Viridius Vispanius is one of the most hated men in Wolfryia for his failure to protect Emperor Tiberius during an assassination attempt run by his own father and brother. Tiberius's son, Octavius Victorus is the newly minted emperor and has issued a royal decree to slaughter all those responsible for his father's death. Viridius escaped capture and headed to the lawless lands in Batopia, a wilderness cesspool of mercenaries who love to kill and loot. Left to his own devices, Viridius finds himself in a bar after a hard fought battle, one of many over the last year. He just wants to be left alone. Unbeknownst to him, his old ally and former friend, Gius Lupinius sitting in the same bar has been sent by The Rebellium, a group of former legionnaires who plotted the assassination of Octavius's father to help them in their second uprising to kill the newly minted emperor. Gius pours a bucket of water on a drunk Viridius and after waking him, he tries to sell him on their plan, offering him one hundred thousand gold coins as a reward.