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Your name is Rosalyn Nightshade and you’re the finest unlicensed apothecary in the magical land of Elfland. In your secret treehouse laboratory deep in the woods, you brew all manner of potions to sell on Elfland’s black and dark bluish gray markets. You live a double-life of danger and deception, striking furtive business deals in the dead of night, always scrambling to stay one step ahead of the Elflandic authorities.

To be honest, it’s not as great as it sounds.

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It’s not that you have any ethical qualms with your line of work, but you’d have thought that a life of crime would be a little more lucrative. Back when you got into this business, Elfland was a lawless realm full of rogues and villains and the heroes sent to stop them. You expected you’d make a killing selling potions to both sides to aid and/or thwart various nefarious schemes. You may have been excessively optimistic on that count.

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Over the last few years, you’ve seen an unexpected tranquility overtake Elfland as all the heroic adventures have finally come to a close, taking your business with them. The woods are strangely quiet these days. Magical portals to Earth used to spring up on a weekly basis, spitting out gangs of obnoxiously precocious children hopped up on their magical destinies; every cave and grotto was once filled with monsters and mystical artifacts, but not anymore. Even Elfland’s last two great villains, Cronan and Ragana, have both turned face, and by all accounts are leading very happy lives now. Happier than yours, at any rate. Elfland is moving forward into a new era, leaving you behind.

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And so you stay hidden away in the woods, brewing your potions, frittering away your days in solitude. Sapphire, your dragon companion, can rarely be bothered to visit you anymore, and it’s been weeks since you last spoke to another elf, let alone a paying customer. On top of that, you ran out of food a couple days back. Since then, you’ve resorted to eating your stockpile of potion ingredients. The only money you have to your name is a single five-elfbuck coin, not even enough to buy a bottle of lemonade at the market.

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It’s times like these when you really wish you’d stuck with the theater instead. Alas, there's nothing else for you to do but sit back, wallow in self-pity over your regrettable life choices, and—

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???: “Ho ho ho.”

You turn as an unsettling laugh interrupts your melancholy.

???: “Greetings, potion seller. I have a job for you.”

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You blink, but the apparition stays put. It looks like some sort of dwarf with a serious case of jaundice, lurking at the edge of your doorway.

ROSALYN: “First off, who the hell are you?”

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???: “Me? Oh, I’d rather not say. I like to keep it anonymous, but in this line of work, I’m sure you know all about that.”

ROSALYN: “Okay, fair enough. So… you say you’ve got a job?”

???: “Ho ho ho, I most certainly do. I have need of a particular potion, and I believe you can brew it for me.”

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ROSALYN: “You've got that right—I can brew any potion you can name. That said, I don’t work for free. You’ve got money, right?”

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???: “Something better: as payment, I’m willing to offer you a magical ring.”

ROSALYN: “Sounds kinda tacky.”

???: “Ho ho ho, no, not at all; this ring is exceedingly powerful, and vastly more durable than anything else on the Hylic Plane. It’s quite the find.”

ROSALYN: “Right, sure it is. Let’s say I believe you—just what kind of potion do you want from me? You don’t sound like you’ve got something simple in mind.”

???: “Not exactly simple, no, but for someone of your talents, I think it shouldn’t be any concern. I need you to brew me a Potion of Glamor.”

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A Potion of Glamor—now there’s a concoction you can’t say you’ve ever actually made before. It’s said to be a particularly potent potion, capable of altering one’s appearance, increasing one’s natural charisma, and even ensnaring onlookers with its unearthly charms—and it’s been banned in Elfland for the last twelve centuries.

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ROSALYN: “You do know those are illegal, right?”

???: “And what of it?”

ROSALYN: “I mean, I can see why you might want to spruce up your looks a little, but a Potion of Glamor? Isn’t that a little bit overkill?”

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???: “The degree of killing is none of your concern.”

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ROSALYN: “Listen, uh, why don’t I brew you a Nightshade Special instead? It’s a lot easier and I’d be willing to go two for the price of one.“

???: “Potion seller, enough of these games: I need a Potion of Glamor. If you’re unable to brew one, then I’ll simply go elsewhere for—“

ROSALYN: “Of course I'm able to brew a Potion of Glamor!”

???: “Excellent. Then I will meet you here with your reward when you have completed the job.”

ROSALYN: “Wait, how will you know when I’m done?”

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???: “Rest assured, I’ll know. Take care, potion seller. Ho. Ho. Ho.”

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And with that, the dwarf vanishes.

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Well this is just great. You have such a knack for getting yourself into trouble. Still, you suppose you should probably go along with the dwarf’s request. Even if the job is a little on the sketchy side, it’s not like you’ve got anything else on your plate—and in the literal sense as well. Maybe a magic ring could come in handy somewhere down the line. Best not to get ahead of yourself, though; to start with, you’d better check your notes to see if you’ve written down a recipe for a Potion of Glamor.

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Not particularly helpful, but it’s a start. It sounds like finding these ingredients might involve a bit of legwork, so you open up your handy map of Elfland to plot a course.

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You’re currently in the Enchanted Forest at the Healing Hideout. From here, you can travel to any of the four locations marked with scrolls.

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What will you do?

——————
Inventory
You begin with 5 elfbucks. The current ingredients and potions you have on hand either in the Healing Hideout or on your cart are as follow:

Reverse Carrot — 3
Red Cherries — 1
Pumpkin — 1
Lesser Balls of Fire — 1
Ground Wind — 1
Powdered Water — 2
Mushroom Extract — 1
Essence of Amity — 1
Grape Fanta (large) — 1
Grape Fanta (small) — 1

You can brew potions using your cauldron at the Healing Hideout. Each potion requires a Base, Reagent, and Catalyst, and can be used once. If you have any additional questions about items, rules, or the like, feel free to ask.

>>2703306
You're a rascal, potion seller. lets go to elfland square, maybe we can get some more information

>>2703306
also, can we make some potions from the stuff here?

>>2703407
Yes, you can use any of the listed ingredients to make potions, along with anything else you see, as long as you can get to it.

I'll proceed with Elfland Square in a moment.

>>2703424
Lesser Balls of Fire
Ground Wind
Red Cherries

before we go

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Before you set off, you decide to do a little brewing to warm up. Into the cauldron you toss the Lesser Balls of Fire, Ground Wind, and Red Cherries, as Base, Reagent, and Catalyst, respectively. Then you give it all a good stir, and—

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splosh

It all combines into an Invigorating Elixir! This will give you a slight spurt of athleticism, which might come in handy if you're in a pinch. Or perhaps you could just sell it for a little extra cash.

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And with that taken care of, you begin the journey through the Enchanted Woods to Elfland Square.

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Elfland Square is packed when you arrive. With all the elves, goblins, and magical talking animals around, no one pays much attention to you, which is just how you like it. It's been ages since you were here last, but everything looks much like how you remember it.

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To the left is Mr. Spry's Groceries. He's usually got a decent inventory, but you doubt you could afford much of it with your current funds. Next to his shop is the weird old hill and the archery practice range. You left your own bow hanging up back at the treehouse, but there's always a studshooter crossbow handy if you want to test your skills. Of course, you'd need to find some ammunition first.

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Across the way is the main marketplace. It houses the Elfland Public Library, as well as the Elfland Post Office. There's also a smithy next to the stairs, and it looks like someone's set up a produce stand as well.

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Finally, at the center of Elfland Square is the ancient Elvenstar Tree, residence of the Dragon Queen Estari, along with the Celestial Guardian of Elfland, Lumia. You and Lumia have been on sorta shaky terms for at least a decade now, so you usually stay clear of the Elvenstar Tree when you're in town. However, judging by the pair of Bluebears stationed outside the Tree, you'd hazard a guess that Lumia and Estari aren't home today. This trip will be a lot more manageable without having to worry about them spotting you.

What will you do?

>>2703297
>tfw Sophie brew a Carrot Smoothie without any crystals.

>>2703592
>Go t othe library and take a quest to bring the late book back and totally not steal it for ourselves.
This will tell us who checked out the book it was Ragana and who to steal/trade/loot it from.

>>2703592
Glad to see you back, by the way.
I'm going to shill you in /qtg/

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If the answers you need are in that lost book, you should probably hit up the library first to see if there are any leads on where it went to. It’s sort of nostalgic, heading back here again. Before you started with the whole potion business, you used to spend most of your days loitering among the stacks, engrossed in your books. All that feels like a lifetime ago now. You just hope that after all these years they’ve hired new staff. It’d be so embarrassing if the librarian were still—

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NASCHA: “Ah, if it isn’t sweet, little Rosalyn! It’s been quite some time since I last saw you here. Yes, a very long time!"

ROSALYN: “Hi, Nascha… Good to see you too.”

NASCHA: “My memories of you are as clear as ever. Tell me, how have you been? Are things going well with you and Cronan?”

ROSALYN: “We… broke up. Ten years ago.”

NASCHA: “Ah, I don’t mean to rub salt in old wounds. But such is life, hmm? Now, which play are you here to check out today? Hamlet again, perhaps?”

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ROSALYN: “Uh, no, not today. I’m hear because I heard that the Elfland Public Library used to have a volume of potion recipes written by the ancient physician Duplocrates.”

NASCHA: “That is correct, though if you wanted to borrow it, you’re about twelve hundred years too late. According to our records, it was checked out during the reign of Queen Elesia and never returned.”

ROSALYN: “I know that, and I want to help you find it!”

NASCHA: “Oh, how noble of you! You’ve always been such a morally upstanding young lady.”

ROSALYN: “Haha, yep, that’s me. Morally upstanding. So, do you have any leads?”

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NASCHA: “None, I’m afraid. I suspect whoever it was who borrowed it has been dead at least a thousand years, and whatever became of that book, they took that information to their grave. Look for yourself if you wish.”

You pick up the library records and spend a few minutes hunting for the entry you’re looking for. Finally, you locate it toward the very beginning of the records.

Baby’s First Formulary — Duplocrates (Ludic Plane, 4 AD)
Checked out 29 Season of Wind, Year 2 of the Dragon Queen Elesia
Borrower: ....e..f.. of .u..il..

The rest is illegible, worn away by the centuries. Drat; looks like that’s something of a dead end, but you can't let that stop you. Even if the Formulary is gone, there must still be some way to deduce the recipe.

NASCHA: “If you ever find the book, do let me know! But in the meantime, please feel free to browse the shelves. We’ve had quite a few new titles come in over the last ten years. Yes, I should think at least four or five of them! Maybe even six!”

What will you do?

———————

Rosalyn’s quest will pause here for the night and resume tomorrow. Until then, you’re welcome to leave orders here.

>>2703615
It’s good to be back! I’ve been looking forward to running this quest for a while now.

As for Sophie’s smoothies, there’s more than one way to produce the same potion. Rosalyn’s recipe is a little more efficient than Sophie’s, though.

>>2703706
>Browse the library, see if we find anything useful. Especially geography books that might hint at what .u..il.. might be.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2703716
This is a good start

>>2703716
This, look for potion books

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2703716
This. And perhaps history books as it was taken quite a while ago.
Also since we are in a shady business, surely we know some shady figures/old customers who might have a clue/rumours about the book or the eventual ingredients we have to collect.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2704191
Actually I thought about this and search the old newspaper archive (if there is one, like the Elfland Times or so) as well.
>it’s been banned in Elfland for the last twelve centuries.
>if you wanted to borrow it, you’re about twelve hundred years too late.
That's too much of a coincidence for my brain.
Someone borrowed the book, did something and because of that the potion was made utterly illegal.
So if there was an incident, there must have been a newspaper article about it, and we might find some useful information in there.

>>2704236
That's great thinking anon!

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You make a list of things that might be useful to learn for your quest and set to browsing the shelves. First up, you'd like to know where this rogue book-borrower came from. To that end, you poke around and grab the first vaguely geography-related article you find.

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Hmm. Not exactly what you were expecting. And you're already familiar with the practical workings of interplanar portals from the correspondence you used to keep with your penpal Constance from Funville on the Ludic Plane. It's been a few years now since you received the last letter from her; you hope she's been doing well. Or possibly will be doing well. Did well? Like the article said, time really does get messy across planes.

Next on your list is a book of potions.

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Ugh, it's more of Flatwater's dreck. She's been pumping out these books for years. Your parents used to give you her worksheets to keep you company whenever they'd leave you home alone (which is to say most of the time). Still, you have her to thank (blame?) for at least part of your potion-making talents. Maybe you'll read one of the worksheets, just for old times' sake.

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Well, if you ever need to light something on fire, you'll be well prepared for that.

Finally, you look for a book on Elflandic history.

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Now that's more like it! Based on the account of the forbidden books here, the fact that the Formulary was borrowed twelve centuries ago, and the fact that Potions of Glamor have been banned for the same length of time, you can deduce that whoever took the formulary must have used it to brew a Potion of Glamor, caused a major incident using the potion, and then vanished, taking the book with them. That also must be why the other books were locked away.

You need to find out more about whatever it was that happened back then, and you know just where to look: the Elfland Public Library's archive of newspapers.

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With a renewed sense of purpose, you sit down and begin combing through the old papers. After an hour or so, you finally find a newspaper dated to about twelve hundred years ago. It's a copy of the Goblin Journal, and on the second page is an article set next to an illustration of a potion bottle! However, it's also all written in Old Goblinic, and therefore totally unintelligible to you. But it's a lead nonetheless.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2704630
Ask Nascha if she knows someone who can read it.
Her being librarian and all she might know where to find someone who can translate it.

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ROSALYN: "Say, Nascha, you wouldn't happen to be fluent in Old Goblinic, would you? I've got this newspaper here that I need translated."

NASCHA: "Oh, I'm afraid I couldn't be much help there. They don't teach Old Goblinic at bird school."

ROSALYN: "Rats. Do you know anyone who might be able to read it?"

NASCHA: "You mean besides Goblin King Cronan?"

ROSALYN: "Yes. Definitely not including him."

NASCHA: "Hmm. Well, I suppose Queen Estari would be able."

ROSALYN: "Also not including her."

NASCHA: "Then I suppose your best bet would be just asking around among the goblins. It's quite an old dialect, though. I'm not sure how many of them still speak it."

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2704727
go see Mr. Spry, check out the groceries and ask him about the news paper

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You check out the newspaper and depart from the library. Perhaps you'll find more answers elsewhere in Elfland Square. For now, you decide to head over to Mr. Spry's Groceries for a little window-shopping.

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When you arrive at Mr. Spry's shop, he's busy talking with a pair of goblins. You sorta recognize them from your days with Cronan, but you just can't place their names. For now, you'll have to make due calling them Eggplant Tofu and Pumpkin Spice.

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PUMPKIN SPICE: "Wait, it costs how much?"

MR. SPRY: "The beetle is ten elfbucks."

EGGPLANT TOFU: "And in goblin dollars, that's...?"

MR. SPRY: "Listen, I've told you before: I don't take goblin dollars at my shop. I just haven't got the time to go and have them exchanged."

PUMPKIN SPICE: "Wait—I can offer you a chomper berry for it."

MR. SPRY: "I'll give you five elfbucks for the berry, but that's as high as I can afford to go."

EGGPLANT TOFU: "Darn. Maybe another time, Barblin."

PUMPKIN SPICE: "But it's such a nice beetle! It'd be perfect for Fibblin's collection!"

MR. SPRY: "If you're not buying anything, boys, I'm afraid I do have another customer waiting."

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The goblin duo departs dejectedly, and Mr. Spry turns to address you.

MR. SPRY: “Good to see you out and about, Ros. I was getting worried you’d up and bit it out there in the woods. So, what'll it be today? Buying or selling?"

ROSALYN: "Not sure yet. What have you got?"

MR. SPRY: "Take a look for yourself. The prices are as marked."

Jar of Peanut Butter — 15e
Suspending Solution — 10e
Bottle of Lemonade — 10e
Beetle in a Jar — 10e
Apple — 10e
Acorn — 5e
Green Cherries — 5e

MR. SPRY: “If anything catches your eye, let me know.”

ROSALYN: “Got it, thanks. Also, I had a quick question. I’ve got this newspaper written in Old Goblinic, and I’m looking for a translator. Do you know anyone who could do it?”

MR. SPRY: “Old Goblinic? Nah, that’s way out of my wheelhouse. Heck, I can’t even read Elvish.”

ROSALYN: “Yeah, I figured that based on your signage.”

What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2704832
talk to the goblins, i thought they were mt spry ask them if they can translate for you and if they know someone who isnt the king who can speak ancient goblin

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It suddenly occurs to you that the two goblins who were just here might be able to translate the newspaper for you. You’d better catch them before they wander off too far.

ROSALYN: “Actually, Mr. Spry, I think there’s something I need to go and take care of right now. Hey, you two, wait up!”

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The goblins pause, set down their cart, and look up you quizzically.

PUMPKIN SPICE: “Did you mean us?”

EGGPLANT TOFU: “You look somehow familiar.”

ROSALYN: “You’re probably just mistaking me for someone else. So, I’ve got a little problem, and I was wondering if you, being goblins, could help me out with it.”

PUMPKIN SPICE: “What sort of problem?”

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ROSALYN: “I’ve got this goblin newspaper here. Do you recognize it?”

EGGPLANT TOFU: “Hmm. It looks really similar to the Goblin Journal.”

ROSALYN: “Exactly! So can you read it?”

The two stare at the paper for a while and you can see them mouthing out the words, but eventually they shrug their shoulders and give up.

PUMPKIN SPICE: “Beats me. I don’t even recognize half the letters.”

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EGGPLANT TOFU: “Oh, I know! That’s Old Goblinic, isn’t it? I can’t read it myself, but I do know that the elder Bieblin is familiar with the language."

Bingo.

ROSALYN: "Is he busy these days? Where can I find him?"

EGGPLANT TOFU: "He should be at his house back in the Goblin Village. We were just headed back there, as it happens; if you’d like, we can take the newspaper with us, ask Bieblin to translate it, and mail everything back to you. I think we could have it over in eight hours, maximum.”

ROSALYN: “Great! I just need that article on page two about the potion; you can skip the rest.”

EGGPLANT TOFU: “However! If we do this for you, do you think you could spot us ten elfbucks before we go? There’s a souvenir we want to pick up for a friend back home, and we haven’t got the money for it ourselves.”

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2704935
Offer to sell some ingredients to Mr. Spry in exchange for SpryCash™ store credit

Or failing that, the Invigorating Elixir

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2704935
fuck that, give them your 3$ and they dont have to return it. You dont have 10$ to give

>>2705022
They don't need money, they want that beetle

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ROSALYN: “I don’t suppose I could haggle you down on that one?”

PUMPKIN SPICE: “Not unless you can haggle with Mr. Spry for that beetle.”

ROSALYN: “Got it. In that case, excuse me for a minute. I think I’ve got some trading to take care of.”

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ROSALYN: “Okay, sorry about that, Mr. Spry. I’m back and I’m here to sell.”

MR. SPRY: “Always a pleasure buying your potions, Rosalyn. That is, assuming you’ve got something legal with you today.”

ROSALYN: “Shh! Keep it down; the Bluebears are on patrol. And yes, I do have some perfectly licit goods to sell. Here, take a look.”

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You show Mr. Spry the contents of your cart, namely the leftover potion ingredients and your Invigorating Elixir.

MR. SPRY: “Hmm. A fair selection you’ve got. I’ll buy that potion for five elfbucks, or any two ingredients for five elfbucks together. Sound good?”

What will you do?

——————
Inventory

Elfbucks: 5
Goblin Dollars: 0

On Cart:
Reverse Carrot — 3
Powdered Water — 2
Invigorating Elixir — 1
Old Newspaper — 1
Map of Elfland — 1

At Healing Hideout:
Pumpkin — 1
Mushroom Extract — 1
Essence of Amity — 1
Grape Fanta (large) — 1
Grape Fanta (small) — 1

>>2705139
Sell both Grape Fantas

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ROSALYN: “How much would you give me for a pair of Grape Fanta potions?”

MR. SPRY: “Oh, now that’s the good stuff. I could go five for a small, ten for a large.”

ROSALYN: “I’ve got one of each back at the lab. I don’t have the time to run back and get them right this minute, but you know I’m good for it, don’t you?”

MR. SPRY: “Fine. Just for you, Ros. But you’d better have those potions to me by tomorrow.”

ROSALYN: “No problem. Now, that’s fifteen elfbucks, isn’t it?”

MR. SPRY: “In store credit only until I get those potions in hand. Now, is there something you wanted to buy?”

You currently have 5 real elfbucks, and 15 elfbucks in SpryCash.

What will you do?

>>2705166
if( goblins want the bug)
Buy just the bug in exhange for small fanta and your five elf bucks
Else
Don't agree to trade

Give goblins bug
check out the smith

>>2705180
The Fantas have already been sold, but I can do the rest.

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ROSALYN: “That credit’s nontransferable, isn’t it?”

MR. SPRY: “That’s correct.”

ROSALYN: “Then I’d like to buy that beetle there.”

MR. SPRY: “That’ll be ten elfbucks. Take good care of it.”

ROSALYN: “Don’t worry; I’m sure it’s going to a good home.”

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With the beetle in hand, you return to the waiting goblins.

ROSALYN: “Hey, I got the beetle you wanted.”

PUMPKIN SPICE: “Wow, that’s really the one!”

EGGPLANT TOFU: “And you’ve saved us the trouble of buying it. Very efficient!”

ROSALYN: “So you’ll help me translate that newspaper now, won’t you?”

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PUMPKIN SPICE: “You can count on us!”

EGGPLANT TOFU: “We’ll set off for the Goblin Village right away so we can have the translation back to you as quickly as possible. Check in with the post office in about eight hours; if it’s just one article, that should be enough time for us to take care of everything.”

ROSALYN: “Sounds good. Have a safe journey! And, uh, please don’t mention any of this to Cronan…”

PUMPKIN SPICE: “You got it!”

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You watch the goblins depart from Elfland Square. Nothing left to do now but pass the next eight hours looking for additional clues. Oh, and get those Grape Fantas to Mr. Spry, of course. You definitely don't want to get on his bad side.

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But for now, you feel like checking out the smithy.

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FLAMY: “Yo! Welcome to Flamy’s Famous Smithy! Whatcha need?”

ROSALYN: “Just taking a look around. By chance, have you got anything useful for making potions?”

FLAMY: “Potions? Nah, but now if you wanted to be a knight, then I’ve got just what you need. Here, lemme show you.”

Sword of Regular Violence — 20e
Sacred Shield — 20e
Padlock and Key — 15e

FLAMY: “Oh, and I guess I’ve got a bucket full of water. It’s for the forge, but I’d sell it to you for ten elfbucks.”

What will you do?

>>2705252
Nothing useful here. Go bring the Fantas to Spry then wait for the translation in the library, reading trashy isekai about elves transported to human world.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2705303
This. Perhaps snoop around for free stuff as well for a bit. We might just find something useful.

>>2705523
It appears my luck isn't feeling so well today.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2705523
the waiting time is better spent on the mines we are going to need a magic crystal anyway and we could sell any extras we find.
still bring the Fantas to Spry.

>>2705556
We might need a pickaxe for the good crystals, and it might not be for free. Some backup cash never killed anyone.

>>2705252
Ask if he has some iron for sale

>>2705523
>1
We'll find The Legend of the Chronocler won't we?

>>2705716
Eh, as long as we don't open it we won't lose our sanity.

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ROSALYN: “Is any of that made of iron? I might need some to brew a Cupric Fire potion.”

FLAMY: “You mean you need something made of copper, right?”

ROSALYN: “Nope. Says iron on the recipe.”

FLAMY: “Huh, go figure. If it’s iron you need, though, the Sword of Regular Violence might do the trick. Twenty elfbucks.”

ROSALYN: “A little pricey for me, but I’ll keep it it mind, thanks.”

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And with all your window shopping out of the way, you decide it’s time to head back to the Healing Hideout to retrieve the Grape Fantas.

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It takes an hour to haul your cart back through the woods, but you finally make it home. The Hideout is exactly the same as it was when you left. It doesn’t look like Sapphire’s stopped by either. If she had, she’d have eaten the pumpkin.

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You climb the implied stairs to the second floor and open the branches for a little light. Your bed is up here, along with your magic telescope and potion shelf. You’ve also got Constance’s last letter still lying around, and your bow is hanging up nearby.

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You wonder how far along the goblins have gotten. You fire up the magic crystal on your telescope and point it in the direction of the Goblin Realm.

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The picture’s a little fuzzy, but you can make out the fortress and village. You don’t see Eggplant Tofu or Pumpkin Spice, but you didn't really expect to. It’s a pretty long walk through the Enchanted Forest to the Goblin Realm, and they’ve probably got a long ways to go still.

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You can’t help but look for Cronan as well. That must be him standing by the magic portal. You can see he's ditched that creepy bird that was always hanging around after his mother passed away, and he really does look like he’s doing better. You feel a little guilty for how spiteful that makes you feel. You shouldn’t be snooping on him, but even after all these years, you have a hard time letting go.

You think it’s time you headed back to Elfland Square.

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You load up the Grape Fantas onto your cart, along with everything else conceivably useful you have lying around. You’d rather not have to make yet another return trip too soon. You leave the pumpkin for Sapphire, though, just in case she comes back, and then you set off.

——————
Inventory

Elfbucks: 5
SpryCash: 5
Goblin Dollars: 0

On Cart:
Reverse Carrot — 3
Powdered Water — 2
Essence of Amity — 1
Mushroom Extract — 1
Invigorating Elixir — 1
Grape Fanta (large) — 1
Grape Fanta (small) — 1
Map of Elfland — 1
Bow — 1

At Healing Hideout:
Pumpkin — 1

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You arrive at Elfland Square with about five and a half hours left before you expect your delivery. Your first stop is Mr. Spry’s to drop off the Grape Fantas.

ROSALYN: “Hey, Mr. Spry! I’ve got the potions!”

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MR. SPRY: “Excellent. You’re as reliable as ever. As promised, here’s your store credit in cash.”

He hands you a five-elfbuck coin.

MR. SPRY: “Don’t spend it all in one place now—unless that place happens to my shop, of course!”

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That’s one item off your checklist. Since you’ve got some time to kill, you head over to the library again to find a bit of light reading material.

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The selection is pretty poor, if you’re being honest. You’re in the mood for a short read, maybe an unfantasy novel set on Earth, but there's only one book left on the Teen/YA Unfantasy shelf. It’s a series of books, actually, though most of the volumes seem to be missing. You take the first of them and scrutinize the cover.

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Is that supposed to be World Meridiana Exile, or World Exile Meridiana? You’re not really sure, but what you are sure of is that you’d rather read almost anything other than this generic-looking tripe. The girl on the cover bores into your soul with her uncannily large and widely spaced eyes. It’s almost as unsettling as that dwarf who hired you. Almost.

But you were always taught not to judge a book by its cover. Who knows; maybe it’ll actually be good. You turn it over and read the blurb.

Cast into another world… Burdened with destiny… Meridiana Rosethorn is an eighteen-year-old magical prodigy leading a happy life in Elfland, until one day she accidentally opens a portal to Earth and falls through it. She finds herself in the mysteriously mundane realm of Heartlake City, where her magical powers no longer work. The ordeals of a human high school; an evil mayor’s insidious plot; the hazards of her own burgeoning feelings for an ordinary human boy—will Meridiana be able to overcome the obstacles before her and return home? Or will she remain trapped in Heartlake City forever?

Okay, no, that really does sound like garbage.

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You flip to the first page to confirm your suspicions, and then proceed to skim through the rest of it.

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yikes

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By the time you’re done, another two hours have passed and you feel somehow less well-read than you were when you started. You didn’t even get to find out whether Meridiana stops Mayor Hartley’s plan to have a brainwashed Chloe steal the Great Heartlake Heart, use its powers to unseal the ancient demon lurking beneath Heartlake Tower, and unleash chaos upon the world. But then again, maybe you’re better off not knowing.

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There’s probably something better you could be doing with the remaining three and a half hours. You’d like to go see the Precious Crystal Mines and maybe dig up some magical crystals, but it would take three hours just to go there and back again, and probably a lot longer than half an hour to mine the crystals. You don’t even have a pickaxe. You do know that Flamy’s got a hammer behind the counter, and you’ve heard that there’s also a forge on the top floor of the Elvenstar Tree, presumably with a hammer as well. Perhaps something like that might work.

What will you do?

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2706374

Shark some marks with our archery skill

Maybe we can win enough cash to buy that Sword of Regular Violence

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2706374
ask that little shit where she gets her iron from

>>2706279
>ROSALYN: “Is any of that made of iron? I might need some to brew a Cupric Fire potion.”
>FLAMY: “You mean you need something made of copper, right?”
>ROSALYN: “Nope. Says iron on the recipe.”

Just pointing out that the Cupric Fire in the Tomb of the Entombed used copper, so this is probably significant.

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It occurs to you that you don’t know where the ore used at the forges actually comes from. You know Elfland has no fewer than two mines for magic crystals—the Precious Crystal Mines by your treehouse and the abandoned mines of the Cursed Crystal Canyon, not to mention the naturally occurring deposits sticking up out of almost literally every patch of dirt—but things like iron and gold? Those are a total mystery to you. Perhaps if you did some investigation, you’d be able to find some ore for your own uses.

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ROSALYN: “Hey, Flamy, I have a question: where did that sword come from?”

FLAMY: “I made it right here at my forge out of an iron ingot!”

ROSALYN: “Pretty impressive for a guy with no thumbs. So, who’s your iron supplier? Is there a place nearby that sells it? Is that a trade secret?”

FLAMY: “Oh, the iron? I ship that stuff in from Disneyland©. Raw iron and Elfland’s fairyish magic don’t mix so well, you know. The way the geologists told it to me, when Elfland was first forming, there was a ton of iron and other metal in the ground, but then the magic crystal deposits started forming and muscled out all the metals.”

ROSALYN: “That sounds scientific and completely legitimate.”

FLAMY: “But there’s this place in Disneyland©, a big old mine, where apparently all the excess metals ended up. Seven Dwarves Inc. runs it these days; they sell the stuff for real cheap.”

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ROSALYN: “Wait, how many dwarves?”

FLAMY: “I dunno how many there really are, but there must be a lot to dig up all that ore.”

ROSALYN: “These dwarves… they wouldn’t happen to be heavily jaundiced with articulated wrists, would they?”

FLAMY: “No, not that I’ve heard. Shouldn't be if they're from Disneyland©. Why do you ask? Seen one like that recently?”

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You feel a sudden change in the atmosphere.

ROSALYN: “Uh, noooo. Just… curious. Anyway, thanks for the tip; gotta run!”

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You stop and hide behind the old hill. Is the dwarf still watching you? Not that it’s particularly surprising that he’s spying on you, since he pretty much said he would when he hired you, but you really wish he wouldn’t. Fortunately, his presence seems to have faded away.

This job can't be finished quick enough.

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Suddenly a stud goes whooshing past your head.

???: “Almost got it!”

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ROSALYN: “Watch where you’re shooting that thing!”

???: “Oh, hey, it’s Rosalyn! How’s it going?”

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There’s nothing you hate more than being recognized by someone you have zero recollection of, and this guy doesn't ring a bell at all. But you can't let him know that; you'd rather die than humiliate yourself in public. He’s probably someone you went to school with, but hell if you remember most of them. Think, Rosalyn, think! What’s his name?

ROSALYN: “I’m doing just great, uh… Farran.”

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FARRAN?: “I’m Logan, actually. Farran’s over there.”

Fuck.

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LOGAN: “Anyway, sorry about that. I’m just shooting some targets, practicing my archery. I’m preeetty good at it, you know.”

Yes, now you remember. Logan, the dipshit with the rich parents. He was never part of your social circle at school, but it was impossible not to notice him. He was always terribly enthusiastic, a dabbler in many hobbies, committed to none, and terrible at all of them. He doesn’t seem to have changed much. He’s still eager to show off his mediocre skills.

But that gives you an idea.

>>2707655
>>2707660
I hate him already

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ROSALYN: “How good are we talking?”

LOGAN: “I don’t want to brag, but I think I’ve got a natural talent for this. I’ve been picking it up really fast. I’ve gotten maybe fifteen bullseyes so far.”

Fifteen out of how many attempts, you wonder.

ROSALYN: “Really? Wow! But I bet you an elfbuck you can’t get two bullseyes in a row.”

LOGAN: “Oh yeah? I’ll take you up on that one.”

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He lifts the crossbow, aims, and completely whiffs five consecutive shots.

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LOGAN: “Well, it’s not like it’s easy…”

ROSALYN: “I could do it.”

LOGAN: “No way.”

ROSALYN: “Wanna bet? Four elfbucks says I can.”

LOGAN: “You’re on.”

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You grab your bow from your cart and get into position. It’s always been a finicky weapon, since it fires implied arrows instead of physical ones, but over the years, you’ve had plenty of time to practice using it when fencing off bandits and monsters from your treehouse. You close your eyes and imagine yourself drawing back the bowstring; imagine the arrows flying through the air and the targets toppling over. Then you open your eyes and fire.

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pewpew

Success!

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LOGAN: “Man, maybe if I had one of those bows…”

ROSALYN: “Not very likely. Anyway, time to pay up.”

Logan hands you a five-elfbuck coin and slouches away. You don’t feel great about scamming him, but you could feel a lot worse about it. Actually, that goes for pretty much your entire adult life too.

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It’s just a little over three more hours hours before you should go check on the mail.

Until then, what will you do?

>>2707688
lets go scout around for some regents maybe x
check the inventory of the other store

>>2707693
By the other store, do you mean the produce stand above the smithy?

>>2707695
yeah, thats the last one right?

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You've now covered everything worth seeing in Elfland Square except for the Elvenstar Tree, the post office, and whatever that little produce stand is over Flamy's shop. Maybe there are some useful ingredients there? You head upstairs to check it out.

Boy, you certainly do enjoy climbing up actual, physical stairs. Sure is nice!

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You find the produce stand unsupervised and full of pumpkins. There's an advert for the Starlight Inn hanging up as well, though it must be pretty old since that place closed up a couple years ago.

Awfully odd that a vendor would leave their stand without anyone to look after it. Maybe the pumpkins are free? If they are, then you might as well help yourself to one, or two, or thr—

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???: "...can I help you?"

You take a jump back as a chameleon suddenly appears before you.

ROSALYN: "W—who are you and how'd you get there?"

???: "...I've been here the entire time. And the name's Hidee. Not that it matters. When the end comes—and it comes swiftly—all our names will be effaced from the Akabric Records. Anyway, I sell pumpkins. Five elfbucks each. Buy one, or don't."

What will you do?

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2707732
I meant search the surrounding landscape for random potion ingredients for an hour or two, I just forgot to roll

Also ask for a lore dumb about the akabric records

>>2707740
dump*

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ROSALYN: “And the Akabric Records are… what exactly?”

Hidee leans in and her eyes somehow seem to widen even further.

HIDEE: “They are the true chronicle of all Godt’s creation, which exists beyond the Hylic Plane. In the Akabric Records are stored every set number, every part number, every color and instruction manual. Even your existence is catalogued there… number 6191594-33833.”

ROSALYN: “Uh, okay, and that end that you mentioned…?”

HIDEE: “I have seen it with my own eyes, in the depths of Leg Slemt. The sight nearly drove me mad—nearly. The crimson crown. The chained man. The sealed coffin. He who was cast down shall drag the world down with him into the abyss. He who was never born shall resurrect from the ashes of the fallen kingdom and strangle the heavens in his grasp. The end of all things has begun. You cannot stop it now. And when the moment of our demise rains down I shall welcome oblivion as it ends the nightmare from which I have yet to awaken. Now, will you buy a pumpkin?”

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Without another word, you walk very quickly away from the produce stand.

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That at least managed to kill a few minutes, along with your nerves. That chameleon sounded like she’d seen some serious shit, though it also mostly sounded like things way outside your control. You’re no destined heroine or any of that nonsense (though for a great many years you once desperately wished you were). You’re an illicit potion seller, and you haven’t got time to waste on the incoherent ramblings of a shell-shocked lizard—you’ve got business to take care of, and by Godt, you’re going to get it done.

That’s what you say to calm yourself down, anyway. It mostly works.

What will you do?

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>>2707740
I do need specific prompts, like "search under that staircase," but I can give you pictures of the scenery so that you can choose what to investigate.

You can interact with anything that you see. For instance, there are mushrooms growing in several spots around the square, and if you wanted to, you could pick any of them to use as ingredients. There are plenty of treasures hidden across these sets as well, and if you look closely, you might even spot a hidden play feature.

>>2707851
oh, then yeah pick the mushrooms and the plants hanging off the trees

>>2707857
Investigate the building in the upper left corner of >>2707852

>>2707857
I will start with this first thing tomorrow.

>>2707882
My mistake! That building with the sign post isn't part of Elfland Square, but it accidentally ended up in that shot. The clear cups in the background of that picture are also not part of the quest.

>>2707853
who is that bat guy?

>>2707920
One of Noctura's minions.
No Idea why it is in this place.
Good catch.
Should we investigate?

>>2708073
Yeah, this is too suspicious.

>>2707920
>>2708073
>>2708340
where?

>>2708357
Post office, above the library.

>>2708366
Is that what that is? weird

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Since you’re always in need of more potion ingredients, you decide to go collect the mushrooms from around the square. You find three fully grown ones, one at each of the main buildings, which you load up onto your already overloaded cart while no one’s looking. It’s not like anyone will miss them anyway; give it a couple days and they’ll have grown right back.

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You then turn your attention to the plants hanging off the trees. You’ve never really been sure whether those are actual flowers, light fixtures, or maybe both. They do help light up the place at night. Could they be used as a potion ingredient? If you stood on the chair, maybe you could reach one for a closer look.

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You climb up onto the back of the chair and reach out to grab the light, but stop when you hear a voice.

???: “Hmmm! What have we here?”

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The bat squints at you through his oversized glasses and grins.

???: “Curious about the lampfruit, are you? A fascinating specimen, to be sure. In fact, I’m in the process of writing a paper concerning their bioluminescent properties. It’s truly marvelous how the compounds in the—“

ROSALYN: “I’m sorry, but who are you exactly?”

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???: “Ah, forgive my lack of manners and allow me to introduce myself. I am the preeminent scholar of chemical engineering in the Land of Eternal Night, the great Doctor Myzo! Perhaps you’ve read one of my publications?”

ROSALYN: “Never heard of you.”

MYZO: “A pity, but I suppose my research is, shall we say, underground? Now, may I inquire as to who you might be?”

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ROSALYN: “I’m Rosalyn, I make potions, and that’s pretty much all you need to know.“

MYZO: “Aha! A fellow scholar of chemistry!”

ROSALYN: “I guess you could say that. Anyway, what are you doing up here? It’s rare to see anyone from down below up on the surface.”

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MYZO: “It’s all for the sake of my research, dear girl. For several months now, I have been hard at work devising a new variety of fuel for my mistress Noctura’s phantasmal chariot. It is, at present, powered by fossil fuels, by which I do literally mean ground-up bones, but it’s so direly inefficient! By my calculations, it should be possible to concoct a much more potent formula, yielding significant increases in both speed and distance! A single dose could take the chariot from the Abyssal Tower to Disneyland© in only a few hours’ time!”

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MYZO: “And so I’ve come here to Elfland Square to scout for potential ingredients. And judging by your inquisitive poking about, I presume you’re here for the same?”

ROSALYN: “Well…”

What will you do?

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2708471
Tell him that we're indeed looking for possible ingredients, and an old book about potion brewing. Keeping it a little vague so we don't give away too much.
Follow up with general chatter about chemistry, potion brewing, trading a little information and perhaps see if our flying friend has a silly quest or 2.

I mean surely as an expert (ahem) on brewing potions we know a lots of ingredients he/she(?) might be interested in, and as a preeminent scholar of chemical engineering he/she probably has information that we might benefit from as well.

Quick status report: I won’t be able to update again until this evening, perhaps around 9pm PST. When the quest resumes, I’ll start with >>2708483, and then try to incorporate any other commands that are posted. Thanks for playing!

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2708471
Pull on the branch the bat is on, it looks like a play feature of some kind.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2708471
>>2708483
yeah, i think our best reply now is:
"you could say that"

>>2708512
and harvest the shit out of that blue crystal, then ask him if he has any of that oil he was talking about on him

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2708522

>>2708512
>it looks like a play feature of some kind.
Well you're not wrong.

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Myzo is a little eccentric, and yes, his talk about riding a phantasmal chariot powered by crushed bones is definitely what you’d call a red flag, and if you’re being completely honest, you’ve always had this weird suspicion that his mistress Noctura is actually evil, but despite all that, you can’t find it in yourself to distrust him. He’s probably more honest than you are, at any rate.

ROSALYN: “Well, you could say I’m here for something like that. A potion maker always needs to be on the lookout for new ingredients.”

MYZO: “Too true! Ah, and what a thrilling hunt. I can still recall the exhilaration that coursed through me when I finally managed to obtain the Evil Eye I needed for a certain experiment—and at a bargain price, no less: a mere ten elfbucks.”

ROSALYN: “That’s quite a steal. When the Starlight Inn was closing down, I managed to snag most of their inventory for five. There was a whole pot of Lingering Liquid in that lot.”

MYZO: "What a find! How I wish I'd been there."

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MYZO: “Say, if it’s not a trade secret, what ingredients are you looking for at present? Perhaps we could provide each other with a little mutual assistance.”

Hmm, what to say? He seems like the sort who could genuinely prove helpful, but it’s still probably better if you don’t mention the Potion of Glamor.

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ROSALYN: “Oh, nothing in particular. But I am on a quest to locate a missing book. The Elfland Public Library used to have the only known copy of Duplocrates’ Formulary, until it was stolen. That was over a thousand years ago, and now searching for clues as to where it went.”

MYZO: “Ah, the fabled Formulary. I’m afraid I haven’t got any useful information on that front, but if there’s anything else you need assistance locating, by all means, let me know.”

ROSALYN: “How about that bone oil that you use to power Noctura’s chariot? Have you got any of that handy?”

MYZO: “Ah, yes. If that interests you, I can fetch you a bottle of it. But in exchange, might I ask you for an ingredient for my own use? I’m particularly interested in the potions and bases that can be found aboveground; anything of that sort I would consider a fair trade. And there is one other thing I’m looking for.”

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MYZO: “I have concluded that for the next stage of my research, I will require access to one of the four Arms of Elfland, which are said to directly channel the power of the Elvenstones. I would, of course, rather experiment on the Elvenstones themselves, but Noctura has forbidden me from meddling with one of the foundational forces of our realm. And understandably so!”

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ROSALYN: “The Arms of Elfland? That’s a pretty tall order.”

MYZO: “But not, I should think, insurmountable. In fact, I have heard tell that one of Arms of Elfland can be found within this very square, though I know not which nor where.”

ROSALYN: “Well, if I ever run across one of them, I’ll let you know.”

MYZO: “And likewise for your missing book. If you have need of me or my expertise, I shall most likely be perched on the balcony of the post office. Do drop by sometime and I’ll get you that bottle of bone fuel. Best of luck, fellow chemist!”

ROSALYN: “Take care!”

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And with that, he flaps away.

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As you turn to walk back to your cart, now that Myzo is no longer perched atop the tree limb jutting out of the bookshelf, you happen to notice a crystal embedded into the end of the branch. It looks like just the sort of crystal you need to brew a Carrot Smoothie! And there’s no one watching either; now’s your chance to collect it!

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You attempt to pull the crystal out of the tree branch, when suddenly…

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creak

As the tree branch rotates, a hidden shelf appears in the trunk of the tree!

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On the shelf rests an ornate tome, titled Weird Uncle Ollie’s Big Book of Frustratingly Vague Riddles. You recognize the name from the history of the library that you read earlier—this is one of the forbidden books that were hidden away around the same time that the Formulary went missing! Perhaps it will help you solve the mystery!

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Making sure that Nascha’s back is turned, you open the book to the table of contents.

What will you do?

>>2709961
page 5 and 10

>>2709961
Flip to the last page and see how it ends

I'm collecting all the pages and you guys can't stop me

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You turn to page 5, and...

Well, that doesn't look too good. And when you turn to page 10, you get a similar result as well. Maybe you're doing something wrong? Or maybe it's all a trick and the actual exciting riddles and revelations that you're looking for are hidden on the page you least expect!

With that in mind, you turn to page 11 for what will surely prove an eye-opening experience.

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rip

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Maybe it'd have been better if you'd kept your eyes shut.

What will you do?

>>2710214
RTFM!
(Read page 1. And then page 2.)

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It occurs to you that you should probably read the instructions before trying to operate the book. You turn to page 1 and take a look.

Based on what's written here, it sounds like you'll need to come up with a question first before opening the book. You're not sure exactly how each of the different kinds of riddle will interact with your question (it sounds like it might not even matter for some of them), but you'd rather not see the debug interface again, or worse, another page out of The Legiend of the Chronocler.

What will you ask?

>>2710287
Ask where we can find The Formulary. Then open pages 10 and 4.

>>2710287
"Rosalyn Nightshade; if the free peoples of middle earth are so great, then why are there no good lotr games?"

Open to page 5

I won't be able to get through the riddles tonight or tomorrow morning, but feel free to continue posting things you want to know/page numbers for the book, and I'll get through as many as I can tomorrow afternoon or evening.

>>2710348
Also, Rosalyn is only able to ask questions about things within her awareness. This is mostly limited to Elfland, but she has passing knowledge of the Ludic Plane, Funville, Heartlake City, and Disneyland©.

>>2710287
Where is the Arm of Elfland hidden in this square?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2710416
Ehh I'll do a roll for this for easy riddles.
Also I already found it through my insider knowledge of Elves sets so I shall leave the riddle solving to someone who does not.

>>2710003
You devilish bastard.
Kinda wonder if we ever get to use the completed Chronicles as a weapon.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2710287
What can we do about this Leg Slemt situation?

Page 6, I like jokes

>>2710439
Which page for this question?

>>2711635
Let's pick page 6.
Can't go wrong with bad jokes.

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Your most pressing concern is acquiring the recipe for the Potion of Glamor, for which you need the Formulary, so you start with the question you feel will give the best results, together with the least obnoxious-sounding page.

ROSALYN: "I am Rosalyn Nightshade, and I want to know where I can find the Baby's First Formulary."

You turn to page 10.

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You then turn to page 4 to see if you can get something a little less cryptic, though without any luck.

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How about those Arms of Elfland? Myzo said one was located in Elfland Square. If you could find that, it might be of use in your quest.

ROSALYN: "Rosalyn Nightshade here; I want to know where I can find the nearest one of the Arms of Elfland."

You turn to page 6.

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With those immediately relevant questions out of the way, the memory of Hidee's manic ramblings surfaces in your mind like a bubble of swamp gas. If she's right and something dangerous really is stirring in the depths of Leg Slemt, you'd rather know now and live the rest of your life in impotent dread and despair until it eventually comes and kills you, instead of remaining in blissful ignorance and then dying unexpectedly. You guess you'd have to call that a character flaw.

ROSALYN: "Still Rosalyn; now I want to know what's going on with Leg Slemt."

You turn to page 6, but if there's a connection between all these awful jokes, it's beyond you.

What will you do?

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2711858
Investigate that switch underneath the actual stairs at the blacksmith's. How long before the mail should arrive?

I wonder if we're going to have to go to Disneyland© to finish this dorf's order.

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Inventory

Elfbucks: 15
SpryCash: 0
Goblin Dollars: 0

On Hand:
Weird Uncle Ollie’s Big Book of Frustratingly Vague Riddles — 1

On Cart:
Reverse Carrot — 3
Magic Mushroom — 3
Powdered Water — 2
Magic Crystal — 1
Essence of Amity — 1
Mushroom Extract — 1
Invigorating Elixir — 1
Map of Elfland — 1
Bow — 1

At Healing Hideout:
Pumpkin — 1

It’s still two and a half hours until your package should arrive, but for the moment you’ve run out of questions to ask the book. You decide instead to follow the blacksmith-related clues that it dropped regarding the Arms of Elfland and head back to Flamy’s forge. You do recall seeing a suspicious switch underneath the stairs over there—maybe it’s part of another play feature?

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Definitely a play feature. The switch appears to be connected to part of the furnace. Judging by its orientation, you’d guess that it rotates when you spin the wheel in the back, and that it powers something else when it rotates. However, you can’t sneak behind the forge to take a closer look on account of the implied walls completing the structure. If Flamy were to invite you in, you’d be able to pass through, or else you might be able to get in through the front or through the library next door, though Flamy might object to the intrusion.

What will you do?

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2711975
Ask Flamy if you can examine the bucket of water for the forge, by the forge. Because you need to see how it handles under operating conditions.

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ROSALYN: “Hey, Flamy, I’m thinking I might be interested in that bucket of water. It could be useful, what with me being a water elf.”

FLAMY: “Sweet! That's ten elfbucks.”

ROSALYN: “Just one thing, though. I need to make sure that bucket is up to standards. I’d be using it near open flame when I’m making potions; think I could go around back and see how the bucket is holding up next to the forge?”

FLAMY: “Oh, sure. No problem. Entrance is over beneath the stairs.”

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You enter the forge through the implied doorway that you’ve temporarily received permission to use. While Flamy is busy hauling out the bucket of water for you, you take the opportunity to give that wheel a whirl.

When you spin the wheel, it seems that the switches cause a hammer to go up and down over the anvil. Interesting, and it explains how Flamy manages to forge anything without fingers or hands. However, it doesn’t appear that it has anything to do with the Arms of Elfland.

You quickly stop the mechanism as Flamy turns to face you.

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FLAMY: “Well, here’s the bucket. So, whatcha wanna do with it?”

ROSALYN: “Oh, uh, I guess… I wanted to…”

You actually can’t think of any real use for a bucket of water. You have all the water you need from the river back at the Healing Hideout, and if you wanted the bucket itself, you’re sure you could get one for cheaper from Mr. Spry.

FLAMY: “It’s for water magic, yeah?”

ROSALYN: “Oh, right, water magic!”

FLAMY: “I love a good magic show. Go on, give it a try.”

ROSALYN: “Oh boy... Here I go…”

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Focusing your mind, you tap into the mystical channel that connects all elves to the Elvenstones and use that power to draw the water out of the barrel into your hand. Not very well, mind you. You never did like this sort of magic all that much, and you haven’t seriously practiced it in years.

ROSALYN: “Ha, ha, well, that’s definitely water. Yep!”

The water ripples in your hand as you struggle to maintain your focus.

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Then the spell breaks and the water goes splashing all over the floor.

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FLAMY: “Well that’s a fine sight.”

ROSALYN: “I definitely didn’t mean to do that.”

FLAMY: “Either way, you know the rule around here: you break it, you buy it. That’s ten elfbucks.”

What will you do?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2712177
Focus extra-hard on using our water magic, montage to high school, and elvenstone that water back into the bucket!

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2712177
Challenge the doggy to an arm wrestling match to forgive the debt.

>>2712177
>you break it, you buy it
its water

>>2712263
It's probably high-fructose reverse-carrot water

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ROSALYN: “Come on, the water can’t cost that much.”

FLAMY: “It costs more money thank you'd think to hire someone to fill and deliver buckets for me, and besides, that water was from the Precious Crystal Mines. It’s got special properties.”

ROSALYN: “Such as?”

FLAMY: “Smells nicer, for one.”

ROSALYN: “If you’re just worried about your water, how about this: I get the water back into the bucket and you call it even?”

FLAMY: “You can’t unspill water.”

ROSALYN: “I mean, you are talking to a water elf here.”

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You focus on the water under your feet and try to recall everything they taught you in elemental magic class. Open your mind; visualize the magic; dare to believe… and that’s pretty much all you can remember off the top of your head. You can feel the water resonating with your magic, but it’s not quite enough. You need to concentrate. Focus, Rosalyn! Remember how you used to do it!

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“…can all practice together! And then, when we’ve graduated, maybe the four of us could form an adventuring party? It’d be fun if we all stayed in touch…”

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”…so much better at it than we are. I guess that’s what you’d expect from the Goblin Prince and the next Celestial Guardian, but we’re just a couple of nobodies…”

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”…no matter how hard I try, it doesn’t work! It never has! Why can’t you just understand when I say that?”

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”…and focus. Can you feel it? That power is yours too. The magic of the Elvenstones is everywhere, even within you. Without them, Elfland would surely…”

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splash

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unsplash

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As the water falls back into the bucket, you sink to the floor exhausted. Phew; that was more work than you anticipated, but at least you were successful. And you feel like you’ve worked past a mental block of sorts on your magic as well, which is comforting. At the same time, though, those memories come with a heavy dose of regret. You’d almost forgotten how close you all used to be; you, Cronan, Ragana, and Lumia. And no matter how hard you try, that’s something you know you’ll never be able to get back.

Flamy interrupts your reminiscences with a chuckle.

FLAMY: “Alright, you sure proved me wrong. Nice job.”

ROSALYN: “So we’re good now?”

FLAMY: “You’re off the hook. Heck, next time I have a spill around here, maybe I could pay you to clean it up.”

ROSALYN: “I’ll consider it.”

FLAMY: “So, is there anything else you wanted?”

What will you do?

>>2712785
i guess harvesting the hanging plants is a no go then?

>>2712755
>Thicc...

>>2712833
I think I misread the first time you rolled for this and thought you meant the purple crystal on the lever—sorry about that! If you want to roll for it again, you can take a go at harvesting the lamp flowers.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2712841

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ROSALYN: “I think that’s all for now.”

FLAMY: “Well, if you ever feel like buying a bucket full of water, you know where to find me.”

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You head back to your cart to mull over your next course of action. Only about two hours left now until the goblins should have that translation over to you. Between that and the frustratingly vague riddles you got from the book, you should then be able to deduce the identity of the elusive book thief and where they went after whatever incident they caused with the Potion of Glamor. And then you can go and find the book, look up the recipe, and finally begin properly hunting for the six ingredients.

You have a sinking feeling that the most difficult part of your quest is still yet to come.

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But that’s still another two hours out. Until then, you decide to get back to collecting that lampfruit.

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It’s attached very firmly to the branch, but with a little finesse, you think you can remove it saf—

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clonk

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You took the brunt of that fall, but the lampfruit remains intact! You'd call that a victory in your book. Now you just need to get this back to your cart without anyone noticing that you took it and you’ll be all clear.

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BLUEBEAR: “Excuse me, young lady, but what exactly are you doing with that lampfruit?”

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2712940
Since throwing him off the table edge and into oblivion is probably not in character:
"harvesting it for potions, what are you doing secretly watching me?"

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2712940
>I want to make into a magical lamp to spread beauty, friendship and love throughout Elfland!
>Do you have any objections to spreading friendsfip and love? Are you anti-friendship? Do you want to leave Elfland without love and install a bloodthirsty totalitarian dictatorship!?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2712940
Gotta say Funtron, I've been creeped out by these Bluebears since their first appearance

>>2713044
>>2713045
WELP

rolling for trying to figure out if that play feature at Flamy's has anything to do with one of the Arms of Elfland since we left right after the bucket fiasco

>>2713321
Seeing as one of the Arms is a fire-aspected hammer, I think we need to visit the smithy again.

>>2713415
Maybe wait until night

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Damn; getting spotted by the Bluebears is right there at the bottom of the list of things you wanted to have happen on this trip. There’s nothing to gain by panicking, though. There’s no warrant out for your arrest yet, and this guy has no reason to suspect that you’re doing anything illegal. Well, aside from the part where he literally just watched you doing something illegal. But as long as you don’t up and confess, you can probably find a way to weasel out of this somehow! Oh, and you’d better not insult the Bluebear or do anything to get on his bad side, but that should be easy for an experienced smooth-talker like yourself.

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ROSALYN: “Well, I was just harvesting this lampfruit here so that I could use it as a potion ingredient. And can I ask you what you were doing spying on me?”

oh godt why did you say that

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BLUEBEAR: “In case you weren’t aware, miss, keeping an eye on suspicious characters is my job. Particularly if they’re engaged in an unlawful activity such as, for instance, stealing lampfruit off of public property. Those lampfruits are maintained for the benefit of all Elfland—not so that thieves can pilfer them to line their pocketbooks.”

On the one hand, you reckon you should probably be glad for Elfland’s sake that this Bluebear is such an accurate judge of character; on the other hand, you really wish he were off accurately judging someone else’s character right now.

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ROSALYN: “Funny story about that. So you see, I was actually doing this for the public good! These lampfruits—it’s a pain to set them up, isn’t it?”

BLUEBEAR: “They literally grow on trees.”

ROSALYN: “Wait, I mean, they’re not very reliable, right?”

BLUEBEAR: “That much is true. After a time, they do lose their glow and fall off.”

ROSALYN: “Well, I was thinking, what if we put their juice inside a lantern instead?”

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BLUEBEAR: “We already do that. There are two of those right outside the library, and even more inside the Elvenstar Tree. And the juice expires even faster that way.”

ROSALYN: “But I’m a potion maker; I know a way to preserve the lampfruit juice by brewing it into a potion. It’ll last twice as long as an intact lampfruit and it’ll be three times as reliable!”

BLUEBEAR: “Really now?”

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ROSALYN: “Of course! I want to spread this beautiful light all across the realm. And with this enlightenment, I’m confident that the people of Elfland would enter a golden age of friendship and love! Surely you have no objections to that?”

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BLUEBEAR: “Hmm. Well, if you are telling the truth, this potion of yours would certainly be of use to Elfland, and I’d be able to look on transgression in a more favorable light. But night will fall soon, and that lampfruit will be sorely missed then. For your sake, I hope you will have a suitable replacement prepared by that time. I will leave you to it, miss.”

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As the Bluebear trundles off, you mentally add yet another pressing concern to your agenda. You’ve got about four hours until it gets dark around here, and no idea how to make the lampfruit potion that you promised. When you stop to think about everything else you’ve got to take care of, it’s actually a little overwhelming. You haven’t even gotten the carrot smoothie done for the Potion of Glamor, you have no idea who took the Formulary, and you’ve had no luck with the Arms of Elfland either.

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The latter you feel you at least have a decent lead for, though. You’ve had a chance to investigate the entirety of Flamy’s forge and the hammer you assume the book was referring to wasn’t there, so it must be in another forge somewhere. You know it can’t mean the forge in the Goblin Village, since Myzo was certain the nearest weapon was located in Elfland Square, so perhaps what you’ve heard about the Elvenstar Tree having a forge is true? Your group of friends never met at Lumia’s place all that often, so you haven’t seen the upper floors of the tree for yourself. It’s possible, you suppose, but considering you now have a deadline, it may have to wait.

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What will you do?
——————
TIME: 5:00 PM
——————
AGENDA
— Find out what the six unknown ingredients are, using either the Formulary or other means
— Find out who stole the Formulary and where they took it, and then return the Formulary to Nascha
— Check the post office at 7:00 PM for the goblin’s delivery of the translated newspaper (and the return the newspaper to the library)
— Prepare a new and improved lampfruit potion by 9:00 PM or risk arrest
— Find one of the Arms of Elfland for Myzo
— Bring Myzo a potion or base from the surface world to trade for his bone potion
——————
Elfbucks: 15
SpryCash: 0
Goblin Dollars: 0
——————
On Hand:
——————
On Cart:
Reverse Carrot — 3
Magic Mushroom — 3
Powdered Water — 2
Lampfruit — 1
Magic Crystal — 1
Essence of Amity — 1
Mushroom Extract — 1
Invigorating Elixir — 1
Map of Elfland — 1
Bow — 1
Weird Uncle Ollie’s Big Book of Frustratingly Vague Riddles — 1
——————
At Healing Hideout:
Pumpkin — 1

>>2714077
is powdered water a base?

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2714077
Ask the riddle book about how to make an improved lamp potion.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2714077
We're getting in over our head here. Let's go see if Lumia's home and if she can help us out of these various jams for old time's sake.

Base: Lingering Liquid (that we don't have)
Reagent: Lampfruit Juice
Catalyst: Magic Crystal (???)
Something like this a viable solution? Aside from the missing ingredients?

Else beg Myzo for his fuel potion as a light source along with a heartfelt apology to Bluebear for not being able to deliver on our promise.

>>2714108
>Else beg Myzo for his fuel potion as a light source along with a heartfelt apology to Bluebear for not being able to deliver on our promise.
Or we could dig ourselves in deeper and try to pass off the bone juice as the new and improved LampFroot X-TREEM.

>>2714108
lamp fruit juice + bone potion + FIRE

but only if we can get 2 bone oils from the guy, I want that capric fire