The prelude started with Fazia's cavalry unit returning to their barracks in Berigissel, capital of the Duchy of Westmarch in the Krithian Empire. Darra arrived in town soon after, and while getting to know the city, she stumbled across two men attacking a merchant. When they turned to deal with her, her screams attracted the attention of Fazia, who was visiting an armorer in a nearby street. As a priest of the Bloodletter, Fazia welcomed a chance to fight, and ran to investigate. One of the men had wounded Darra, causing her to shift to horse form to try to escape. Rather than fight Fazia, the men decided to retreat (and report the shapeshifter to their "master"). During the standoff, the two women realized that their enemies were walking dead.

Fazia brought Darra to her barracks, where they were questioned by a local law-enforcer, the moon-priest Pelmark Silverbolt (who magically healed Darra's wound). Fazia then reported to her lieutenant, Ulfgar, while Darra rested.

Later, the two women talked more, and found some common ground: First, they are both at least partly decended from Desert Men (the nomads of the wasteland on Krith's border). [Amusingly, both players decided on werehorse clerics independently, though Darra's true calling is an in-game secret, and she does not yet know that Fazia is also a were.] Darra revealed that she was hunting a necromancer-priest of Shulkor, but has not yet given many details [she has many points in Secrets]. This was enough for Fazia to want to help her; she can understand hunting enemies, and is always eager for a good fight. (She was disappointed that she shed no blood for her goddess while rescuing Darra, and is annoyed that their new enemies, being undead, might be deficient in blood.) Also, between themselves, the undead spoke the Desert Tongue, a language Fazia knows from a past undercover mission among the tribes (some of which are hostile to Krith).