The party left the watchtower and climbed down the cliff to the desert. Once out upon the desert they were attacked by strange insect-like humanoids, but managed to defeat them. They came to an oasis, but found it inhabited by the Kaval-tu-Ata, a tribe of Auhaami, the nomads of the Gatar Shey (the Southern name for the desert). According to the customs of the tribe, they were allowed to enter the oasis after the party's champion (Basgoot) defeated the tribe's champion, Harun. They found out that the insect-like humanoids were the Thri-Kreen, a race found in many places on the desert. The party stayed with the tribe for a while. The sheik, Yavidi, hired them to retrieve some religious items, the Cup and the Talisman, from Batik-al-Yazum, a local wizard, who had stolen them from the tribe. In return, the sheik offered to outfit them for their journey over the desert and to supply a guide, and told them Batik-al-Yazum and most of his servants were absent.

The party accepted, and set out for Batik-al-Yazum's tower in Sumaldi, a ruined city and oasis a few days travel away. They were attacked by a party of ghouls in the city, and during the fight Basgoot's sword again began to hum. This time, both Basgoot and the ghoul screamed, at the same pitch, and Basgoot changed his armor turned black, his skin became the color of yellowed ivory, he grew half a foot taller, and the ghoul shriveled up and blew away. He and the sword killed five more ghouls, absorbing each one, and then Basgoot attacked Jamie, the nearest member of the party, slicing through the magical Wall of Force with which Cormac had encircled the party. Basgoot tried to resist the influence of the sword and the rest of the party managed to pull him off Jamie, whereupon he collapsed.

The party continued with its mission, and succeeded in reclaiming the Cup and the Talisman, killing several of Batik-al-Yazum's servants in the process. They returned to the nomad camp, where they continued learning how to live in the desert, how to ride the lizards that were the desert's most common form of transportation, and how to speak the language of the South.