Blood and Bone/Prologue

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==Kingdom of the Thaumaturgs==
===Saeng===
Since she was a child, growing up in a Jacuruku jungle village in the Kingdom of the Thaumaturgs, Saeng has been able to see the spirits of the dead. She comes from a lineage of priestesses of the Sky and the Sun, the region's original faith. Her brother Hanu is her protector from physical dangers, and as her powers grow she casts spiritual protections over him. When recruiters for the Thaumaturgs, the country's rulers, come to the village her protections are detected and Hanu is taken.
==Haven==
===Shimmer===
In Haven on Stratem, Shimmer, the acting governor in the absence of K'azz and Blues, sees an unknown ship dock. From it come servants of Ardata, Rutana and Nagal, sent to bring the Crimson Guard to Jacuruku where Ardata's lands are threatened by the Disavowed Skinner. K'azz is summoned. When he arrives he is persuaded to agree to go by the information that the Dolmens of Tien are under threat.
==Desert of the Adwami Tribes==
===The Warleader===
Ten raiding vessels commanded by a man known as The Warleader arrive in Jacuruku on the shore of the Desert of the Adwami Tribes. As his soldiers disembark, the Warleader tells his second in command, Scarza, that it has been many years since he last walked these lands. And yet, he tells the puzzled Trell, his arrival is not met by peals of trumpets nor the end of the world. The Warleader hopes to organise the local tribes against the nearby Kingdom of the Thaumaturgs, and if the tribes perish in the process, so be it. After Scarza leaves to carry out his orders, the Warleader mutters, "I'm back, you wretched circle of mages. What will you do?"
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