Tomasolle’s Compromised Investigation

Tomasolle’s loyalty to the Ahfal Oma complicates the search for the source of the disease and turns an inquiry into a test of family and political allegiance.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Maps Converge

A Pattern Emerges Cases and migration Tomasolle and Cheehana compare scattered illness reports with settlement records. The earliest cases appear near communities shaped by Zolian frontier migration and Ahfal Oma displacement. A dangerous inference Geography alone cannot prove responsibility, but it makes the disease’s spread look less random. The investigation now implicates histories of settlement and forced movement.

The Kinma Account

A History of the Hounds A troubling tradition Tomasolle and Shikan describe how the Ahfal Oma raised Rochai using practices associated with Kinma and dead horses. Their account offers a possible route by which disease could have entered animals. Guilt remains uncertain Tomasolle insists that the dogs died after eating toxic grain rather than becoming safe carriers. The history suggests a connection but does not establish a deliberate plot.

Hohsalle Sent West

Investigation Becomes Personal Cheehana’s assignment Cheehana asks Hohsalle, rather than Tomasolle, to investigate the possible connection between the Ahfal Oma and the disease. Tomasolle is too close to the people under suspicion. A guarded journey Hohsalle understands that his brother-in-law may be protecting someone. He hopes to discover the truth without turning investigation into a demand for punishment.

Winter, at the Academy

During the same Academy inquiry

After the Academy meeting