Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-24524076-20160803200831/@comment-24524076-20161118013857

You know, she rarely gets any business anymore...

Aha.

''She finds several identical corked adobe bottles and mixes her wares between them. Nearly every single potion and poison she's ever stocked are poured into each. For added effect, she brings in a traveller off the street to shuffle them around. They buy a few Giant's Toes on the way out.''

''She stands outside, and beckons Ysolda. "Hey, Ysolda, so I heard you wanted to try your hand at the merchant's craft? Help me out with this little trick." Arcadia mans the booth, and has Ysolda try to attract customers. She's been given a script: "Half price, half chance! Half price, half chance!!! Half the bottles are haunting, the other half are harrowed! Will you get a curse or a cure? Try your luck, with potions at only 25 septims apiece!"''

''Most of the more respectable keep away from the stand. The local beggar - what was his name again? Bruinen? - hopes to get drunk. He ends up passing out in a pool of his own vomit at the foot of Talos' shrine. The man who guards the catacombs - Undars, was it? - hopes to whet his blade and calm the dead. Their muscles grow thrice-fold and he barely escapes with his life. Some rowdy drunk from the Bannered Mare looks for a hangover cure, and very quickly sobers. A short string of successes draws the attention of the Jarl himself. He's been looking for a pick-me-up recently due to excessive drowsiness, and so tries his luck.''

"You've been a boon to my court wizard, Arcadia. Please be the same to me, as well."

''He downs the potion in one chug. Staring blankly for a moment, then staggering, clutching his chest, he collapses. Guards surround him and point their blades at Arcadia. "In the name of the Jarl, find an antidote, you crazy hag!"''

''Arcadia scrambles. She mixed them all up! Who knows which is which? "Take him into my store. I'll have to brew a new one!"''

''She dashes into Arcadia's Cauldron, and quickly gets to work. A guard mutters somberly, "Make it quick. He likely doesn't have long."''

''She begins yanking reagents from shelves. This was a Nightshade poison. "Uh, some wheat, a Giant's toe (last one!), and... Shit! Does anyone have a periwinkle flower?!"''

''Guards glance at each other. They all rifle through their pockets. The guard who demanded she hurry up cuts himself on something in his. One with multiple fresh arrow wounds along his arm spills a few Septims. One tramples out. Jarl Balgruuf coughs up blood and rolls around haptically.''

''Arcadia forges ahead, her mind uncloudied now, making a potion with the two ingredients first. The guard who left charges in with a blue flower, and slams it into Arcadia's palm. She quickly grinds it into the powder. Balgruuf is becoming pale. She hurries it into a bottle and fills it with just enough water to mix it into an effective restorative. "Give this to him," she demands, frantic. "He'll be tired for a while, and may become a tad drunk, even. But it should counteract the poison."''

''The guard who cut himself forces the neck of the bottle through the Jarl's lips. The liquid flows in and he gulps it down. Some color returns to his face. He stands, almost loses his balance, but rights himself. He glares at Arcadia. Angrily, but gratefully as well. "That..." He pauses for a coughing fit. "That... was a reckless trick you pulled out there. But fortunately, you had the expertise to undo any real harm. Because of this, I pardon your poisoning - it was part my fault anyways, you made the danger clear - and offer you a position in my court. I'm not sure exactly... exa c t l y . . .  e  x  a  c  t  ---"''

''His face is white as the peaks. He collapses once again. A guard draws his sword and swings it toward Arcadia, stopping it just before it strikes. "Explain this!"''

"The potion counteracts the destructive properties of nightshade, but it also slows his processes. His heart's beating slowly. Enough to keep him alive, but not if he's being active. He'll wake up within the hour, perfectly fine. Take him to his bedchambers to sleep off the side-effects. I'll swing by after  break down outside."

''The guards nod in unison and carry Balgruuf off. As promised, he wakes up around a half-hour later with Arcadia at his bedside.''

''"I seem to have nodded off again," he drowsily says. He chuckles, but then gasps for breath. "Don't exert yourself, my Jarl. The potion still hasn't completely worn off." He settles himself for a moment, then continues. "As I was saying earlier, I'll be offering you a position in my court. I know what I'll call your position, the name came to me in my dreams. 'Grand Artificer of Kyne', to reflect your aptitude with the Aedra's craft. Do you accept?"''

"Yes, my Jarl. I accept."

''By saving another, Arcadia has redeemed her faliure to aid a life. Her mind has cleared. Meanwhile, Jabari is still pondering. The meaning of life. Nirn. Hungers. Candles. The number seven. He is once again a liable target for your manipulation.''