Calvus moves up to the swarm as well bashing it with his shield.
Blugeoning
"BEES... Burn them, burn them with holy fire!!!" Oosa yells as he positions himself. Then brings up his hands and shoots a fiery ray of fire to burn the bee with fire.
if that is a critical success then double damage and
Laurel puts his dagger back in his pocket, but begins playfully twirling his starknife, dropping it now and again "Wups I mess'd thet up. Hol' on" sticking his tongue out of the left side of his teeth in concentration...
Let's keep going!" declares Calvus.
As you move to approache the house, someone comes out of the front door. They are dressed head to foot in a while suit, made of thin cotton, that covers even their boots and hands, with a face shield over their head of thinner gauzy fabric. In one hand they carry a metal container with a pipe attached, out of which a steady stream of smoke is flowing.
They wave in a friendly manner as they move towards you.
"A beekeeper," said Calvus. "And we just killed their bees..."
Laurel, who has also like Esha grabbed a comb, walks straight up to this new person.
"Howdy!" And bows deeply "I'm Laurel, and this'ere be Calvus, and then Esha and Oosa, and somewhere off ran Tezadwax. An' we ben here fer tha 'Vestigation! Ya see, Ol' Bort went an' kick the bucket, an' it came down ta Foul Play!" As he talks with honey stuck to his left lip "An' so, we bein' Dep-Yuh-Tized an' whatnot'd appreciate yer Co-Oper-A-shun!" adding "If ya don't min' ma'am or sir"
As they get close, the bee keeper removes their head gear, and smiles. Inside is a middle aged, dark skinned woman. You recognise her from around the Inn, but I'm not sure any of you have actually spoken to her yet. Laurel's words seem to have a positive effect, she obviously notices the dead bees, but quickly looks back to you.
Her hair is swept back, and greying at the temples.
"Hello! My name is Amora. I see the bees didn't cause you too many problems. Often they sting people quite badly. What can I do for you?"
"Well met Amora! As friend Laurel said, a member of the community has died tragically and we'd like to ask you a few questions." says Calvus
Looks to Esha "Well THAS a better way a puttin' it!"
"Ahh, poor Bort. I was there last night. I thought it better not to return to work until everyone was happy I was not to blame. I hope Delma let you know that?"
She smiles, and turns towards the house "Anyway, come in, come in. You may as well be comfortable while you ask your questions."
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Esha's eyes almost bug out of her head as Amora walks inside without Calvus asking further questions. She throws her hands down and opens her mouth to speak to Amora's back, then pauses, looks at Calvus, looks at Amora and looks back at Calvus. "Youshouldaskherwhyherfarmisalldeadandrotty!' she whispers urgently (and not all that quietly), before scurrying inside after the cook.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"Well, I'm sure not a Sir to anyone."
Inside the little farm is surprisingly nicely furnished. Not expensively, but the place is clean, and cosy, with hand made blankets around the place, and cut flowers. The windows are clean and let in the afternoon light.
Amora moves to a small kitchen area to make tea.
Calvus nods to Esha and gestures to 'stay calm'. He affects a relaxed pose while being as congenial as possible.
"Amora, you have a lovely home!" he says sweetly when Amora returns with the tea. "Do you live here on your own?"
Tea.
Laurel enters cautiously, unsure if he can feel comfortable yet.
But politely, blades sheathed, wielding instead his best "manners"...
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Esha grumbles quietly to herself, "I was calling Calvus "sir", not you." She then sees Calvus' gesture and stays quiet as she enters the house.
Can we trust her? What if she poisoned Bort? Her while farm is dead. Should I tell Calvus? She's already upset. Maybe I shouldn't say anything else. But if she poisons us...tea would be nice, though! I should wait. No tea!
A clattering of pots and pans as Amora makes tea, and arranges cups and saucers covers Esha's mutterings quite well. She replies isntead to Calvus.
"Thank you. I have tried. The place was stark and bare when I arrived. The farm had been abandoned after the Plague, and it had been empty for a while. I find the bustle at the 'Station is enough for me. I'm not lonely if that is what you are wondering."
She turns and places a steaming pot of tea in front of you with a selection of miss-matched cups and saucers. "Just let that brew. Now, you muct have questions, or you wouldn't be here?"
Calvus narrates the events of the night when Bort was killed.
Laurel interjects here or there during the parts where "I was there when..." typically overstating his prowess and/or involvement in the moment...
"That sounds horrible for you all. I heard the commotion of the fight, but that is not too unusual when there are so many people in. I am not much help with that sort of thing, so I continued finishing up the pudding, and started the clean down. It was only moments after the puddings went out that the news of Bort got to us. I put down tools then, I knew someone would want to investigate the kitched. Someone dieing like that mid meal, it only makes sense."
"I waiting until I could speak to Delma, then I left and came here."
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Esha crosses her arms and leans her back against a wall, trying to look tough. After several seconds of this, she drops her arms down at her sides. Maybe it's better if I don't look tough? She then leans just one shoulder against the wall and gives a side eye to Delma. [I] No. Maybe I should be gentle with her. Tamli got so mad earlier.[I]
"What happened to the farm? Does it have to do with the plague?"
"Well f't'weren't you..." Laurel thinks out loud "Then who dunnit?" cross-examining his witness!
"What happened to the farm? Does it have to do with the plague?"
"It was dying when I arrived. I think that's why the farmer who lived her left. But that can only have been 5 or so years ago. Not long enough to be a relic of the plague itself. It would have long since killed me if it were I think."
"Well f't'weren't you..." Laurel thinks out loud "Then who dunnit?" cross-examining his witness!
"That I cannot answer. Bort was well-liked, but he was a trader. Perhaps someone took ill to a deal they struck? Mayhaps you'll find something in his notes that give you more clues. Has the Caravan left town yet?"
A Clue!
Laurel realizes that while they were busy mourning their friend, they forgot to search his personal effects as well as his personal cabin. He makes a mental note to do that on their way back to the dining hall.
The young lad answers her question "Me wull me an' me Ma see we stowed away on this'ere caravan o'Bort's ya'see, so, not really like we was goin' TO anywhere than goin' FROM som'ere, f'ya ketchin' my driff." He looks now towards the new leader of the group - the other adult - and asks "Ey Calvus - is we leavin' anytime soon?" by the tone with which the boy poses the question it is clear he is preferential to one of the possible two answers...
"We tried to talk to his folk the morning after but they... needed space,"
"Well, I can understand that. That Tamli can be a firey one, that Orc blood no doubt."
"It's only the day after he died. Their grief will be raw. Perhaps another try once they have had a chance to regain their balance? Do you have any more questions for me? You've come all this way out of town."
Amora has finished bustling around the kitchen now and moved to sit.
Calvus looks round at his friends and says:
"No, you've been very helpful. If you think of anything else that might help us, you knwo where we can be fund,"
The lady nods. "I do indeed. I shall be back there later now that you are happy I did not do anything wrong. Please, finish your drinks before you leave."
She then moves out of hearing and begins sorting through some things, leaving you as alone as possible in this small place.
Ok. The journey back to town is pretty uneventful.
The area around Borts caravan is fairly quiet. There is a bustle as some of the crew fix up wagons, or perform minor repairs. But no one seems in any hurry to go anywhere. It's safe to assume they have been asked not to leave either until the mystery is solved.
What do you do now?
From around the corner a small Varisian head pokes out sideways, peeping at Bort's crew, deciding if they are still "mad" or not. It disappears from their point of view.
Laurel walks back to his friends "Still can' tell f'they angry wit us" he remarks "An' don't no-un know where ta got that lil' Phinnick" he paces back and forth waiting for a second opinion.
They weren't angry with us, Laurel," says Calvus. "We just chose the wrong moment to question them.
Scolded once more, Laurel's face curls into a slightly overdramatic pout...
Laurel approaches Tamli gingerly. He looks at her. Then back at Calvus. Then again at her. He kicks a rock.
"Ah'm sry"
Tamli looks up from the make-work in her hands and looks directly at Laurel. Her tusks glisten slightly, and the half-orcs greenish brow furrows. Her whole, quite massive, body tenses and she stands. The knife in her hands looks very sharp.
Then suddenly she relaxes. Her shoulders drop, and she sighs. "Thank you. This isn't easy for any of us. Your timing earlier was bad, but that wasn't your fault. I do jump to anger more quickly than I should. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have acted that way. How can I help."
Calvus smiles at Tamli and says:
"Once again, we offer our condolences for your loss. To start, anything you can tell us about that night would be helpful. Second, we would like your permission to peruse Bort's belongings, especially his notes.
"There isn't much I can tell you about that night. I chose not to eat in the bar. So I was outside. When the commotion started and I say Delma leave and rush off I came inside to see what was happening. That was when I found you with Bort."
"As for Bort's things, I can let you into his wagon. I have the keys here. I would ask that you take care with his things though." At this she pulls a small gold key from her belt pouch and turns to mount the steps to the wagon she was sat at, and open the door.
Inside, Bort’s wagon is filled with knickknacks and keepsakes from his journeys. His belongings are truly a bewildering assortment of odds and ends, including a bottle with a tiny skull floating in oil, a taxidermic dragon whelp, a mummified owlbear paw, a shining crystal that holds the illusionary image of a mountain peak inside, and so on. On one wall is a small bookcase filled with ledgers.
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Esha looks at Bort's wagon with wonder and immediately forgets why they are there. She starts looking through his things excitedly, picking up items and examining them carefully before putting them back down again. She focuses in particular on things that are especially odd, unusual, or whimsical and completely ignores the ledgers.