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While Urlik Skarsol roams the ice fields in search of a new destiny (but at heart hoping simply to be reunited with his lost lover, Ermizhad), he is suddenly drawn through the planes to materialize in a new incarnation of the Eternal Champion. Finding himself in a barren wasteland, he soon spies a beautiful moth-like beast, and saves it from some barbarian attackers. Afterwards he runs into some warrior women who it turns out are his personal guards. Through careful conversation and inference, he learns that his new incarnation is that of Lord Clen of Clen Gar, a Knight of the fortress city of the Dream Marches. The warriors and sorcerers of the Dream Marches use illusions and force of arms to prevent the barbarians of Hell from overrunning its borders. After spending a night inside an abandoned stone structure (protecting them from the nightly deluge of corrosive acid rain), Clen and his female guards board a merchant ship heading back towards the Dream Marches. On the journey, a storm threatens their craft. The superstitious crewmen sacrifice cattle to the "Angels" (the moth-like creatures) in order to "appease their appetite".
- After finally reaching the capitol of the Dream Marches, Clen meets with his fellow Knights, and finds himself physically attracted to Lady Gradesmor, the wife of one of his dying friend Argrave. Clen learns from Argrave that the "Hellfolk" have declared war on Heaven, and are preparing a massive army to lay waste to the territory of the Dream Marches (which acts as a buffer between Heaven and Hell). The Hellfolk believe that the flying beasts are “Angels” sent from Heaven to punish them. The Angels absorb moisture from the air during the day and then expunge it as highly corrosive rain during the night. It is the Angels’ nightly acid rain that has caused Hell to become a wasteland of collapsed ruins.
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Clen journeys to the luxurious (but decadent) land of Heaven, which is located on the other side of the Dream Marches opposite from Hell. There, he tries to seek aid to help the Dream Marches withstand the marching barbarian hordes of Hell. Unfortunately, Prince Fevror tells Clen that he prefers to let the Dream Marches take the brunt of the Hellfolk’s attack so that afterwards Heaven can more easily defeat the remnants. Worse, he then has his "children" (giant mutated creatures) attack Clen. Despite his heroic efforts, Clen is distracted by Fevror’s beautiful servant girl and captured. Fevror then uses a whistle to summon an Angel in order to offer the Knight up as a sacrifice. An Angel picks Clen up and carries him away but eventually deposits him safely on the ground. There, Clen learns that the Angels are an intelligent race who are marooned on this plane and only wish to return home. Because Clen had earlier saved one of their number from the Hellfolk, the Angels have decided to spare him. Clen asks for their help against the Hellfolk invasion but they refuse to become involved in the conflict between Heaven and Hell.
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Clen is brought back to the Dream Marches just before the armies of Hell attack his city. During the ensuing battle many die (including Argrave). That night, Lady Gradesmor shows Clen an escape route through the dimensions, and proposes that they use it to escape the Dream Marches together. Instead, Clen returns to Heaven where he is forced to fight and kill Prince Fevror. Afterwards he summons an Angel with Fevror’s whistle and makes a bargain with it, offering it passage out of this plane in return for their help against the Hellfolk army. The Angels fly to the Dream Marches and dissolve the Hellfolk army with their acid rain trail.
- As promised, Clen leads the Angels to Lady Gradesmor’s secret dimensional passage and they depart in search of their true home plane. Clen enters the breach as well and soon sights the Dark Ship. He boards the mysterious craft and is greeted by the blind Captain. The ship departs, taking Clen towards new planes.
The Swords of Heaven, the Flowers of Hell: Synopsis
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