Mysterious, horrific murders take place in the village of Omd. The locals think that a local pack of wolves is to blame. An adventurer investigates these deaths and, with the help of a mysterious stranger, unveils the truth behind the vicious murders. But the truth is much darker than anyone could have anticipated, and foreshadows a grim future for the entire continent of Ess'yer.

Adrian Rand, possibly the finest magician of his generation, used his superior intellect to outwit the strict rules of the Mage Guild of Ashkel and expedited his advancement into the Inner Circle of the Mage Guild. Now that he's been initiated, he is approached by old friends and asked to aid them in their efforts to revolutionize the Guild. The only problem is that this would involve murdering Magister Kelnys, the man in charge of the Guild.

Also in the city of Ashkel, a warrior of the Fighter's Guild by the name of Ryan Allen is seeking information from the Cabal, the criminal organization of the city. Haunted by the horrors of the past few weeks of his life, he will stop at nothing to reach his ultimate goal: to find and kill a vicious murderer whom even the Cabal fears, and rightfully so.

Preludes to a Nightmare is a collection of three short stories acting as prequels to the Rider of the Black Horse pentalogy. The events of these preludes take place mereley a few years before Twilightfall. We are a mere few years from the beginning of a dark time that will change the world forever.