The trilogy primarily takes place in the fictional
kingdom of Adro, one of the Nine Kingdoms founded by Kresimir, a semi-mythical figure now worshiped as a
deity. At the beginning of
Promise of Blood,
Field Marshal Tamas has just committed a ''
coup d'etat'' against Adro's corrupt and ineffective monarchy. The novel then focuses on the efforts of three men and one woman – Tamas, his son Taniel, a soldier, and former police inspector Adamat, as well as the laundress Nila – in the aftermath of the coup, dealing with conspiracies by royalist supporters, war with Adro's neighbors, and an emerging scheme to "summon" Kresimir. The technology level of the Nine Kingdoms is roughly on par with that of Europe during the
Revolutionary and
Napoleonic periods;
flintlock firearms are the prevalent weaponry. However,
magic is present and its users are usually divided into three classes: • Knacked are the least powerful, with few or no active magical powers; instead, they have a variety of uncanny abilities; Adamat, for instance, has an
eidetic memory, and Tamas's bodyguard, Olem, never needs to sleep. • Powder Mages are wizards with the ability to
metabolize gunpowder and use it as fuel for various magical powers, including
telekinesis; they can also manipulate gunpowder, such as causing it to explode spontaneously. Tamas and Taniel are both powder mages. • Privileged are powerful
sorcerers; being exceedingly rare, they are almost exclusively gathered into "Royal Cabals" in direct service to the Nine Kingdoms' various monarchs; at the outset of
Promise of Blood, Tamas has assassinated almost the entirety of Adro's Royal Cabal. == Reception ==