From the introduction: When Chiara Vacarro died from illness, her son Salamondre, one of Zobeck’s most famous dirgists, was distraught. Her husband’s suicide followed shortly thereafter. Salamondre’s performances at their funerals were talked about for weeks, and those who spoke of it wept when they recalled the mournful tones of his lyre and the pain in his voice. Then Salamondre left Zobeck. He traveled for many years. Seeking solace, is what people said, assuaging his grief. Yet that was not what motivated the dirgist. In all his music lay his own fear of death. He traveled far and wide, looking for a way to stop the inevitable. Salamondre wandered as far as the Southlands in his quest. He joined up with a band of adventurers, braving death even as he sought to elude it. He hoped that by delving into lost temples and abandoned crypts, he would find balm for his tortured soul. At some point, he did, but not before a final adventure that ended in tragedy. All the heroes in his band were slain except for Salamondre and Giselle, a paladin of Lada.