You call Lahara into your Throneroom and bid her to speak.
1
"My queen, I have failed you," she begins, "The agents we sent to try and turn the Mountain Dwarves against Char-dis have been captured and returned to us in chains, along with a poem mocking "our stupidity and false beauty" written by Tom-Frick, a Dwarven god of poetry who I believe to be the spymaster of their pantheon. He is calling us fools for thinking that his Pantheon and people need any help in hating our friend in the Soup, and describes in great length the terrible things his divine friends might do to us if we continue to anger them."
"Crap." You reply. But before you can begin to consider the ramifications of this, the goddess of Naval Disasters drops another bombshell.
5
"My queen, I don't make this claim against your blood lightly, but I have investigated every possible lead regarding the stolen Staff of Creed, and although my evidence is only circumstantial, I strongly believe your daughter Azuma is the culprit."
You are shocked. "WHAT? Why?"
"All the leads she gave me when I took over the case from her proved to be dead ends, and no trace of evidence remains at the crime scene. I believe the entire time we thought she was investigating the theft, she was thoroughly covering her tracks." Lahara explains, "I began to investigate your daughter and her followers, and found out that just after I took over the case, she sent her closest disciple, a Chestnut Dwarf called Hogarth the Brave, on a secret quest to parts unknown. He left carrying an odd package described as being just the right size to hold a single staff or polearm. He has not yet returned"
You begin to wonder if your twin daughters are competing to see who can give you the bigger headache.
A: Send my host to pick up Azuma at once, so that she may face the charges against her at my Throne.
B: I should pay my daughter a visit at her home in The Empire, and deal with the matter quietly.
C: Tell Lahara to keep the matter quiet for now, and focus her efforts on tracking down Hogarth the Brave.
D: The staff never meant much to me, and I trust Azuma to keep her crimes under wraps. I shall send her a letter implying I know the truth and congratulating her on her clever scheme.
E: Clearly Lahara has it wrong. She should continue her investigation, and focus on other suspects.
F: Clearly Lahara has it wrong. She should step down as my spymaster.