Alchemy and Hyde

[jedipotter]

This campaign begins in the exotic port city of Tashluta, the “City of Slithering Vines”, and it is here that the foundations of your character will be laid. The city of Tashluta is perched on the edge of the known world, the last stop before the endless expanse of the jungles of Chult. It is a hub of trade, and home to more than twenty thousand souls, a bastion of civilization in a realm haunted by piracy, disease, violent weather, and monsters. Built on the inner slopes of a flooded caldera, the skyline is dominated by sprawling edifices along the ridges while the lower slopes are home to the less affluent. The harbour is protected by Stormwall Keep, built along the length of a thin island outside the harbour entrance. The Tashalar – the surrounding verdant coastal areas – produce many of the best wines of Faerûn, which go exceedingly well with the spicy local cuisines.




It's just three days before your shops grand opening. It has taken a lot of hard work, and even more money, but now you have a shop to call your own, right in the Merchants District.


Sepoto Jalambe The human male banker that you got the loan from, a minor noble banking family
Shamil Goodbottle Female forest gnome, owns the shop next door, on the right. An apothecary, but specializes in more perfumes and flowers. She has three halfling slaves.
Burmak Kan'nai'ra Male tortle, own shop next door, on the left, small craft items made from shells and coral. He has two human slaves.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb stepped off the ladder and looked up at the front of his store. The new sign he had just finished hanging now read "The Alchemist's Refuge". He nodded to himself and wiped the sweat off his brow. The 24-year-old human was not used to this level of physical labor, and though he certainly had the strength to do it, he lacked the stamina necessary. His shelves were stocked and his advertising was under way. Caleb had been a bit surprised earlier when he had run into that accident with the elven woman but now it was just a matter of waiting. He was still making a few items for his shop, so he wasn't quite ready to open yet, but he would be in a few days.

Caleb glanced over at the shop next door to his, frowning as he saw a few halfling slaves next door. That was his fate, if this didn't go well. Caleb hung his head and sighed. Starting a business in this town was risky indeed, and part of the loan he had signed was offering his labor as collateral. If he didn't make back that 8000 gold, plus interest, within the year, he was going to be sold into slavery to pay his debt. But Caleb wasn't worried. He had confidence in his ability to make and produce goods. It was just going to be a pain to run this shop in the middle of the Merchant's District all by himself.

Caleb had considered hiring some workers, but he didn't have the money to pay them, and he was not going to buy a slave. "Guess I better get used to all this legwork," he muttered to himself solemnly, stretching his arms a bit. He had to wear bulky clothes now, to hide his wings from the world, and they were definitely uncomfortable crammed inside his jacket. When Caleb had attempted the graft he originally expected it to fail, so he had not taken any of the consequences of its success, such as new nerve endings where there was once just a spine, into account.

[jedipotter]

An older gnome woman comes out of the shop next door, Beauty Beholder. She has no nice, fine clothing in several layers. She has plenty of jewelry, everywhere it can be placed. Her hair is a light, unnatural green color and is set up in a large bun behind her head. Just behind her comes a male halfling in plain clothing, he keeps his gaze down at the ground. He has green hair too.

Shamil Goodbottle "Why well met. A new neighbor, how wonderful to see someone move into that empty shop. I'm Shamil Goodbottle, owner of The Beauty Beholder, provider of the finest perfumes, scents and elixirs for the fine upstanding woman. ''

She looks up at your sign, " The The Alchemist's Refuge? What an odd name for a shop? Do you sell alchemist slaves? That would be quite a good business. Most of us middle class have to put up with such a low stock of slaves. Like poor Bunpop here, I'm lucky he can even do basic math. I sure can't have him mix anything. He can't even get the idea that when you sweep the dirt goes out side." she waves her ring covered hand at the halfling behind her without turning to look.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb's eyebrow twitched a bit. The gnome was so callous and cold, unexpected given their typical jolly nature. Yet, he supposed, everyone can change here in the big city. "The shop is called 'The Alchemist's Refuge' because I'm an alchemist. People seek out alchemists for all kinds of goods and services. Why limit myself to a few words about what I stock in the shop when I can craft almost anything at a moment's notice?"

Caleb's eyes turned to the gnome's store. "I see that your business is doing well. That's good. Perhaps some of your regulars would be interested in a sunrod or two? Right now I'm mostly stocking cheap and mundane alchemical items, just to gather some interest before I start brewing and selling potions daily."

He clears his throat. "My apologies. Where are my manners? I am Dr. Caleb Buvelle, a pleasure to make your acquaintance madam."

[jedipotter]

Shamil Goodbottle "My regulars? Oh, I sell to the intelligent, sophisticated woman. I doubt they would want anything in your shop. Guess it is good we won't be in competition then, but you never know, they might buy one of your things as a toy for one of their slaves." she says with a shrug.

"So is it just you here? You seem to be the only one around. Don't you have a slave? You should, at least, have one, right?" She somewhat looks around.

"And if you need a good slave, let me know. I know all the best dealers in the city. Just look at my slaves: third generation, house broken, loyal, and harmless. They are the perfect slaves.

She snaps her fingers and waves her hand and points to the ground in front of her with her finger. The halfling behind her quickly runs around and gets down on his knees in front of her.

"See? That is a good Bunpop" she says as she pets his head. Then she holds a bit of his green colored hair in her fingers. "Notice the hair? That is my doing. It's all the rage. Everyone how is everyone is doing it. I sell 42 hair colors. For both woman and men. Does not Bunpop look so cute? Maybe you'd like a little green in your hair? Just let me know."

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb tries to hide his frown. This is typical of the city, of course, but this particular woman seemed...to grate the subject a bit. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm not looking for a slave. They're so clumsy when you first get them, and unlike perfume, what's contained in my bottles is actually quite dangerous. Why, if just one of them broke it could cause serious damage to a customer or my store. Better to just run the place myself."

"Gotta get out of here before this crazy woman tries to pawn more of her wares on me. She sure is a saleswoman, that's for sure. Is that what I sound like when I'm talking about alchemy?!" Caleb thought to himself, clearing his throat. "Oh my, is that the time already? I need to go into town and pick up a delivery! So nice to meet you though. I'm sure we'll see each other around. Bye now!"

Caleb nodded to Shamil and quickly walked in the opposite direction. He didn't stop walking until he got off the street and headed towards the center of town. "Wow, the Merchant District really does have a lot of crazy stores..." he muttered aloud to himself, letting his eyes wander. He almost bumped into a passerby and moved out of the way, apologizing. Many of the buildings around here were much taller than his store. What kinds of goods could they be selling that they'd need all that space, he wondered.


OOC: Just looking for a change of pace. Feel free to drop any plot hooks you like while I'm away from the store

[jedipotter]

Shamil Goodbottle looks a bit confused, but just waves as you walk off.


The Merchant District is a large district, of course. Full of shops and trade. Folks of all different races move about. Merchant District shops run the gamut from simple grocers to specialized buildings like potion emporiums, dagger sellers, exotic pet dealers, and magic item bazaars. Though anything can be found for sale here....



Change of pace? This is only post #7...nothing has really happened yet....lol

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb walks and looks around the bustling district, and comes to a sudden stop. He raises an eyebrow. "Is that...?" he asks himself, staring at the shop intently. "It is! An exotic pet dealer! Well now, that could be interesting! Lots of strange and interesting creatures I could use in grafting experiments. Oh, what if I could add a shark's gills to my neck, or perhaps a frog's webbed toes? The possibilities are endless!" He chuckles to himself gleefully and opens the door, walking into the shop. "Good afternoon, please excuse my entry!" he calls to the shop keeper. Caleb looks around for an interesting pet to examine more closely.

[jedipotter]

Beastmasters Place is a airy large shop, full of lots of cages everywhere. You see lots of birds, frogs and insects in cages all about. Larger cages on the floor have some monkeys, great cats, and other mammals. You don't see any snakes or reptiles though.

One whole side of the shop is more just creature parts. you see lots of bones, feathers, and body parts in glass jars.

A human male with dark skin and a soft leather matching outfit, sits at the counter looking over several small baskets of multicolored eggs. He looks up as soon as you enter the door.

"Well met and welcome to the Beastmasters Place. I'm Ckulous Bernoulli, master of beasts. And do come in, that is what doors are for. How can I help you today?


Of course, note that your already in ''Africa'', so an exotic pet is like a housecat or a dog. You live in a land where people are killed by hippopotamus and eaten by snakes...and that is just the normal animals.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb bows his head. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Dr. Caleb Buvelle. I'm curious, how much is it for this fine creature here?" he gestures to one of the tigers in the cage. The creature's pelt shines brightly and Caleb's eyes are drawn to its regal form and lithe body.

[jedipotter]

Ckulous Bernoulli "Ah, the tiger. Yes, A fine beast. Just got that one on the left in. Even had some folks in here not too long ago looking at that one. The price is 800 gold coins. Though a thong, collar and muzzle will be 5 gold extra. 20 more gold if you want the cage. I can also have it delivered to the place of your choice inside the city for just 25 gold, within a day of purchase. Quite a bargain." he says with a smile.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb nods to himself. "Indeed, this is quite the deal! I'm going to have to return to this shop once I've procured the necessary funds...how did this beast come to be in your possession anyway? Where do you collect your animals from in the wild? Or are they bred somewhere?"

[jedipotter]

Ckulous Bernoulli "I get my beasts from all over and in many different ways. Most are pure wild. Snatched no more then a couple weeks ago from wherever they might have lived before. It gives the beasts that hard inner core that lets them attack and eat their owners. And customers just love that.

If you were looking for a special beast, I might be able to get it for you"

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb raises an eyebrow. "Really? Well then, have I got a business proposal for you. If you get me rare monster scales and skins, such as from chimeras, owlbears, pegasi and the like, I can break them down to their magical components and create special potions, herbs and poisons for sale in my shop. As part of the deal, you'd get 50% of the profit (I can sell the refined materials and poisons for much greater than you would get for just the skins) and I'd reserve a space in my shop that you could use for your own personal advertising to this establishment. Would you be interested in that type of business venture?"


Caleb would be mostly interested in poisons and skins that could be made to into armor, or teeth/spines that could function as weapons, etc. That kind of stuff that Caleb could refine into poisons, potions and other goods that customers would be interested in.

[jedipotter]

Ckulous Bernoulli Looks up, bright eyed, and with a smile.

"Oh, well, it does sound like a good deal. Assuming you can make such items? You would not happen to have a sample, would you? What kinds of things can you make? What kinds of beasts do you need? "

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb nods. "Give me seven days. I'll be back here with a sample and a list of a few good monsters I could use. For now, I need to open my store and deal with my first wave of customers, you know how it is." he smiles and bows politely. "Looking forward to our future conversations, though."

With that, Caleb will duck out of the building and head further into the city.


Can you give me a description of what else is in the city? Besides the Merchant's District.

[jedipotter]

Ckulous Bernoulli nods "I look forward to our future." He says as you leave the shop.


The city is split into seven districts.

Azure-Azure District wraps around more than half of Tashluta’s waterfront within the steep walls of the caldera. Consisting of two sections, Azure District also houses many of the city’s slums and lower-class citizens, although they aren’t quite as desperate a catch as those forced to live in Shadowshore. The western section of Azure District is where Tashluta’s small but growing slave market can be found, which often features captured lizardfolk or Chultans from the jungles to the west. It’s also home to day labourers and beggars, while the eastern section is home to the city’s booming whaling and fishing industries.

Champion-Champion’s District extends to Tashluta’s western skyline, a district of soldiers, gladiators, and mercenaries who follow in the footsteps of the city’s first lord-mayor, a priest of Tempus named Teraknian. Champion’s District has a not-so-friendly relationship with the Noble District, and citizens see themselves as the true and rightful leaders of the city.

Cudgel-The Cudgel District Cudgel District is primarily a residential district. Due to the vigilance of the local watch and the church of Helm, it’s also the safest district in Tashluta. The citizens of Cudgel District know this, yet they are not a soft people; they remain ever vigilant to the threat of attack from without in the form of serpentfolk or pirates, or from within in the form of thieves and traitors.

Merchant-The Merchant District Tashluta’s heart, and perhaps even its soul, is lodged firmly in Merchant District. The district most visitors find lodging in, it’s often the only one they need ever explore. Merchant District shops run the gamut from simple grocers to specialized buildings like potion emporiums, dagger sellers, exotic pet dealers, and extensive bazaars.

Noble-The Noble District Noble District has traditionally been thought of as the city’s ruling district, even though Castle Teraknian isn’t technically a part of this district. Yet Tashluta’s trust in its rulers has been shaken from time to time, and nowhere is that loss of faith more evident than in this district. Today, the citizens of Noble District spend too much time bickering with those of Champion’s District and trying to organize their district into a self-sustaining society. Idle talk of seceding from Tashluta is commonplace in Noble District bars. The other districts increasingly view the Noble District as a place of decadence and vanity, and eagerly await the district’s fall under its own excesses.

Shadowshore-The Shadowshore District Although relatively small, Shadowshore is perhaps the most notorious of Tashluta’s districts. This strip of land nestled along the waterfront in the shadow of Noble District has long been a haven for thieves, thugs, and criminals of all kind. Generally, the only people who live here are those poor enough that their homes hold no attraction to thieves or those who can ably protect their property by wit or muscle. The city watch has all but given up on Shadowshore, and as long as nothing particularly destructive arises from the district (such as fires or riots) they generally leave it to govern itself.

Sunrise-The Sunrise District Like Cudgel District, Sunrise is primarily residential. Yet the citizens of Sunrise are generally a bit better-off than their neighbours, in no small part due to the fact that many of them have stakes in the numerous plantations that dot the region surrounding Tashluta.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb started walking aimlessly, and then a thought occurred to him. All this work was tiring, so maybe it was time he had a little fun. Cracking his knuckles eagerly, Caleb started to walk towards the Champion District to see if there was a tournament or an open spot in the gladiator's arena for him to throw down in.

[jedipotter]

The Serpent's Wraith is a small arena, but quite popular. It allows people to fight serpents and other snake like monsters. As you approach the edge of the viewing area, you see the end of a fight where a massive hermayex strikes the killing blows on a human male in shinny gold armor, as the crowd goes wild.

A magically loud voice echos across the arena as a human male with dark olive skin and a shinny green robe made of scales hovers over the area. "And there you have it! Serpents Supreme! The might of humans has fallen!" A mix of cheers and boobs come from the crowd.

"Anyone else up for a fight? Anyone?"

The massive hermayex lets out a loud half hiss/half roar


Hermayex=serpentfolk

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb smirks and steps into the ring. "Well now, this seems interesting," he comments, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an extract. "I seem to have forgotten my weapons at home, I don't suppose you could provide me with one?" He drinks the extract and feels himself bulk up, immediately reaching into his pocket and drawing a second potion out.


Initiative: [roll0]
Caleb will drink an extract of bull's strength as he enters the ring, and then draw an extract of enlarge person while he waits for the ring master to give him a weapon.

Also, the Feral Mutagen discovery doesn't say that it is an optional ability, so I'll ask you if Caleb can drink mutagens without transforming. Either one would be character-appropriate (either he's developed a method of actively hiding the transformation so that he can conceal his identity or he can't control the beastly shaping when he's drinking it. They both work for me)

[jedipotter]

Sure looks like change would be automatic, but I don't see why it has to be. You could will the claws and teeth to not appear.


[roll0]

Floating announcer ""Well, it seems there is another challenger!''

Several weapons are tossed into the dirt around you: three long swords, a battle axe, three spears, two clubs and a dagger.

The massive hermayex waves it's massive bloody battle axe and waits....

[NeoSeraphi]

"Now, now, calm down there big boy. It wouldn't be much of a fight if I didn't get serious, would it?" Caleb asked, picking up a spear and drinking his extract. Caleb and the spear doubled in size, growing up to 12 feet tall and towering over his opponent. He raised the spear in both hands and grinned. "Oh yes. Now this will be good."


Lost the initiative. Hermayex goes first

[jedipotter]

The massive hermayex swings his massive battle axe!

Round 1



[roll0]
[roll1]




He lets out a loud hiss as his axe chops into your flesh!

[NeoSeraphi]

Never rolled my health, lol.
[roll0]

And then 8+4 for max health at first level. If you don't let us take max health at first level, then the last one is [roll1]


Caleb shakes his head and takes a 5' step back. "Alright then, nice first move. But allow me to retort!" He jabs at the lizard with his spear.


5' away, Caleb has 10' reach so if the enemy moves in something other than a 5' step, it provokes an AoO
Attack roll: [roll2]
Damage roll: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

Your spear thrust misses.


Round 2
He does take a five foot step, and swings his axe down low aiming for your legs with a slow, powerful blow.


[roll0]
[roll1]




His swing misses.....






Full hit points at first is normal

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb takes another 5' step back and grips the spear in both hands, aiming to drive it right into the lizard's chest.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Caleb's spear hits and digs deep into the side of the hermayex and it lets out a scream. He is wounded, but does not fall.

Round 3
The hermayex takes his five foot step towards you and swings



[roll0]
[roll1]




The low, slow axe is again misses Caleb.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb grins and raises his spear to deliver the finishing blow. "Checkmate!"


[roll0]
[roll1]

[jedipotter]

Your spear thrust goes deep into his chest and he staggers for a second, clearly quite wounded....but he does not fall.

"You fall!" He hisses and swings his axe...in another slow, powerful swing


[roll0]
[roll1]



It's a good, solid hit, ripping into Caleb

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb winces. "Quite strong...and very persistent. But you won't finish me here!"

He takes a 5' step back and attempts to pierce the hermayex's throat.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

And that does it.....your spear thrust goes right into his throat...and out the back. His axes falls from his fingers and lands on the ground. His body jerks for a couple seconds and then goes limp as blood flows out of his wound.

The crowd claps and cheers! Though there are also some 'boos' too.


Floating announcer "what a fight! It was back and forth there for a couple blows! What a fight! Xaod Haan'xik has been defeated! "

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb sighs in relief and dismisses his enlarge person extract, shrinking back down to his normal size. He looks up at the announcer and then faces the crowd and takes a stylish bow. "No one can stand before me, Caleb Buvelle, the Warchemist!" he asserts loudly for the crowd.

[jedipotter]

Floating announcer "That is Caleb Buvelle, the Warchemist. Champion of the fur, Fur Supreme! Enemy of serpents!"

Most of the crowd cheers, but some make 'boos'.

[NeoSeraphi]

After the hype dies down a little, Caleb glances towards the announcer and asks with a bit of a sideways glance, "So, I get some prize money for this, right? I mean, not much of a show if there's nothing on the line..."

[jedipotter]

Floating announcer floats down to you, and says in a normal voice "You get the prize of being a fur champion. Am ally to those of the fur , and bitter foe of the serpents! The Serpent's Wraith Arena does not provide any material goods. Your free to make any deals on the side, of course."

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb hangs his head. "Hold on, I just risked my life for nothing? What kind of arena is this? And what the hell is 'champion of the fur' supposed to mean? I'm a human and I'm wearing clothes!" he thinks to himself. "Alright then...well, do you have any medical staff on hand? I'm a bit roughed up, and I can't be a champion for very long if I don't get some treatment."

[jedipotter]

Floating announcer "Of course. Can we get a healer over here to take care of the wounds of the Champion of the Fur?"

A dark skinned human male in black robes comes over "Tanrov Vancaskerkin, well met. Not a bad fight for a first timer. Though anyone can see your not a warrior born. Just blowing off steam? Hate the serpents? Something else? "


A dark skinned human female with short, dark hair and in tight red leather armor and a long red cloak.
"Akalea Vinderok, I am a Most Fatal Horror of Talona and Friend of the Fur. I see your wounded, I can offer the divine healing of Talona, for a small donation to her faith."

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb glances at the man in black robes. "Dr. Caleb Buvelle, alchemical researcher. I was taking the opportunity to test the effectiveness of my human transmutation extracts in combat. You are correct though, without my potions I would have stood no chance against that creature. It seems that my experiments are a resounding success, though I will need to do more research into stamina and defensive training for them." He extends his hand to shake the robed man's. "You have honored me with your name, but not the reason for your approach. Did you want to ask me something?"

When the healer comes over, Caleb nods and reaches into his pouch. "Hmm...will 15 gold suffice? I'm not sure what the proper donation is to a cleric of your faith, I'm sorry."

[jedipotter]

Tanrov Vancaskerkin "I'm just a fan from the crowd. An interested person. I have never seen you before, so thought I'd come over and introduce myself. I might make a bet on you, so what to know who I'm betting on."

Akalea Vinderok "15 gold? You value your life so little? Or you value the healing power of my goddess? Or did you just want a very small amount of healing?''

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb chuckles a bit. "I'm afraid you may want to choose someone else to bet on, good sir. I don't even carry a weapon. I wouldn't last two seconds against a true warrior in the arena."

Caleb bows his head apologetically. "Please forgive me, Lady Vinderok. I meant no offense. My knowledge of the church is very limited. Let's see here...how about ten times that?" He reaches into his coinpurse and removes 150 gold, offering it to the young woman, his heart almost breaking as he feels how light his pouch is afterwards.


Okay, so PF rules for spellcasting is spell level x caster level x 10, so if I ask for a cure serious wounds spell, assuming she's 5th level, that's 150 gold, so that's what I'm basing my offer here on (I obviously have no idea what her caster level is)

[jedipotter]

Tanrov Vancaskerkin "Ah, I see. "


Akalea Vinderok "That is more like it." She takes your gold and puts it in her pouch, and then reaches over and touches your wounds. Glowing red light, almost dripping like water, flows out of her hands and into your wounds healing them.


[roll0]



"There better? I can see your no Venom Voyeur or Holy Biter, so your not a follower of Talona. Who do you follow?"


15 gold is what you give an acolyte to cast cure light woulds....lol

[NeoSeraphi]

"However...I could potentially be persuaded to take the arena more seriously...very seriously...if I had a friend who had a vested interest in both my success and my enjoyment." Caleb says off-handedly, glancing at Tanrov to see if the man is understanding him.

"Ah, you honor me with your profane touch, my Lady," Caleb announces gratefully, feeling most of his wounds close up. He raises one hand to the back of his head and rubs it sheepishly. "I'm not as devout as you, but I certainly do believe the teachings of Malar have great merit."


I know that, lol, but Caleb doesn't. He has never really had a reason to deal with clerics before, as he normally just cures his own wounds with alchemy

[jedipotter]

Tanrov Vancaskerkin "You don't really seem like the type of go career gladiator. What are you really looking for? You can just want to endless fight in the arena, do you? Fight until you die?"


Akalea Vinderok "Ah, good. You have to have faith. It's important. Will you need any other of the divine touch of Talona?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb shakes his head. "I'm a small business owner. A...very small business. Any financial assistance I can earn to alleviate that strain, and any publicity I can gather by appearing in the arena, would be worth my time I believe. If you can help me earn some additional income, I can make sure you net yourself quite a profit. I shouldn't really tell you this, but...I wasn't using my strongest potions in that fight before. I could have easily made myself twice as strong as I did."

Caleb bows. "Yes. My faith has given me the strength to pursue my endeavors into the slightly...wilder...side of alchemy. At the moment, I have no need of your services, but perhaps you could inform me as to the location of your temple? That way if I need any help I could come seek you out. With the proper donation in tow, of course."

[jedipotter]

Tanrov Vancaskerkin "Well, you know....I think I could work with that. You might make a great special guest star. Have you show up every couple of days, make a show, but not have you in normal rotation. And it could sure bring business to you. And you asked why I came over to you. Let me set some things up.....how about three days?"




"The House of Night’s Embrace is in the Merchant's District. You can't miss it. It's the big red building covered in vines. Just be sure to stick to the safe path. The vines are quite animate and very poisonous."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Three days? Sounds good. Maybe you can have a higher quality weapon ready for me to borrow? I can't use anything too complex, but a finely crafted spear should do me just fine," Caleb replies.

Caleb tilts his head. This girl was really strange...but what was her angle? Caleb decided to take the opportunity to get a closer look at her.


Sense Motive (Trying to Get a Hunch about Akalea): [roll0]
Perception: (Checking Akalea out visually) [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Akalea Vinderok looks like a human female, in her mid to late 20's. She is quite short and slim. She has dark, olive skin and light, fine bone structure. Her hair is dark black, cut just above her shoulder and has slight red highlights, mostly at the ends. She has dark brown eyes. She is wearing tight, form fitting red leather armor that covers all her skin except her head. The leather gloves she wears match the armor, but her black boots stand out against it. A four brown belt pouches hang from her brown belt, two on each side. She does not seem to be caring any sort of weapon. Her cloak is also red and flows down her backside right to her heels.



Akalea Vinderok:5'4'' 121 lbs dress size 4 shoe size 8 Measurements: 34(B)-25-35 in



Tanrov Vancaskerkin gets directions to your shop and then heads off.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb quickly draws himself back, lest the woman think he was staring. "Ahem. Well, I'm sure that we will meet again. Perhaps the next time I ask for your services you might include a short sermon on Talona's basic principles?" He bows politely and reaches into his pocket, pulling out one of his own healing potions and drinking it.

Caleb glances up at the sky and nods. "Time to call it a day, I guess." "If you'll excuse me, my lady." He bids farewell to Akalea and heads back to his shop.

[jedipotter]

Akalea Vinderok smiles and nods and heads of herself.


Back at your shop, you see a young female gnome sitting by the door in front of your shop. "Well met, I'm Folmyn. Your the owner of this shop, right? You met my mother early today. There was a young elf girl here looking for you. She said she would be back tomorrow morning. I hope my mother did not offend you or come on too strong."

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb raises an eyebrow. "An elf girl? Well, I did bump into someone like that previously. Wonder what she could have wanted? My name is Dr. Buvelle. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Folmyn. And you needn't worry about your mother, I can already tell the woman is a shrewd businesswoman who was just trying to size me up. Something I'd have to get used to if I hope to keep my shop open for very long."

He opens the door, and thinks for a moment, before smiling at the girl. "Would you like to come in and look at my wares? You can have a sneak peek at everything I'll be selling in a few days."

[jedipotter]

Folmyn Goodbottle "Sure. I'd guess by your sign you sell potions right?" she says with a smile as she enters the shop and looks around.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb frowns to himself and quickly laughs a bit. "Oh, yes. Definitely. My potions are just...coming in next week! For now, I have some pretty cool items in stock, like this alchemist's fire." He picks up the bottle. "If you smash the bottle, it explodes in a burst of fire. The impact acts like a match, see? And that's not all. Spellcasters can use this to make their fire spells more powerful."

He sets the bottle down and quickly moves to another item. If he couldn't impress a little girl, there was no way he was going to sell anything to real customers. "And over here, I have some sunrods! These are really cool. If you snap the tip, it sheds light like a torch even though there's no fire! It's very useful for exploring areas where there's a lot of dry wood or underwater. Plus, some parents like to keep them in their home as a safer alternative to candles."

[jedipotter]

Folmyn Goodbottle "Oh, fire stuff is ok, I guess. I could see a sunrod being useful. I've seen them before. " see looks over the mostly empty shop "You could use use some more things. " She says uncomfortably. "Potions and magic liquids, that is the really cool stuff. Everyone wants potions. I'd buy potions of love. My mom won't make them. Maybe you could make them? Or like charm potions? Maybe glitter potions?" she looks up at you with bright eyes.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb smiles a bit and nods. "I can certainly make potions that glitter for you, but I'm sure a cute little girl like you has no need of love potions! You'll have to beat the boys off you with a stick when you get a little older! Haha! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep, and your mother is probably looking for you. But I'm sure we'll speak to each other again soon! Good night, Folmyn."

Caleb locks his shop up and rests for the night. When morning comes, he goes downstairs and checks to see if this elven girl has returned as the gnome told him she would.

[jedipotter]

Folmyn Goodbottle says good night and heads home.

The night passes...and morning comes. The city slowly comes to live around your shop. Places open up and people start to fill the streets. As soon enough, it is a normal day in the big city.

And not all that long after that, a young elven female shows up at the front door and looks in the window.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb spots the young girl and opens the door. "Welcome to The Alchemist's Refuge, my dear. I'm afraid we're not opening until two days from now, but I don't think that's why you're here is it? Someone mentioned that you came looking for me yesterday? Can I help you with something?"

[jedipotter]

Efl Girl "I was not looking to shop. I'm looking for work. Training. And knowledge. I want to be an alchemist. But everyone in the city is either full of apprentices or won't deal with me. But when you mentioned you were an alchemist, well you don't seem like the hateful type, and then we meet. And I think it was fate, a force bigger then us, that brought us together

So...um....."

.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb raises an eyebrow and then leans back against the door frame. "An alchemist apprentice, huh? And just what has driven you to this specific profession? I'm not going to say no, but I do need to know what kind of person you are before I agree to take you on as an apprentice. So, tell me. Why do you think alchemy is the answer to the questions in your heart?"

[jedipotter]

Elf Girl "I have always liked liquids and mixing things and ingredients. But not just cooking. I always wanted something more. And alchemy is more...much much more. I just like it. I'm not sure what more i can say. I'm a good hard worker and I want to learn.' she says bright eyed..

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, that settles that then. Welcome aboard new apprentice! I'm Dr. Buvelle. What's your name?" Caleb asks, stepping aside so that the girl may follow him into the shop.

[jedipotter]

Marie Divine "My name is Marie Divine. Well met." she follows you into the shop and looks around, wide eyed.

Out side, in the street, several lizardmen-like humanoids walk down the street in chains. A couple of dark skinned humans whip them along down the street as a couple of dogs bark at them.

No one on the street overly looks or seems to care.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb narrows his eyes. "For now, Marie, why don't you take a look around the shop and examine what kinds of items you'll be selling and making while you work for me? It's a perfect stock for a beginner, you won't be making potions or anything of that ilk for a while yet. I'll be right back..."

He steps outside and smiles, standing in the way of the odd parade. "Hello, gentlemen. Forgive me, but I believe the Champion District is in the other direction, and surely that is where these fine and brave young men belong. Fighting for their lives in the arena, trying to defend their pride and honor. That is their culture, and it is their passion. Why do you deny them this simple pleasure by clasping them in iron?"

[jedipotter]

The group of lizard humanoid slaves and humans with whips comes to a stop. A tall dark skinned human in black leather armor and carrying a big bloody whip comes forward to stand with you....

Slave Driver
"What in the name of Jungle Fever are you talking about. These scale heads are not gladiators, they are construction workers. They are here to work. And brave? They are worthless, they are afraid of shadows. And pride and honor are not words for their kind, we are lucky they can even understand how to dig a hole!''

All the humans laugh.

Slave Driver "So why don't you get yourself out of the way. We have work to do."

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb chuckles to himself. "Construction work? Well, why didn't you say so? Construction is a fine job, and it is rewarding both in hard work and in completing infrastructure that can be used by the community. If these gentlemen are going to assist you in the endeavor, why chain them? You could simply offer them the standard pay for such work and I'm sure they'd consent eagerly to such a nice job, provided you put down the whips and simply let the architect tell them what to do verbally."

"If they really are as cowardly as you claim, then even if you pull off their chains, they will do as you ask as long as they are treated fairly and well compensated. I see no reason for you to abandon your human nature in order to complete a simple construction project."

[jedipotter]

Slave Driver "Is there something wrong with you? These things are slaves. Property. No one pays them. They work or they die. For free. Best workers ever. Just a couple whips and free labor. Slavery is beautiful. It really is the special flower that makes our land so bright. And they are chained up as they are slaves. They might be too stupid to count past five, but they can still run away. We don't need to be chasing scale heads all day.

And what is it to you anyway?''

As you might expect, most people on the street are turning to watch, as well as most people you can see in windows and shops. Even a watch patrol of five humans watches from the side.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb clenches his fist. If the patrol hadn't showed up, he could easily have dealt with two slave drivers. As it was, even if he could deal with seven men, he didn't want to injure officers of the law. "Just a thought discussion, my friend. After all, it is the infrastructure of our city you're entrusting them to. The carrot works better than the stick, you know. Carry on then." He steps out of the group's way.

Caleb walks back into the shop and sighs. "Sorry, Marie, but business calls. I'm going to have to close for today. Can you be here bright and early at eight tomorrow?"

After he closes the shop, Caleb hits the pavement. "That woman from before...I'm not sure why, but I feel a sort of kinship with her...I wonder if she would consider allying with me out of mutual interest rather than money? Only one way to find out, I suppose. Gotta check out this church of hers."

Caleb walks until he reaches the Temple of Talona in the Merchant's District. He hesitates for a moment and then heads inside.


Perception check on the temple: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

The Slave Driver and his slaves move on.

The group of guards stays on the corner, watching you until you go inside your shop.


Marie nods and leaves. The guards are still on the corner when you leave your shop.

House of Night’s Embrace is easy enough to find. A massive blood red temple complex covered in lots of plants and vines. The main doors at the top of a long set of stone steps are wide open and lead into a main prayer chamber. At least a dozen red robed human males and females move about talking to people and helping them and praying with them. There are at least twelve guards around, human males in scale mail.

The main chamber is full of benches, pews, a huge altar, rows of candles, small wood tables, statues and even some pools of odd liquids built into the walls.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb walks down the pew looking for a priest/ess who is not busy or praying, and asks "Pardon me, is Akalea available? I'd like to speak to her."

[jedipotter]

One of the acolytes nods and has you sit and wait at one of the tables.


Akalea Vinderok walks over a couple minutes later. She has on a fairly simple yellow dress with the skirt down to her knees and large decorative flower on the front.

"I did not expect to see you so soon. Welcome to Talona's house. What will be your poison?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb raises an eyebrow in surprise when the young woman appears in a different color than her fellow worshipers. "Okay, Caleb, you have to be careful here. How do you bring this up with her? You could just pretend to be an idiot and ask her to dinner so that you can get her alone and talk about what's really important, but is dishonesty the right call here? She seems to be very straightforward about her tastes and her faith, perhaps she'd respect some brutal honesty? But then again, if she doesn't brutal honesty is going to get you killed here...Well, she seems to admire and appreciate power. Perhaps a demonstration...no...showing off is not the right way to go about this either..."

Caleb clears his throat and smiles. "I thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, Lady Vinderok. You probably don't remember my name, it's Caleb."

"What the hell? Why'd I say that? I worked for a whole year writing the dissertation that got me that doctorate!"

"And I know this is probably going to sound strange to you, but there's a horrible problem in this city and I intend to correct it. By force, if necessary, and it most likely will be necessary. I'd like you to join my cause. If you require compensation, I can offer you 20% of all the profits I earn from my business, but I believe you will be of a like mind with me when I tell you what I intend to do."

His eyes dart around to make sure no one else is listening and he leans in and whispers, "The way people in this city cage and shackle others for cheap labor is disgusting. It's a waste of human potential and of valuable test subjects. So, you want to know what my poison is? I'm looking for a hot cup of revolution here, and it's going to be messy. But I'm not some stupid idealist here. I have the strength to back it up. And...that's why I'm here."

He leans back and braces himself. "So. Is this the part where you sic every guard in this place on me?"

[jedipotter]

Akalea Vinderok "The guards are just for show, or if really needed spell fodder. But revolution? I don't understand at all. Why would you care about others in the first place? And if you wanted to care, why would you care about slaves? It seems like such a pointless cause. It's not like the slaves will even thank you. They would just kill you if given the chance. They are slaves.

And what will you even do? Buy slaves and set them free? Maybe just steel other peoples slaves?

It is not something I would really be part of, why would you even ask me?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"People aren't inherently good or bad, they just learn bad behavior from others. It's a constant cycle of abuse and if you can disrupt the cycle, then you can make everyone's lives better," Caleb explains. "They wouldn't kill me if I set them free. Even if they wanted to, without any weapons I'd honestly like to see them try. Sneaking them out of the country wouldn't be an issue either, I could just disguise them as my own property and take them to the border, then release them so they could go and find actual paying work in another state where they can't be owned or bought."

Sitting back, Caleb nods. "I apologize for my assumption. You said to me that having faith was important, so I thought that you would jump at the chance to give these people, who are barred by society from having any sort of culture, beliefs, or ways to practice their faith, freedom. After all, things like slavery and trading people...that seems like what devils and inevitables would do. It seems to completely oppose your church's teachings."


Diplomacy. See if maybe something I say strikes a chord with her:
[roll0]

[jedipotter]

Akalea Vinderok I'm not sure what your even talking about. I'd ask again, who cares about slaves. You say slaves have bad lives, well why would i care about that. Why do you?

Faith is important, very important. But that does not mean I care about slaves. My church officially supports the slave trade. We have dozens of slaves working in the temple, at least.

You have some very strange, very radical ideas. But, as we are in temple, I can say this was all a faith talk. So it won't go past the two of us. But you had better be very careful. You try to make some waves, your going to upset a lot of people...very powerful people. And you just might end up a slave yourself....if they just don't kill you.

Was that all you wanted?

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb nods. "Why do I care? An interesting question...but I suppose it's not one that I need to answer. The fact is that I do care, and yeah. It's going to be a huge risk. I appreciate your discretion though, Lady Vin-...Akalea. I guess the next time you hear about me will be at a public execution then. May Talona's wrath rain down upon your enemies."

He bows politely and exits the church.

"Well, that went about as well as I expected. Still, no idea why she didn't turn me in. Not entirely sure that I could see every card she was holding...but I guess it doesn't matter. If she wanted to tell me something, she would have told me. Whatever her reasons, they're a secret from me for now. But if I plan to actually take a stand here, I'm going to have to do it either very carefully or I'm going to need someone to help me..."

Caleb heads back towards his shop to check on his products and see if any passerby have noticed the new store yet.

[jedipotter]

Your products sit on the shelves, right where you left them. The street is just as crowded as it is most of the day. Some people notice the shop, some don't. The Merchant District is busy most days.

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb nods to himself and decides to try and drum up some business with a display of his own. He'll exit his shop and attempt to gather the attention of some of the crowd that walks past. Once he has some people watching, Caleb will drink his extract of spider climb and quickly scale up the side of his shop, and then as he reaches the top, he pulls his invisibility extract from his bag, downs it and vanishes from sight. Climbing down the side of the wall, he reappears before the crowd and drinks his extract of enlarge person, shooting up to enormous proportions.

"The Alchemist's Refuge creates all of your potions special order, so we can better suit your needs! Anything you want, hand-crafted just for you and ready in just two hours! Opening in two days, anyone who wants to pre-order is welcome to do so and we'll have your potions ready for you the moment we open!"

[jedipotter]

A couple of people stop to watch the show.

A couple minutes after you go back into the shop a dark skinned human male in plain brown clothing comes into the shop. "Well met, I saw your display outside. You can brew up some potions of invisibility? I could use three by the end of the week? How much do you charge?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Caleb grins and gets his ledger eagerly. "Not a problem at all, good sir! 3 potions of invisibility will be 1800 gold total. Twice the cost, but twice the effectiveness, I assure you! You'll be able to stay invisible for a full 3 minutes longer per dose than you would from a standard potion. I just need a name to go with this order, Mister...?"

[jedipotter]

Ulraci Wostoniee "Oh, no mister. Just Ulrac Wostoniee, is the name. And extended duration, now that is a nice touch. Well worth the gold. It is a deal."

[NeoSeraphi]

Just making sure you and I are both on the same page here OOC-wise.

The cost for a potion is 50 gp x spell level x caster level, and so a normal Wizard potion of invisibility costs 300 gold for 3 minutes (because the caster level is 3).

Since Caleb's caster level is 6, it costs twice as much and lasts twice as long, but there's no special effect that extends it beyond that. I'm sure you realized all that but I was just making sure.


"A pleasure doing business with you, Ulrac. You can come pick these up any day of the week after we open." He takes Ulrac's payment and gets to work on these potions. By the end of the day, Caleb has brewed one of them, and then he hits the sack.

[jedipotter]

That all fits. It is even in the Brew Potion feat description. Though the potion rules are a bit mixed up...one potion per day?

Ulraci Wostoniee nods and leaves.

[NeoSeraphi]

If the base price of a potion is 250 gp or less, it only takes 2 hours to create. The price for me to create a second level potion is 300 gp, so unfortunately it does take 8 hours. If you would like to alter these rules due to the nature of this game I'd be all for that.

Additionally, out of character I'm wondering if you're going to give me an NPC to help me in combat, considering how difficult my character's quest will be (He doesn't even have a full Base Attack Bonus). I tried to convince Akalea for that reason, though of course it didn't work out (Damn my lack of Diplomacy ranks).


After 8 hours, the first potion is created. Caleb wipes the sweat off his brow. "No big deal. Though if I'm going to sell these to more than one person, I'm definitely going to need to work faster than this. At least now I have some money to make other potions to put on the shelves. Just need the time to craft them."

Caleb goes to sleep and wakes up the next morning refreshed and ready to get to work. He comes downstairs and looks to see if his apprentice has arrived yet.

[jedipotter]

Marie Divine shows up bright an early the next morning. She is bright eyed and ready to work.



You feel you need a NPC combatant? Like someone you can talk too? Or just something like a Bag of Tricks?

[NeoSeraphi]

"Alright, Marie, now look closely here. Today I'm going to teach you how to brew a simple potion of invisibility. This is going to be sold to a customer, so I can't allow you any hands on action just yet, but if you pay close attention while I pick out my finest ingredients...."

...Two hours later...

"As you can see, the important thing here is to make sure the color of the brew is a strong, consistent blend of every color we've added so far. Notice how there are a few specs of blue inside the red? We need to mix those areas more thoroughly or the potion could very well turn into a poison!"

...Two more hours later...

"Now comes the fun part. As an alchemist, you have to combine your own extracts with the potion itself, in order to infuse it with magical energy, the same way a spellcaster would. So I uncork this extract I made this morning and mix it in...this potion now has my own signature power in it. It's different from any other alchemist's potion, it's unique to me."

...Four more hours later...

"And we're done! Phew, it took a long time, but that's a potion of invisibility, perfected and ready for sale! Thanks for paying such close attention, Marie, I think you're really going to learn a lot working for me! Well, that's the end of your shift, so why don't you go on home and try to look over your notes for a bit? We open the store tomorrow!"

After seeing Marie off, Caleb stands up and brushes his clothes off, putting all of his ingredients away. "Time to see if I can pick up some money the old fashioned way, I guess. The arena's no good after all. Let's hit the tavern."

Caleb heads to a local tavern in order to pick up a request from the job board. He's looking for something he can finish by the end of the day.


I'm paranoid. My character doesn't have the greatest hit points, nor does he have a weapon. Considering the number of enemies I'd have to fight each encounter and based on our location, most of them will have class levels, an NPC combatant would be very helpful. Also, we probably need an OOC thread for this game lol

[jedipotter]

So why do you want to check the job board to see if you can make some gold saving a cat from a tree? Is there some reason why you just don't, for example, free a couple slaves? Maybe kill a slave owner and write ''slavery is wrong'' in their blood.

Your armed....claws and bite.



You think a whole OOC thread is needed?

[NeoSeraphi]

The aforementioned paranoia is the reason I haven't acted yet. I have weapons, sure but I'm definitely outnumbered and outgunned. But I can see that the mundane stuff is boring you and I apologize for that.

...Still, I don't think that I'll be able to accomplish that much on my own and if the shopkeeping part is taking up too much of your time and you'd rather have something more action-packed, perhaps we're doing the wrong game? I know we've sunk three pages into this one but if you're more eager for some combat-heavy game, I can be up for that. You'd just need to tell me and we could come up with a new premise and start from scratch. I can have a new character made in thirty minutes, no problem. Just say the word. You know how often I post, we could get back to three pages and past in a matter of days.

I just don't want you to be running a game that you're not enjoying because I had a premise that didn't fit what you were looking for. Please, it's no trouble if you'd rather do a dungeon crawl or something more exciting. :smallsmile:

[jedipotter]

I don't find the mundane stuff boring at all. You seem to want more action, like ''the I look for an adventure in a tavern''.

I guess from the way you described it, I though it would be ''mundane during the day'' ''revolution of the beast at night''.

Paranoia of what? sure your outnumbered and outgunned, but it's not like your attacking the city. It's not you vs. 100,000 in a fight. You can just free like say ''the three slaves of blacksmith Bob'', and that is only talking on Bob and his guard dogs. Or you can target the slave traders, the slave markets and such.

Don't suppose you have ever seen Dexter? Normal guy by day, killer by night? Just imagine a Dexter Dialog: C'bath Dorsorlen, he likes to buy pretty young slave girls and watch them burn in his back yard. No one cares though, the slavers are his property. But they are humans and it is wrong....and tonight he is the one that will get burned.

Though actually the show Arrow fits great too(you just need to get a list of the worst slave owners, masters and such....lol)

So out of the 50,000 slave owners, you kind just target the ''bad'' 100 or so. Sure shopkeeper Abe has two slaves, but he just treats them ''ok''...no reason to slaughterer him. But people like C'bath....

[NeoSeraphi]

Says you've exceeded your allowed stored message data so I'll post here on the off chance you have this thread subscribed.

Is the idea of a more simple, direct game unappealing to you? There could be lots of indirect challenges, like a rival paladin I was competing with for the high priest's favor, or moral obstacles where my character has to make a choice between the obviously smart and effective decision or the decision that is less appealing but more fitting to his alignment and faith. It's really easy to make a paladin game complex because of all the extra stuff the character and player have to deal with, compared to say, a rogue or a monk.