You might think the bullies and the creeps at school would be enough enemies for anybody, in the normal course of things. But they're actually the least of your worries. Whether they know it or not, when they're on your case, they're really working for someone else...

The Lone Power: Once upon a time, when the Powers that Be were building the universe to the One's specifications, a single Power -- possibly the greatest of them, certainly the most honored and glorious -- went off by itself and came up with something that wasn't in the plan. It invented Death, and turned it loose in the worlds. Horrified, the other Powers went to war against the Lone One and threw It down from Its former exalted position, but the damage was already done. Now every wizard spends at least some time dealing with the Lone Power personally -- first during the wizard's own Ordeal, while he or she tries to survive the test -- and then later, during the course of normal work, trying to derail one or another of Its nasty plans. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't. You never know which way the fight will go.

The Lone Power has as many shapes as there are species in the worlds -- usually handsome, often charming, always dangerous. It can look human, or alien, or anything in between. It's everywhere that Life is, always tempting, testing, trying to get the unsuspecting to accept Its boobytrapped favors and poisoned gifts...