Mist covered the forest as two figures walked along a dirt path. Their boots crunching on the gravel with each step. One of the figures was an older man with balding grey hair and a silver mustache. The other was a young man with long raven black hair and shimmering emerald green eyes.
"We are almost there, Theo. Your aunt's apothecary should be right around the bend." The older gentleman said to the younger man assuringly.
"Thank you for showing me the way Rendath and for sending me the letter from my aunt." Theo replied to the other man with a smile.
Rendath turned his gaze to Theo and smiled. "I was more than happy to. I was sad to hear that Leona was leaving, but I was glad to hear that she would not be leaving us without an alchemist."
Theo was delighted when he had received the letter from Rendath explaining that his aunt Leona would be leaving him her apothecary outside Mistbreak. He had spent three long years at Archenwall University learning alchemy. He jumped at the chance to put his studies into practice. Theo immediately set out on the two week long journey to the Mistrim Vale and had only arrived in Mistbreak last night.
Theo turned to Rendath with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Did my aunt tell you where she was going?"
"No, she didn't. She said that she had been in one place too long and that she wanted to explore more of the frontier. I am going to miss her as well as all of the adventurers. She was a good woman and one hell of an alchemist." Rendath answered with a sigh.
As they rounded the bend Leona's apothecary came into view. It was a charming and rustic cottage with a thatch roof and several empty gardening plots. Theo's excitement grew as he gazed upon it. The cottage looked cozy and would be an excellent place for him to begin his apothecary.
The wooden door creaked as they entered, the main room smelling strongly of dry herbs. The room was bursting with shelves for holding ingredients and potions that would be up for sale. However, Theo noted that all of the shelves were bare. "Leona must want me to start from scratch." He thought to himself.
"Well this is it." Rendath declared with a beaming smile. "Your very own apothecary. The gods know that we need one given all the adventurers about. I will take my leave so that you can make yourself at home and remember, Mistbreak is just a fifteen minute walk away. Don't be a stranger." Rendath said with a playful wink as he left through the main door.
As Rendath left, Theo noticed a folded letter and a large leather bound tome sitting on the service counter facing the front door. As Theo opened the letter he was hit with a wave of nostalgia as he viewed the elegant script of his aunt Leona.
"Theo, congratulations on graduating from Archenwall University. I have run this shop for fifteen years and it is time for a new adventure. I am leaving my apothecary to you. I am also leaving you my alchemy journal. I know you learned many potions at Archenwall, but my clients have come to expect many of the potions that I have developed myself. The journal contains all of my recipes as well as all of the research I have done over my time here. However, some of the ingredients you find in the recipes are unconventional. Approach these ingredients with curiosity and you will become a great alchemist. I hope that you will add your own recipes to this journal. I couldn't have left my apothecary to a better person. With much love, aunt Leona."
Theo gently laid the letter on the counter and picked up the heavy leather bound journal, his curiosity piqued by the letter. Each vellum page was filled with Leona's script, hand drawn illustrations, as well as maps of the local areas. Theo could read through it for days and still have barely made his way through its contents, however he still needed to get the shop in order.
As he explored the cottage he found the potion making room that had a mortar and pestle, alembic, a cauldron, as well as all the glassware he would need to begin making potions. He also found the small bedroom and kitchen that would now be his home. Though the cottage was empty it already felt like home. Theo spent the next few hours cleaning, organizing, and moving all of his personal items into the cottage. With all of his items in place, he started a fire in the fireplace and sat in a comfortable armchair to settle in for a cozy evening.
Theo jumped up with a start as a loud knocking rapped at the front door. Theo cautiously made his way to the door wondering who in the world would be outside. Theo slowly opened the door to see a large bare chested man. He had long fiery red hair and a large bushy beard that framed his piercing ice blue eyes. His chest looked like it was made of marble, each muscle well defined against the map of scars that covered his flesh. A large battle axe hung from his back and the only piece of clothing he wore was a sturdy leather battle kilt.
"Um... hello, how may I help you." Theo nervously choked out while looking at the imposing figure that stood before him.
"I am sorry for bothering you so soon after you arrived." The large man replied in a gruff voice, his piercing eyes softening. "I am Urlan Shattershield." His eyes ran over Theo's face and body sending a cold shiver down Theo's spine.
"By the gods you look just like her!" Urlan exclaimed, making Theo jump. "You have her eyes and hair, you must be Leona's niece. What is your name, my beauty?" Urlan asked with a toothy grin.
Theo blushed with embarrassment. Theo had been mistaken for a girl all his life. His long raven black hair, porcelain skin, and delicate feminine features didn't help. He was bullied incessantly by the other boys at university for his feminine looks. Though he should've been used to it by now, his face still burned with embarrassment each and every time he was mistaken for a woman.
"I am Theo... Leona's nephew." Theo replied nervously, reaching out his hand to Urlan.
Urlan's battleworn face flushed with embarrassment. "I am sorry! My words get ahead of me sometimes." Urlan shook Theo's hand with an iron grip as he rumbled with awkward laughter.
"I have come to place an order, I know that you have not had the chance to set up. Rendath told me that the new alchemist was in town and I am about to journey to a ruin with some of my fellows in a few days."
Theo winced from Urlan's grip and then beaconed him to enter the cottage.
"So what potions do you need, Urlan?"
"We expect the ruin to be occupied and dangerous, so I need to place an order for.... what was it called." Urlan stroked his massive beard while trying to find the words. "Healer's Hands, yes, Healer's Hands is what Leona called the potion. I will need five of those in three days."
"Healer's Hands?" Theo thought to himself. He had never heard of this potion in all of his studies. His gaze shifted down Leona's journal. It must be one of her original recipes.
"It will be a challenge for sure, but I can do it!" Theo declared to Urlan with false confidence. Though Theo had never heard of this potion, this was his first opportunity to make a name for himself and his new apothecary. He was not going to miss it.
"That is great to hear!" Urlan beamed back, his many scars stretching with his toothy grin. "I will be back in three days. Thank you Theo!"
Theo watched in awe as the giant of a man exited the cottage, having to stoop down to exit through the doorway.
Theo's thoughts instantly turned to his task. He opened the journal and began looking for the entry for Healer's Hands. He found it without much trouble and began pouring over the recipe. Healer's Hands Tincture was a powerful healing potion developed by his aunt. The recipe stated that a batch of five potions could be made with five Blood Cap Mushrooms, five Swamp Cotton stalks, and Lizard Folk Essence."
"Lizard Folk Essence?" Theo murmured to himself in confusion. Theo had never heard of Lizard Folk Essence. The entry had many footnotes at the bottom of the page, so he turned to those for answers.
Lizard Folk Essence is the semen of a Lizard Folk male. It is an essential ingredient to this tincture. The Lizard Folk are known for their amazing regenerative abilities. Their blood clots quickly and they have even been known to regenerate entire limbs. I found that Lizard Folk semen is the best ingredient to impart those qualities to any healing potion. One ejaculation worth of semen is enough to produce five Healer's Hands Tinctures. Blood Mushroom Cap and Swamp Cotton accentuate Lizard Folk Essence's regenerative and blood clotting ability respectively. When made correctly, the Healer's Hands Tincture can completely heal a major wound in mere minutes.
Theo could not believe what he was reading. His mouth agape in both astonishment and disgust.
"How the hell am I supposed to get Lizard Folk semen?" He thought as despair crashed over him. He collapsed into the armchair, his mind reeling from the implications. "This is my first opportunity and I do not know if I can complete it." He mumbled to himself in exasperation.
"My aunt said that her ingredients were 'unconvention', but I never thought that they would be this!" Theo exclaimed to himself. "Approach these ingredients with curiosity, my ass." Theo thought mockingly. But Theo had no other choice.
Unwilling to give up he turned back to the footnotes in the journal.
All ingredients, including a Lizard Folk community, can be found in Grimhollow Swamp.The swamp is a two hour walk northeast of the apothecary.
"Well, at least I know where to get the ingredients." Theo mumbled with a sigh. "I will head out tomorrow and get the Blood Cap Mushrooms and the Swamp Cotton stalks. Maybe I can even convince a Lizard Folk to give me a sample."
With a plan in place, Theo retired to bed.
Theo struck out on his journey to Grimhollow Swamp as the sun's rays began to dance amongst the branches of the forest. With each step the forest grew denser making him feel as if the forest was closing in around him. After two hours of trekking through dense overgrowth he broke through the tree line and was enveloped by the humid air of Grimhollow Swamp. The swamp was a dismal expanse full of mud, feted water, reeds and rotting logs. The air reeked of rot and decay and he could hear the buzzing and chirping of the unseen creatures that called this place home. Theo drew a deep breath to calm his nerves and then stepped into the murky depths, the waterlogged mud squelching beneath his boots.
Exploring the swamp was a loathsome task. His clothes were damp and his boots were caked in thick sludgy mud. Each step was a taxing trial and he could feel the insects buzzing past his ears. He found a cluster of Swamp Cotton near a body of green algae filled water. He quickly collected five stalks and gently placed them in his satchel. His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon a nearby hollowed out rotting log. The inside of that log would be the perfect environment for Blood Cap Mushrooms. He trudged as quickly as he could over to the log and then knelt down in the mud to peer inside. With a deep breath, Theo crawled inside the log, his bottom and legs anchored outside. He reached deep into the darkness and smiled when his hands felt the soft spongy caps of Blood Cap Mushrooms. However, his joy was outlived when he heard squelching footsteps come up behind him.
"Don't move outsider!" a hoarse voice rasped as Theo felt a cold hard point jab at his bottom. Theo let out a yelp of pain and fear as he tried to turn his head to see who or what was behind him, but the interior of the log was too tight.
