Time of Troubles

The Stolen Throne: The fragile peace between the Empire of Videssos and the nation of Makuran had shattered. War came, and the King of Makuran lay dead on the field of battle. Worse, a power-mad minister had seized the throne and the rightful heir had disappeared.
Abivard, son of a Makuran lord who had fallen in the same battle, realized that his only hope of saving his family and his land was to find the missing heir, though that would mean he would be branded traitor and become the target of every armed man who served the usurper - as well as his nation's most powerful sorcerers.
Abivard's only hope lay in the form of a perplexing prophecy of a field, a hill, and a shield shining across the sea. If the prophecy was true, it might lead him to the rightful ruler of Makuran - but first, he would have to survive long enough to solve its riddle.
Hammer and Anvil: The once-mighty Empire of Videssos had a despot on its throne, the pretender Genesios who enjoyed the opulent wealth at his command while barbarian attackers and invading enemies ravaged Videssos' borders. Some wondered if Videssos would even exist before many more years had passed.
None within the empire dared oppose Genesios, but young Maniakes, exiled with his father to a faraway island, raised a military force and set out to liberate his homeland. The forces against him were formidable, he faced Videssos' external foes as well as the legions of the tyrant - and a former friend would prove to be his most dangerous enemy.