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Post by Celestial on Dec 30, 2012 10:54:21 GMT -5
Celestial takes out a pipe and chews on it, lacking any desire to smoke or for that matter anything to smoke. She doesn't even know how she got the pipe. Must be a dwarf thing.
"I'd question the butler. The butler usually knows what's going on around the castle, it's in his job description. I just don't trust the Queen," she says, sitting down and leaning against the nearby pillar "But even if she is innocent, I doubt she'd cooperate much with a bunch of dwarves who are coming in so soon asking about her recently deceased husband. It's just too soon and I personally don't feel comfortable asking a grieving widow about the death and bringing up the suggestion of murder. Let's leave her be for now."
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Post by Fraze on Dec 30, 2012 13:59:53 GMT -5
Next, you choose to question the butler, Maxwell. You find him in the dining hall--or rather, you find a cloud of activity centered around him.
"...clean out the stables, and repair the broken hinge on the west-side door while you're there. Is that meal going to the Queen? Well take it back, she's not accepting any meals from the kitchen. You there, is the garden cleared of snow yet? Why not? The death of the King does not mean everybody gets a day to loaf around!" He sees the mass of waist-height bobbing heads coming toward. "You're the ones chasing my workers all around this castle, aren't you?" he lets out a quick sigh. "I thought you'd come to me eventually. Whatever you want to ask, be quick about it. I'm a busy man."
((All righty, you're going to have a full real-time day to ask questions. Maybe more than that, depending on how lazy I feel about moving the plot along how much information you get. Feel free to post multiple times and talk amongst yourselves, too. I'll respond as often as possible.))
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Dec 30, 2012 14:32:07 GMT -5
The people, all much taller than Azzie, swirled around her and made her feel slightly dizzy. The room was loud, and she could barely find a way through to her destination. She focused on Maxwell, who appeared extremely busy, but nonetheless willing to talk to the company of dwarves.
"Yes, sir, we were wondering who all attended the banquet. More specifically, who ate that apple pie?"
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Post by Fraze on Dec 30, 2012 14:37:26 GMT -5
Maxwell fixes Azzie with a sharp but puzzled look. "The pie? That was for the king specifically. He had three slices and then asked for some of his private stock of brandy. As for attendees, there were the King, Queen, and the Princess, and most of the castle servants except for the kitchen staff. The King felt generous, so he threw the banquet for the entire castle staff. Provided they didn't eat the food meant for the royal family."
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Post by Celestial on Dec 30, 2012 14:44:50 GMT -5
Celestial bowed to Maxwell and smiled as sweetly as she could. "Sir, could you also tell us whether that pie was from anybody in particular? Do you know when the apples from the pie were picked and by whom? What happened to the king after he ate the pie up to his death?"
She grinned even more widely. "And finally, could we have a look at that brandy? You know, for research purposes?"
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Post by Fraze on Dec 30, 2012 14:59:40 GMT -5
The butler glances at the ceiling. "The apples were from the north orchard. They were the very last crop picked at the end of Fall. They were picked by itinerant workers, but don't bother looking for them, they're two kingdoms south of here by now.
"The king had the pie, then he asked for alcohol. A bottle of brandy from his private stock for himself, and a cask of hard cider for the servants. He was a man of habit: he would pour himself a glass, make a toast, finish the glass in one go, and then pour another and drink it more slowly. This time was no different, but he fell over dead a minute after the first drink."
He eyes Celestial suspiciously. "Research, you say? That bottle was confiscated along with the rest of the food at the banquet." He flags down a passing servant. "Bring the brandy bottle from the banquet two days ago."
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Post by Draco on Dec 30, 2012 17:04:33 GMT -5
Draco steps forward and nods his head slightly.
"Are you aware that the apples happen to have some sort of pesticide all over them? Also, why did the king have a pie all to himself?"
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Post by Fraze on Dec 30, 2012 17:45:42 GMT -5
Maxwell fixes Draco with a stare. "Pesticide? We don't spray the apples with anything. Anyway, all fruit gets washed before being used in the kitchen. Unless someone hasn't been doing their job, in which case heads will roll." He doesn't seem to mean that figuratively. "He got a pie of his own because that's what he wanted. The King was a generally agreeable and likable man, but he always got what he asked for."
A servant returns carrying a bottle, and hands it to Maxwell. "This was the brandy bottle--odd."
For the first time since you first saw him, he stops speaking. Just for a moment. "There's a mark on this bottle." He holds it out for the players to see. On one corner of the label is a small black, circular dot. "All of the King's brandy bottles have the same label, but this mark is not part of the design." He carefully scrutinizes the dot, picking at it with a fingernail. "It doesn't look like a spatter of food or drink. More like ink. I cannot imagine how this would get here accidentally."
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Post by Celestial on Dec 30, 2012 19:22:04 GMT -5
Celestial frowns as she looks over the bottle. As I thought. A mere pesticide can't kill a man in a few minutes. "Who brought this bottle to the king? Actually, who handles the brandy bottles in general? And, come to think of it, who was present at the banquet?"
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Post by Fraze on Dec 31, 2012 1:44:31 GMT -5
Who brought this bottle to the king? Actually, who handles the brandy bottles in general?"
"I maintain the stock personally, the King was particular about his brandy. Millie fetched this bottle. But the wine cellar doesn't have a lock, anyone can get in."
"And, come to think of it, who was present at the banquet?"
"I don't like repeating myself. Though the Princess complained of a headache shortly after the alcohol was brought out, and excused herself. She went to her bedroom and asked not to be disturbed."
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Post by Gelquie on Dec 31, 2012 3:11:54 GMT -5
"A wine cellar with no lock. I can't imagine that would end well in general, if for a less serious situation," Gelquie thought to herself. "But her managing to get the poisoned bottle that night by chance... That's not a very likely coincidence."
"Millie? Is that one of the servants?" she asked. "And could the ink marking be meant for anything else? Other than murder, I mean."
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Post by Fraze on Dec 31, 2012 3:32:09 GMT -5
"Millie? Is that one of the servants?"
"Yes, he was the closest person at hand when the King asked for drinks. I couldn't go myself, of course, I had to oversee the banquet."
"And could the ink marking be meant for anything else? Other than murder, I mean."
"You dwarves have a flair for the dramatic, considering you're, well, dwarves. But no. It could have been an error in printing the label, but we do not mark our bottles for our inventory system."
((For those of you curious about the choice of pronouns above, Millie is short for Milfred Miller. His family, as you may guess, run a grain mill. His nickname was destined from birth, and even leaving home to work at the castle hasn't let him escape it.))
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Post by Pixie on Dec 31, 2012 12:08:49 GMT -5
"Other than Millie, has anyone else been seen going in the alcohol reserves the day of the murder? Also, has the brandy been tested for chemicals? It's likely that something in the brandy reacted with whatever foul substance was on the apples. I suspect that the black dot- if ink, was used to denote a particular bottle to whatever assassin took the king. "
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Post by Draco on Dec 31, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
"I agree. It could have been used to tell it apart from the other bottles. Of course, like you said, it could have just been a misprint."
Taking a closer look at the bottle he shrugs.
"We might need to go take a look at the other bottles. Or maybe question the princess herself."
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Post by Fraze on Dec 31, 2012 19:39:40 GMT -5
"Other than Millie, has anyone else been seen going in the alcohol reserves the day of the murder?"
"I didn't send anybody down there, and nothing else was recorded as being removed from the inventory. But I can't tell you if anyone snuck in. Only the Queen's mirror would know that, and it's...well, anyway."
"Also, has the brandy been tested for chemicals? It's likely that something in the brandy reacted with whatever foul substance was on the apples."
"You would need to take that up with the Queen. She has a great knowledge of chemistry, but she isn't accepting audiences at this time."
"We might need to go take a look at the other bottles. Or maybe question the princess herself."
"I can have you escorted to the wine cellar tomorrow, provided you don't remove anything. Since the Princess asked you to come here, she will want to know what you have found. In fact, she wishes to meet you tomorrow morning at breakfast, which will be served here in the dining hall at 9 AM sharp. Please forgive me for not mentioning this sooner. On her request, a room and food have been prepared for you. If you will excuse me, I have other duties to attend to." Maxwell flags down a passing servant. "Show our guests to the visitors' quarters."
You're led to a room, in which beds have been prepared for each of you. Unlike the formal decor of Bluebeard's castle or the bachelor pad aesthetic of the Beast's, the room feels lived in, cozy and warm despite the cold stone walls and floor.
Food has been laid out for you: water, stale bread, hard cheese, some dried fruit, and jerky. "Please forgive us the poor state of your dinner," the servant says. He appears quite stiff, probably because just a few hours ago you asked him some rather uncomfortable questions. However, the apology seems sincere. "The Queen informs us that some poisons can be released when cooked, so the kitchen has completely halted production since the King's death. We don't know what else might be poisoned, so we're carefully inspecting all of the food before serving it. Please rest assured, all of what you have here has been thoroughly examined."
The servant tells you where to find someone if you need a servant, and leaves. You consider your dinner, and take the opportunity to discuss what you have learned.
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