Hirana leads Tau along the mill road to a low herbhouse beneath the hill. An elderly man, lean-built with a sharp-featured face, with silver hair, weathered brown skin, and a green-stained apron opens the door. The retired botanist’s sharp eyes brighten at the sight of her.
The Retired Botanist
Come inside, child. Let me see this description before the evening damp ruins the ink.
The retired botanist studies the copied notes beneath hanging bundles of herbs. Between the drying plants, Tau glimpses a lean darkness circling the rafters, its unseen face turned toward him. Hirana notices nothing.
Tau Heathsburough
What is the night-blooming flower used for?
The Retired Botanist
Its petals are dried and smoked for an intoxicating dream. Some seek visions, some seek numbness. But the pollen is far worse. Breathe enough, and sickness follows: fever, coughing, weakness, even symptoms that mimic entirely different diseases.
The shadow slips behind a curtain of lavender, then appears above the retired botanist’s shoulder, watching Tau in silence. Tau keeps his posture composed while Hirana leans over the notes, visibly troubled by the botanist’s warning.
Hirana Yuna
Then why would the palace kitchens be recording it? Elian, could this pollen explain the royal illness?
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the flower pollen caused the royal illness
Director's note
Tau is the only one that can see this
“Elian opens his mouth to answer but suddenly, the shadow demon places a clawed hand on his head. This causes a shiver of paranoia to run through Elian as he looks around nervously before avoiding the topic about the King and Queen. Instead, he mentions how he recalls it being bought once before for poison and sedation experiments. The practices were discontinued because the flowers needed lots of specific nutrients in order to grow, and most of the expensive flowers died off before they could get those nutrients. The shadow then places both hands on Elians shoulders and Elian asks Tau to leave.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Elian opens his mouth, but the shadow’s clawed hand settles on his head. A shiver passes through him, and he glances around the herbhouse before avoiding Hirana’s question.
The Retired Botanist
I recall it being purchased once for poison and sedation experiments. The work was discontinued. Those flowers demanded too many precise nutrients, and most died before they could mature.
The shadow places both hands on Elian’s shoulders. Tau’s phobia constricts his breath, but Keen Senses catch the pressure, and Courtly Insight exposes the evasion beneath Elian’s careful wording.
The Retired Botanist
You should leave now, Tau. This is not a matter for you or the Yuna family.
Tau Heathsburough
No. Tell me the truth. Was this flower used to poison the king and queen?
Royal Guard Armor lends Tau’s demand quiet authority while Courtly Insight separates fear from fact. The Dark Stone Necklace warms beneath his uniform, and the shadow’s grip cannot turn his question aside.
The Retired Botanist
The pollen can imitate illness, but the flower itself is only the beginning. Someone cultivated it for a purpose, and the palace records will tell you who ordered it.
Quest Complete
Determine whether the flower pollen caused the royal illness