I am not entirely sure why our beginning needs to be somewhere in the desert four months away from Chiaroscuro.<br/><br/>I'm not unwilling to say that Madder ran into someone and then nearly chopped off their heads before forging an uneasy, spur-of-the-moment alliance against a greater foe before going off their own ways -- but Madder certainly wouldn't go "Well, now I guess I'll just follow you around!"  She has her own things to do, after all, and they don't include sitting around in the desert four months from home.<br/><br/>But that's okay; your character is, presumably, going to return to Chiaroscuro, and that is where Madder will be.  Otherwise, I foresee Madder's prelude involvement being 'doesn't do anything', because there is nothing of interest to her in the desert, really.  She is a social architect, after all -- and an awesome swordsperson, sure -- but I have it on pretty good authority that it would not be good if she went ahead and Social Architected a camp which is populated solely by your character's followers. :p<br/><br/>Now I am going to make a post and follow Pumpkin Seeds' example because it was awesome.  'Now' might be tomorrow.  Can't be certain.