Hangman's Gate (War of the Archons 2) by R S Ford
The highly anticipated sequel to A DEMON IN SILVER, HANGMAN'S GATE continues the epic saga of the War of the Archons. After uniting the bandit clans, the Iron Tusk has swept into Shengen and taken control of the empire. With an army behind him, he marches along the Skull Road, ready to lay waste to the lands in the west. The mountain fortress of Dunrun and its rag-tag defenders are all that stand in his way. With their country besieged on all sides, troubling rumours of a priestess amassing power in the north, and unnatural alliances to the south, no help is coming. Alone, they must hold back the inhuman powers of the Iron Tusk, or see life as they know it come to an end. The old gods have returned...