Synopsis: The magic of the crown... Liras-ven had been touched by destiny, chosen despite his own wishes to be the wearer of the Crystal Crown and thereby named king of the Shan. As king, he had withstood a mighty wizard's deadly attack and saved his people from a terrifying doom. Yet now a far worse doom awaited Liras-ven and the people of Averidan. For the barbarian Cayd were invading, overwhelming the Shan in bloody battle. And as the Cayd warlord threatened to break down the final fortress gates, Liras and his mage and warrior allies sought even the most desperate means to protect their imperiled lands. But did a king still untutored in the true magic of the Crystal Crown dare to use it to surrender himself to the powers of the Realm Beneath, the otherworld of godly forces from which a true Shan king drew strength, but in which an ill-prepared lord could lose his very identity? (from the back cover of the DAW Books first edition)