Another Run at Apothecaria

 Let me start off by saying that I had a lovely Halloween. I went to a good friend's Halloween party over the weekend and on Halloween night, I gave out a lot of candy. Not just candy. I also got a stash of small toys and whatsits for kids who may not have been into candy.

 A friend of mine from my hometown shared an article on Facebook about some new pumpkin color being promoted. While I'm not going to make kids single themselves out in order to get treats from me, it did get me thinking about what sorts of treats I'm offering. Some neurodivergent kids might not get the same joy from candy that others do, so something that's not strictly candy would mean a treat that they might actually be able to appreciate. So toys and stickers made it into my treat planning. They were in a bowl right next to the candy bowl.

It actually went over fairly well. I got a lot of candy, so I encouraged kids to take as much as they wanted. And some kids grabbed from the candy bowl as well as the toy bowl. Definitely something that I'll be doing next year.

I do still have the 13th Age review in progress, but I thought I would revisit my Apothecaria playthrough that I did last November and pick up where I left off. I may never do NaNoWriMo or anything of that scale, but I can definitely have fun writing during November.

When last we left Seth Creighton, the rookie apothecary of High Rannoc, he was a mere 7 weeks into his career. He had cured most, but not all of his patients and was in the process of his most potent cure yet: Treating the shattered tooth of the sea serpent Bas Bata, who lived in Meltwater Loch.

Combining Slime Shell, Liquid Fire, Shield Cap, and Vampire Venom, adding it to the cauldron of boiling Sea Beast Saliva along with the distilled essence of Giant Spider Venom, the poultice is complete.

Before Seth takes on his next patient, he takes stock of what he has accomplished in his short time as an apothecary.

Reputation: 9

Silver: 104

Reagents: Gas Weed, Pixie Fur, Surgeon's Sap, Wild Rose

Familiar: Spider (Magic Eye; Glimmerwood Grove only)

Golem Helper: Make Garden Plot (Will be finished by the end of Spring)

Zones: Glimmerwood Grove, Meltwater Loch, Moonbreaker Mountain, Hero's Hollow, The Strange

 

Week 8

After the impression that I made with the Dark Ruler of the Underlands, I seem to be drawing some patients from their domain. This time, an orc seems to have acquired phodothropy, which is the curse of turning into a hamster under the full moon. I've treated this before, but I don't have the ingredients that I did last time. It looks like I'll have to visit two separate regions to get the ingredients, which will take extra time. 

1: My first stop is in Meltwater Loch to get some Mermaid's Gift, a type of seaweed that helps with the Hair Tag. I finally manage to find some in a pool where a siren is practicing her alluring song. When she sees that I am drawn to her, she stops singing and apologizes. She explains that she is simply practicing and she is not yet hungry enough to eat me alive, but she suggests that next time might be different.  (or perhaps to fatten me up for our next encounter), she gives me a Shock Fish and sends me on my way.

2: Now it's off to Hero's Hollow for some Ghost Goo to deal with the Curse Tag. As luck would have it, as I started making my way through the twisting tunnels of the Hollow, I triggered a trap door that dropped me into a cell.The barred door was held shut by a quantity of Ghost Goo, which allowed me to escape easily and gather the needed ingredient at the same time.

I return home in plenty of time to treat my orcish patient. I put the Ghost Goo and Mermaid's Gift in my cauldron to boil until it forms a thick soup, which I serve to her. Even her orcish taste buds rebel at the toxicity of the Mermaid's Gift, so I don't make all the money I could, but my reputation continues to improve. I gain 16 silver and 1 point of reputation.

Now that I've got the cure for Bas Bata, I'll take my downtime actions this week exploring Meltwater Loch to see if I can encounter it again. Even if I don't, I'll try to gather some Sea Beast Saliva, since that's a useful ingredient.

1: No Sea Beast Saliva, but I do find Grobeck the Dwarf in his fishing boat. We chat for a while and he tells me about a Dentist Crab he saw not far from his fishing spot. Once we finish our conversation, I easily find the Dentist Crab and collect some of it s Claw Gel.

2: Searching a boat that had been wrecked by a sea beast long ago, I discovered a skeleton of one of the beast's victims, huddled over a barnacle-encrusted chest. It's unlikely to be plunder or it would have been looted long ago. Since I'm on my own mission right now, I decide to leave this poor soul to guard their treasure.

3: At long last, the greatest achievement of my short career has come to pass! As I wandered through the swamps of Meltwater Loch, I heard a familiar roar. The same rage and the same pain I had heard weeks before. Its long neck comes into view first as it unleashes another roar. Then it sees me. I don't move. I am terrified, but also I don't want to miss this chance. It comes closer, extending its neck to glare at me with its pitch black eyes. A low growl echoes in its throat.

I take out my sea monster-sized poultice and hold it in front of me. It sniffs the package cautiously. I don't expect the Giant Spider Venom to make things very appetizing. As it opens its mouth for another roar, I throw the poultice into the monster's mouth. It snapped its jaws shut at the surprise of the impact, then closed its eyes as the acrid taste of the Giant Spider Venom hit its tongue. But even with that, I was sure I could see the pain it carried lessen.

Reputation:10

Silver: 120

Reagents: Dentist Crab, Gas Weed, Pixie Fur, Shock Fish, Surgeon's Sap, Wild Rose

Familiar: Spider (Magic Eye; Glimmerwood Grove only)

Golem Helper: Make Garden Plot (Will be finished by the end of Spring)

Zones: Glimmerwood Grove, Meltwater Loch, Moonbreaker Mountain, Hero's Hollow, The Strange, Dreamwater Depths.