In the unlucky thirteenth book, a city in Old Earth is besieged by a Portal of Chaos, created by a Norse god whose magic can be harnessed from superstitions. Then, a wandering stick-and-mud lady captures the attention of the shapeshifters in Golem of Gloom, and they vow to get her safely home, wherever that is. Her plight leads to all kinds of trouble in the heavily armed Temple of Orcs, a place full of magical artifacts and fascinating pocket realms.