Answering Dragh, Tamli speaks up: "Well, in towns like this, where we do not set up shop to sell the wares we transport, we bring special orders. Valuable or at least rare items, relatively speaking, since it takes up to a year to deliver them. It can be special seeds for fields, to good tools and such... Here, when we arrived, Bort travelled around town to conduct business with the crafters and families that had placed orders. He delivered many things, collected the money, and took orders from them or others for next time..."
Looking at Giggett:
"But we are not trinket merchants, and there is actually quite a lot of money involved in this. My feeling was that someone wanted to steel our goods and cash."
Tamli thinks a bit, and says: "There still is a little chore that needs to be seen to. Bort’s final delivery is here in town, for he was going to do it this morning, since it needs to be done delicately.”
Tamli shows you something long and awkward wrapped in burlap.
"But I know of no priest, no doctor, no alchemist, no nothing of the sort... as you know, there's barely 200 people here, with over half of them living in turnip farms outside town."
Olf and Ulf speak up: "Maybe the gnome's right. Maybe Bort just died 'cause he ate more porridge. He loved that glop. Maybe we all are targets. Maybe someone else of us gonna be killed."
Morning has come.
People start to come and go in the village.
You see "Sir Lawren" banging on the door of the Feedmill, that remains closed.
"A drink, I need a drink! Where is my friend Talmore?! Talmore, my friend! He did not come to confront them last night!"
Tamli tells Giggett and you all: "Of course, we can look through the caravan... I think, though, you will do best to go through Bort’s ledgers. I can get them for you."
Dragh listens to arguments brought and responds to Giggett:
"Bort got a way bigger dose of poison than the rest of us. I think he was a target, but time will tell."
As he hears about ledgers Dragh comments:
"I can take a look at the ledgers, I know dwarven runes if he used them and I helped a couple of times with the ledgers of the brewery. Just a small part of it but still."
Though Bort ate a lot of pudding, Dragh would have to see if his plate was kept aside, or any of the turnip dessert for that matter, to have someone analyze it.
Tamli takes Dragh to check through Bort’s belongings and papers for clues as to why someone might want to murder him, or at least to determine if he was the target.
Tamli has the keys to Bort’s wagon and unlocks it, letting Dragh - and whomever wishes to follow - inside.
She says: "Look around, but I will not tolerate you ransacking the place."
She seems very protective of Bort’s memory and reputation.
Inside, Bort’s wagon is filled with knickknacks and keepsakes from his journeys.
So Dragh starts looking around, it takes a lot of time.
I mean, wow, what a dwarf!
Bort's belongings are truly a bewildering assortment of odds and ends, including a bottle with... yes, a tiny skull floating in oil!
And what is that? Oh... a taxidermic dragon whelp.
As for this, it must be a mummified owlbear paw.
Then Dragh sees a shining crystal that holds the illusionary image of a mountain peak inside... yes, he recognizes it as Droskar's Crag, the tallest known active volcano on Golarion! Ah, what a proud dwarf, since that is from the Five King's mountain range.
Anyhow, Dragh look and looks, and finds more such objets.
Tamli points to some: "Those are minor magic trinkets, but I will not allow you to take them... nor examine them for now. I know what these are, and they have nothing to do with what happened to him."
The merchant’s ledgers are easily found in a rack above his bed, and Tamli hands them to Dragh.
The dwarf wizard will also spend some time to go through all this.
Dragh settles down somewhere--
--and starts with the book.
They are large leather-bound things, and filled to the brim with details about his travels and transactions over many years.
Dragh rubs his head: this will take time, but he loves reading, so...
Early on, Dragh sees that it is written in some light code, more a way of writing fast.
And it actually only takes some four hours, less than he thought, to read and decipher this.
"But we are not trinket merchants, and there is actually quite a lot of money involved in this. My feeling was that someone wanted to steel our goods and cash."
Giggett answers:
"I didn't know your goods were that important. But I disagree with you, you don't assassinate people in the middle of an inn full of people if you want to steal goods. You do it in the middle of the forest. Or, if you're looking for one specific item, you steal it stealthily."
When the situation is calm, Giggett starts enumerating:
"Tell me if I forget something. For the investigation, we need to:
- Search Bort's stuff
- Find who were his clients here
- What items Bort was bringing to them
- And then question them
- Study the poison
- Interrogate the inn's keepers and staff
- Search the whole caravan, in case Bort was not the target
- Interrogate the caravan people"
That's a first step.
We also need to defend ourselves. If Bort was not the target, or the only target, we have to expect new attacks. Natsume, you seem a seasoned fighter and you're used to defending caravans, maybe could you come up with a set of rules and defense mechanisms to protect ourselves?
If it's ok for you, I think the interrogating part is what I do the best. So, I was thinking starting with the inn's staff.
In the morning--
--Dragh - and others? - go through Bort's wagon, with Tamli.
--Giggett has decided to start interrogating the inn's staff.
She first goes to Delma Furst, the one who tends the bar, and obviously runs the place.
Giggett soon finds out that Delma is the owner of the Feedmill.
Thus she knows much about its operations and the staff that work there.
"I don't much about the evening of the poisoning, this is limited to what I saw in the taproom, which, sadly, isn’t much..."
Though Giggett was out of the inn, she has heard from her companions that this seems true.
"I remain steadfast in my conviction that no one in my employ had any ill will toward Bort, and the thought of any of them randomly poisoning the dwarf is absurd!
But, I understand you must interrogate me and them. So, I can tell you where every one of my staff lives, well... except for Phinick.
I only knows that he sleeps in the barn... sometimes."
Before Giggett starts to interrogate her, Delma adds:
"I do need to talk to you about your bill.
I am happy for you to stay and eat at the Feedmill, but you will have to pay for room and board.
While this is not costly, I can offer you a greatly reduced rate... only, say, 2 silver coins per day, instead of 5. If... if you assist me with a few chores around the shop and town.
In particular, I would like some help with my aging father Targen. He is the mayor of Etran’s Folly."
In the afternoon, after lunch, Dragh will spend four hours perusing Bort's ledgers.
"While this is not costly, I can offer you a greatly reduced rate... only, say, 2 silver coins per day, instead of 5. If... if you assist me with a few chores around the shop and town.
In particular, I would like some help with my aging father Targen. He is the mayor of Etran’s Folly."
Giggett coughs:
"That's quite a sum. I'm pretty sure most of the caravaneers were not expecting to spend 6 gold pieces and should not have them with them. I'll have to see with the sheriff. He's keeping us here, he has to make sure we can live in honorable conditions."
Giggett then quickly changes subject:
"Right now, I have no reason to think your staff may be poisoning people. But I know you are in a very good position to have information. Truth lies in the details, like my old mentor used to say. So, I have many questions for you:
- Could you give me a list of your employees?
- Who manipulated the porridge? From the cook to the waiter.
- At what moment was it sure that the porridge was for the caravan? As the poisoner was aiming at the caravan people, he would not have poisoned the porridge before.
- Have you seen anyone in the kitchen or around the porridge who was not supposed to be here?
- How is your inn going? Is it possible for me to look at your finances? If you have a book for the tax collector, I'd like to see it. Could you give me the salaries of your employees, too? If you know that one of them was in money trouble, I'm also interested.
- Are there any rumors around town that could be interesting in this investigation?"
Giggett spends the morning questioning Delma, while Dragh is looking at Bort's wagon.
"My employees are the cook, Amora Kasillan, Edra Wythe who works the stables, the two waiters, Kolnral Brannak and Trin Sathern, and Phinick Padley an all-around helper. They are all paid normal wages, and none have money problems. Don't need much to live around here anyhow.
We've no books for the tax collector, I don't really know what that's about. There are taxes on things we buy, I guess, and stuff that is transported. But all that is paid.
No one was in the kitchen or anything, no one who does not work here.
The porridge was made by Amora, with Phinick helping peel all the turnips, for the main dish and the dessert.
Then it was served by Trin and Kolnral. Oh, wait... no. Trin left during the fight I think. So Phinick must have helped... oh, of course, he got scared and left during the fight too. So Kolnral must have served it. Oh... well, maybe they had all three started serving it before the fight. Yes, I think the dessert was being served just before the fight...
I am not sure anyone other than them really new who the porridge was destined to until it was brought out and served. I mean, Amora just filles dishes and hands them out to the waiters who serve them.
Oh?! Maybe it was not meant for Bort?
As for rumors around town... no, nothing special."
Tamerius tries to identify the poison to understand how it was made and how much knowledge someone must have to use it efficiently.
”Natsume, you seem a seasoned fighter and you're used to defending caravans, maybe could you come up with a set of rules and defense mechanisms to protect ourselves?”
Natsume blinks at this one. ”Well, I’m no drill sergeant, and I don’t really have, like... the authority? But if Tamli says it’s okay, I can try to put something together...”
She helps look through the caravan’s cargo, of course, and seems to be filled with a mixture of nervous energy and grief.
In the morning, Tamerius goes inside the Feedmill - the wagons being parked very close by.
After the events of the previous night, the common room was tidied up a bit.
There is nothing remarkable about the table or chair where Bort perished, nor with your table... or anything else.
The plates you were using have been emptied and picked up.
Moving into the kitchen, which is in complete disarray, Tamerius sees that all the emptied plates have been piled up in the kitchen, so it will be hard to see who was eating what from which plate.
And all the un-eaten food has been emptied in a big pot, originally meant for the pigs.
Tamerius looks around, and sees the kitchen contains the cooking utensils needed to operate the Feedmill: kettles, skillets, knives, a mortar and pestle, roasting spits, a sieve, and a butter churner...
You move over to the kettles, and find the one in which the turnip porridge was obviously made.
It is sitting on the counter, next to... Bort’s large bowl!
So, someone had the good idea of not mixing this one up with all the rest of yours.
Although the remnants are starting to dry out, Tamerius takes it open himself to check it and smell it.
What is that?
Oh... yes, you notice an unusual, faintly floral, smell in the porridge remaining in Bort’s bowl.
Checking all the herbs in the kitchen, Tamerius doe not uncover a match, nor is the smell similar to that of ground clove and anise in the mortar and pestle that was used to spice the dishes.
There is a special smell... but what can it be?
Tamerius has no idea at all...
At least Tamerius can try to find it somewhere else if need be.
And you keep some, or all of this porridge, to see if someone can identify this.
While Dragh looks through the craziness of Bort's wagon, finding nothing hidden--
--Natsume spends the morning looking through the caravan’s cargo, and finds nothing either.
Tamerius tries to remember the smell from the plants her sisters showed him before departure that could be use to creature poison or medication depending on the dosage.
Tamerius remembers this smell! Not from any poison or such, but from a plant he used to feed to halfling slaves for fun, in his childhood home.
The plant was called Violet Breath, and it was said to be a very dangerous plant... probably easy to make poison from it.
Here is a map of the Feedmill.
The tavern part gives on the main center of town with the Plaguestone.
I imagine that the wagons would have been put in the courtyard.
And let us say that the barns are in the small building towards the right of the courtyard.
Dragh spends his time in Borts wagon, using the light spell to make his reading conditions more comfortable.
He spends a number of hours on the books, but to no effect.
After some time he might ask for help someone from the more seasoned caravan workers as maybe Bort showed them books and explained them
As Giggett is speaking to Delma, she sees Tamerius going for the kitchen and smiles.
After her conversation with the innkeeper, she goes and check how the priest is doing:
"Did you found anything?"
For the afternoon, I think I'll have to question tons of people, with the very same questions. Unfortunately, I can't know beforehand that one of them has information. Is it possible to do that faster than 2 per day? Because I have 10 people to question, it'll take a week. Maybe can I have all the waiters and the cook together to ask them these questions?
Tamerius shares his discovery with Giggett and asks her to question people with this information in memory.
Hearing that Dragh has difficulties with deciphering Bort’s journal he says to the gnome that he will help the dwarf the best he could as he reads dwarven.
”So, we were attacked on the road, but anyone attacking someone from the caravan in broad daylight is going to give themselves away pretty quick! So mostly we just have to make sure we’re not poisoned... which means we should prepare our own food and appoint a taster to eat before everyone else,” she says, tapping her chin. ”Kind of a hassle, though...”
Tamerius helps Dragh during the afternoon, reading the ledgers with the dwarven wizard... but they do not find anything of note.
It seems simply that there is a lot of stuff, often very short notes with letters that Bort knew what they meant.
It does not seem to be a code, just a short-hand way of writing fast for someone who knows this.
Thus you feel that with time, or other people helping, you will be able to find out what all this means.
The stuff is starting to make sense.
Tamerius shares his discovery with Giggett and asks her to question people with this information in memory.
"Can you determine if the poison has been spilled on the whole broth or just on our plates?
Also, you say there's a specific smell to this poison... Let's try to all memorize it, in case we encounter some."Giggett smells it. And she'll make sure Natsume and Dragh could, too.
Giggett gonna help Dragh and Tamerius. It looks like there's tons of work and that a third pair of eyes could help.
Afterwards, she will interrogate the cook.
When asked by Giggett about determining was spilled on the whole broth or just on your plates, Tamerius answers that: "It is hard to say, since only Bort's plate was saved. But seeing how he died so fast, while we "only" had a small reaction to the poison, I would say only his porridge was poisoned.
Remember that he served us some more, using his spoon, so I think we only got trace elements... which shows you, because of our strong reaction just for trace elements, how violent the poison is!"
Giggett then decides to memorize the specific smell of the poison--
--but is unable to discern it.
She sniffs, and listens to Tamerius' description, but she cannot smell what he describes.
The porridge is already drying from last night.
Tamerius also says that: "The poison might also be mostly evaporated..."
But Giggett is quite upset, because, later on, when presented with the dried porridge, with partly evaporated poison, both Dragh and Natsume nod and describe the odor to Tamerius, who says that: "Yes, that is it..."
Giggett realizes she is so bored by life that she cannot even sniff out floral poisons!
Later on, Giggett goes to try and help, but she is soon very bored with all these books on accounting and sales and such...
She does have Dragh, and then Natsume sniff the porridge - and they spot the poison!
But Giggett does not find anything interesting in the books...
Natsume, having little to do as far as guard and security - for now - decides to come help.
Giggett decides to go to look for Amora, to interrogate the cook.
He is told that she lives in the Old Orchard, an area just outside town... that was once a productive apple orchard.
Given the chance to look the books over, Natsume spends a good deal of time scratching her head. ”I never was good with money...”
So, you all have a slight headache from looking at Bort's books.
You feel there has to be something in there, you are sure you can at least find information on who is buying what in Etran's Folly.
For the evening, who wants to do what?
• go with Giggett out of town to visit Amora the cook
• maybe check on Bort who is in the basement
• go through the books some more
• whatever else you have in mind
While Giggett is looking at the poison with Tamerius, she continues to ask questions:
"Tamerius, does this Violet Breath grow in this region or has it been imported? Also, do you think the poison has been put on the porridge or in the bowl before putting the porridge in it? In the second case, there should be lots of it on the bowl's surface."
Giggett takes also a minute to look for similar bowls than the one given to Bort, to see if it was recognizable or not.
Giggett tries to help with the ledgers, but quickly fall asleep. After all, she hasn't slept of the whole night.
In the evening, while she's exchanging information with the three others, she gives her conclusions:
"The day may not have been as promising as it could have, but we have more information. First, we know that the attack was a targetted one, as only one bowl has been poisoned. And chances are great that Bort was this target. So, we should not have to protect the caravan and the other caravan members much, neither search the whole caravan. I'll also have to make my report to the sheriff. I would prefer to avoid showing that we are progressing, as the assassin may be able to get information from the sheriff, and I want to protect us. I was thinking in making a little bit of investigator interpretation to show off but give only wrong information for the moment. What do you think of that?"
Deception is a good tool. I agree with you Giggett.
But, I don't think it is safe to go to the orchard alone, take Natsume with you.
Giggett raises her eyebrows slightly.
"If I knew you would be the one pleased by this method."
Giggett smiles to Tamerius.
"If you have some fears about the Orchard, we can go all together. I can do the talking while you move around the place to see how it looks like. After all, we only know the town center. And right now, Delma and the three waiters are the main suspects..."
Natsume nods; though she generally isn’t wearing her armor around town, after the poisoning she at least keeps her shield on her back and her flail on her hip. Of course, anywhere outside of town will see her with her armor on properly.
”I’m happy to help!”
Tamerius has no idea where Violet Breath grows. Though his feeling is that it is a tropical plant, or at least from hot climates.
However, Tamerius is quite sure the poison was in the porridge.
It was mixed in.
At what time? Before it was put in... or added after? He cannot tell.
A lot was eaten, so it is hard to say.
Giggett knows that Bort's bowl was just like the others. No special markings.
So, who heads off to see Amora - Giggett and Nastsume, or others with them?
"I can go to see Amora, I am tired of those books. I can't figure them out just yet. Oh I remembered something, from what I recall Cooky went and stayed in the kitchen for some time before the dinner. I just want to say it, as he had access to the things in the kitchen "
I will accompany you.
You decide to leave together, in the afternoon, happy to get out of the sad atmosphere of the Feedmill where Bort died, and away from hours spent looking at his ledgers.
You cross town, heading west from the inn, across the square with its eery old stone, past some houses and across the river out into the countryside.
There, cut out from the forest - where you listen, but hear no wolves - the Old Orchard, where you are told Amora lives.
The Old Orchard, just outside town, was once a productive apple orchard.
These days, as you approach, you see it is foul and rotten, the trees seeming to having taken on a sickness.
You were told that after the trees went bad a few years back, the grove’s tender moved with his family to Almas, and Amora lives in the small shack they left behind.
You head through the sad looking orchard, towards the shack--
--when you hear a buzzing sound and you are suddenly attacked by a swarm of bees that exit a gigantic beehive in an old pear tree that you were walking up to, on your right.
The bees descend upon you, and swarm around the first two on the path-- Natsume and Giggett.
Surrounded by bees, the two start to be stung like mad... and then stung even more!
You both flap your arms around, trying to brush the bees off--
You each take (if you failed) 2 poison damage.
NOTE: the above effect applies only ONCE. So if you failed both Reflex saves, and then both Fortitude saves, you only take the damage once.
can you both, Natsume and Giggett, make two Reflex saves, please?
Giggett starts waiving her hands slowly and with a bored tone:
"Try to find some hot blooded one to suck, you idiot creatures..."
She then looks around, trying to see if this beehive is unique or not.
And then, ignoring the bees for a second, she makes the classical hand gesture and verbal invocation of primal magic everyone's used too.
Natsume manages to wipe many bees off of her, but there are others left.
Gigget is stung by bees, and the countless little beasts inject her with poison--
--while doing so, she sees scores of bees fall to the ground, dead from losing their stingers.
Giggett looks around, and sees no other beehive... so she unleashes her zapping magic.
The bees are hard to target, and flying around buzzing like mad, so they avoid most of the arc, but a coupld hundred fall to the ground.
Giggett and Natsume are attacked by the bees--
--and hurt by them--
--and, so far, Giggett did not manage to avoid one of the attacks, and thus was poisoned--
--but Giggett resists bee poison, that is nothing! Not even interesting...
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Dragh moves forwards standing next to Tamerius throwing to Giggett and Natsume:
"Hold your breath, it will be hot."
Dragh begins incantation drawing symbols in the air that simply stay there in the form of bright light. You can spot a fire gathering around his feet and his eyes to begin to shine with bright light. With a gentle move he stretches his left hand towards the hive that does cover Giggett and Natsune and fire explodes from his fingers.
Again, as the small bees fly around left and right, a lot of them avoid the flames that gush out and singe the grass... but, still, hundreds drop dead, burnt, because the fire engulfing the area is very effective.
Tamerius moves away and calls for Asmodeus' power to harm the bees!
May Asmodeus punishes you!
Tamerius invokes infernal powers, and negative energy washes over the bees... that are sent off to hive heaven, as they nearly all fall to the ground, and the few survivors buzz off.
Natsume was able to wipe all the bees away and is not poisoned.
The Battle of the Bees is over... and you look around the orchard.
A figure in full padded armor, with a padded armor helmet hiding the figure's face, is rushing towards you, with some fire-pot in hand, that is letting out a big billowing cloud of smoke!
#NailedIt
Natsume brushes most of the bees off of her skin with a twirl, taking a step ("Split up!") so that the bees will need to widen their swarm if they want to get both of them.
"I don't have anything for this!" she calls out.
"I don't have anything for this!", Natsume calls out, but, as she does so she thinks about what she has heard about such creatures--
--and she knows that this is a bee swarm, and that though it is true melee weapons or projectiles do not harm it as much as other creatures, they sure do damage!
All the bees are gone.
A figure in full padded armor, with a padded armor helmet hiding the figure's face, is rushing towards you, with some fire-pot in hand, that is letting out a big billowing cloud of smoke!