four portions, each representing one of the four elements. The King gave one portion to each of the races so that they could create their own Dominion Lords. A fifth portion of the Stone that was unseen, save by the young Prince Dagnarus, was the Void. As a balance to the Sovereign Stone, a Void follower was able to accept the Dagger of the Vrykyl from the Void itself, which has similar powers to create the antithesis of the Dominion Lords. Races Humans Humans are in tune with the magic of earth, a power which is controlled through the church. While once a unified race in the nation of Vinnengael, they have become divided into varying nations and ethnic groups by war and time, with different cultures, practices, and alliances. Orks Orks are excellent seafarers, connected to the magic of the water. They are master engineers and are dedicated to the reading of omens. The authors have commented that they wanted the Orks in this world to be more than "the usual cannon-fodder", and made several changes to the average fantasy orc. Dwarves Dwarves are associated with the element of fire. They are master horsemen, living as nomads on the great plains. Any dwarf who is unable to ride with the tribe or is convicted of a crime is sentenced to be "the Unhorsed" and condemned to live in one of the three "Cities of the Unhorsed". The dwarf god is "the Wolf", and they believe that if they lead a good life their soul is reborn in the body of a wolf, to run in the pack of their god. Elves Elves segregate themselves from the rest of the world. They are ruled by the Divine, a religious authority, who is aided by the Shield of the Divine in all military matters, though with frequent power struggles between the Shield and the Divine. There are 12 noble houses of elves of which everyone is either a member or a follower, as well as an exiled house that appears in the second and third books. Elves practice a form of ancestor worship, and live in very dense multi-generational family homes. Pecwae A race of wee-folk, Pecwae are skilled earth mages and always live near a Human tribe called the Trevenici, with whom they have a symbiotic relationship. The Pecwae are weak and preyed upon by other races, and the Trevenici