The death of Markus Elran

The death of Markus Elran was an unsolved murder in Port District, Silnear that occured in 1583. It resulted in increased tensions between Silnear and Gaen in the build-up to the War of Eserae, and eventually to Silnear joining the Kingdom of Erdantia in the war.

Summary

Markus Elran was a Gaenic noble and military official who was acting as an ambassador for Gaen in the city-state of Silnear at the time. On the night before he was due to discuss a possible alliance between Silnear and Gaen, he retired to his quarters in the Gaenic embassy, protected by three gaenic soldiers and five of the Silnearan Guard. The gaenic soldiers were guarding his room from the inside, while the Silnearan guardsmen stood by the door outside. In the morning, when the guards entered to take him to a meeting with Aleron Epsio, he was found dead, along with his soldiers. The guardsmen did not report hearing a struggle that night. A cause of death could not be identified, but no wounds were found on the body. The Silnearan guard immediately launched an investigation into this. Footprints were discovered on the ground directly above the window of Markus's room, which was on the first floor. They could not be followed far, as they led onto the hard paved streets of Port District. There was a single witness to this. A merchant named Enzo Bellucci claimed to have seen three figures in iron masks climb up the side of the building and enter the room through the window. The only issue was that the date that he provided for this was a day before when the killing occurred. It was disregarded as a fabrication to get the money awarded for providing evidence to the Silnearan Guard, which was by no means unheard of,

Spread

After the bodies were found, news spread across Silnear and Gaen like wildfire. Many speculated that it was a deliberate attack staged by Silnear, owing to the Kingdom of Erdantia's increasing pressure towards Silnear to cut off relations with Gaen.

"When we left them in their rooms, everything seemed fine. The lord was sitting at his desk, writing something. The guards seemed relaxed. The charcoal fire in the corner giving a warm glow across the room. Actually, funny, that. When I went outside for a walk, I didn't see any smoke from the chimney."
— Lucas Mele, Silnearan guardsman.

Date of Setting

47th of the Month of Cortis, 1583

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