From the back of the book: No sooner than you announced your names to the guards who stood upon the gates of Brynmoor, than you were rushed with all due haste to the castle and told that you would soon be granted audience before the king. Now you wait in the empty throne room. A royal fanfare sounds from unseen trumpets, and a concealed panel behind the throne slips aside. A man who must be King Daqan steps through it and stands before you. You see a sadness in his eyes that is well masked, but not hidden. "A fortnight ago a man was killed within the very walls of this castle. And in the days since then one deadly murder after another has been committed, and we have found ourselves helpless to thwart them. We know the undead lie behind these horrendous atrocities, but we do not know how or why. They strike without warning, entering our most secure chambers. "Then, two days ago...." His voice trails off, and he stands motionless through a tense silence. "Two days ago, my daughter was kidnapped from her chambers. They have taken her. I know not where. I...." His voice breaks, and his face twists in anguish. Then, as quickly as the moment came, it is gone. His voice is that of granite and steel, and his eyes pierce deeply into your own. "My first knights fight against the hordes on the frontier, and I fear that there remain none within this city with skill enough to save us from this evil which has descended upon our realm. Will you help us? Will you help me?"