*** Session 2 - Scene 2 (of 9) ***

When the party arrives back at the gate, the guard asks them for the traveler's tax to get back into the city. M'Balz tries to use his family clout to avoid having to pay, but the guard simply says that with such a rich family M'Balz should have no trouble paying.

After briefly considering alternatives, M'Balz finally consents to pay a bit for the tax but tells the guard he will remember this.

M'Balz is further annoyed to find he has to pay for the dwarf as well, but Adanband and Gra'bir pay their own ways.

Once they are done, they make their way to M'Balz's palace. M'Balz has Adanband go to the doctor to treat his remaining wounds.

The nobleman is then approached by one of his servants, saying his father wishes to speak to him. He thanks the servant for the message, telling him to have the dwarf bathed and clothed appropriately.

The dwarf is somewhat concerned about M'Balz's use of servants; he likens them to slaves, noting he is against the practice of slavery. M'Balz assures him they are honored servants. He then has the other two wait behind while he goes to see his father.

When he enters the room, M'Balz is called by his father to approach. He reproaches the youth by saying that once again the young noble has dishonored their family.

M'Balz protests, saying he has taken care of the sorcerer as asked. Mabad expresses his surprise that he has already defeated the evil Gar Ghul'mal, but M'Balz insists that he, personally, killed the man. He also explains about the death of the gnomes from the Sma'ruf clan.

Mabad notes he will have the peacekeepers look into the deaths, but that Gar Ghul'mal is not the reason he has summoned his son.

M'Balz expresses his ignorance at the reason for his summoning. Mabad explains he had an interesting visitor while M'Balz was gone, a woman claiming M'Balz was intending to make her his wife.

When M'Balz refers to her as "the harlot", Mabad is incensed, confirming that M'Balz did indeed know the woman.

M'Balz protests, saying that one of his friends brought her to the palace. He says they cleaned her up and sent her on her way, but Mabad notes she has already been back once and seems determined to cause problems.

Mabad goes on to explain he sent the whore away. M'Balz praises the decision, noting that he had no need for her though he does inquire about her location. Mabad tells him that would not be a good idea, and tells his son he had the woman banished from the city and sent out to the village of Stars Hollow.

M'Balz then moves the conversation along to discuss the writ. Mabad says he is inclined to deny the writ given the situation with Rory, but says he is a man of his honor and by the will of the Loregiver intends to make M'Balz one as well.

With plans for the writ underway, M'Balz moves to take his leave. Mabad notes that should any complications come up with the shipment of "fine wine", he will be most displeased.

M'Balz offers to send a case of the wine to his father, but the old man refuses. He mentions wanting to send someone to watch over his son and the shipment. Ultimately, he decides not to waste valuable servants on his son's foolishness.

*** Session 2 - Scene 3 (of 9) ***

Finished with his father, M'Balz heads back to rejoin his companions. Gra'bir asks how the meeting went, and M'Balz explains how "Abanband's trollop" returned and spoke to his father and intended to become part of his harem, only to be exiled to Stars Hollow.

Gra'bir asks why he simply didn't marry her. He explains the woman is a "skanky whore" and "not worthy of M'Balz". Gra'bir calls the decision wise.

One of the servants then appears with a cleaned-up dwarf. The dwarf seems drawn to one of the shrines in the palace. He recognizes the symbol of the Loregiver.

M'Balz is more focused on what to call the dwarf since he does not know his name. Gra'bir suggests that such a man might be called "Stubby" in his tribe. After tossing around variations on this, they end up with "Little Chub".

Around this time, Adanband appears fresh from the doctor. M'Balz starts mentioning their mission that night, inviting the dwarf to join them as he appears to be some kind of priest.

He notes that it is too bad the dwarf wasn't around the previous day, as they lost one of their friends, a minstrel named Tobuscus. Chub offers to give a prayer to the Loregiver for him anyway right at the palace shrine.

Giving the prayer, Chub feels a warm light flow through him. He suddenly remembers he is indeed a priest, and that his real name is Butrus. Both M'Balz and Gra'bir wonder if he was named after the famous historical Grand Vizier, Butrus Ghali. With no last name remembered yet, M'Balz suggests his full name is "Butrus Al-Chub".

Butrus explains he has no weapons or armor to do any adventuring with. M'Balz explains a loan can be arranged. He can put forth 15 dinar, but his companions have little money. Instead, M'Balz wonders if can get the equipment out of his father instead.

M'Balz then takes Butrus to meet his father, who is less than pleased to be disturbed again. His son tells him he wishes to meet a new compatriot of his; Mabad's reaction suggests he has suffered this scene more than once and gives a cynical eye to Butrus.

When his son says Butrus is a holy man, Mabad is openly skeptical, particularly when M'Balz insists the dwarf will be his ethical guide. He then says he will have the dwarf judged accordingly.

Grabbing the nearby zither that has been in the Al-Badassi family for generations, Mabad plays a note to summon forth the family's djinn servant, Kazaam.

The tall, dark-skinned genie looms over M'Balz and Butrus but gives a broad smile. He laughs at the small-sized dwarf, who proclaims with full sincerity about his story of amnesia and being a priest. Kazaam smiles while using his magic, telling Mabad that Butrus does indeed tell the truth.

Once Kazaam returns to his musical instrument, M'Balz reiterates how the dwarf will be a good guide for him. Mabad says perhaps, but wants to know what it is his son wants of him.

M'Balz admits he needs basic provisions for the dwarf, so that they may venture out and do the will of the Loregiver. Mabad seems impressed, calling the request reasonable. He does note he may have a task for M'Balz to perform in the future, but grants his request for now.

*** Session 2 - Scene 4 (of 9) ***

Once Butrus is fully equipped, the group decides what to do next. M'Balz notes they may want to get more information about Geer, going over again what Rory told them about the man.

Gra'bir wants to make sure their route to the kobold will be clear, but M'Balz is confident they won't run into too much trouble.

Butrus suggests the easiest way to get the wine through would be to have a funeral procession. He suggests putting the wine in a crypt in the cart and leading it through the streets undetected.

M'Balz likes the idea. Gra'bir agrees it will provide extra protection. Adanband likes the idea as well, as he sneezes loudly. Butrus wonders if Adanband is with the plague and should go in the coffin with the wine, but decides the sneezing would give the ruse away.

Since they need a coffin to transport the body, M'Balz suggests they will need some wood. However, they all realize that none of them are carpenters. Gra'bir suggests perhaps Mabad has men for this, but M'Balz believes his father would not approve.

Butrus suggests they go to one of the mosques in the pilgrim's district to see if they can get one already made for free.

They head to one of the pragmatic mosques, that of the prophet Zann the Wise. Butrus greets the imam there, a man named Renn and tells a tale of the visions he has received from the Loregiver. He explains about the help he has received, and that he wishes to pay back his new friends by procuring a coffin.

Imam Renn notes they do have several in storage, but requests an offering. Butrus explains he can offer his services, but no money because of his condition. He also notes that one of his friends is the son of Bey Mabad Al-Badassi, a fair and just man whose friendship to the mosque could be valuable.

The imam agrees, saying he'd like Butrus' help with a youth gang preying on pilgrims in the area, known as the Silent Starlings. If Butrus and his group can stop the thieving, it would be most appreciated by the temple. The dwarf agrees to look into it when they can.

While Butrus talks to the imam, M'Balz is approached by a beggar on a rolling cart who appears to have no legs; a blanket covers his lower body as he moves his cart with his arms.

The man gives his name as Tarik and asks M'Balz for spare change. Accustomed to dealing with beggars, M'Balz ignores the wretch. But his pleas and claims of being a former acolyte tug the heart strings of Gra'bir, who says they should help the man.

M'Balz says he can help, but prefers a man earn his pay. Both Gra'bir and Tarik insist he has no way to earn money, as he is missing his legs.

Not convinced, M'Balz confirms the man can roll himself through the city. He offers him a pay of two gold dinar for delivering a message. Tarik wants one gold now, and one after he delivers, but M'Balz won't budge.

Tarik insists he needs food now, asking if they have any dirham or bits to spare. Instead, Gra'bir offers one of his iron rations so the man may eat. Handing it to the man, he seems less than appreciative.

M'Balz gives a message saying "I am here with the city guard" without anyone seeing, and folds it and gives it to Tarik. He instructs the man to deliver it to a man named Geer in the Northwest District. M'Balz promises that Geer will reward him as well.

Sardonically, Tarik tells M'Balz he will "get to that later" and rolls himself off to accost another group of pilgrims. Gra'bir tells M'Balz how it was great how he was able to put the man to work. M'Balz responds that the Al-Badassi family is nothing if not magnanimous.

Butrus comes back to inform the others about the Silent Starlings gang. M'Balz expresses outrage, saying the Al-Badassi opposes such activities strongly. But for now, they decide to go get the cart and put the coffin in it.

*** Session 2 - Scene 5 (of 9) ***

In short order, M'Balz and his group get the writ from Mabad's vizier and use the cart to get the coffin at the mosque. They inform the imam they will look into the gang once they deal with their dead friend.

Renn asks M'Balz what his friends name was. When he hears it was Tobuscus, he is saddened by the loss of the "comedic genius" who came up with "Don't Whip Me Brother" and sang the lovely song about getting the diamonds.

As the imam laments the loss, M'Balz notes the song is burned into his memory and that he loved the entertainer like a brother. Renn says it is good M'Balz is giving him a proper funeral, which he attributes to the nobility of the Al-Badassi family.

Once they leave, Gra'bir asks M'Balz how they intend to get the body of Tobuscus from out of the harbor and into the coffin. M'Balz blithely explains that the man's spirit will join the spirits in the casket.

Butrus offers to give a prayer over the death site of Tobuscus that his spirit may find the coffin. Gra'bir is confused, noting this is not the way his tribe worships the Loregiver and handles the dead. He says the ways of the city are very strange to him.

M'Balz leads the cart to the location where Tobscus fell into the harbor. Butrus sits and goes into a deep chant, giving his prayers. Suddenly, a hand emerges from the water.

Everyone is stunned as the ghoul-like form of Tobuscus pulls itself out of the water. Gra'bir exclaims his surprise that Butrus has raised him up.

Butrus holds back to see what Tobuscus will do. Gra'bir, however, opens the lid to the crypt and invites him to find his final resting place.

Adanband springs into action, blasting the ghoul with a burning hands spell. Most of the power of the flame is absorbed by the water rather than damaging the creature.

Rather than assaulting the creature directly, M'Balz using his skill in acrobatics to kick the creature. The force of the blow knocks it back into the waters of the harbor, causing it to miss with a claw attack at Adanband.

Gra'bir asks M'Balz what he is doing, as they were "so close". M'Balz focuses on explaining to Butrus that it was the form of Tobuscus they fought. Butrus muses that perhaps they should leave the dead to be dead. Gra'bir makes a comment expressing his confusion over this particular funeral ritual.

Just then, Tobuscus starts to climb back out of the water again. He claws at M'Balz, scratching him. The magical touch of the creature paralyzes him.

Gra'bir apologizes to Tobuscus as he makes an attack, saying he must return to a peaceful rest. But his shot goes very wide, missing the creature.

Butrus tries to turn the creature using the strength of his faith, but it resists. Adanband holds back before acting further.

Moving in with his mace, Butrus smashes into the creature with a glancing blow. Adanband tries to follow up with an attack with his staff, but misses, as does Gra'bir with his bow.

The ghoulish Tobuscus claws and bites into Butrus, wounding him seriously. Gra'bir maneuvers around and fires another shot that misses as Adanband singes the creature again.

Butrus calls upon the Loregiver as he casts a spell to entangle the ghoul in a mass of vines and sea weed that emerge from the water. Adanband then runs up to the creature and uses his scimitar to behead it.

With the undead creature returned to death, the elf puts the pieces of the body into the coffin and they rest while waiting for M'Balz to recover, with Butrus praying over him.

*** Session 2 - Scene 6 (of 9) ***

After nearly twenty minutes, Butrus' prayers appear to be answered as M'Balz can move again. M'Balz gives his thanks and Gra'bir notes he is truly a holy man.

In this time, a small crowd has gathered around and claps once M'Balz can move again. Some even through bits, which M'Balz moves to collect. Overcome with emotion, Gra'bir invites everyone on the funeral procession for Tobuscus Al-Tunar.

The crowd cheers the idea. Butrus starts to wonder where they are going to put the wine. Thinking quickly, M'Balz thanks the crowd for joining them but laments that Tobuscus was a private man and wanted a private funeral. He asks them to return to their tasks and let them be on their way.

The speech appears to work and the crowd breaks up. As they move away slowly, they bow their heads and quietly and slowly sing the "Find the Diamond" song as a dirge.

Gra'bir tells M'Balz he is wise, and that Gra'bir did not realize Tobuscus was so private. He worries he may have offended the spirit of Tobuscus, but M'Balz assures him all is well.

Once they are alone again, they begin moving the cart down the river. When they reach Daria's ship, her orc guardsman asks M'Balz why they have brought a coffin.

M'Balz says simply that Daria is not the only one they are transporting things for. The orc insists on looking inside, so M'Balz opens the crypt. The orc recognizes Tobuscus, and thanks the Loregiver he never has to hear the man sing again.

The orc wonders why M'Balz would kill the man. But the noble explains that Tobuscus died from falling into the harbor, and came back a ghoul from his watery grave.

Still confused, the orc doesn't understand why they are hauling the body around if Tobuscus already turned into a ghoul and was killed again. Butrus scolds the orc for denying Tobuscus a proper burial, but M'Balz does offer that the dwarf never heard Tobuscus sing.

Dismissing the whole thing as nonsense, the orc tells M'Balz to do what he wants. He then shows them to the wine crates on the deck of the ship. Gra'bir and Adanband begin moving it back to the cart.

With no room in the cart, M'Balz wonders what to do with the wine. Butrus offers that a watery grave may be the most appropriate. Gra'bir is confused, noting they went to a lot of work to get him out already.

M'Balz notes that Tobuscus did all the work. He also agrees with Butrus, who is concerned about spoiling the wine if they place it next to a dead body. Adanband agrees to the consensus.

Butrus says they should slice up the body to prevent it from floating, though notes he himself cannot do so. Gra'bir offers to assist, saying he is experienced with dressing animals. As he does so, he becomes sickened and notes the animals he dressed were fresher kills.

Once he is done, they dump the body and the head into the river. The orc watches, shaking his head. He then growls a question to ask if they are still planning on taking the wine. When M'Balz says they are indeed, he grumbles he does not understand why the captain trusts them as they seem less than competent.

Butrus gives a blessing to the wine as Adanband and Gra'bir load it into the coffin in the cart. M'Balz elects to stand guard.

M'Balz does ask to speak to the captain, but the orc tells him the captain is not there. He asks what they want, and M'Balz says he has information to give her. He also wants to know more details about the drop off.

The orc says they need only give it to the kobold and asks what else they need to know. M'Balz inquires about what pay they should receive, but the orc explains that will be handled later. The orc also confirms the kobold knows what to expect.

He does offer to take any information they have and relay it to the captain, but M'Balz says they will need to deliver it personally and will come back later. After exchanging their goodbyes, the group heads out on the streets.

*** Session 2 - Scene 7 (of 9) ***

The funeral procession makes its way into the Northwest District, with Butrus leading the way.

As they make their way into the slums, an older dwarf woman emerges from one of the run-down buildings and beckons them over.

M'Balz sends Adanband to go talk to her. She gives her name as Mawa, and asks about their funeral cart. She asks the elf if he is familiar with the house.

Mawa explains the building is the Golden Pleasure House. Adanband recognizes it as the brothel Rory mentioned working at before.

The old dwarf madam explains she has a slight problem and asks if there is any space in the coffin. According to Mawa, one of their older customers, a seaman, was overcome by the company at the house and has expired, requiring her to need to be able to move him without attracting attention.

She offers Adanband twenty dinar to take the body and dispose of it. Mawa also offers to include the man's possessions as well, in order to sweeten the deal.

When Adanband asks the others, they agree they should do the deed to help (and get the money) but need to complete their current tasks first. Mawa tells them she will have everything ready when they get back.

She also seems taken with Butrus, whom Adanband identifies by his new nickname of Little Chub. She says she would like to get to know this Little Chub and asks he be the one to come talk to her when the group gets back.

A short time later, the group gets near the kobold's warehouse when they are stopped by a Mamluk peacekeeper force. Their leader, a man named Sargon, tells them to halt.

Butrus approaches Sargon to wish him well and plead for him to let them move quickly, for he is worried the corpse they carry may be diseased.

Sargon eyes Butrus critically and questions his name and the name of the dead. Butrus feigns ignorance of the dead, but M'Balz gives the name as Tobuscus and laments the loss of his "golden voice".

The Mamluk is unconvinced, saying he does not appear as grieved as he says. He demands they open the coffin as he feels something is amiss.

M'Balz tries to stall the captain by saying Tobuscus died of a very contagious plague known as "cockrot". Sargon ignores his story and his men open the coffin.

The Mamluk is enraged they are attempting to smuggle wine through his territory. Butrus feigns ignorance, accusing the others of tricking him.

M'Balz, ever the golden tongued rogue, explains the corporal body of Tobuscus lies at the bottom of the harbor but that this is how he wished to be remembered. Gra'bir assures Sargon the coffin was for Tobuscus.

Sargon says his men will help them celebrate. M'Balz looks at the eight man patrol and weighs his options. Butrus explains the wine is holy, but Sargon insists they are thieves and threatens to have them arrested for smuggling.

M'Balz then offers he has a writ for the taxes. Sargon asks to see the writ, then says it is in order. He then asks if they were legal, why the nonsense with the funeral and other lies about Tobuscus. Gra'bir notes the neighborhood is rough while M'Balz lays on the flattery by saying not all the guards are as honest as Sargon.

Sargon dismisses them, saying they should deliver their goods and be gone, and he does not wish to see them again. Gra'bir notes he does not wish to see the guard again either, while M'Balz urges Sargon to see a doctor as the cockrot-ridden body of Tobuscus did lie in the coffin before.

*** Session 2 - Scene 8 (of 9) ***

At the warehouse, Qubad cagily greets them. M'Balz gives his full name, causing the kobold to say he has nothing to do with noblemen.

The confusion continues until M'Balz mentions Daria's name. He tells the man to bring in the delivery, but wonders why it is in a coffin. Gra'bir offers that it has the cockrot, while Butrus notes it has been blessed.

M'Balz tells Qubad they wanted to keep a low profile, which causes the kobold to scoff at the idea of moving a coffin through town with blessed wine. He also briefly mentions Tobuscus, but the criminal has never heard of him.

He has them bring in the wine to his warehouse, grumbling under his breath that Daria chooses the dumbest couriers. Butrus tries to offer that they only have five cases of wine, but Qubad knows he is to expect six.

Once they have it inside, Butrus suggests they taste it to be sure it is good. Qubad is unconcerned about the quality of the wine and tells them to leave. He assures them Daria will pay them whatever she has arranged.

Gra'bir looks around the warehouse for anything of interest, but spots nothing. Butrus, meanwhile, hits up Qubad for a donation to the mosque. Initially he says no, but when Gra'bir comments that he has refused a holy man twice he relents.

Explaining he does not want to attract the evil eye, he goes off and grabs a crate. He hands it to Butrus and tells him to give it to the mosque as his donation to the faith.

*** Session 2 - Scene 9 (of 9) ***

After they leave and are out of sight of the warehouse, M'Balz wants to check the contents of the crate. They move in to a side alley. M'Balz checks it carefully and determines there are no traps on the box. Butrus, meanwhile, keeps watch.

The nobleman then asks Gra'bir to open the chest, but he says it would be wrong for him to open it. M'Balz then tells Butrus to open it. He does so, as the others step back.

Inside, he finds a collection of a few bolts of fabric and nothing more. It is a plain material, but suitable for making robes.

With that out of the way, they head back to the brothel. Mawa is happy to see them and wants to get rid of the body quickly. She gives the man's meager possessions to the group, which includes an old map that could be a treasure map.

As they put the body in the coffin, Gra'bir notes they are sure getting their money's worth out of it. M'Balz agrees, and says that since the dead man was an old seaman, they should return him to the sea.

When they get back to the harbor, they find a dark, secluded area and drop the coffin in the body after Gra'bir prepares it (including weighing it down with a rope and stone).

Butrus then wants to check on the Silent Starlings in order to fulfill their promise. But M'Balz wants to see Daria first.

However, when they reach the location, they find that Daria's ship is no longer berthed there. Butrus is rather nonchalant about it, but M'Balz is annoyed. Gra'bir wonders if they should get their money out of Qubad.

So, they head back over to the Pilgrim's District but find it rather quiet. They return the coffin and bolts of cloth. The imam mentions the gang isn't active in this area at night when they ask.

As they leave the mosque, they hear a voice call out for them to wait. Stepping out of the shadows is a small goblin.

He tells the men there is something he wants to talk to them about. He asks them if they've ever heard of Omar Dra'lah.

*** Session 2 - Session Notes ***

This session introduced our fourth player, who went with a Wolverine-style background (I think largely because he didn't want to have to think up a detailed background).

The session was cut a little short because we started late from dinner and the Adanband player was having bad allergies, but the session was fun and introducing the dwarf really mixed up the group dynamic in an interesting way.

I got to have fun with Mabad again, this time hinting the problem with Rory isn't going away so easily (more on that in later sessions). The Stars Hollow village is another Gilmore Girls reference.

The fun with naming the dwarf led to a million and one jokes that didn't make it into the write-up.

I actually named the character because I created the character for the player (he missed the character creation session and will be more of an infrequent drop-in player). I did indeed name him after Butrus Butrus-Ghali, something the players immediately referenced (hence the comment about the famous vizier).

The Kazaam joke didn't elicit nearly as many groans as I was hoping when that came up in game. Again, only Wikipedia and cultural osmosis are my sources for that terrible movie (never actually saw it).

The equipment Butrus gets is exactly what I originally had on his character sheet (before the player decided he'd begin with amnesia and essentially naked).

I loved the funeral procession idea. I kept imagining a very mardis gras style procession, particularly when Gra'bir tried to invite everyone at the docks.

Because I made the culture monotheistic, I have to switch the mosques to being of different prophets instead of different gods. Hence, the mosque of the prophet Zann (instead of being to the god of wisdom).

Tarik the beggar was based directly on Eddie Murphy's character in Trading Places. Another one the players picked up right away (I'm going to have to start getting more obscure). Tarik doesn't fall for M'Balz's scam because obviously he's also a streetwise con artist.

I wasn't originally going to bring back Tobuscus, and certainly not right away. But, the idea to go pray at his death site was too good an opportunity to pass up.

I loved the part about Gra'bir and Butrus assuming prayers freed M'Balz from his paralysis, instead of it just being the duration ending.

The old dwarf madam looking to get rid of a body was one of the many city plots I had planned. It went perfectly along with their funeral procession idea.

By far, my favorite part of the session was the scene with Sargon, where M'Balz's snowball of lies kept compounding and causing trouble, right up until he remembers he already had a different scheme to get out of trouble with law enforcement.

On a side note, I laughed at the whole "cockrot" disease, largely because that's one of the disease names I've used on the plague game on my tablet.

The group was very, very anxious about the gift from Qubad. But it wasn't a trick, they really did guilt him into making a donation.

The silent starlings plot will come up later. I'm going to be honest, I don't remember what my original plan was there (I think I even picked that name for a specific reason, but don't recall what it was now).

The goblin appearing at the end may be familiar to any long-time readers of my AP threads. He is Snarg, from my D&D 4e campaign (Shadows Over Fallcrest). Omar Dra'lah was the dead brother of one of the characters of that campaign (Sa'lid Dra'lah, who was Snarg's master).

*** Session 3 - Cast of Characters ***

M'Balz Al-Badassi: A human rogue from the city. M'Balz is the member of a noble family with political connections, but is bored with his wealthy lifestyle and instead performs as a masked scoundrel for hire know as Al-Caliph.

Gra'bir Boubi: A human warrior from the desert tribe of the Wah'na Poq-yah tribe of the Haunted Lands. A superb hunter, Gra'bir has come to the city of Huzaz to look for a quest to prove himself a great warrior.

Adanband: An elf scholar and sorcerer from the city of Huzaz.

*** Session 3 - Scene 1 (of 9) ***

The goblin introduces himself as Snarg, a former servant of the Dra'lah family. M'Balz suggests he is a petty goblin thief, but Snarg insists that he has never stolen anything, though things have fallen into his pockets from time to time.

Snarg then goes on to tell the tale of Omar Dra'lah, one of two brothers who were both powerful sorcerers from the area. Omar was eventually killed by an evil sorcerer known as Salazar the Maleficent many years ago. Snarg explains that when Salazar slew Omar, he took all of his treasure.

He then explains to M'Balz that he has seen their group accomplish things this night, and believes they can help each other. M'Balz is reluctant, but wants to know what kind of deal the creature is looking for.

Snarg says that Omar had great treasure when he was killed. Salazar took the treasure back to his tower. The goblin suggests that they could all venture to the tower and split the treasure they find evenly. M'Balz has a very different definition of "evenly" than Snarg.

Gra'bir wants to know what Snarg has to offer. The goblin explains he is one of the few people who knows where the tower is. He also offers his services as someone skilled with dealing with traps. He insists he will be a helpful addition, saying he was much help to his former master Sa'lid.

Gra'bir isn't convinced, and wonders how smart Sa'lid was to keep the goblin in service. M'Balz also wants to know more about him.

Snarg explains that Sa'lid Dra'lah was the younger brother of Omar and Snarg's master. He says he served Sa'lid faithfully for many years.

M'Balz takes the others aside to discuss. Gra'bir doesn't trust Snarg while Adanband wants a better idea of what the treasure will be and wonders if there might be something better.

M'Balz, however, believes Omar as a great sorcerer may have had a large amount of treasure. He also notes Snarg is not very big, and it would be easy to aggressively renegotiate the terms of the treasure once they have it.

The argument sways Adanband, who agrees to pursue this treasure. Gra'bir still doesn't trust Snarg, saying there may be something powerful or valuable in the treasure he wishes to keep for himself. He advises caution and to make sure to keep the goblin away from the treasure before everything is inventoried.

M'Balz then leads the group back to Snarg and agrees to his terms. Snarg is happy they have come to a deal, reiterating they will split the treasure of Omar Dra'lah evenly.

Snarg then wistfully recalls the murder of Omar by Salazar, saying the evil magic-user fled across the foreign seas to escape punishment. The goblin explains he accompanied his master into the outlands to pursue the evil one for vengeance.

M'Balz isn't interested in the tale, and wants to proceed with making arrangements for the expedition. Butrus tells the others he will stay behind in order to help the imam with the Silent Starlings as they already pledged to do.

After Butrus departs, Snarg explains that Salazar's tower is high up in the Al-Akar Mountains, hundreds of miles from the city. He tells M'Balz it will be a journey of a week at least to reach it. The nobleman knows that such a long journey into the wilderness could be perilous.

M'Balz tells Snarg that such a long journey will require a fair amount of supplies and asks him if he will be providing them. Snarg tells M'Balz no, and explains he has no money. He goes on to say that he has only recently escaped from an evil pair of outlander elves – an archer and a hag sorceress – and returned to his homeland.

Calling Snarg's tale a "terrible story", M'Balz says he will be glad to fund the expedition in exchange for a "slight interest" that can be taken out of Snarg's share.

Snarg doesn't disagree to the terms. He suggests they leave in the morning at first light, and asks M'Balz for his input on how to leave the city. M'Balz declares they will head out of the city along the Ghost's Route (Dihl Al-Taif), saying they will encounter less bandit activity that day.

M'Balz and Snarg agree to meet, with M'Balz suggesting Snarg be sure to arm himself appropriately for the journey.

*** Session 3 - Scene 2 (of 9) ***

The group discusses what all they may need to gather for the journey. In addition to food and water, Gra'bir would like to have some form of transportation (already missing the horse he foolishly traded away).

Adanband would prefer to use camels over horses given their travel through the desert and mountains. Pooling their money together, they realize they come far short from the amount that would be needed to actually purchase mounts.

M'Balz's family, of course, owns many horses and camels but knows his father would never let him take them out on something he would call a foolish treasure hunt. He throws out the idea of going back to Qubad for the money Daria owes them, but Gra'bir isn't so sure heading back into the slums at night to shake down a criminal for money will lead to a positive outcome.

Instead, Gra'bir suggests they just make the journey on foot or perhaps a magic carpet. M'Balz scoffs at the idea they would have the money for a flying carpet, but Gra'bir explains he was referring to looking for a sorcerer with one who may require a favor.

M'Balz mulls over their options. He is concerned about trying to go the distance on foot. When Gra'bir points out they could follow the Al-Sarif River for much of the distance, M'Balz realizes they could buy passage on a ferry for much of the trip before setting out into the desert. Everyone agrees that plan will be best. They head back to M'Balz's palace to rest for the evening.

*** Session 3 - Scene 3 (of 9) ***

The next morning, M'Balz, Adanband, and Gra'bir meet up with Snarg at the gate. M'Balz explains that they were unable to acquire mounts, so they will attempt to buy passage up the river. Snarg agrees that will save some time.

The four of them travel to the docks where they meet with Ishmael, one of the ferry captains. M'Balz mentions they are heading to the Al-Akara Mountains. The captain agrees to take them to the end of the line, and the two take a moment to haggle over prices until they settle on 20 dinar for the four of them in exchange for an agreement to assist if the ship runs into any trouble along the way.

M'Balz gives a false name of Ahab to the captain, calling Gra'bir by the name Starbuck and Adanband as Queequeg; he uses Snarg's real name. The captain greets them all and welcomes them aboard. The group relaxes on the promenade as other passengers come aboard before the ship sails.

While they are waiting around, Gra'bir notices Snarg looking around carefully. He alerts M'Balz, saying this confirms his belief that the goblin is up to no good. M'Balz can see the goblin is clearly scanning the docks and checking out the people.

After a moment, M'Balz notices Snarg stops to focus on a particular pair of men. He can see them moving along the docks towards the ship; they appear to be a couple of rough-looking outlanders. They are clearly looking in Snarg's direction.

Snarg turns to the others and says they need to get going. He asks M'Balz to pay the captain more money to launch the ship now. When M'Balz feigns poverty, he mentions the great Al-Badassi family should have enough, causing M'Balz to remind him of their false identities and says that any money he has will require a much larger percentage of the treasure.

The goblin is still agitated. He says if the ship doesn't leave now, there may not be a treasure to share. Gra'bir keeps an eye on the men, keeping his bow close by in case there is trouble.

M'Balz tells the goblin that if the treasure hunt is off, they are out nothing. But if he wants to proceed, it will cost a significant, but fair, portion of the treasure. Snarg insists that M'Balz, on his honor, declare he will only take his fair share of the treasure from the treasure of Omar Dra'lah.

Agreeing to the terms, M'Balz gives an additional 10 dinar to the captain to ship out early, to "avoid outland entanglements." Ishmael tells M'Balz not to worry, as his ship has made the Al-Akara run in under five furlongs.

As the ship pulls away, the men on the docks begin running to catch it but cannot make it in time. They stand back on the docks, looking angry.

M'Balz then picks up Snarg by the collar and tells the goblin he owes them an explanation. The goblin says he may have one or two problems to take care of. He explains that after being imprisoned by the evil elves in the outlands, he had no money once he returned to the city. To survive, he had to take out loans from a large, violent outlander.

Snarg then reveals his debtor to be Geer. M'Balz calls him a bigger fool than he thought, saying how dangerous Geer is. He tells the goblin they will keep him alive until they complete the mission, but he'll be on his own once they get back.

*** Session 3 - Scene 4 (of 9) ***

The first day and a half of the trip is uneventful. They hear little of interest from the other passengers, though one does recommend the Golden Pleasure House as a secret brothel on the northwest side they should visit. Another passenger has a crazy story about a hidden treasure in the grounds of the public gardens.

The riparian entertainments are interrupted by a sudden yell of alarm from the front of the ship as the ship is rocked. One of the crewman shouts that the ship is under attack by a herd of hippopotami.

The group decides to defend the ship, as they agreed. Gra'bir attempts to fire an arrow at one of the creatures, but the shot goes wide. Meanwhile, Adanband and M'Balz rush forward to engage in melee with one of the beasts up against the ship.

M'Balz grabs both his daggers, and attempts to drive them into the neck of the beast. One of them pierces its thick hide, but just barely. Adanband attempts to use his staff to drive the creature off, but the hippo nearly bites it into. It then chimps down on M'Balz, badly injuring his arm.

Gra'bir can see the creatures will be too tough to fight off. Instead, he plans to drive them off using flames. Using his oil flask, he makes an incendiary device and throws it at the creatures. Unfortunately, his throw is weak and it explodes on the deck of the ship. The hippos do back off, but between the fire and the damage from the beasts the ship is starting to sink.

Adanband tells Captain Ishmael to head for the nearest shore, but he tells him he is already doing it. Unfortunately, the fire is spreading too fast and it doesn't look like they'll make it.

M'Balz directs everyone to jump off the port side, as the hippos came from starboard. They make it into the water, but struggle against the currents.

Adanband easily makes it to shore while M'Balz struggles before making it. Gra'bir, however, is not a strong swimmer and begins to drown.

The elf detects his companion's issues from the shore and dives back in to save him. He manages to grab on to Gra'bir, but the struggling man is hard to control. As they struggle, a hippo begins getting closer.

Adanband begins to tire as Gra'bir continues to struggle. He suffers a serious bite from the hippo while trying to drag his friend to shore. But despite the pain in his arm and being pursued by the hungry hippo, they do manage to reach land. The hippo leaves the party alone once they are on land, returning to the rest of the herd.

*** Session 3 - Scene 5 (of 9) ***

Because of the quick jump into the water, everyone checks to see what equipment they may have lost in the water.

Gra'bir notices he has lost his sack, his belt pouch (with his coins), his quiver full of arrows (though his extra arrows from his backpack are still good), his blanket, his rations, and his wineskin.

M'Balz notices he has lost one of his daggers, his quiver of arrows, his scroll of pedigree, his grappling hook, his iron spikes, his set of dark clothing, his mirror, his blanket, the oil for his lamp, and his tinder box.

Adanband realizes he has lost his spellbook, his scholarly letter, his hourlglass, one of his belt pouches, his ten sheets of paper, his quill, his sealing wax, his blanket, the lamp for his oil, and his tinder box.

Gra'bir looks across the water, seeing the sinking ship. In the distance, he believes he can still hear the screams of those left aboard. He notes the ship was apparently of poor construction.

Just then, they spot Snarg swimming up to shore. He complains about being wet, saying the attack was quite the adventure. M'Balz grumpily notes they have lost several items and suggests Snarg go to find them and earn back some of the percentage of the treasure.

Snarg doesn't consider himself a very good swimmer, but Gra'bir says if nothing else they will need to recover Adanband's spell book; without it, he notes, they will have no way to defeat the evil sorcerer.

The goblin is confused at first, but realizes he means Salazar. Snarg explains Salazar was defeated long ago in the outlands so that is of no concern – the tower should be empty. But Gra'bir is unconvinced, saying there could still be guardians left.

Snarg isn't convinced he can do anything about it because of the size of the river. M'Balz, however, is convinced the magical nature of the book will lead to it being recoverable in the short term.

In the end, Snarg agrees to go out and search in exchange for it counting completely for his share of the trip expenses. Adanband, a strong swimmer, goes out as well.

They search the area for the next half hour or more before Snarg locates the book. Meanwhile, Gra'bir hunts for a gazelle they can use for food. He cuts it up for their meal, and takes out the bladder to use as a temporary wineskin.

M'Balz plots a quick survey of their trip. They still had half a day of sailing on the river to go, and another 45 miles through the desert after that before reaching the mountains. He also knows the nearest settlement nearby is many days travel out of their way.

They decide to rest for a while. Gra'bir attempts to make a shelter for the injured M'Balz and Adanband, but it doesn't block the sun very well and they end up with burns. Gra'bir, however, insists it is because they are weak and need a "ladies' shelter" instead so he builds them a more thorough one.