The Blighted Orchard

An orchard rots in a pattern no Tidefield farmer recognises. Find a remedy before harvest.

Requirements

Meet the orchard keeper
The keeper scrapes black rind off a pear with her thumbnail. 'Started on the windward row and walked itself east. I've never seen rot pick a direction. Cut me a sample from the worst tree and we'll see.'
Cut samples from the vineyard rows
The vines have the same black rind under the leaves. Whatever it is, it crossed the lane in under a week. You bag two cuttings and a strip of bark.
Boil the samples at the spit
The rind smells like spoiled cider in the pot. Underneath the stink there's a faint sweet note the keeper recognises. 'My grandmother used a wash for this. Pinegap, she said. There was a herbalist with the book.'
Bring the findings to the orchard keeper
She wraps the cuttings in waxed cloth. 'You'll want to ride to Pinegap before the next rain. The archive's still there. The herbalist isn't, but the books might be.'