set out to retrieve the antidote's key ingredient, while other Warder agents infiltrate royal society to capture the traitor.