From the introduction:
Atop the mountain Nghuul the eight most reviled men and women met for the last time. Alone they are deathless sorcerers, old as time is old and wise in the ways of power. Together they formed the Akomoth, a cabal dedicated to the liberation of the human soul and the destruction of those that would enslave it.
In every empire, kingdom, and village in all the known lands, their names are cursed when they are spoken at all. In Khiron all ill fortune is ascribed to their blasphemy against the Creator. In the Basalt City on the shores of Jalinor, the Great Temple stands like a brooding giant. At the heart of the Temple two-hundred and twenty-two priests gather each day to pray for their death and ruin. In Gizarn, the rituals of worship cannot begin until wax images of them have been trampled by the congregation and cast into the street.
Now they met again for the final rite.