In this sword-and-sorcery tale, Kael Voss, a legendary 53-year-old thief, is facing a death sentence: a terminal wasting sickness with only months to live. His final act of desperation leads him to the swamp-city of Zar-Nakesh to consult Mareth the Collector, an ancient dealer in forbidden artifacts.Kael seeks the mythical City of Glass, a place rumored to hold the secret to immortality. Mareth confirms the city's existence and reveals a dark truth: the only map to the city is tattooed on the skin of an immortal warrior known as the Red Sword. This "guardian" was created centuries ago by mages to protect their secrets; the alchemical ink of the map only reveals itself when the bearer is subjected to extreme physical distress or brought to the brink of death.