Information from the contest leads Gersen to suspect the photograph is of the highest-ranking Fellows of the powerful Institute. It includes seven members of the "Dexad" (the Fellows of ranks 101 to 109 and 111), and the three Fellows of rank 99 (ranks 100 and 110 are always vacant). All save one died at the banquet, poisoned by charnay (see below). The survivor is the man of many names - Treesong himself, clearly the murderer of the others. Having fraudulently acquired the rank of 99, he plans to become the Institute's leader, the Triune (rank 111, hence the name), by default. Three members of the Dexad were not present. One had died recently: the banquet was for choosing his successor from the 99s. Another had broken with the Institute and become a hermit. The last was Alice Wroke's father; Treesong, under a false name, blackmailed Alice into spying on the contest by threats to her father, whom he had in fact already murdered.