Sent to the Graylands after receiving the reports on Müllenkamp cult's siege on Duke Bardorba's manor, Ashley and Callo Merlose discover that the Iocus priesthood militia, the Crimson Blades, had moved on their own without the approval of the VKP. Their aim was to capture Sydney, leader of the cult. Ashley meets Callo at their rendezvous point in the forest outside the Graylands, secretly watching the activities in the manor's tower from faraway.