As Conan enters Kalandor, a beggar prophesies that the passing moneylender Avoosl Wuthoqquan's love of material things will bring his doom. The beggar then tells Conan that Avoosl covets to gems in the possession of a nearby merchant, and suggests Avoosl might pay well for those items. Conan spends the day looking for food, but, finding none, decides to steal the emeralds and sell them. He sneaks into the merchant's tower and steals the precious stones, takingthem directly to Avoosl, who gladly gives Conan a large sum of money. As Conan leaves, Avvosl sends his manservant Gnut after Conan to retrieve the money and dispose of the barbarian. Almost immediately, the two gems glow with an eerie green light and float away, Avoosl in pursuit. Meanwhile, Gnut finds out the hard way the difficulti