I sing of travel, and a group abroad.

From the seacoast of Nova Iork they came,

Scholars most skilled in Arts and Sciences

Went to Etruria to make a name

And found a city sacred to the gods,

Those holy beings who look down from above

And hunger for burnt offerings.

Begins at the great Port of Kennedy

Where our heroes begin their quest. Their names:

Toddysseus, a man most skilled in war

And cookery, whose name makes veggies flee.

Briam, a prince and scholar most renowned,

Not clad in armor, but Armani-clad.

Jeaneas, Obadius, Melinaus,

With Patreus, the founder of the clan,

And Princess, the sole heiress of the line.

The House of Patreus, as they were called,

Were feasting at a table at the Port,

When at another table Briam spied

A creature most bizarre and fabulous:

A cross between a marmoset and owl,

It spoke in twisted tongues and gibberish.

"O Oracle!" our Obadius cried.

"What is our fate? What portents do you see?

What is the future of our line?"

In twisted tongues did answer Obie�s plea:

"Ee-ba moo Zee! Doh bagga zee-loh ee!"

Old Patreus, who understood the tongue,

Did translate for the rest: "We must depart

And make our way to old Etruria,

Where we will found a kingdom, fight a war,

And offer many sacrifices to

The gods."

And built an altar to the holy ones,

Burnt Academic Proposals, and prayed

To the goddess Brathena, to whom they

Did dedicate their quest. They then set sail

Across the ocean in their flying ship.

On to book two...