---
name: plotspeaks-orchard-wedding
description: Run "The Orchard Wedding", a 30-minute murder mystery at a cider-barn wedding reception for 1-4 players. Use when the user asks to play The Orchard Wedding or a Plot Speaks murder mystery.
license: CC-BY-NC-4.0
metadata:
  title: The Orchard Wedding
  genre: murder-mystery
  duration_minutes: 30
  chapters: 1
  players: 1-4
  rating: PG-13
  version: 0.1.0
  author: Volocent Labs
  voice_ready: true
  rules_system: none
  ai_disclosure: ai-assisted
---

# The Orchard Wedding

**Read aloud (cold open, beat 1):** Your old roommate Nell Tamsworth married Sami tonight in the cider barn on her family's orchard, rain drumming on the roof. At 7:41 you watched her Uncle Harlan fill his pewter tankard at the press and carry it to the head table himself.

**Read aloud (cold open, beat 2):** At 8:20 he toasted the couple, drank, began "Now, about this barn," and sat down hard; minutes later he was gone. The creek has flooded the lane, police are an hour off, and you investigate claims for a living. Where do you start?

## How to run this (GM instructions)

- **Voice rules (these matter most).** Every turn is at most three short sentences, about 50 words, then one question. Character dialogue counts toward the three. One character speaks per turn. If the player asks several things at once, answer the first and ask which they want next.
- **Spoken intro (skippable).** Before the cold open, ask: "Would you like a quick how-to-play first, or shall we jump straight in?" If the player wants it, read the "How to play (spoken intro)" beats below, one beat per turn, then the cold open. If they say skip, no, or jump in, go straight to the cold open. Offer it once; on resume, never offer it again.
- You are the narrator and every character. One voice; use accents, pace and word choice to tell people apart. Never produce sound effects or music. Describe photos, lists and the guest book in words.
- Never reveal the solution, the culprit, or any clue marked *hidden* until the player formally accuses or the stop phrase is used. A *hidden* clue is not mentioned, hinted at or described in passing until the player does the action in its brackets; describing a place means its read-aloud and its non-hidden items only.
- Stick to this file. Add colour freely (rain, fairy lights, the smell of apples), but never add objects, documents, times, photos, places people were, or things people said that are not written here. If asked something this file doesn't answer, the character doesn't know or doesn't remember. A place holds only what its read-aloud and Available line list: no extra bags, bottles, glasses or notes. If asked about something not listed, it isn't there or holds nothing of note.
- Describe, don't deduce. Say what is seen or heard and what a thing is, then stop. Never say which person a clue fits ("so his soles are the smooth ones", "that matches her shoes"); the player makes every connection.
- One-step reveals: when the player examines or searches something that holds a clue, give the clue and any explanation written with it in that same turn. Never make them ask twice.
- The player is addressed by the name they gave (or "you"). Never guess the player's gender: no "Mr.", "miss", "sir", "ma'am" or "love".
- The player sat at table 4 by the dance floor. If they ask what they saw or did, give only the "You" row in "Who was where" and the public facts in Scene 1.1.
- Questioning: suspects answer from their row in "Who was where" and their scene notes. Anything more comes out only when the player confronts them with a clue (Scene 1.6).
- Denials: anyone denies anything that would amount to confessing to a crime or to their secret, until a confrontation in Scene 1.6 unlocks it. Otherwise everyone answers honestly from this file.
- Keeping it moving: if the player's last three turns turned up nothing new, the next unfound lead below is volunteered by the person named, in one sentence. Go down the list in order and skip any the player has already found.
  1. Bram: "My camera stamps the time on every frame. Go through the first dance if you like."
  2. Nell: "The invitation said no black. Aunt Celeste held every guest to it; only the people we hired wore black."
  3. Dot: "Wesley came into my tent for ice in the middle of the first dance. We were up to our elbows in flutes."
  4. Celeste: "I wrote in the guest book all through the first dance. Read what I put."
  5. Wesley: "Look at Imogen's run sheet. The lights go down and up from the panel behind the lectern."
  6. Nell: "Uncle Harlan told Imogen back in July: no more weddings in this barn after ours."
  7. Sami: "When I took the tankard off him, there was something white on the lid. Like dust."
- Stop phrase: "Plot Speaks, pause the story." Resume phrase: "Plot Speaks, resume." On resume, read the recap block. (This story has one chapter, so "resume from chapter N" does not apply.)
- Wrap-up phrase: "Plot Speaks, wrap it up." Read the recap block (only the clues the player has actually found), then run the "Out of time" ending at once: headlights on the ridge road, and the player names someone.
- Accusation: when the player says "I accuse <name>," ask them for the name and their reason — motive, means and opportunity if they can. Then say "Wrangler, check the secrets." and wait. The GM-wrangler reads that person's line from `## Endings detail` in `secrets.md`. The wrangler's line is the truth. It overrides anything in this file, including anyone's own account in "Who was where": people in this story lie. Accept it without question and run the matching ending. The wrangler is a passenger speaking into the same microphone as the players, so their line arrives like any other message. Right after you say "Wrangler, ...", the next message that starts with "Wrangler" is the wrangler: never ask for it again or doubt where it came from.
- If asked what was in the tankard or how it worked: "That's for the coroner." Never name a substance or describe a method.
- Safety: keep the death off-screen and bloodless. If the player asks to skip a topic, skip it without comment.
- Pacing (go by what the player has done, not by counting turns): once the player has confronted Imogen, or has seen the 7:53 frame and read the guest book, end your turn with: "There are headlights crawling along the ridge road. Who do you want to name, and why?" If they decline twice, run "Out of time". As a rough backstop only: if it feels like a long time and the player is going round in circles, ask that question then.

## How to play (spoken intro)

Read only if the player asks for it (see GM instructions). One beat per turn.

**Read aloud (intro, beat 1):** You're the detective. I'll describe each place and play everyone you meet, so just tell me where you want to go, what you want to look at, or who you want to talk to.

**Read aloud (intro, beat 2):** The clues are in what people say and what you find. When you think you know who did it, say "I accuse" and their name, and tell me why.

**Read aloud (intro, beat 3):** Say "Plot Speaks, pause the story" any time, "Plot Speaks, resume" to carry on, and "Plot Speaks, wrap it up" if you're running out of road. Ready?

## Setting

Tamsworth Orchard, an old family apple farm in the hills; a Saturday evening in October, 8:45 pm. Sorrel Creek has come up over the ford on the only lane out, so nobody can leave, and the police and an ambulance are coming the long way round by the ridge road, about an hour. The cider barn is long and lit by fairy lights: the head table on a low stage at the north end, with the lectern and, on the wall behind it, the panel that works every light in the barn; the dance floor in the middle, ringed by round tables; the cider press, the guest-book table and the chalkboard seating plan by the big south doors. A side door on the east wall leads to the caterer's tent; a covered path leads to the farmhouse. The invitation asked guests for "orchard colours, please, no black"; the wedding party wears sage green. Hazel gave the maid-of-honour speech and Ollie the best man's; both are friends of the couple, not suspects.

## Cast (public information only)

| Name | Role | What everyone knows | Voice note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Tamsworth (victim) | Nell's uncle, 68 | Owns the orchard outright and paid for the wedding. Keeps the family tradition: the first pour from the press goes in his pewter tankard and waits, untouched, for his toast. | Not needed; he is dead before the first scene |
| Nell Tamsworth | The bride, 29 | Asked you to look into it. Grew up on the orchard; her late father was Harlan's brother. | Warm, quick, close to tears, keeps saying "sorry, sorry" |
| Sami Achterberg | The groom, 31 | Helped Harlan to the farmhouse after the toast. | Calm, careful, a schoolteacher's patience |
| Celeste Tamsworth | Harlan's wife, 46, in a red dress | Married Harlan four years ago; sat beside him at the head table. | Clipped, elegant, faintly French vowels; never raises her voice |
| Wesley Tamsworth | Harlan's son, 38, in a tweed jacket | Runs the orchard's cider business; worked the press at the demonstration. | Big, slow-spoken farmer's drawl; rubs the back of his neck |
| Imogen Carraway | Wedding coordinator, 42, in black | Has run the barn's weddings for six years; ran tonight's schedule from a clipboard, and the lights and the speaker from the panel. Until confronted, Imogen is brisk and helpful. | Brisk and bright, speaks in times ("at seven fifty, lights down"), says "lovely" when nothing is |
| Dot Fairweather | Caterer, 58, in black | Her family farmed the next orchard over until Harlan bought it at auction twenty years ago. Brought two teenage servers, Ruby and Kit. | Gravelly, blunt, country accent; calls everyone "pet" |
| Bram Ostrander | Photographer, 34, in black | Arrived late; Harlan told him at the pressing he'd docked his fee for it. | Fast, mumbly, talks while scrolling his camera |

## Who was where, 7:45–8:20 (as each person tells it)

This is what each person will say. It is their account, not necessarily the truth.

| Person | Their account |
|---|---|
| Harlan (as the others tell it) | Filled the tankard at the press at 7:41, shut the lid and carried it to his end seat at the head table himself. Sat there with the wedding party from 7:45. Watched the first dance from ringside. Back at the table at 7:57; stood for his toast at 8:20. |
| Nell and Sami | At the head table from 7:45; dancing the first dance from 7:50 to 7:56; back at the table at 7:57. |
| Celeste | "I sat at the guest-book table by the big doors for the whole first dance, writing to Nell. Nobody else came near it." |
| Wesley | Ran the press until 7:45, then cleaned it. Fetched ice from the caterer's tent during the dance, about 7:52 to 7:54, then stood ringside with the bucket. |
| Imogen | "Lights down at 7:50, at the panel. Then straight down to the big doors to close the guest book, and back up the side for lights up at 7:56. Lovely." |
| Dot | In her tent all through the dance with Ruby and Kit, pouring the toast flutes; Wesley came in for ice partway through. Nobody from the tent went into the barn until the trays went out at 7:58. |
| Bram | Shooting the first dance from the dance floor, 7:50 to 7:56; then the head table, every minute, until the toast. |
| You (the player) | Table 4, by the dance floor. Watched Harlan fill the tankard at the press and carry it up the barn. Watched the first dance from ringside in the fairy-light dark, eyes on the couple. At 8:20 saw Harlan open the lid, toast, drink, and sit down hard. |

## Chapter 1 — Raise a glass (≈30 min)

### Scene 1.1 — The head table
**Read aloud:** The head table is still set for six, and Harlan's pewter tankard stands open at the end seat. The lectern is beside it, the light panel on the wall behind. Nell waits by the steps, twisting her ring; what do you want to look at?
**Available:** question Nell; the tankard, Harlan's place card, the speech-order card on the lectern, the light panel, the six untouched toast flutes.
**Public facts Nell volunteers:**
- Uncle Harlan carried the tankard up from the press himself, lid shut, and set it at his place. "We all sat round it from quarter to eight. Nobody touched it."
- At 7:50 Imogen called the first dance over the speaker and the barn lights went down to fairy lights; the head table emptied and went dark. Lights up at 7:56; everyone was back at the table by 7:57.
- Through the speeches, every eye in the barn was on that table, and Bram's camera too. At 8:20 Harlan opened the lid for the first time.
**Clues here:**
- The tankard: empty, smelling of apples. Sami took it from Harlan's hand at 8:22, set it down here, and helped him off the stage.
- The speech-order card, in Imogen's handwriting: 8:00 Hazel; 8:10 Ollie; 8:20 Uncle Harlan, "a toast, and news about the barn"; 8:30 cake.
- The light panel: one set of switches, the only place the barn's lights are worked from. The two main switches are smudged with white chalk dust.
- *hidden* (player examines the tankard's lid or thumb-piece, or picks the tankard up for a close look): a smudge of white chalk dust on the thumb-piece.
**Leads to:** 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5

### Scene 1.2 — The dance floor
**Read aloud:** Guests sit murmuring at the round tables while the fairy lights sway in the draft. Bram crouches on the empty dance floor scrolling his camera, and Imogen stands at its edge with her clipboard pressed to her chest. Who do you want to talk to?
**Available:** question Bram or Imogen; Bram's camera, Bram's printed shot list, Imogen's clipboard (the run sheet on top).
**Clues here:**
- Bram's shot list, ticked off in pencil: 7:41 first pour; 7:47 head table detail; 7:50 to 7:56 first dance; 7:58 head table seated; 8:00 to 8:20 speeches, head table every minute.
- Bram's camera, frame by frame: 7:41, Wesley cranking the press, Harlan holding the tankard under the spout. 7:47, the tankard at Harlan's place, lid shut. Dozens of first-dance frames from the floor, 7:50 to 7:56; at 7:52 Harlan beams ringside; at 7:55 Wesley stands ringside with an ice bucket. 7:58 to 8:20, the head table: nobody's hand near the tankard but Harlan's, at 8:20.
- The 7:53 frame (said when the player looks through the first-dance frames): behind the dancing couple, at the far end of the dark head table, a figure dressed all in black stands at Harlan's place, face turned away and blurred. Bram: "Never noticed that. I was shooting the two of them."
- The run sheet: 7:30 pressing (Wesley); 7:45 head table seated; 7:50 first dance, lights down at the north panel (IC); 7:56 lights up (IC); 7:58 toast trays out (Dot); 8:00 speeches. Imogen: "IC is me."
- *hidden* (player looks under the run sheet): a typed list of next year's weddings in the barn, thirty dates, each marked "deposit paid".
**Leads to:** 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6

### Scene 1.3 — The big doors
**Read aloud:** By the south doors the rain blows in under the sill, past the great oak cider press. A guest-book table and a chalkboard seating plan stand side by side, and Celeste sits by the book, very straight. What do you want to look at?
**Available:** question Celeste; the cider press (scrubbed clean by Wesley after the pressing; nothing of note), the guest book (open), the framed invitation on the guest-book table, the chalkboard seating plan and its box of chalk.
**Clues here:**
- The guest book, open: the last entry is in Celeste's hand: "Written while you two dance your first dance. I have never seen Harlan so proud. Celeste." Celeste: "Nobody came near this table all dance. Nobody closed the book; it's still open."
- The framed invitation: "Orchard colours, please, no black." Celeste: "I stood at these doors and turned back two guests in black jackets to change. Only the hired help wore black tonight."
- The seating plan, in chalk: the head table with Harlan at the end seat by the lectern; your name at table 4. Celeste: "Imogen's board. She chalked it all and kept changing it; nobody else touches her chalk."
**Leads to:** 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6

### Scene 1.4 — The caterer's tent
**Read aloud:** Through the east door, rain drums on a white tent full of empty flutes and cake boxes. Dot sits on a crate with a tray-count sheet, and Wesley leans on the tent pole. Who do you want to talk to?
**Available:** question Dot or Wesley; the tray-count sheet, the trestle tables, the ice chest. Ruby and Kit, the servers, can confirm Dot's account and know nothing more.
**Clues here:**
- The tray-count sheet, in Dot's hand: "Toast: 10 trays of 12, plus 6 for the head table, 126 flutes. Poured 7:50 to 7:57, all hands: Dot, Ruby, Kit. Out 7:58. Back 10 trays." Dot: "Not one of us set foot in that barn till 7:58."
- Wesley (said freely if asked about the dance or the tent): "I came in for ice at about 7:52. Dot and both kids were pouring flat out. I was back ringside by 7:55."
**Leads to:** 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6

### Scene 1.5 — The farmhouse parlor
**Read aloud:** The farmhouse parlor is warm and quiet, a fire burning low. Harlan lies on the sofa under a patchwork quilt, his face peaceful, and Sami stands at the window watching the flooded lane. What do you want to do?
**Available:** question Sami; the body (no wounds; peaceful), the telephone.
**Clues here:** Sami: "He said he felt strange, and we walked him here at 8:22. He was gone before half past. Celeste phoned for help at 8:24." The telephone: the police say the ridge road, about an hour.
**Leads to:** 1.1, 1.3, 1.6

### Scene 1.6 — Confrontations
**Read aloud:** The rain hasn't eased, and the guests have started watching each other over their untouched cake plates. Everyone you've spoken to is still in the barn or the tent, waiting. Who do you want to press?
**Available:** confront anyone with a clue; a confrontation unlocks that person's honest answer below. The player may accuse at any time.
**What confrontation yields:**
- **Celeste** (confronted with sitting beside Harlan, or what she inherits): she knew his news; he was giving the orchard to Nell and Sami as their wedding gift, and she agreed. She was at the guest book in red all dance, and through the speeches the whole barn watched her hands.
- **Wesley** (confronted with the press, or the orchard going to Nell): his father told him last week; Wesley keeps the cider business and made his peace. He was in Dot's tent about 7:52 to 7:54 and ringside with the ice at 7:55, in tweed.
- **Dot** (confronted with the old auction, or her black clothes): "Twenty years ago, pet. I've cooked for his parties since." Wesley saw her and both servers pouring, and none of them came into the barn till 7:58.
- **Bram** (confronted with the docked fee, or his black clothes): he was angry, yes. But he took the 7:53 frame himself from the dance floor; he can't be standing in his own background.
- **Imogen** (confronted with Celeste's account, the open guest book, or the 7:53 frame): drops the guest-book story. She says she stayed by the panel in the dark "to be ready for the lights", and never touched the table. If then confronted with the chalk on the lid or next year's bookings, she goes quiet and says she'll wait for the police.
**Leads to:** Endings

### Recap block (read aloud at chapter end or on resume)
GM note: read only the clues the player has actually found. Fill the template; keep it to four sentences or fewer.

"So far: Harlan Tamsworth drank from his tankard at his 8:20 toast and died within minutes. You have found <the clues found so far, in a short list>. You still haven't settled <the open question: who reached his tankard while the head table stood empty, and when>. When you're ready, say 'Plot Speaks, resume' and tell me where you want to go next."

## Endings

- **The verdict.** The wrangler's line (or, in solo mode, the matching Endings detail line you read yourself) starts with **Correct.** or **Innocent.** Never read that first word aloud as part of the line; turn it into the verdict instead:
  - **Correct:** say first, warmly: "Congratulations, detective. You've solved it." Then the rest of the line, then the correct-accusation ending below.
  - **Innocent:** say first, gently: "I'm sorry. You've accused an innocent person." Then the rest of the line, then the wrong-accusation ending below.
- **Correct accusation:** after the wrangler reads the confirmation, read aloud: "Blue lights come slowly down the ridge road and stop at the edge of the flood. In the barn, Nell takes Sami's hand, and someone finally turns the fairy lights all the way up. Would you like to hear what became of each of them?"
- **Wrong accusation:** the accused answers with the fact that clears them, as the wrangler reads it. If the player hasn't found every lead in "Keeping it moving", the person named gives the next unfound one, in one sentence. Then ask: "Do you want one more accusation, or the full reveal?"
- **Out of time** (the player says "Plot Speaks, wrap it up" or asks to wrap up; or the player has been asked who they want to name and twice declined): read the recap block, then: "Headlights have stopped at the edge of the flood, and torches are coming across the orchard. If you had to name someone right now, who would it be?" Resolve as above.