Ali the Trader

The Old School RuneScape Wiki also has an article on: osrsw:Rogue Trader

Ali the Trader
Unlock all Rogue Trader merchandise.
Release date	4 April 2005 (Update)
Members	Yes
Category	Lore
Subcategory	Post-Quest
Required for	Master quest cape
RuneScore	15
Requirements	The Feud Icthlarin's Little Helper (to the point where you enter Sophanem)
Advanced data
Struct ID	2113
Links	Struct2113
Infobox • Infobox talk page

Ali the Trader is an achievement that requires the player to unlock all merchandise from Ali Morrisane.

Starting

Players will need the following to complete this achievement:

• Coins – to pay the Street Urchin to conspire against the Blackjack seller (required for defensive blackjacks) and for Magic carpet rides (optional)
• 3 Dyes of any colour (for Desert outfits) or
• 3 Animal pelts of the same kind – Cowhide, Wool, Snakeskin, any type of fur, etc. (for Menaphite clothing, can be obtained in Pollnivneach) See Part 3 below for hides that do not work.
• Completed The Feud quest.

It's also recommended to have the following:

• House teleport runes (if house is in Pollnivneach) or Pollnivneach tablet(s) (after Love Story)
• Ring of charos (a) to reduce the cost of Magic carpet rides
• Enchanted broomstick
• Items to negate the effects of Desert heat (e.g. Desert clothing, Enchanted water tiara, Waterskins)
  • Alternatively, the Crocodile Tears quest grants immunity against desert heat.
• Alternative transport: Master Camouflage outfit has teleports to Pollnivneach (More option, then Pollnivneach) and Sophanem (Pyramid Plunder option). No items to negate desert heat are needed with it, as you won't need to travel through the desert.

Players start by talking to Ali Morrisane. You can do each part individually, or you can talk to Aubury, Blackjack seller, and Siamun before returning to talk to Ali again.

Part 1: Runes from Aubury

Aubrey's rune chest at Ali's stand.

Ali tells the player to talk to Aubury in Varrock about a rune deal. After doing so, players should return to Ali Morrisane.

Opening the caskets

Ali complains that there is an odd lock mechanism on the caskets of runes and that he is unable to open them. There are 2 caskets: Small casket and large casket. For both caskets, players get these three options:

• Force Box: higher chances of success with higher Strength levels, provides Strength experience
• Pick Lock: higher chances of success with higher Thieving levels, provides Thieving experience
• Examine Lock: players will see a "RuneSudoku" puzzle.

The small casket contains elemental runes and is easier to open compared to the large casket. Players may choose any of the 3 options on the small casket.

The large casket contains non-elemental runes and can only be opened via the puzzle – choose "Examine Lock". It cannot be opened by forcing or picking the lock.

Opening the caskets will allow you to purchase runes from Ali. See Buying runes below for details.

RuneSudoku

RuneSudoku puzzle (for Small Casket)

RuneSudoku screen for Large Caskets.

The runes substitute numbers in a standard Sudoku puzzle. The yellow and orange squares indicate the 2x2 or 3x3 small squares (for the Small Casket and Large Casket respectively) that must have 1 of each rune, just as each horizontal row and each vertical column must have 1 of each rune.

A trick that always works with the Small Casket is to position the runes as shown.

1    2    3    4

4    3    2    1

3    4    1    2

2    1    4    3

The placement of the starting runes varies, but the pattern is always the same. This pattern can always be performed, regardless of the starting placement. The pattern for Large Casket is random for everyone. If you're really having trouble with the Large Casket, search and use a 9x9 automatic sudoku solver by translating the runes into numbers.

Buying runes

After opening the caskets, players have the options of choosing either to buy all the runes (of unknown type and quantity) for a specified amount or to see what the runes are.

Seeing what they are adds them to Ali's stock. Even if players decide to see what the runes are, they can still buy them from his stock for a more expensive price compared to buying the runes without seeing them first. With time, Ali's stock decreases slowly, presumably as he sells the runes. Players may replenish his stock by opening more caskets.

In order to buy the runes inside a casket (especially a large one – assuming you have solved the puzzle) you must have the coins in your inventory or in your currency pouch.

Part 2: Blackjacks from Pollnivneach

In order to obtain different types of blackjacks (defensive blackjacks and offensive blackjacks), players have to talk to the blackjack seller in Pollnivneach. He is just south of Isma'il the Kebab-Seller. Players may do the steps for either offensive or defensive first. The player will need to return to Ali Morrisane before being able to talk to the Blackjack seller to switch types.

Defensive Blackjacks

For defensive blackjacks, players need to go through the conversation with the blackjack seller and choose the 'cunning plan'. Players then need to talk to the Street Urchin, who asks the player for 100 coins to assist in convincing the Blackjack seller that he needs to produce some different equipment. Don't forget to talk to the Blackjack seller afterwards! When players return to Ali Morrisane, they can purchase defensive blackjacks from him.

Offensive Blackjacks

For offensive blackjacks, the player must bet that the blackjack seller cannot knock out the player with two hits from a blackjack. After attacking the player twice (for no damage), he agrees that the blackjacks need to be stronger. Occasionally, the blackjack seller may knock out the player, causing 30 damage. This will require you to go through the motions of both attacks again. When players return to Ali Morrisane, they can purchase offensive blackjacks from him.

Buying blackjacks

When players talk to Ali Morrisane back in Al Kharid, they can now purchase offensive or defensive blackjacks from him. He asks the player to return to Pollnivneach and to ask the Blackjack seller to make additional kinds of blackjacks. Players may repeat this process to switch between Defensive and Offensive Blackjacks.

Part 3: Clothes from Sophanem

A player wearing a set of Red and Yellow Menaphite robes.

If players have completed Icthlarin's Little Helper, they may take a carpet ride from south Pollnivneach to Sophanem, or by using the Menaphos lodestone if unlocked and running east to the gate. Once there talk to Siamun in the building with the spinning wheel or around the silk stall. Siamun is a rude, gruff character who wants either 3 dyes or 3 animal pelts of the same animal.

Desert outfits

Standard dyes can be bought from players or are sold at Lletya Seamstress, run by Oronwen in Lletya. Otherwise, Aggie in Draynor Village and Rana the dyer in Pollnivneach will make these dyes for the player if they are brought certain ingredients. Once the dyes are given to Siamun, she begins shipping the Desert outfits.

Menaphite clothing

Allowed animal pelts include cowhide (not tanned), snakeskin, wool (not black wool), various types of fur (bear, wolf, etc.) and possibly skins of other creatures. Dragonhide, yak-hide, polar kebbit fur, Dagannoth hide, or imphide do not work, neither do swamp snakeskins acquired through Temple Trekking, nor seasonal wools acquired through the player-owned farm. If players do not have pelts in inventory, they could retrieve them from the closest bank, in Sophanem (if they have completed Contact!), otherwise from the bank in Menaphos, Shantay Pass or Nardah, and return. Once the hides are given to Siamun, she begins shipping the Menaphite clothing.

Buying clothing

When players talk to Ali Morrisane back in Al Kharid, they can now purchase desert or Menaphite clothing from him. He asks the player to return to Sophanem and to ask Siamun to make additional clothing. Players may repeat the process to switch between Menaphite clothing and the Desert outfits.

Post-errand task

After helping Ali Morrisane with runes, blackjacks and clothing, you may engage in optional, additional dialogue with any shop owner within Al Kharid, asking about their opinion of Ali. They will all claim that he is a shifty man, and that he's brought four men from the south to set up business, and has sent them to all the shop owners around Al Kharid to threaten them if they do not work for Ali Morrisane.

These four men are Raheem the Farmer, Fayez the Guard, Musa the Smith and Zeid the Tailor, who appear south of Ali Morrisane's stall immediately after you complete his three errands. Speak to any of them, asking that you have heard that they work for Ali Morrisane. They will say that he has assisted them in setting up shop in exchange for a cut of their profits.

Speak to Ali Morrisane. Inform him that you have heard of his plans of expanding business, and that his men are threatening the other shopkeepers. He will state that that is regrettable and justifies the threats by stating that his men are overenthusiastic, and that he is planning to take over all of Al Kharid's shops to stop this.

Rewards

Ali Morrisane in Al Kharid will now sell:

• Desert outfits
• Menaphite clothing
• Defensive and Offensive Blackjacks
• Magic Carpet rides at discounted prices, Travel now 500 from usual 1,000
• Runes are often slightly cheaper than on the Grand Exchange, see savings below.

Rune	Price	GE Price	Savings
Air rune	17	26	9
Water rune	17	159	142
Earth rune	17	30	13
Fire rune	17	108	91
Mind rune	17	20	3
Body rune	16	28	12
Chaos rune	140	139	−1
Death rune	310	321	11
Cosmic rune	232	254	22
Law rune	378	229	−149
Nature rune	372	763	391
Blood rune	550	1,288	738
Soul rune	410	1,790	1,380

Achievement

• So Su Me ( 10) – Solve an easy runedoku casket.
• On a Rune High ( 10) – Unlock the highest rune shop from Ali Morrisane, by completing the 'Rogue Trader' miniquest.

Transcript

This article on a miniquest has an associated dialogue page. Click here for a transcript of possible conversations and other messaging encountered throughout the miniquest.

Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!

• patch 7 February 2022 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue with the minigame UI during the Rogue Trader miniquest.

• patch 21 October 2019 (Update):
  • Ali the trader achievement no longer gets triggered every time player closes the "selection of cloths" interface.

• patch 21 April 2009 (Update):
  • Resolved an animation problem with the Rogue Trader top when worn by female characters and with the Stealing Creation platebody when performing an emote.

• update 4 April 2005 (Update):
  • Added to game.