Log Entry 701: Esther's Report on the Amaranth Incident

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

RE:

I have carried out the mission according to your orders, as follows.

As to the investigation:

Further investigation of the basement from which the slaves disappeared revealed a secret tunnel leading off the Embassy property. This was no less than I had suspected, but we also found a person apparently living in the tunnel, a bedraggled and crazed female Zerda. The tunnel also contained a number of grotesque 'paintings' on the stone walls. According to her dress and her incessant ravings, she believes she is Amaranth, the vengeful ghostof Darkside legend. She claimed responsibility for 'devouring' the slaves. The Spirit Mage, Qing, joined us and was able to verify no trace of possessionor spirit activity in the Zerda or the Embassy as a whole.

It is likely 'Amaranth' is a witness to the real cause of the disappearance, but due to her condition, I believe conventional interrogation would be unlikely to produce anything useful. I have left her in the care of our liaison at the Collegia Esoterica with the urgent request that her memoriesbe probed by the specialists in the Sphere of Mind. After that, if hercondition and her story do not change, she will be transferred to Moz Ezley for long-term care.

Meanwhile, there is still the matter of the missing slaves. Clearly theyhave been either kidnapped or helped to escape; because there were no signs of a struggle, I suspect the latter. The room in which they were kept and the secret tunnel were doused with formaldehyde and cleaning fluids, apparentlyin an attempt to thwart identification and tracking by scent.

Immediately upon returning to the Temple, I initiated a full-scale investigation. One of my Inquisitors, Torvald von Putsch, is inquiring with the Inner Mysteries and the Collegia about recent sales or thefts of these fluids, and staying abreast of Amaranth's status. Investigator Ibrahim has begun interviewing his sources and infiltrating Darkside in search of the missing slaves. Finally, I left Lieutenant Shimei behind to command a Guard detail at the tunnel entrance and around the Embassy's perimeter; they will supervise the walling-up of the tunnel, keep track of all who enter and exit the Embassy, and search for more secret entrances.

As to the reparations and the behavior of Ambassador Brishen:

It was obvious when we arrived that the Ambassador was dismayed that we had arrived so quickly. She and her butler (Degarde) hoverednervously over us as we searched the estate for clues. The Ambassador made quite a display of fear at the thought of the hostile spirit Amaranth and her 'devouring' of the slaves. When the real 'Amaranth' was revealed, however, her emotion changed from fright to dread. It is an emotion I witness oftenin the guilty when they know they have been caught.

After seeing the secret tunnel, in answer to my questions about the reparation, the Ambassador made a sudden claim on the wall-paintings and offered THEM in lieu of the slaves! I politely explained the impossibilityof this arrangement and requested four gold shekels instead. She balked at first, appealing to the exact terms of the agreement, saying that slaveswere required, not gold. However, a little gentle persuasion at last convincedher to turn over two gold shekels as a down payment. I have placed the coins in the Inquisition's secured storage facility for the moment, and would be pleased to turn them over to you directly, or to the Treasury, as youprefer. If the slaves are found and the evidence implicates Embassy staff, may I suggest that the costs of the investigation be deducted from this cashpayment?

Based solely on this visit, on the face of it, I might conclude that Ambassador Brishen is simply gullible and superstitious as regards the disappearance, and shifty as regards the reparation. In my opinion, these qualities alone would show her to be a poor choice for the post sheoccupies. However, qualities revealed by her known past activities – her boldness in speech and action, her duplicity, her ability to switch sides readily upon seeing opportunity for personal advancement – make it obvious that the 'devouring' of the slaves by 'Amaranth' was a bald fabrication, and all her quivering merely melodramatic trickery. 'Reewit', the observer from the Ashdod government, was present for most of this. He appears to have reached similar conclusions and expressed to me his shock and embarrassment at Brishen's shameful behavior.

If she was deliberately participating in a cover story, then of course she must be an accessory to the disappearance. Depending on the exact circumstances, she may be guilty of fraud, grand larceny, espionage, and/or aiding and abetting runaway slaves. In my opinion, immediate expulsion from Rephidim, as well as remittance to the Temple of the slaves or their equivalent in cash and goods, would be appropriate punishment for a diplomat guilty of these crimes. Then Ashdod can send a new Ambassador and deal with Brishen as they see fit.

I remain your humble servant,