Alina’s Poisoner’s Puzzle

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — Silvertree’s manor

Someone had poisoned King Alteon, and suspicion fell on his Royal Alchemist. Alina went to Raoul Silvertree’s manor to question him. He usually courted the favor of powerful people and opened his home to guests. This time a deep river and a closed portcullis stood between them.

The Hero helped Alina turn the river to stone with a Petrification Potion and lift the portcullis with her Dandelion Draft. Inside, a potion stopped the pendulum blades without stopping the people passing them. The defenses made Alina reconsider whether Silvertree might be capable of trying to kill the king.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — An untied tongue

Alina found Raoul in a spell-trance. The Hero applied her Potion of Inscrutable Mutation to his alchemy circle. Alina said it gave him the Untied Tongue effect. Raoul still refused to talk. When Raoul learned that Alina’s assistant had drunk the soup and was near death, he wanted to get to the castle. The Hero had to fight the creature he had summoned before they could finish questioning him.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — The Metal Man

With the potion coating his tongue, Raoul could no longer lie. He admitted that his daughter was involved. He had concealed that Shendra was his child when she became Alina’s apprentice. He told her to deliver a bottle to the new cook. Shendra liked Alina, said the king was kind to her, and told her father she did not like the Metal Man. Raoul assured her that the soup would only make them a little sick, and that he would help make them well and look like a hero.

Raoul said the antidote would make Alteon susceptible to the right person. He wanted Alina’s position. Once he knew Shendra was in danger, he begged Alina to save her. Alina had tasted her own potion and joked about needing it to stay alert through an apology banquet. Clearing her name would still leave the Metal Man free and the king in danger.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — Good knights

Shendra was alive but struggled to speak. Alina told her that Swordhaven was falling into Chaos. The king still suffered from Chaos and poison, and his loyal knights had begun to disappear. Captain Rolith of House Indracus was among them. Alina believed he had been taken by force. Shendra spoke of the Silver Man, then said good night. The Hero heard good knight, and they realized she might know something about the Pactagonal Knights. When they questioned her again, she spoke of Silver and Gold and only one way to be Good.

Alina decided to use the harmful and healing sides of her knowledge to find the missing knights. She called herself PoisonMistress and took up a sword coated with magic-laced poisons. She asked the Hero to help her find where the knights were being held.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — Jenna’s cottage

Alina and the Hero cleared a path through Poisonforest with a Vegetal Decay Draught. They found combustible Krialo Moss growing outside its usual habitat. They also came upon Jenna’s damaged cottage. The Hero gathered nails, vines and wood from a barricade to rebuild it. Jenna gave Alina aniseweed pulp and sour sap in return.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — The captives

The traitors had set loyal knights on fire. The Hero freed them and saved embers from the fire. Alina used rainwater and Krialo Moss to make a Corrosive Philtre and used Jenna’s pulp on cloth to make a salve. One of the knights they rescued was Rolith’s third-in-command. He had pretended to side with the traitors to infiltrate the fort, where he learned Xavier Lionfang was behind the plans.

The Hero fought the guards and used the philtre to corrode the gate. Inside, Alina prepared a Termination Tonic. She told the Hero to burn the traitors’ tents and supplies and coated their weapon with the tonic before they faced Xavier. She asked the Hero how far they would go for the people they cared about.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — Xavier’s plan

Xavier said his brother Maximillian had sent him and that he had coordinated the poisoning to weaken Alteon. He intended to spread a slanted account of what happened at the fort and discredit the king’s supporters. He planned to return brainwashed Pactagonal Knights to the castle so his brother would have allies close to Alteon. He had burned those who refused to join him.

Rolith had followed his men to the fort. As he and Alina fought together, Rolith told her how safe he felt with her at his side. Rolith asked her to marry him there in the middle of the battle.

The Poisoner’s Puzzle — The sentence

Xavier asked whether Alina’s methods differed from his own. She acknowledged the blood on her hands and said she used the skills she had for the cause she believed in. Rolith proposed imprisonment and promised humane treatment if Xavier cooperated. The Hero could choose life imprisonment or interrogation with Alina’s Veri-tonic followed by a sentence of execution. Both choices lead to the guards escorting Xavier away.

Alina and Rolith told the Hero they were engaged and asked for help with the wedding.