Gathering in the unsettling dungeon of the dreadnought, Umeko, Anisa, Lilac and Gibson seek out the captured naga warlord Beshret. With the help of the equally unsettling gaoler, the warlord is located an interrogated at length. While initially unwilling to believe the party, the captured naga relents in the face of dire warnings, conspiratorial evidence and even Lilac revealing her beast form. Although Crushcoil seems to know little about the deeper interests of his employers, he does offer disturbing news about military movements, and an puzzling shipment of yorspice by none other than Vandringar himself.