Mage Envoy of Lothrhyn, head of an expedition into the Wandering Roams in order to find the strange Goliaths and Zakis, is accompanied by Earth Mage Iona, a mutant lion-Khatta named Ari, a Titanian scout named Backhand, and a curious Zerda scholar named Jaffi of Madara. They encounter a group of wandering Xients – porcupine/armadillo anthropomorphs residing in the area. Envoy uses the Vykarin language to communicate with the chieftain, and manages to acquire a strange artifact as well as a map showing the "Goliath Graveyard" in the center of a Forbidden Zone.