"An orchard? It doesn't happen to be the Edermath Orchard, does it? My grandmother used to trade with them all the time!"

Over the next several minutes, Oloven keeps one eye on Nikita and Ace. He begins to sense her discomfort. When the work is done, he approaches them and offers to Nikita "If you can ride, ma'am, why don't you hop on Daisy for the ride to Phandalin. I'll sit in the cart with Tyrel. I'm sure you'd like to be alone with your thoughts for a while."

"Excuse me Oloven, but I am not in the mood for an argument at the moment, for I am talking to Nikita about out families. Afterward, I have no problem with that." He stares at Oloven with a daring expression, as if urging him to keep butting in.

"Thank you Oloven, your words are kind and reassuring."  

He spoke with much kindness to his words. listening to all of his party members talking he gave them a nod. "Perhaps it is best to take the coin with, as to prevent it from falling pray to high way bandits and other unsavory kinds." He had wanted to give the coin to the families as well. or at the very least give it to its rightful owner that was now travelling with them. 

Seeing where the conversation between Ace and Oloven is going, Tyrel came in between with a quick cough. "Lets no beat our own steel guys. no use in that." he spoke quickly but made it clear he didnt feel like overseeing something as little as this getting in between him and a save journey. 

(Sorry to cut things short during a moment of dramatic tension, but I gotta run for a while)

Oloven flatly ignores Ace. Instead he simply smiles his most compassionate smile at Nikita. A smile he usually reserves for crying nieces and nephews. He offers her a large carrot to give to Daisy, whose reins he holds with his other hand. "She's one'a the sweetest animals I've met, I promise ya." 

After handing her the carrot and the reins, he turns to Tyrel and says "Come on, help an old man up into the wagon, eh?" 

After Oloven leaves, Ace turns back to Nikita, waiting for an answer.

"I hardly doubt you need my help getting into the cart." A hearthy laugh escaped Tyrel's mouth, walking towards the cart with Oloven. He looked at Oloven and quickly formed a psychic bond with Oloven. speaking directly in his mind. " We'll keep an eye on the situation, lets try and not infight on the road."  

"Indeed, it is Edermath Orchard."

She nods to Oloven, grateful to be led away, carefully guarding her fear of Ace from showing. She had known her share of narcissistic and abusive men whose temper could flare into violence in a heartbeat. She was unsure of these others, but trusted them at least more than Ace. They were already debating what they were going to do with the things they had looted from her livelihood, but at least it did not appear they were going to kill her for them. If they were going to kill her, they would've just done so and left her body with the others, she thought. She knew better than to say anything when nobles had made up their mind, they clearly had all the power, she mostly just hoped she could get away and live her life without their notice.

She was mounting Daisy when she heard Tor's question. "It is a fancy wine bottle opener, m'lord. They are quite popular in Calimshan, so I am told, and Gallina thought it might make a fine gift, though she had no one particular in mind."

Tor turns it over in his hand. "Hmm. I thought it might do more." He holds it out towards her. "You want it? Looks worth a bit. Might help you keep on your feet till you find a new job."

Brother Sigi is grateful for the assistance as he organizes the dead and tries to store them respectfully.  He continues to keep a side eye on some of the tension within the group but keeps his own counsel for now.

He returns to the cart and helps clear some space for his new passengers and then is ready to continue south.

"Oh, yes, thank you." She says to Tor with some surprise.

(Let me know when everyone's ready to continue).

(I'm ready to move on. Let's take a sec at our next short rest spot so Oloven can debrief the group on his investigations.)

Oloven hops up easily into the side seat of the wagon without help from Tyrel of Siegfried. He nods to Tyrel, apparently unperturbed about a psychic voice in his head. Just grateful to know someone else shares his concerns. When the two are seated, Oloven says "That's a fine gift you got, Tyrel. Lemme ask you, do you think you could send a message to Lord Neverember with those brain waves of yours?" 

Ace puts on a helmet (Helm of Telepathy), and then proceeds to listen in on Oloven's thoughts with detect thoughts.

(Oh so we're just going all the day down the villainous character path for Ace, huh? Okay, let's do this. But I don't think it will end well for Ace. And I do want to make sure you're aware that it's written into the spell that if you go any deeper than surface thoughts that the person you cast it on knows you cast a spell on them. Whether or not they pass or fail their wisdom save.)

When Ace probes into Oloven's surface level thoughts, he hears Oloven's voice in his mind saying: 

If Ace chooses to probe deeper, Oloven's wisdom save is: 4

(That's a failed save. What are you gonna do?)

(btw, I am not going down the villanous path, but you will see)

Since it is a failed save, Ace chooses to probe deeper.

 As Ace probes deeper into Oloven's mind, he senses a tone of profound anxiety. 

What am I going to do about him? Ace hears Oloven asking himself.

A man so ready to lie and manipulate...

Ace sees in Oloven's mind a recollection of last night, when Ace attempted to mind control the chef for the cost of a meal. 

A man happy to use his bigotry to excuse his own bad behavior...

Ace hears a recollection of his own voice saying "I'm quite untrusting of orcs, so I got nervous." 

So desperate for control that he'd rather throw his weight around than help people in trouble... 

Ace sees a vision of himself, barking orders at the others while screams echo in the distance.

So ready to implement violence to get his way.

Ace sees himself, threatening Oloven with a glaive while Oloven stands in the way of Nikita and Brother Siegfried.

So callous to other people's feelings.

Ace sees himself a final time, crassly attempting to flirt with Nikita as the others pile the charred bodies of her companions in the background. 

Worst of all, he seems determined to provoke me to violence. But if I went down that path, all it would do is provide more evidence for his hatred of my kind. One more orc barbarian to put down. Not that he could, of course. I could whip his tail with my hands tied behind my back, but it'd only serve to make my life harder, and Dylan's, and the kids...

Ace sees a fearful vision of Oloven's family. His sister and her five children, run out of town ahead of a mob bearing torches and clubs. 

This man is moving into town with my nieces and nephew. We'll be neighbors. What will he do if he gets it in his head to go after them? What will he use their orcish blood to justify? Sybil isn't much younger than Nikita. How can I hope to shield them from a man like him? 

Ace sees a final vision of Sybil, Oloven's oldest niece. A serious eyed young woman of about sixteen with curly brown hair like Oloven and small white tusks projecting out from either side of her bottom lip. 

A man so insensitive to boundaries that he would even invade another's own mind...

The mental monologue ends, and back in reality, Ace sees Oloven's head rise from where it had been bowed on the settee of the wagon, deep in thought. Oloven looks directly at Ace in his fancy helmet, and his eyes are filled with cold fury. 

Ace, looking Oloven in the eyes, starts crying. He hadn't realized that orcs had families too. He was filled with fury that orcish raiders had killed his grandmother, girlfriend, and brother, that he had never realized that there were some out there who were quite normal. With hopes, dreams, and families, and some who wanted to build rather than destroy. Ace realized how horrible of a person he has become due to his resentment of others. He now sees himself of not worthy to be part of this group of noble people, while he himself was down-right rotten. He peels out of formations, and sends him and his horse flying into the woods.

(Oloven, due to use still having the mental connection, you don't see his self-hatred, but you do see visions of him watching as his family members were killed by orcs.)

Oloven stands from the settee and watches with hard eyes as Ace disappears into the forest. He calls out to the others "Let 'im go. Boy just got a little spooked is all. Fair share'a ghosts in these woods, I reckon. It's been a hard mornin' for everyone. He'll be back when he's ready, or when he's hungry." 

Most of the others would likely be rather confused by the events of the last few moments, but Tyrel, with whom Oloven was sharing a mental connection already at the very moment of Ace's invasion, probably has a conception of what went down. Oloven stands another moment, gazing into the treeline, then sits with a grunt. He adjusts the bandana around his neck, takes one very deep breath, and points casually down the road. 

"Let's ride." 

“Mother have mercy on the lot of us.  This expedition has already been beset by more sorrow and ill tidings than I have seen in many long years.”

It's just barely an hour past mid day when you finish arranging the bodies, packing, discussing, and arguing, and are all ready to set out. There's still several hours of daylight yet, though it's dulled by the heavy clouds and chilly rain.

Once you set out. Please roll perception checks.