They left Akhisar one day after the second assassination attempt, accompanied by Shay Uvall and escorting Hajj and three merchant emissaries to the north. The party encountered no serious problems in the southern Gatar Shey, and reached Sev-a-kalam without trouble.

There the locals warned them that the monsters of the Salt Sea were restless. Nonetheless they set out, and one day as they were traveling across a salt flat a huge worm-like beast suddenly broke up through the ground in front of them, arched over them, and broke back into the ground behind them.

The salt surface between the two holes cracked open and dropped the party twenty-five yards into salt water, where the huge worm swam leisurely towards the party, obviously congratulating itself on the fine breakfast it had found. Just then, however, several small boats loomed up out of the dark and one of the creatures in them threw an object into the water in front of the worm. The object exploded with an impressive noise, blinding flames, and a truly foul stench, and the worm left quickly. The party wished it could too.

The creatures in the boats seemed much like goblins, only nicer, and immediately entered into a heated conversation amongst themselves. When the party figured out the debased dialect of Auhaami the creatures were using they discovered that the creatures were trying to decide whether the party members were intelligent, in which case they should be saved, or not, in which case they would provide breakfast and lunch, and maybe supper. After some initial difficulty, the party convinced most of the creatures, or Jetaleem as they called themselves, that they were indeed intelligent. (Several Jetaleem remained unconvinced, not surprisingly.) Gh'yal, the leader of the Jetaleem, told the party that he would resupply them and lead them to the northern edge of the Salt Sea if they would depose Moghu, the evil sorcerous tyrant that was oppressing them. (Imagine a clean goblin. Imagine a clean goblin spouting Marxist rhetoric. Imagine a clean goblin spouting Marxist rhetoric at you as you float in a salt lake infested with huge worms that have shown a distinct interest in having you for breakfast.)

The party, of course, agreed, took the oath, and snuck into the despot's underground stronghold, where they were pestered by an imp and nearly killed by Sand Golems. They succeeded, however, in destroying the despot's magical talisman, driving both the despot and his Sand Golems mad. The Jetaleem leader kept his word and escorted the party safely to the northern edge of the Salt Sea.

The party headed north to the nearest oasis, hoping that the Roc and the Sandwhip that they had found there last time would have killed each other off. However, when they reached the ravine where the Sandwhip lived they found the bones of the Roc, and further up the ravine the tell-tale depression in the sand of a Sandwhip in residence. Luckily, there was a twenty foot wide area between the outermost reach of the Sandwhip and the wall of the ravine that our heroes could squeeze through before the sandwhip could move to grab them.^[20]

Heading north again, they found that the well in the next oasis (which had been filled with the corpses of the Lakal tribe the last time they passed through) had been cleared and cleaned. When they reached Tuath's Rest it was obvious that their nomad friends had prospered in their new location. While the party was in the south, several of the nomads had scouted the trails up over the Mountain Wall, and found that only the one from Korsepolis (over which the characters had originally traveled) was passable by animals, and that only barely. Five of the young warriors had decided to seek fame and fortune, and the party agreed to take them north as they go. The sheik of the tribe also mentioned that some of his warriors had seen strange creatures seemingly formed of shadow, and on a few occasions had been attacked by these creatures.

The party climbed the Mountain Wall and traveled through the mountains without incident, but when they entered Korsepolis they stumbled directly into another battle amongst the local humanoids but escaped without serious injury. Crossing the Vale of Morin they were again accosted by the ghosts, who demanded a status report. When they left the Vale they were attacked by Horse Nomads and driven into the Thornwood Forest, where they soon stumbled into the clearing with the tiny hut and Mother Thistle. They spent the night there, and she told them of the many changes in the North since they left, all bad.

When they left in the morning they found themselves on the North edge of the forest. When they reached Arn's Ferry Balour Shaw warned them that there had been an increase in disorder in Carzala and that the party's journey would disrupt the power structure. Gim agreed to become Balour Shaw's apprentice.