Emperor Alexius has sent his Questing Knights forth to bring back reports from all quarters of the Known Worlds on the state of his empire.

The fourth volume surveys the Li Halan Fiefs -- the Garden Worlds of the Most Illustrious Family of Supreme Merit, ruled by lords who trace their lineages back to the ancient Eastern empires of Urth. The Mandate of Heaven colors all aspects of Li Halan life from the deserts of Kish, the mysterious mountains and ghost-haunted cities of Icon, the dragon-favored dells of Midian, to the rebellious enclaves of Rampart.