"...and thus it was that we had been in port for not more than six hours and we already been mistaken for notorious thieves by the city guards, a mysterious woman, the real thief's henchman, and a pair of dangerous assassins."

As the old bard pauses to catch her breath from the long list of mistaken identities, the crowd chuckles to itself and shakes its head in disbelief. Scapango! An unknown identical twin sister? And one of the most notorious thieves on Mer? The coincidence is just too incredible. While there must be some pearl of truth in this oyster of a story, surely some liberties have been taken on the part of the storyteller. Haven't there?

Naturally, the children have questions as well. However, they don't care if there have been exaggerations or not - stories are supposed to be larger than life; they'd be boring otherwise. Instead, the children have a school of questions about all of the new people and actions they have just been introduced to.

"What'd the musical woman want the archer to steal?"
"If Zumurud is the Princess of Thieves, does that mean she's Calaban's wife?"
"Who hired the monkey-birds?"
"What does 'the munchies' mean?"
"How many thieves are there?"
"Why can't the henchman tell them apart?"
"Do they ever figure things out?"

"Ah, young ones. That last question of yours is the exact same question Captain Yamalla was asking himself for much of that day. However, as is often the case, the storm clouds get darker and more dangerous before they finally break apart and let the sun shine once more. My story is not yet complete. There are still two more people you have not yet met. One seeks to slay Zumurud for her past crimes. The other holds the key to solving the puzzle. And that key is what leads to maps which our heroes seek."

"Sit back and listen now to my words as I sing of the voyages of the Reef Runner and her crew..."