The party has been summoned by Lord Iphios, ruler of the city of Klymeus, to meet him on a cold, drizzly morning in an old cemetary in a working-class part of the city. One of the old mausoleums has been pried open. Cyrus notes the doors have simply been pried open; no finesse here at all. Inside, the sarcophagus of Eleus the Elder has been violated and the old bones removed. Eleus the Elder was one of the city's prominent astrologers many decades before; now his remains have been stolen. To what purpose? Lord Iphios can only imagine it is to embarrass him: the nobles of the city are growing angry at his inability to prevent the desecration of their ancestors' resting places. He has placed guards in the cemetaries, but not all tombs can be guarded....

As if on cue, a carriage clatters into the cemetary. Spindly, cranky Eleus X hobbles forward. His rheumy eye fixes on Cyrus and he pours invective upon him for his failures to guard the honored dead. Damos intrudes himself, and begins pouring questions upon the old man about how he found out about the break in; whether he was satisfied with the messenger; did he have any recommendations for future improvements in messenger service. Confronted with a river of verbiage, Eleus X completely loses his train of thought. He complains that the messenger came much too early in the morning, and that his butler Elestos was the only one who saw the messenger. Damos warmly escorts Eleus X back to his carriage, assuring him that the miscreants will be found and punished, the bones returned, and the tomb resealed as soon as possible, perhaps even by the next day. The confused old noble enters his carriage and drives off.

Gorgos and Megaman question the guards who were on duty, Cleon and Pello. Cleon is a youngster, unsure of himself, while Pello is a veteran. They agreed that there were some youths drinking beer in the cemetary around midnight, and they were run off, and shortly afterwards, they heard a noise. They agree that a noise was heard, but neither is sure which one of them actually heard it. Pello coaches Cleon, who admits it was he who heard the noise. In any case, they spent some time searching the foliage, and when they had given up, the tomb had already been despoiled. Their testimony is unconvincing, as if they're unsure of the story themselves. Gorgos is careful to note how things smell: the open crypt, how Eleus X smelled, the presence of alcohol in the cemetary. He finds little save that there definitely was beer spilled on the grounds, corroborating the guards' story.

Damos and Megamen decide to question Lord Eleus's butler directly, while Gorgos and Cyrus decide to speak to the guards at greater length in the guardhouse. Gorgos and Cyrus ask Cleon out for a drink, where they find his story growing less and less coherent. Cleon is pretty sure he didn't hear a noise; Pello heard the noise. Returning to the barracks, Gorgos discovers that Pello was responsible for assigning guards to cemetary duty. His suspicions are kindled. They decide to seek out Lord Iphios with these suspicions. On their way there, Cyrus notices Uncas, a prominent loanshark. Suddenly taking an interest in his feet, Cyrus slips into the shadows, but unsubtle Gorgos hails the loanshark, who then notices Cyrus. Gorgos is sent into the tavern for a moment. Uncas has a business proposition for Cyrus: he has a contact willing to buy information about the tomb break-ins, which would make a large reduction in Cyrus's debt. But Cyrus refuses.

Meanwhile, Damos and Megaman venture to Lord Eleus's large and ill-kept estate. Elestos the butler answers the door to their knock. He looks very similar to Lord Eleus, a thought that never fails to amuse him in its absurdity when it's mentioned. Elestos says the messenger arrived "much too early in the morning," and told him that Eleus's family mausoleum had been broken into, and that Lord Iphios would be at the tomb shortly. The messenger was described as "very short, extremely ugly, with a very large, twisted nose. Very ugly." Damos assures Elestos that any comments about the service will be given full consideration. Elestos complains that the message was so early in the morning: "Lord Eleus was very upset! He barely finished his third cup of tea before demanding his carriage."

When Elestos mentions that Lord Myndas's family tomb was also broken into, he asks who would have seen the messenger there? Elestos says to ask for , who would probably have answered the door at that hour. Damos and Megamen thank him for his assistance and move on to Lord Myndas's house.

Lord Myndas's house is both larger and better maintained. The person who answers the door superciliously direct Damos and Megamen to the kitchen. Knowing he is being treated shabbily by being sent to the servants' entrance, and not much caring, Damos asks to speak to Xeneus. Xeneus turns out to be a fearful rabbit of a man, but his description is exactly the same as Elestos's. Damos thanks him, and on the spur of the moment, adds that the messenger is a dangerous criminal. Xeneus is outraged that a criminal is permitted to come to Lord Myndas's door. Damos explains that he is, after all, a criminal, and not to breathe a word of this to anybody. Xeneus promises, muttering about the nerve of criminals, and retreats to his kitchen duties.

Damos and Megamen decide that this messenger is a key suspect. It's the same man both times, and he knew too much. He knew which tombs were broken into, that Lord Iphios was going to be at the tomb soon. The early hour of his summons meant that he knew of the break-ins very early, and unless he was sent by Lord Iphios or one of his agents, this ugly messenger was seeking confrontations between the nobility and Lord Iphios at the scene of the crime. They decide to seek out Iphios.

They meet Gorgos and Cyrus at Iphios's palace. Gorgos wishes to speak about Cleon and Pello, but Lord Iphios interrupts him: that Pello is keeping a good eye on that clumsy Cleon, a patronage hire that he greatly regrets. Gorgos decides to withhold his suspicions. Then Damos asks Lord Iphios if he sent any messengers about the break-ins: he had not. That means the short man is a definite lead. Damos also asks who would gain from these break ins? Are the bones of astrologers useful for magic? Megamen thinks not. Lord Iphios can only imagine it's an attempt to discredit him. He has enemies, other nobles from the portside of the city who would desire to put their heirs or toadies into his position. If he cannot deal with this threat to their honor, he fears he will be replaced. His biggest headache is Lord Demios, and he suspects Demios has the most to gain from his current difficulties.

The group splits again. Cyrus meets with one of his connections, Agarato, a scholar. Agarato knows something and wants a cut into the action, but is scared of possible consequences. Gorgos seeks out his mentor, Lieutenant Antos. ("Antos!" "What is it, Gorgos?" "I...I don't like Pello very much!" ) Antos doesn't commit himself, but points out that if Gorgos has suspicions, he might consider investigating Pello.

Damos conceives a plan. They need to find a man of unusual appearance, who has recently come into some money (paid by Lord Iphios's enemies), possibly based in the portside area. To be sure of recognizing their mark, all four go to Lord Myndas's home, and knock at the kitchen door. Damos tells the scullion that they seek Zennios. With Gorgos in official city guard regalia, the scullion is frightened, and summons Xeneus. "Come with us, Xeneus." The scullion asks when Xeneus when he will return. "He will be brought back later. He will be mostly functional," says Damos coldly, thinking that Xeneus will be rather drunk, but happy to let the much more sinister explanation float in the scullion's mind.

The group systematically enters the bars and bordellos of the portside. In each one, Damos asks the publican if they have seen the short, ugly man, because they have a considerable sum of money to pay him. The bartender in the sixth bar they enter agrees that they have described Leus, a frequent customer. They engage a private room, and Damos cuts a small hole in a curtain, so that they may see Leus come into the room without being seen.