When Ren, a young son of a lighthouse keeper, rescues a stranger foundering in the rocks near his home, he learns the man was an aide to his true father, a great King. Ren is given a magic compass crystal that guides him to a dragon who shows him that the only way to claim his heritage is to find the Thirteen Treasures of Rule. Unfortunately, a pirate ship captained by the evil Bloth is also aware of this treasure and is relentlessly pursuing Ren for it. On his side, Ren soon acquires companions like Ioz the Pirate, Tula the Eco-Mage, and Niddler the Monkey-Bird, who help him in his quest. That quest becomes all the more urgent when Ren learns that the Dark Water, a carnivorous form of water that consumes anything it snares, threatens to envelope and destroy his world and only the treasures he seeks can stop it.
Tula changes when she discovers that she too is a Ecomancer. She and Teron battle Blight to restore the island of Andorus to its former beauty.
Ren saves a mysterious woman from the Dark Water, but her selfishness puts the whole crew in danger.
Ren heeds a message from his dead father and takes the crew to Banjamaar to find the Bell of the First Sound.
The crew finds a dangerous mud creature stands between them and one of the Treasures of Rule.
Niddler is mistaken for the savior of the Mobo, a race of monkey birds, but his delight turns to fear when he learns he must rescue his new subjects from the immense Feryx.
The crew sails through the sinister Straits of Hedren, where ships have vanished for years.
