In the realm known as Tananen, people worship a single diety, The Deathless Goddess, whose words summon magic. Mage scribes learn to write her words as intentions: spells to create beasts or plants. But this magic comes at a great price, for each successful intention ages a mage, yet her magic demands to be used. To end this terrible toll, the greatest mage in Tananen vows to find and destroy her, but he has yet to learn that she is all that protects Tanen from what waits outside, and all that keeps magic alive.