The Starry Chalice is a philtering shop, an emporium of elixirs, tucked away in one of the many blue-washed buildings that make up the Azure Market. From the outside, it appears quite small - cramped, even, as it is sandwiched between a clothier's stall and a food vendor. Appearances can be deceptive, however; the shop opens up considerably inside.
Tyan, the redoubtable proprietress of the Chalice, is a great believer in displaying her skill, and so sturdy red lacquer shelves hold rank upon rank of shimmering bottles, phials, vials, flasks and other, more esoteric containers of all shapes, colors and materials; every one of them is carefully stoppered and sealed with lily-imprinted wax. Overhead, strung on brassy chains, there hang ornate braziers, spilling scented smoke as a sort of advertisement for the skills of Chalice employees as well as completely masking the more unpleasant smells of the philtering discipline.
Inside continues the theme of organized clutter; more lacquer work - in the form of cabinetry, shelves and a vast pigeonhole bureau covering the entire back wall – supports further examples of the philterer's art; elixirs, lotions, oils, and unguents of all kinds. Proudly on display amid the finished goods are a plethora of ingredients necessary for the more common preparations – lip balms, sunburn salves and so forth – as well as some truly rare and expensive components for the professional philterer.
Apprentices, looking quite unsettling and alien in their protective gear, frequently bustle amongst the shelves, easily able to interpret the otherwise-impenetrable system of shorthand notation by which almost everything in the shop is labelled, collecting ingredients and philters for customers or their own brewing tasks. The Chalice frequently sees a procession of couriers bearing the seals of the different Houses of Lhavit come to call; Tyan is a major supplier for the Towers.
Under normal circumstances, naturally, customers do not see beyond this part of the shop, but the Starry Chalice has several back rooms, too – one is a compact but professionally-equipped philtering laboratory, full of spiraling glassware, distillation and reduction apparatus and much else besides, with ingredients hanging on hooks and chains overhead. The other is a large storeroom, kept chock-full of supplies and fulfilled orders.
Everything is overseen by the magisterial presence of Tyan J'net, both the Starry Chalice's owner and its most accomplished philterer, who is reliably to be found either hunched over a piece of glassware, personally supervising the latest philtering, or else reigning from a plush chair in one corner of the Chalice, strategically placed to have the best view of both the shop and the philtering lab.
Location credit: Alses
Name: Tyan J'net
Race: Human
Birthdate: 488 AV
Birthplace: Lhavit
Occupation: Owner and philterer at the Starry Chalice
Skills: Cooking - 55, Herbalism - 32, Leadership - 62, Painting - 18, Philtering - 71, Teaching - 50
Languages: Common (Fluent)
Not even middle-aged yet, Tyan J'net defies the philterer's stereotype, that of a crabbed man bent under the weight of years, with fingertips stained by unknown chemicals and eyes rheumy from the fumes. A full-figured lady, Tyan combines in one body an expert philterer and keen chef both, with masses of lustrous black hair and a booming laugh fit for three people at once. To some, she can come across as rather intimidating; Tyan's large frame, loud voice and imperious posture all combine to make her rather larger-than-life. She has, however, been serving the good citizens of Lhavit with their philtering requirements for years, and as such is a well-respected member of the city.
She keeps several apprentices, to ensure demand doesn't outstrip supply, and is known to be a patient yet exacting teacher. Nothing less than perfection will do for any goods put on her shelves or bearing the lily-seal of the Starry Chalice, and she strives to impart a sense of pride in their work to her apprentices. Safety is a common theme; customers will frequently hear the shop ring to Tyan's impressive full-bore bellow if a vital piece of safety equipment – gloves, aprons, steel-capped boots and so forth – is neglected by her philterers.
Tyan comes from a family of artists, their work highly regarded in Lhavit, and was initially expected to follow in her parents' footsteps, either painting in a studio or working on the sculptures their family was known for. However, she quickly found the preparation of the pigments and cleaning fluids, the linseed oil preservatives and other such chemical accouterments to be much more interesting than the actual artworks themselves. As per Lhavitian custom, her interest was encouraged and nurtured with a succession of apprenticeships and, in the fullness of time, when she was judged sufficiently skilled, her parents purchased a stall for her in the Azure Market.
Naturally, her own personal honour, and the values instilled by both her parents and the culture of Lhavit itself, saw that she worked hard to prove her skill and make her business a success, enabling her to pay off her debt to her parents in short order. Despite the expansion in customers over the years as her skill and reputation grew, she has steadfastly refused to move to an establishment in the Surya Plaza, or any other prominent location, preferring the bustle and local flavor of the Market and purchasing unused back space from the shops on either side for the purposes of expansion.
Tyan, the redoubtable proprietress of the Chalice, is a great believer in displaying her skill, and so sturdy red lacquer shelves hold rank upon rank of shimmering bottles, phials, vials, flasks and other, more esoteric containers of all shapes, colors and materials; every one of them is carefully stoppered and sealed with lily-imprinted wax. Overhead, strung on brassy chains, there hang ornate braziers, spilling scented smoke as a sort of advertisement for the skills of Chalice employees as well as completely masking the more unpleasant smells of the philtering discipline.
Inside continues the theme of organized clutter; more lacquer work - in the form of cabinetry, shelves and a vast pigeonhole bureau covering the entire back wall – supports further examples of the philterer's art; elixirs, lotions, oils, and unguents of all kinds. Proudly on display amid the finished goods are a plethora of ingredients necessary for the more common preparations – lip balms, sunburn salves and so forth – as well as some truly rare and expensive components for the professional philterer.
Apprentices, looking quite unsettling and alien in their protective gear, frequently bustle amongst the shelves, easily able to interpret the otherwise-impenetrable system of shorthand notation by which almost everything in the shop is labelled, collecting ingredients and philters for customers or their own brewing tasks. The Chalice frequently sees a procession of couriers bearing the seals of the different Houses of Lhavit come to call; Tyan is a major supplier for the Towers.
Under normal circumstances, naturally, customers do not see beyond this part of the shop, but the Starry Chalice has several back rooms, too – one is a compact but professionally-equipped philtering laboratory, full of spiraling glassware, distillation and reduction apparatus and much else besides, with ingredients hanging on hooks and chains overhead. The other is a large storeroom, kept chock-full of supplies and fulfilled orders.
Everything is overseen by the magisterial presence of Tyan J'net, both the Starry Chalice's owner and its most accomplished philterer, who is reliably to be found either hunched over a piece of glassware, personally supervising the latest philtering, or else reigning from a plush chair in one corner of the Chalice, strategically placed to have the best view of both the shop and the philtering lab.
Location credit: Alses
Tyan Jnet
Race: Human
Birthdate: 488 AV
Birthplace: Lhavit
Occupation: Owner and philterer at the Starry Chalice
Skills: Cooking - 55, Herbalism - 32, Leadership - 62, Painting - 18, Philtering - 71, Teaching - 50
Languages: Common (Fluent)
Not even middle-aged yet, Tyan J'net defies the philterer's stereotype, that of a crabbed man bent under the weight of years, with fingertips stained by unknown chemicals and eyes rheumy from the fumes. A full-figured lady, Tyan combines in one body an expert philterer and keen chef both, with masses of lustrous black hair and a booming laugh fit for three people at once. To some, she can come across as rather intimidating; Tyan's large frame, loud voice and imperious posture all combine to make her rather larger-than-life. She has, however, been serving the good citizens of Lhavit with their philtering requirements for years, and as such is a well-respected member of the city.
She keeps several apprentices, to ensure demand doesn't outstrip supply, and is known to be a patient yet exacting teacher. Nothing less than perfection will do for any goods put on her shelves or bearing the lily-seal of the Starry Chalice, and she strives to impart a sense of pride in their work to her apprentices. Safety is a common theme; customers will frequently hear the shop ring to Tyan's impressive full-bore bellow if a vital piece of safety equipment – gloves, aprons, steel-capped boots and so forth – is neglected by her philterers.
Tyan comes from a family of artists, their work highly regarded in Lhavit, and was initially expected to follow in her parents' footsteps, either painting in a studio or working on the sculptures their family was known for. However, she quickly found the preparation of the pigments and cleaning fluids, the linseed oil preservatives and other such chemical accouterments to be much more interesting than the actual artworks themselves. As per Lhavitian custom, her interest was encouraged and nurtured with a succession of apprenticeships and, in the fullness of time, when she was judged sufficiently skilled, her parents purchased a stall for her in the Azure Market.
Naturally, her own personal honour, and the values instilled by both her parents and the culture of Lhavit itself, saw that she worked hard to prove her skill and make her business a success, enabling her to pay off her debt to her parents in short order. Despite the expansion in customers over the years as her skill and reputation grew, she has steadfastly refused to move to an establishment in the Surya Plaza, or any other prominent location, preferring the bustle and local flavor of the Market and purchasing unused back space from the shops on either side for the purposes of expansion.
Prices
Common Philters
1 Dose vial: 2 tk
5 Dose vial: 1 ki
10 Dose vial: 2 ki
Common philters include general fertilisers, light pick-me-ups, preservatives and waterproofing mixtures, and flavour additives.
Uncommon Philters
1 Dose vial: 5 ki
5 Dose vial: 25 ki
10 Dose vial: 50 ki
Uncommon philters include food and water substitutes.
Lotions & Creams
5 Ounce bottle: 2 tk
10 Ounce bottle: 4 tk
Lotions and creams include sunblock, moisturizers, and other common preparations.
Philtered Sweets
Single flavoured sweets: 2 ki/lb
Double flavoured sweets: 4 ki/lb
Triple flavoured sweets: 6 ki/lb
Quad flavoured sweets: 8 ki/lb
Philtered flavour extracts: 8 tk/2 oz bottle
Sweets can be hard or soft-centered. Available flavours are: blueberry, cocoa, ginger, honey, hot pepper, lemon, lime, mint, orange, strawberry, vanilla, and wine.
1 Dose vial: 2 tk
5 Dose vial: 1 ki
10 Dose vial: 2 ki
Common philters include general fertilisers, light pick-me-ups, preservatives and waterproofing mixtures, and flavour additives.
Uncommon Philters
1 Dose vial: 5 ki
5 Dose vial: 25 ki
10 Dose vial: 50 ki
Uncommon philters include food and water substitutes.
Lotions & Creams
5 Ounce bottle: 2 tk
10 Ounce bottle: 4 tk
Lotions and creams include sunblock, moisturizers, and other common preparations.
Philtered Sweets
Single flavoured sweets: 2 ki/lb
Double flavoured sweets: 4 ki/lb
Triple flavoured sweets: 6 ki/lb
Quad flavoured sweets: 8 ki/lb
Philtered flavour extracts: 8 tk/2 oz bottle
Sweets can be hard or soft-centered. Available flavours are: blueberry, cocoa, ginger, honey, hot pepper, lemon, lime, mint, orange, strawberry, vanilla, and wine.
