The Situation
The city of Bardij, with the aid of the group, and troops they summoned, defected from the nation of Idym to Haraxa. Bardij is situated where Haraxa, Idym and Ishtir meet. It is important for trade from the Lands of Spices, as it is on the route from the sea to eastern Ishtir, western Haraxa and the lands of the Sakah, and for Sakah goods heading south.
Ishtir and Idym are not happy with Haraxa, but Ishtir is thinly stretched and Idym is wrestling with rebellion in the west, so their ability to bring force to bear is low, and this conference is here to debate the matter.
The Ambassadors
The group gathered around the room where Mirnusz, the ambassador from Ishtir, was lying, pinned to his bed by a sword identified by Utana as being of Kutin design, and it occurred to everyone that that seemed to obvious.
Smersh had determined that Mirnusz was drugged with a sleeping potion, a drug called Gadanishz, made from a infused era whose origin is from Idym, though Idym did not exist when Smersh learned of it. Again, the group thought this too neat.
Juan José joined the group, and, in about of black humour to bring levity to this diplomatic incident, the group noticed that, as a far travelled man, who is in charge if security for the event and is also a herbalist, Juan José must surely be a suspect.
The room was locked, the only exit a balcony with a ladder to the roof, In the doorframe they found some loose wool threads, red threads.
Up on the roof, a search found a short piece of cut rope, a hook on one end, that looked to have been attached to something here Nearby, the wall on the roof was scuffed, where a tense rope was, obviously strung across the roof to the next embassy.
From the first house below the line of trees, on the left these house the parties of Kutin, Merem, Idym, Ishtir and below, Haraxa.
The ambassadors from further powers like the Faliscans, Sardes, Ta-Khamet and others are housed elsewhere.
Although Haraxa is host, the ambassadorial party is separate from the Magistrate and representatives of the state running the event, such as Utana and the other agents.
Interviewing the Ishtiri guards on duty, they had views around the corridors, but no-one was in or even in fromt of Mirnusz’s room, not until a morning drink was brought to him and the death was discovered.
When quizzed about the rope, and red thread and anything unusual, there was mention made of two loincloth clad workmen outside, one of whom was wearing a red loincloth. Fetnah took a description and made a sketch as well as she could, and the message went out to look for them.
Further investigations with the Idymite embassy found evidence of the other of the rope on their side of the roof. Questioning guards revealed that the Idymites had not been so tight with their security and workmen had been working in the building, including two that had been been bringing in materials in boxes, of note was a long box hauled in upstairs by two workmen, one of whose was wearing a red loincloth. The box was later removed.
The supposition was that they carried in a confederate, whom they left, as the box seemed lighter, but they had delivered and left other things, food, linens, eating utensils etc, so they did not think much of it.
Searching of the artisan’s area turned up the suspected box, also with red threads, so there were at least two men in red loincloths. The description was refined and eventually a guard said they had seen them, but not as a workman but as a party guest, at one of the tables reserved for junior members of ambassadorial parties. They were not certain which but, as organisers, they were able to narrow down which of the ambassadorial staff were at the tables that the guard remembered.
And so they found out that one of the party from Merem, called Simut, was missing. His quarters had been vacated quickly, leaving behind two phials, one empty, one still full, which Smersh pocketed. There are other bits and pieces left behind, but they were not investigated further.
Taling to Rumekebu the ambassador, they learned that one of their ambassadorial party had fallen ill suddenly, and Simut substituted, but they were unable to find the orders, though the ambassador put that down to the exigencies of travel.
There is more to investigate, but the night was getting late, and there we left it