Wizard's Shield

Sovereign is a magical shield that gains awareness in a wizard's laboratory, imbued with consciousness but without any knowledge of who or what it is. Given to a warlord seeking power over the chaotic northern lands, the shield struggles to come to grips with its existence, tormented by scraps of memory from what feels like a past life. Sovereign becomes a tool in the struggles for power between the northern warbands, but that struggle draws the attention of the powerful lords of the south, who send their best—the notorious mercenary band, Valen's Wolves—to investigate. With warlords, mercenaries, and wizards all interested in the fate of the shield, will anyone finally uncover its secret?