Spartan - hope you have finally gotten your monk!
This has got to be the most frustrating of all the role quests! If I remember correctly, Saz said you can go "through" town but you cannot stop and do anything while there. The game has the nasty habit of resetting the clock when you go in to see if you're done. Always save outside the town gates! YOu can avoid a lot of grief that way!
Wyv