One morning, after a nigh of feasting, a sizeable force of raiders from the ocean arrive on the beach. In the ensuing fight the young soldier kills the leader of the raiders, but his lady is in turn killed. Her daughter survives, however, and is taken on as the responsibility of the (now) troop commander.

It turns out that his lover was not of the village, and was taken in by the villagers when her late husband found her dehydrated and wandering on the beach. An amulet is gifted to the girl from her mother's few belongings. The remaining soldiers ride to Gallis to report news of the raid to Lord Braddock IV.

Meanwhile, all along the South Coast, other villages have also been attacked by similar bands of raiders. And word soon comes that a large force of raiders has arrived by night and landed near the erstwhile village of Carcenus.

Lord Braddock sends scouts to determine the intentions of the raiders and learns that they come from a continent across the Southern Ocean. While their nature is to attack first, they soon settle in for the foreseeable future and begin building a town. Trade is established with local villages and Lord Braddock unwillingly cedes peace with the newcomers in exchange for a vow of truce.

Meanwhile, in the Ravens Claw Mountains a party of Dwarves, accompanied by a Human, uncover the entrance to an old tomb. they manage to break the seals and enter only to trigger a series of traps that kill and otherwise incapacitate half of the Dwarves. Unperturbed, the remainder of the party continue into the tomb in search of what treasures may be found. Entering the main burial chamber brings to life the tomb's undead guardians, which dispatch the remaining Dwarves.

The Human flees down a narrow side corridor and into a hidden deeper chamber. This tomb has a sarcophagus emblazoned with the image of a beautiful woman. Opening the coffin, the Human is stunned to find a desiccated corpse surrounded by valuable jewelry. On disturbing the jewels, the corpse collapses into dust, exposing a black gem which the Human picks up. It burns itself into his hand and passes along his arm and into his torso, where it embeds itself in his heart. The stone bears the essence of the tomb's owner, and she now possesses the body of the Human.

In the 'Yard, outside the city of Gallis, the vampiric ruler starts wakens at the same time as the gem reaches the Human's heart.

Also at that same instant, the jewel in the young girl's amulet glows with an inner fire and burns its way into the girl's body, and into her heart, leaving a small scar. She falls into a coma.

On a sailing ship passing the fortress of Spite, a young man counts the coins he has remaining to him from this voyage. He looks forward to returning to Gallis, although there is still a long way to travel from his current position.