Since the time of the Shattering, the eight gods have chosen for themselves champions from among the people of Talamh, men and women of renown, the strongest, wisest, and most cunning whose feats were remembered in song and story. But the age of heroes is long over, and the Champions have become little more than vain figureheads.

When all eight champions are murdered, Voske, a simple quarryman from the planet Erimos, is called alongside seven other souls to serve in their stead. He arrives in Arrajin, city of the gods, to find the Sacred Quarter occupied by violent heretics making wild claims of a mysterious ninth god. To make matters worse, he finds the temple hostile and the other champions less than enthusiastic. Determined to plunge head first into the heroism of the past, Voske sets out to recover a dangerous relic and test his mettle against gods and legends. But first, the Champions must overcome their greatest obstacle... each other.