As the Neverwinter Guard is questioning the guests, Dare decides to take the investigation into his own hands. Followed by Lilvari, Mystic, Mercarri and Droop, Dare makes his way outside, determined to find Grista. He’s stopped at the door by one of the guards, who tells him no one can leave. After a brief exchange, Dare convinces him to let him leave.

Dare and other adventurers don’t make it far, for as soon as they get outside, another ten guards are heading their way. With them, being led back to the Inn quite roughly is Grista. She’s not very willing, demanding that they tell her what’s going on and why she’s being taken against her will. Sir Adelard Chase is with them. Upon seeing Dare and the others, he asks them to come back inside. The party agrees and goes back into the Stonehill Inn.

They hear Grista gasp in surprise as she’s brought in behind them. “What in the bloody hells happened,” she says, but it doesn’t take her long to figure out why she’s been brought back. She can see from the way Dare, Lilvari, Mystic and Mercarri are questioning her, that she’s a prime suspect. She proclaims her innocence throughout. As she’s being questioned, there’s a glow coming from somewhere to the right, near the floor. Everyone looks over.

Reidoth’s bird is perched on Harbin’s throat. The light is coming from around the area of its talons. Reidoth puts his hand on the bird’s back, and the glow brightens. The bird suddenly goes stiff, and it’s beak opens. Harbin’s voice pours out.

“I can’t breathe. Help. Help. Am I dying? Please. I don’t want Lillian to see!”

Reidoth leans closer, places his other hand on Harbin’s head in a calming gesture. “Harbin, my friend. It’s okay. Lillian saw nothing. Tell me, did you notice anything strange tonight at the party?”

Through the bird’s open beak, Harbin’s voice comes again, “I didn’t like the food. Usually I like the food here.”

“Harbin, Who would do this?”

“I don’t know.”

Reidoth, remains still for a moment, thinking. He then turns to Dare, Lilvari, Mystic and Mercarri. “Is there anything you can think of that we could ask? There’s only enough energy in each person to let them answer a few questions. Most ever I’ve seen is five. I’ve already asked two.”

They ask him a few more questions about what he ate and what he’s seen, but his answers offer no additional insight to what had happened. They next have Reidoth’s bird do the same to two others who are dead — Toblen Stonehill’s wife Trilena and Mara — an old human woman who was sitting at Sister Garaele’s table. The party learns that food started tasting weird to Mara since around noon and then ever since and that she’d been to the market earlier in the day. 

Sildar approaches and tells them that he wants them to lead the investigation, Dare in particular since he’s the most suited for it. Sir Adelard Chase agrees. “Use my men as needed, but they’ll assist more than lead.” Lastly, Sildar tells them that the party is given the temporary authority to question anyone they see fit and to investigate any place deemed important to the investigation — this would include the Inn, The Sleeping Giant and all the houses of those who have died. The party agrees.

They investigate the main dining area and the kitchen as well as talk to some of the guests. There’s not much to find in the dining area or the kitchen itself, but it does seem like many of the guests (including the dead ones) had eaten the same thing at the party. Yet only a handful are dead. Lilvari thinks it may have nothing to do with the food served and that maybe it could have been a spell — something that’s triggered by the time of day. Everyone died just after the stroke of midnight.

After a time, Sir Adelard Chase asks permission to close The Stonehill Inn. Guests are sent home with the strict orders that no one is to leave town. Dare, Lilvari, Mystic, Mercarri and Droop head home. On the way, they see the front door to the Sleeping Giant Tavern ajar. They go to investigate. No one is inside. Dare goes behind the bar and samples the liquor. While he’s back there he also searches the garbage can by knocking it to the floor. Inside, near the top is an uneaten green apple. He has a suspicion about the apple so decides to bring it along for Sister Garaele to check out. He also thinks back to one of the dead — Daran Edermath. His apple orchard only has green apples. This apple may have very well come from his place.

Mercarri keeps watch at the door with Droop while Dare and Lilvari head through one of the doors. It leads to a kitchen. it looks like its been a decently busy night at the tavern, as dishes are stacked in the sinks and pots are on the stove. They find little of interest here though. They head through another door at the back of the room. This one leads to an office. Inside, they find a desk with a journal on it, a bookshelf and a wall calendar. The journal seems to be of nothing more than customer counts. The bookshelf contains cookbooks and business ownership books. The calendar has the names of the Sleeping Giant’s staff penciled in. It looks like a schedule. They notice that the name ‘Efi’ is circled in red for the day of the party. 

Inside the desk, they find another book. Dare removes it before unbuttoning his pants. Lilvari watches in horror as Droop squats over the drawer and shits inside. He then uses a page from the journal to wipe. That goes in the desk as well before he shuts the drawer. 

He gives the book that used to be in the drawer to Lilvari. As she’s thumbing through it, a sealed envelope drops to the floor. The seal is the same one that was on the deed to their manor — a shield that represents the town of Phandalin. They open the envelope and inside find a contract of sorts. On it Grista Corg agrees to pay Halia Thoron for the Sleeping Giant Tavern in the amount of 50gp on the first of every month. 

As they’re reading over the document, Mystic enters. She tells them that she wants help in searching the basement. They head there next. In the basement, they find typical tavern items — napkins, utensils, ash trays, dinnerware, etc. They also see several signs that say “Rat Free Service” and other similar things. On the other side of the room, Lilvari finds a hand drill that smells of peanut butter. Immediately she thinks they found proof that Grista drilled holes in the Stonehill Inn’s kitchen area. Mystic finds something else. She sees dark green splatter marks on the table top, just below an opened cabinet. They peer inside and see a deep green liquid pooled on the bottom of the cabinet. Next to it are two full vials of the same green liquid as well as seven empty ones. Lilvari examines one of the full vials. She recognizes what it is: A very potent poison known as Midnight Tears. It’s main property is that no matter when its ingested, it won’t kill its victim until the stroke of midnight. They are pretty sure they’ve found the murder weapon. 

Instead of heading home, they head to the Townmaster’s hall where they find Sir Adelard Chase. They show him what they’ve found, and he seems very excited. While there, they question Grista is is currently locked up in the jail below. They question her about the poison in a round about way, seeing if she’ll admit to anything. They do get her to admit that she had her busboy drill the holes in The Stonehill Inn, but she adamantly denies having anything to do with the death of those at the party. Lilvari goes as far as giving her a small glass of poison to drink, telling her that it’s a fine apple whiskey. She seems to have no knowledge of what it actually is, and would probably have drank it if she trusted Lilvari more. 

They make one more stop before turning in for the night. They head to Sister Garaele’s. They show her the apple as well as the poison. She’s able to discern that the apple has been laced with Midnight Tears as well. She promises to tell Isolde first thing in the morning. Isolde, she says, will spend the day autopsying the bodies and that if any of them want to come back to find out the results, they may do so.

They agree, but first they’re heading back to Tresendar Manor to get some sleep. It’s been a quite eventful day.