It was a hot summer day in the year 454 as the master thief Gontathis
passed along the Prelatorian Highway north of the village of New Thera.
Encountering a young Droch named Tirac, the pudgy villain demanded to
know if he had seen any thieves looking for work. Tirac responded that
the greatest thieves of the age, Tenebrus and Katia, resided in the city
of Mhaldor on an island far to the west.

Reluctantly, Gontathis made his way westward, through the northern
Vashnars. As he rested, a young Maldaathi grunt named Meilii passed by,
calling Tirac and his fellow Droch, Trellis, to join them. Rather than
journey further through the mountains, Gontathis decided that the three
would suffice for his purposes, and asked them to await further
instructions at the Crystal Leaf Inn.

Once all had reached the inn, Gontathis drew the three conspirators into
a side room to make his proposition. In hushed voices, he informed the
trio that his agent had located a certain precious relic: a bracelet
once owned by an Empress of Seleucar that could be induced to play a
song equal in beauty to the Orphean Serenade. He had already arranged to
sell the piece for a considerable sum, and if these three would agree to
help him retrieve it, he would share with them a percentage of the
profits.

Trellis, Tirac, and Meilii readily agreed to the plan, as did a fourth
man who had slipped into the room unnoticed. Gontathis, displeased by
the intrusion, reluctantly agreed to include the fourth member to the
party. It was a decision he would soon come to regret.

From Gontathis' limited description of the target, the party deduced
that the bracelet was now in the possession of Clytemnestra, Queen of
Arcadia. Instructing them to avoid being seen at all costs, Gontathis
dispatched the group to find and retrieve the singing bracelet.

Ultimately the heist was foiled, as word travelled from the party's
treacherous fourth member to Queen Clytemnestra, whose guard was placed
on high alert just as Meilii, Trellis, and Tirac began to ascend the
mighty slopes of Erymanthus. Even with the assistance of a beggar within
the city, the trio was unable to procure the bracelet from the queen,
returning empty handed to a disappointed Gontathis.

~* * *~

The priceless singing bracelet may have been lost to him, but the master
thief Gontathis had still another trick up his sleeve. Forced to lie low
due to the vengeful Arcadian guards and their adventurer allies, the old
villain was seen emerging from hiding nearly three months later.
Surrounding himself with a bodyguard of six of the toughest brutes in
Sapience, Gontathis sent out two letters requesting the assistance, yet
again, of his initial helpers Tirac and Trellis. They were to make the
journey across the Pash Valley, north of Jaru, and locate him in his
usual hideout near the monastery of Shala'jen.

Trellis responded to Gontathis' call, bringing with him two before
unseen associates, the Shaman Akayla and the Mhaldorian Apostate Aliara.
After an initial scuffle with no more than a handful of Gontathis'
guards, the three managed to gain access to the secluded inner chamber
in order to meet with the rotund master thief. Greeting them brusquely,
Gontathis was quick to outline his plan. His informants had brought him
news of a unique sort of treasure, one for which he had just the buyer.
The Sheik of El'Jazira had in his possession a magnificent black
stallion, the product of countless years of careful selection and
breeding. Such a beast would fetch a handsome price, and Gontathis was
determined to acquire it.

Venturing deep into the Mhojave desert, Trellis, Akayla and Aliara first
entered El'Jazira to see the prize itself with their own eyes, and to
get an idea of what kind of guard the beast was under. Within the
village they found the horse, guarded by a pair of burly ganissaries.
Having been warned about drawing attention to themselves, the three
retreated to plan and discuss their next move. Trellis recalled that the
nomads were fierce enemies with the oasis-dwellers, and the small party
decided to enlist their assistance. Wandering lost throughout the vast
desert for some time, and nearly overcome by hunger and thirst, the trio
finally stumbled upon the small encampment. For a price, Rahmad, the
leader of the nomads, agreed to assist them with a distraction, and
advised them to wait for the first signs of commotion before spiriting
the horse away. Realizing they would not be able to get out of El'Jazira
unseen with the massive beast, no matter how great the distraction, the
would-be horsethieves prepared a rough powder from yellow tattoo ink,
with the intention of using it to conceal the stallion's instantly
recognizable black coat.

Returning to the stables undetected, the adventurers patiently awaited
the nomads' first move. They did not wait long. The sound of wild,
whooping warcries echoed across the parched desert sands, and the
ganissaries, with cries of 'raiding party!' leapt to their feet to meet
the assumed foe. Alone with the horse, the group endeared themselves to
the wild creature, feeding it a fresh, crispy red apple. They rapidly
rubbed the animal down with the powdered pigment and, giving the
ganissaries a great wide berth, ventured out into the desert once again
with the disguised stallion in tow.

Delighted with their efforts, Gontathis heartily clapped each one on the
back upon their successful return. Rewarding them with a large sum of
gold and even partially compensating them for the bribes lost to the
nomads, Gontathis whisked the horse away into the shadowed depths of his
lair.

Across the land, the bellows of the Sheik's rage echoed in despair over
his lost treasure, while Trellis, Akayla, and Aliara, elsewhere in
Sapience, carefully counted their coins.

Penned by my hand on the 12th of Sarapin, in the year 456 AF.