"Nope! You already tried that one!  You were originally trying to sell us on a sale on candles. But this is an animal shop.  And it's closed."  Tellior says to the dryad. It's to the palace and more questioning for you. He urges his friends to start moving back towards that direction.  "I might be interested in hearing why you don't want to be tied to this dagger.  But while we move!" Tellior hopes to get himself between Ember and the others, letting them move along and hopefully thwarting any attempts from Ember to stop it.

Kellen looks skeptically between the dryad and the shop behind him, something about his story did not add up “This closed animal shop, I thought you sold candles?  Did they trade the dagger for a parakeet? And why do you no longer want to be associated with it?  I think a trip to the palace to talk with the authorities may be in order, unless you can be honest with us.”

Insight on they dryad's responses: 4.

You start dragging Sallifras toward the palace, and he stumbles along, looking more and more desperate. “Well, I’ve got myself in quite a pickle. I’ve lied to you enough that you won’t believe anything I say. All I can do is beg you. I am no villain, but that dagger is connected to one. There is a symbol on it, a hawk. It’s the mark of a powerful noble family. Plus a stain on the blade. Poison, I think. While I am not a villain, I am no angel either. I have engaged in petty theft and chicanery. But not murder. If this dagger comes before the Warden and there is some question as to who wielded it, will they believe me or the nobles? I will certainly get blamed for whatever the crime was.”

“Well, that’s for them to figure out.  I’m sorry you got yourself into this mess.  We have other things we should be doing- but we are bribing you to the lady-  she will know what to do with you. “. Celesta says sternly.  

"Can anyone cast zone of truth? We would have to ensure simple respinces though"

“Finally, we get some answers, but it is best to be truthful from the start.  What noble family is tied to this blade? And just how did you come to be in possession of the dagger in the first place?”

Insight (is he continuing to lie to us?) 13 .

Kellen brings the dagger closer, still held in the mage hand, and investigates to determine if he can discover anything from the hawk emblem and if he can tell if there is poison or something else on the blade.

Investigation: 14 .

“What family? One with power who would bring all their might crashing down upon my head, should I speak against them. Nevertheless, I will tell you: the Faris family. Their symbol is the hawk. And how did the dagger come into my possession? I make my living, such as it is, helping people out with little jobs, tasks that they would prefer not to do themselves or be seen doing. In this case, someone left this bundle at a location I use with some coin and instructions to dispose of it. I found it, pocketed the gold, studied the dagger, and burned the instructions. I could guess that it was used for some nefarious deed. Then I proceeded to misjudge you all terribly as an easy mark.” 

He sighs deeply and turns to Ember, dropping the Fey Charm effect. “I suppose there’s no point in continuing to manipulate you. And now I suppose you really will have to turn me in. All I ask is that you do not mention the connection with the Faris family. It is safer for me if others come to that conclusion when they study the blade. By the way, Sallifras is not even my name. I am Mape Rubrum.”

As far as Kellen can tell, Rubrum is finally telling the truth, or so it seems. Looking at the dagger, you see the stylized emblem of a hawk that seems burned into the handle as if by a brand. The blade itself has some kind of residue on it, but you can’t tell what it is. 

Aspen has been watching all of these interactions quietly, letting you all take the lead and observing the other dryad carefully. Finally, he says, “Mape, you are right to finally tell the truth. Your career was always going to land you in trouble one day. We have not met personally, but your reputation as a fixer precedes you. Bring your honesty before the Warden and the Lady. it will serve you better than trying to slip and slide out of responsibility. Take hope in the likelihood that they will be more interested in determining who is behind all this.”

(Anything else before you take Mape Rubrum back to the palace and turn him over to some guards on duty there? If not, we can move on with your morning.)

(Nothing else for Celesta)

(Nothing for Tellior either. He's been trying to keep him moving on to the palace the whole time. Or running interference with Ember to keep him from stopping things!) 

You all walk the despondent dryad to the palace. With Aspen’s help, you explain to a couple of guards what has happened. They take custody of Mape and the dagger, noting that the Warden will likely wish to interview you when you return from the bakery.

Heading back out into the streets of Hedgegrove, you are once again impressed by the incredibly tall hedges and the strange constant twilight. It seems like you should be even more on your guard given recent events. But as you retrace your steps and head further into the city, the fresh breeze and a little birdsong are actually rather calming. The few passersby merely nod their heads in greeting while maintaining a comfortable distance. After a couple of turns, you arrive at Berry Bakes.

You enter an arched doorway to find a large room with a few customers. Behind the long counter are a handful of workers bustling about. A short, well-muscled elf barks orders. Her thick silver-white hair is pulled back and her golden eyes flash with energy and also some annoyance. She fulfills orders for customers, takes their gold, and quickly moves to the next. Now and then, she gives her assistants direction. Finally, you are able to approach the counter.

“Welcome to Berry Bakes. What can we do for you today?” says the elf.

"Hello! Are you Myrin by chance?" Tellior asks. "First off, we have a payment for you."  He hands over the payment that they were given to relay. "This is for five glimmerberry pies that were upset from Tuvi's cart yesterday.  It was near Cindrahal's shop. We rescued them from the street after some drunken revelers destroyed it.  Our intention was to bring them to you, but by the time we returned to the palace it was late. Lady Danelian bade us return with payment for your pies today."  

He pauses for a moment before continuing on. "We also have another request for you. The Lady Danelian would like to order 20 glimmerberry pies for a party she is hosting next week! Wonderful, yes?"   

"Why are you so bloody cheerful tellior" ember grumbles

Tellior laughs. "Why not Ember? We're in this fabulous land and just look at all these fabulous pies!"  He shakes his head. "I know it hasn't always gone well with you my friend. But just think of the tales you'll have to tell in coming years."

"Lunaphobia and i cant trust my gut." Ember raises an eyebrow, "yes minor setbacks"

"Aspen, do you know of a trustworthy source of antimagic talismans? Also arms and armor"

“Indeed, I am Myrin Ulafir, at your service. It is quite a relief to get something back from that cart. What a fiasco! Maybe Tuvi will be able to show his face here again.” She takes the payment and stores it away. “Now, about your request--or I suppose, the Lady’s request--I hate to say it, but it is completely impossible. Really, this is more of a stick in my craw than Tuvi’s cart catastrophe! The problem is my supplier, Haldi. She hasn’t been able to get me any glimmerberries for a few days now. No berries, no pies, right?”

At just that moment, an elven fellow in a rough brown coat enters with two small children. You don’t really pay much attention to them at first, though you might see that the kids have smiles on their faces as they anticipate some kind of baked good coming their way soon. However, when they glance at your party, they suddenly cry out with fear and clutch at their father’s legs, pointing at you. “Papa, no, no! Look at those creepy ones! Don’t let them get us!”

Tellior takes a step towards the child, "We aren't going to hurt you. Why are you so worried child?" He does look back to the rest of the group for a moment just to make sure they don't actually appear creepy for some reason now. Or no more than normal at least. 

Kellen is mesmerized by the sights and smells of the bakery, he has always had a bit of a sweet tooth.  He regains his focus when Myrin says it is impossible to fulfill the Lady’s order.   “Oh no, the Lady will be terribly disappointed. Maybe there is some way we can help, where does one find glimmerberries?”  After all, he thinks to himself, this is another task the Lady has put before us before we can free Lady Cat. 

He is a bit taken aback when the children arrive and point out the group, but he quickly recovers.  “Ember, put on a happy face, you are scaring the children again” he laughs as he moves toward Tellior to find out more about what scares these children.  Insight 2

"Um. Sorry? I cant do anything about the black armor"

(Yes. Ember is creepy. He intentionally looks like an evil knight.)

The father looks at his children and looks at your group in confusion. “Children, hush, you're being rude to these fine folk.” The kids continue to cry and pull their father toward the exit. “No, Papa! They’re going to get us and eat us! I know it!” As Kellen moves closer, they cry even louder. The father apologizes to you all and takes his children out of the bakery, scolding them all the while.

(Kellen, you can tell they were mostly looking at you and Ember, though you can’t understand why they were so upset. You have never had kids react to you this way before.)

Myrin watches all this with raised eyebrows and calls, “Come back another time!” as the family leaves. She turns back to you shaking her head and adds, “Well, that was odd. Anyway, Haldi is really the only supplier. Her farm is just around the corner, but she sent my delivery girl back with no berries last time we tried to pick some up. I haven’t had time to go see what’s going on.”