Moustafa

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Moustafa in disguise as Sheek.

Moustafa (also known as Sheek) is a green Nomadimouse who inhabits Dry Dry Outpost, which he has a great deal of control over, being the leader of a secret group of honorable thieves that dwell within it.

Upon arriving at the outpost, Mario learns that he must speak with Moustafa in order to reach the Dry Dry Ruins and rescue the Star Spirit that is imprisoned there. In order to gain an audience, however, he must first exchange items for information from an informant known as Sheek. If Mario gives Sheek his favorite thing, a Lemon obtained from the oasis in the desert, Sheek will instruct him to purchase a Dried Shroom and a Dusty Hammer, in that order, from the outpost shop, as this is a secret combination known only to Moustafa and his affiliates.

Purchasing the two items in the designated order leads the shopkeeper to tell Mario that Moustafa resides at the highest point of Dry Dry Outpost, and that Mario will need to keep climbing higher and higher in order to meet with him. Returning to the spot where Mario first met Sheek and continuing up through the buildings beyond it eventually leads the plumber to Moustafa's chamber, where he discovers that the leader of the thieves and the informant are one and the same, and that Moustafa resorts to using a disguise when out and about in the outpost. After detailing his status and a protector of Dry Dry Ruins, Moustafa yields to Mario the Pulse Stone, which will helps to lead him to the location of the ruins as well as raise them from the desert sands.

If Mario visits Moustafa after defeating Tutankoopa in the Dry Dry Ruins, he will tell Moustafa of what transpired there. Shocked at the revelation that minions of Bowser were in the Dry Dry Ruins, Moustafa will gratefully thank Mario for having gotten rid of Bowser's influence in the ruins, saying he will be eternally grateful to Mario.

Moustafa, as well as several other Nomadimice, also appear in the parade that takes place after Paper Mario is beaten; during the parade, Moustafa and his companions stop to talk with Rowf and Rhuff before continuing onward. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Lumpy the Ratooey will mention Moustafa while recalling his search for oil in the Dry Dry Desert.

An unnamed Toad in Toad Town, located near the port, will reveal that, having become lost in Dry Dry Desert, he was saved by Moustafa, who brought him to Dry Dry Outpost. It was there that Moustafa revealed to the Toad a large secret, though what this secret was is unrevealed. Additionally, the Nomadimouse seems to have met Moustafa, as the latter had sent him a letter; where the Nomadimouse met Moustafa is unrevealed, indeed, the Nomadimouse only had vague memories of meeting Moustafa at one time.

Tattle

"This is Sheek. You'd think the guy could shake the dust from his clothes! If I didn't know he was an information trader, I'd say we should steer clear of him. Still, he's our best soure for gossip... As adventurers, we have to deal with all kinds!"

"Da Da Da Duuum! Sheek reveals his true self! ...I guess that means he's the boss everyone talks about. Oh... I was expecting Moustafa to look a lot cooler."

Trivia

• The name of Moustafa's alter-ego, "Sheek", is reminiscent of Princess Zelda's alter-ego Sheik from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Both characters are royals who don an alter-ego as a disguise. In addition, Goombario seems to recite the classic Zelda melody ("Da Da Da Duuum!" meaning the player has obtained a treasure in the series) if he uses Tattle on the recently-revealed Moustafa. Moustafa's alter-ego may also be derived from the word "Sikh", a follower of the religion Sikhism, or the Arab title "Sheikh", meaning "elder".
• The requirement to meeting Moustafa (not as Sheek) by buying a Dried Shroom and Dusty Hammer is similar to the sequel's requirement to meeting Don Pianta, another Dried Shroom and a Dizzy Dial.
• His name is a pun on the common Muslim given name Mustafa (a name which in Arabic means "the Chosen One") combined with the word mouse (which is the real-world creature Moustafa's species is based on).