“Your friend suffers like too many,” says Karim. “Gürcan and I shall help. Come.” The pair lead you to a row of dwellings. On the porch, one has racks for shoes and a bench with clay water pitchers. A crescent and calligraphy mark the wall above the entry. Your guides take you to an adjoining house and knock. As the door opens, out steps a man, his eyes bright and beard greying. An imam, he’s robed in brown with a skullcap wrapped in white: he’s the defender of the boy you saw earlier. The men exchange pious greetings, then Karim presents you, saying, “Respected teacher, this one seeks aid, so I came to your door first.” ·↽✦۞✦⇀·The imam says, “Blessings, Karim.” Looking to you, he goes on, “I’m the caretaker of this house. You’ve been guided here for a reason. Come, let this humble servant know it.” Inside the simple home, you come to know Aarif, the imam, while relating your needs over tea and dates. He tells you of the admiral’s docked flagship, where the prisoners are held, and vows to distract the checkpoint guards with preaching. Arif smiles, “I’ve been detained for this before.” ·↽✦۞✦⇀·As the sun sinks, Aarif gathers others, including Gürcan and Karim. The group head towards the docks, you shadowing them. There, Aarif rails against the corruption of the Sultan and his soldiers, and Aarif’s group rally around him. The commotion soon draws the sentries’ ire, and you slip into the docks. ·↽✦۞✦⇀· Inside the port, you slink towards the enormous flagship, easy to spot in the light of braziers and oil lamps. Before you reach it, though, your skin prickles as you sense magic. Drawn to a nearby vessel, you creep up the planks to the deck. There, you spot two guards flanking a cowled figure who installs a crystalline, mirrored device to the main mast. How do you deal with this situation?