diff --git a/src/App.css b/src/App.css
index 214fb77..75d250b 100644
--- a/src/App.css
+++ b/src/App.css
@@ -421,3 +421,161 @@
 .btn-new-game:hover {
   color: #6b5a3e;
 }
+
+/* ── Prologue screen ─────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+.prologue-screen {
+  max-width: 680px;
+  margin: 0 auto;
+  padding: 2rem 1rem 4rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-header {
+  margin-bottom: 1.75rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-label {
+  display: block;
+  font-size: 0.68rem;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.12em;
+  color: #6b5a3e;
+  margin-bottom: 0.4rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-title {
+  font-size: 1.6rem;
+  font-weight: normal;
+  color: #2a1f0e;
+  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
+  margin: 0 0 0.4rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-subtitle {
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  color: #6b5a3e;
+  font-style: italic;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
+/* Selection grid — two columns of cards */
+.prologue-grid {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
+  gap: 10px;
+  margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-card {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  gap: 4px;
+  background: #faf7f2;
+  border: 1px solid #c8b89a;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 0.875rem 1rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  text-align: left;
+  transition: border-color 0.15s, background 0.15s;
+}
+
+.prologue-card:hover {
+  border-color: #8fbc8f;
+  background: #f0f7f0;
+}
+
+.prologue-card--selected {
+  border: 2px solid #2d5a2d;
+  background: #f0f7f0;
+}
+
+.prologue-card-latin {
+  font-size: 0.68rem;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+  color: #9a8a6e;
+}
+
+.prologue-card-name {
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  font-weight: bold;
+  color: #2a1f0e;
+}
+
+.prologue-card-summary {
+  font-size: 0.73rem;
+  color: #6b5a3e;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+}
+
+.prologue-card-den {
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  color: #2d5a2d;
+  font-weight: bold;
+  margin-top: 2px;
+}
+
+/* Confirm row */
+.prologue-confirm-row {
+  display: flex;
+  justify-content: flex-end;
+}
+
+.prologue-confirm {
+  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  border: 1px solid #2d5a2d;
+  background: #faf7f2;
+  color: #2d5a2d;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  font-weight: bold;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  transition: background 0.15s;
+}
+
+.prologue-confirm:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: #d4e8d4;
+}
+
+.prologue-confirm:disabled {
+  opacity: 0.4;
+  cursor: not-allowed;
+  border-color: #c8b89a;
+  color: #6b5a3e;
+}
+
+/* Read-only chosen view */
+.prologue-chosen {
+  /* inherits .prologue-screen padding */
+}
+
+.prologue-chosen-name {
+  font-size: 1.4rem;
+  font-weight: normal;
+  color: #2a1f0e;
+  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
+  margin: 0 0 0.2rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-chosen-latin {
+  display: block;
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  letter-spacing: 0.1em;
+  color: #9a8a6e;
+  margin-bottom: 1rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-chosen-summary {
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  color: #6b5a3e;
+  line-height: 1.7;
+  font-style: italic;
+  margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
+}
+
+.prologue-chosen-den {
+  font-size: 0.78rem;
+  color: #2a1f0e;
+}
diff --git a/src/App.jsx b/src/App.jsx
index 2c166bd..45da7e0 100644
--- a/src/App.jsx
+++ b/src/App.jsx
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
 import { generateToken, loadState, saveState } from './api.js'
 import { createState } from './gameState.js'
+import { BACKGROUNDS } from './constants.js'
 import Ledger from './screens/Ledger.jsx'
 import Map from './screens/Map.jsx'
+import Prologue from './screens/Prologue.jsx'
 import './App.css'
 
 const TOKEN_KEY = 'otivm_token'
@@ -11,7 +13,7 @@ export default function App() {
   const [state, setState] = useState(null)
   const [token, setToken] = useState(null)
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
-  const [screen, setScreen] = useState('ledger')
+  const [screen, setScreen] = useState('prologue')
 
   useEffect(() => {
     async function bootstrap() {
@@ -24,10 +26,13 @@ export default function App() {
       const saved = await loadState(tok)
       if (saved) {
         setState(saved)
+        // If background already chosen, open on ledger
+        setScreen(saved.background_id ? 'ledger' : 'prologue')
       } else {
         const fresh = createState(tok)
         setState(fresh)
         await saveState(tok, fresh)
+        setScreen('prologue')
       }
       setLoading(false)
     }
@@ -39,6 +44,21 @@ export default function App() {
     await saveState(token, newState)
   }
 
+  // Called from Prologue when player confirms a background.
+  // Seeds background_id into state, saves, switches to Ledger.
+  async function onSelectBackground(backgroundId) {
+    const bg = BACKGROUNDS.find(b => b.id === backgroundId)
+    if (!bg) return
+    const updated = {
+      ...state,
+      background_id: backgroundId,
+      den: bg.starting_den,
+    }
+    setState(updated)
+    await saveState(token, updated)
+    setScreen('ledger')
+  }
+
   // Session abandonment — forward-looking lifecycle handler.
   // Does not delete the old save. Appends a terminal event so the record
   // is complete. The old save becomes a historical artefact on disk.
@@ -62,7 +82,7 @@ export default function App() {
     const fresh = createState(newTok)
     setState(fresh)
     await saveState(newTok, fresh)
-    setScreen('ledger')
+    setScreen('prologue')
   }
 
   if (loading) {
@@ -78,6 +98,12 @@ export default function App() {
       <nav className="main-nav">
         <span className="nav-title">OTIVM</span>
         <div className="nav-links">
+          <button
+            className={`nav-btn${screen === 'prologue' ? ' active' : ''}`}
+            onClick={() => setScreen('prologue')}
+          >
+            Prologue
+          </button>
           <button
             className={`nav-btn${screen === 'ledger' ? ' active' : ''}`}
             onClick={() => setScreen('ledger')}
@@ -93,6 +119,9 @@ export default function App() {
         </div>
       </nav>
       <div className="screen-wrap">
+        <div style={{ display: screen === 'prologue' ? 'block' : 'none' }}>
+          <Prologue state={state} onSelectBackground={onSelectBackground} />
+        </div>
         <div style={{ display: screen === 'ledger' ? 'block' : 'none' }}>
           <Ledger state={state} onStateChange={onStateChange} onNewGame={onNewGame} />
         </div>