Mona Lailan

Amora spends most of her days in the Feedmill’s kitchen. She’s loud and boisterous and can often be heard singing off-key while she works. She is very proud of her cooking, boasting that everything has to be just right, and that she makes the finest meals in Etran’s Folly. She does not allow any substitutions. Amora stands at just under 6 feet tall, with short brown hair kept tied tight behind her head. She is rarely seen without an apron on, even at home. Amora’s voice and laughter are as big as she is, and while she is perfectly friendly to guests, she can fly into a fury if anyone criticizes her cooking.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Questioning Mona

After Herwig’s death, Mona tells Thelma that the kitchen should be closed immediately, just in case it was the food. Proud of her work, the cook insists Herwig’s death must be foul play because she explains, simple food poisoning doesn’t work that fast and isn’t as deadly. Thelma agrees but insists that nothing in the kitchen be cleaned or removed so that investigators can look for clues and clear Mona’s good name. Removing her apron, Mona heads home and does not return for as long as the investigation continues.

The Old Qosx Orchard

If the characters go looking for Mona, townsfolk can tell them she lives in the Old Orchard, an area just outside town that was once a productive apple orchard. These days, it is foul and rotten, the trees having taken on a sickness. After the trees went bad a few years back, the grove’s tender moved with his family to Khor, and Mona lives in the small shack they left behind.

Creatures

Unless care is taken to travel around the outside of the orchard, the PCs are likely to pass near a tree containing a gigantic beehive

Bee Swarm - Creature 1

NEUTRALLARGEANIMALSWARM


Perception	+5, Darkvision
Skills	Acrobatics 9+, Stealth 7+
STR -1 , DEX +4 , CON +1 , INT -5 , WIS +1 , CHA -4
AC	17
Saving Throws	Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +4
HP	18 - Immunities Precision, swarm mind - Weaknesses Area damage 5, splash damage - Resistances bludgeoning 2, piercing 5, slashing 5
Speed	fly 20 ft
Special Abilities	Swarming Stings Each enemy in the swarm’s space takes 1d4 piercing damage (DC 16 basic Reflex save). The first time each round a creature fails the save and takes piercing damage, it also suffers the effect of beestings. Whenever the bee swarm uses this ability, the swarm takes 1 damage. Beestings (poison) The creature must attempt a DC 16 Fortitude save. Those who fail take 1d4 poison damage and are clumsy 1 for 1 minute.

. The bees do not take well to intruders, and if anyone comes within 30 feet, the bees swarm and attack. Although they can be defeated conventionally, any player who asks can use an action to attempt a Nature check; DC 12

if successful, the PC knows that bees are pacified by smoke. If anyone uses a Smokestick or similar item against the bee swarm, the swarm dissipates.

Mona Arrives

Shortly after the bees are defeated, Mona arrives in a head-to-toe suit of Padded Armor —to protect her from the bees— armed with a smoke can to pacify any bees that remain. She invites the PCs to her home, offering up remedies for any stings they might have suffered. She also serves delicious biscuits with honey harvested from the beehive. When talk turns to Herwig’s murder, Mona says that she prepared the dessert, Gnalter plated it, and Trip served it. She doesn’t think anyone else was in the kitchen, even though she went out more than once to empty the slop bucket. Mona is terribly worried about her image and she seems to care more about her reputation around town than about the dead dwarf. If taken back to the kitchen, she confirms that nothing there seems out of the ordinary, although she does notice that something smells off about the remnants in Herwig’s bowl.

Current Location

Millstone

Children

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