Taszo travels with the group toward the Shattered Plains, where they meet Orlan. Taszo carries a strange vibrating stone and hints at secrets. At Covenant Stone, the group joins a caravan and notices a heavily reinforced wagon. Tensions rise when Ellar berates Taszo for looking inside it, but Bordin defuses the situation.

Taszo later reveals he believes the wagon contains Taln, Herald of War, and possibly an Honorblade. Before they can question him further, the group rescues a stranded merchant, fights off bandits, and returns just as the caravan is attacked again. In the chaos, Taszo runs into the highstorm.

The group follows and finds Taszo dying, surrounded by three mysterious assassins. They defeat the attackers, but Taszo dies after giving Sha his stone and urging her to return the Honorblade to Shinovar. His pack contains a note naming his contact in the Kholin camp: Liss.

Back at the caravan, they glimpse a huge muttering man inside the reinforced wagon. After reaching the Kholin warcamp, they learn the dagger taken from the assassin bears the glyph of Paliah, tied to the Truthwatchers. The temple cannot identify Taszo’s strange stone.

On the way to rest at the Ornery Chull, the group visits the menagerie, fights escaped whitespines, and acquires two unusual chickens. Over the past days, Erytl has seen flashes of red lightning, and Tas has noticed strange patterns appearing on surfaces.