Solo Pick Your Poison

[Sayana]

Spring 2, 516 AV - The Bizarre

Ever since the battle against the undead, Sayana had thoughts of returning to Syliras. Her mind had been fixed on getting that rush, that sweet sense of power, that came with having outsmarted or out maneuvering another. And merely last season a seed had been planted that now spouted in her mind.

Poison.

It was almost in honor of her fellow zith’s name, but it was more than that. A technique, a new way of creating surprise, fear, and a sense of power over the people around her. She had only been barely exposed to the concept but if it was as varied as the herbs of Mizahar then surely there was some potential to it. Well, she was about to find out.

The Eypharian set off for the Bizarre. Alvadas looked much better these days, although how long that would last who could say. She was rather leisurely in her pace and mood. Either the city felt that or she was no longer quite top notch at finding her way around. Regardless, it took her nearly two bells to reach the colourful bustling marketplace. Yet even as she arrived, she knew that this would not be her final destination. Despite being a little more open to mischief and nefarious deeds, Alvadas was still a place of warmth and a slightly warped sense of law. Even as Sayana idly browsed the stalls, she didn’t expect to find any poison being sold openly. No, what she was looking for was…

There. It was subtle but after scanning the Bizarre again and again, she knew it was just enough out of place to be worth investigating. There was no wind today, or at least it seemed as though there was no wind except for the faint flapping of cloth on a single tent stall. Its neighboring stalls had no such affect and people walking by didn’t even have their hair ruffled.

As Sayana approached the tent she felt an uncomfortable itching on the back of her hand. A couple ticks later there was a slight constricting of her throat and then a feeling of weakness. They were eerie signs but it only seemed to reinforce her sense that this was indeed an entrance to the Underground. With another ghostly ruffle of the tent cloth, Sayana stepped in and almost immediately her surroundings shifted to the darkened streets of the Underground.

At the end of the street was a dimly lit storefront and Sayana took her chances, hoping that she might find what she was looking for due to its close proximity to the Bizarre. Well, if ‘proximity’ had any real meaning in the city of Alvadas.

A variety of vials and flasks lined. They seemed to have innocent names, many being herbal concoctions, but it was the sets of drawers and closed shelves that had the potential for more ominous potions. Yes, this was where she had wanted to go.

“Do you come alone?” Spoke a soft voice as a man appeared from the darkness. “Do you wish to sssell, trade, or purchasssse?”

[Sayana]

She spent some time at the shop assessing the poisons and negotiating prices. Many seemed far overpriced for what they did and others seemed so weak in effects that it would hardly be worthwhile. However, one poison sparked her attention, mostly due to the familiar name.

“Lost Tongue?”

“Yessss. For when you wish to create sssilencce…”

“I think I could find a use for that,” Sayana replied with a mischievous smile. “What about something more harmful? More dangerous to the target?”

“There isss Phantom’s Shell… you do not have many mizasss for my more prized poisssonsss. Phantom’s Shell intensssifiess the pain you give.”

The Eypharian’s eyebrow raised at this. Curious. It could work well with her abilities and according to the Dhani it wasn’t too expensive either.

“There isss alssso Blue Whinnissss. It makesss the target weak until they fall unconsciousss.”

Sayana was suddenly jolted to a memory from Syliras. One in which she had thought she had cornered someone and overpowered them, except they had used something, something that made her wake up with her cheek against the cobblestone street.

“How much?”

“Two hundred gold mizasss.”

“How much for the supplies to make it myself?”

The Dhani frowned, obviously disgruntled by the idea of losing a potential long term customer, and also getting competition in the market.

“Look, I won’t be in Alvadas for very much longer. You can sell me the equipment and make a profit, or I can leave without buying the poison or the equipment.”

“Two hundred gold mizasss for all the supplies you need to craft basic poisonsss.”

“One hundred,” Sayana countered.

“One hundred and fifty.”

“One hundred and fifty with a description of how to find and create these three poisons.”

The Dhani shopkeeper paused and surveyed the Eypharian. “One hundred and fifty with an explanation for only the poisssonsss you buy.”

While she would have liked to get her hands on a poison such as Blue Whinnis, it would leave her pocket uncomfortably light. The poison crafting kit alone would be a large expense and she hadn’t yet discussed the prices of the other two poisons. At last she nodded.

The Lost Tongue turned out to be only 15 gm while the Phantom’s Shell was a decent 25 gm. As the Dhani began preparing the set of vials, identification tools, and other components to the poison crafting kit, Sayana prodded him for answers.

“Lost Tongue, what sorts of vines does it need?”

“Ssso you know of it? Green vinessss…” He smiled sheepishly then went on to elaborate as promised. There was a variety that could be used. All coming from the same family apparently. There were certain markings to look for, like a faint pattern of different shades of green. He also noted how the leaves formed in trios and the common habitats for the vines. Generally they were found in the forest which was good for her.

He then went on to explain the Phantom’s Shell properties. This was a poison caused only through injury and it made the target feel increased pain from the injury. It sounded like a brilliant torture device if she needed one. She listened carefully as he discussed the origins of the poison. Seaweed. She would have never thought of seeking out such plants but when he described the properties of the leaves, how they looked and where they tended to grow she listened intently and made mental notes. The most important part was that when you burned it, the ashes were not black or white like normal ashes. Instead they were a dark rich brown. After that, she just needed to powder them and be careful not to cut or injure herself in the process.

By the time she was done, it had been a rather informative yet pricey excursion. However, as she pocketed the vials and hefted the bag of supplies, she was feeling rather confident on her future pursuits.

ReceiptPortable Poisoncrafting kit: 150 gm
Lost Tongue (4 doses): 15 gm
Phantom’s Shell (4 doses): 25 gm

[Kaleidoscope]

 

Sayana

Skills

• Poison: +1
• Negotiation: +1

Lores

• Poison: Phantom Shell
• Poison: Lost Tongue causes silence
• Poison: Phantom Shell increases pain
• Poison: Blue Whinnis
• Poison: Blue Whinnis makes target weak and then unconscious
• Poison: Ingredients for Lost Tongue
• Poison: Ingredients for Phantom’s Shell

Comments
Hi there Sayana, nice little thread! I'm enjoying how nefarious Sayana is getting. Next time, if you'd like to receive more points in negotiation, I'd suggest writing about Sayana's body-language a little more, as it's not just the words that count in getting a better deal- body language is just as important in convincing the shop-keeper to give a little more!

Enjoy your grade, and please don't forget to delete/edit out your grade request. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a PM.