"And so I set words to paper to describe what is surely the darkest day in Mer's history since the Dark Dweller slew our beloved Sea Dweller and attempted to destroy the living races 1500 years ago."

"What I write about is the day that Rul's Treasures were stolen from the Great Lighthouse of Octopon. It came about through a dire conspiracy between the descendants of those who foolishly followed the Dark Dweller during his Time and the vicious outlaw captains who prowl the open waters between kingdoms. Death to all who are of the Cleansing Surf! Their treachery turned what would have been a mere sadness into a disaster of the greatest magnitude. How else could the Thirteen have vanished from the most heavily guarded site in the city during the fiercest fighting Mer has ever seen?"

"On that day, the two-hundredth day of the twenty-third year of King Vitae III, an immense fleet of ships - captained and crewed by pirates all - sailed into half of Octopon's harbors and lay siege to the capitol. The combat began at dawn and lasted far into the night. By the following dawn, only thirteen of the criminals' ships survived and they fled on the morning tide. Only after they had left was the theft of the Treasures discovered. And then, it was too late to recapture them directly."

"As I write these words, the ecomancers and sha'irs of Octopon are following the instructions left behind by the mighty Rul to complete the making of Rul's Compass. In her wisdom, she prepared for a day when the Treasures might been lost or scattered from their places in the Great Lighthouse. This Compass will point the way to the nearest of the Treasures, aiding those who seek them. In the meantime, bargains have been made with the genies so that we might know the identities of those who now possess the Treasures. Each of those outlaw captains took on the Treasures for themselves and retired to their places of power."

"Those we seek are scattered far and wide across the seas of Mer. It is amazing to think that so many criminals could hear of each other and come together for a unified effort for uncertain gain. But, the survivors of the attack on Octopon are the only names that need be remembered. We, through costly bargains with the genies, have learned these names. We will first venture after the ones who brazenly lair in and near the Crowded Seas. These pirates are…"

"Congalach of the Island of Miragon,
Ruaidri of Shanda's Horse
Castello from the Isle of Junda
Shunzo who sails the Straights of Hedron near the Isle of Monkey-birds
Nikophoros of Dagron Island
Sadiqah bint-Mese who sails the waters from Andorus to the Endless Mine"

"While these are the most vulnerable, they are only six of thirteen. Beyond the borders of the Crowded Seas, in the frontier waters, lair the remaining seven pirates who stole Rul's Treasures. These criminals are far more dangerous and crafty from having to survive the strange waters far from Octopon. These pirates prove that the theft was the work of some conspiracy with the Dark Disciples of the Cleansing Surf at its core."