In the midst of the uneasy peace between Acryn and the Serradic empire, a call is put by the Department of Public Affairs for adventurers willing to provide security for the inaugural interstate games in Liarus.

The party are informed they are to help sneak Cornelia Tovi, a Serradic Shogi champion who wishes to defect to Acryn, out of Liarus. Over a banquet they meet Cornelia and Angelo Terrec, Duke of House Terrec, who is to be her opponent in the match. They also discover that Cornelia is having an affair with Angelo's second and partner, Florian. Things first go wrong when Angelo starts loosing quite badly in the match and his temper gets the better of him. He lashes out with magic in his frustration, at which point a number of members of the party beat him in to unconciousness and drag him back to the embassy.

Things go from bad to worse when they are trying to sneak Cornelia out the city. Bobby dons a mask of the Jubliant Mask and finds her mind overwhelmed by the trickster god. In her temporary insanity she alerts a group of Serradic wizard hunters to the presence of Lionel and the fact they have a defector with them, forcing Cornelia to flee to her quarters.

After some shenanigans avoiding the wizard hunters, they succeed in sneaking Cornelia to the embassy, at which point they plan to sneak her out in Angelo's carriage. Angelo, who is still furious with the party, is placed in a trance using the Eternal Song's power. This is surprisingly successful. In a last ditch attempt to stop Cornelia defecting the Serradics send first some more minor members of the Penitent Damned and then a group of assassins along with Cornelia's estranged husband. The party cut down the assassins and now accompanied by Cornelia's husband in addition, return to Acryn.