Solo Paws and Poison

[Yisanareysin]

4th of Winter, 516 AV

For a shop in the underground, the Final Vial was surprisingly well lit. It was only sensible, of course. Brewing poisons in a dark and gloomy room was just asking for disaster. To say nothing of organising them.

"Silk Streak? I don't believe I'm familiar with this one." Rey picked up the small jar, and held it up to the light, examining the paste within. Sable padded at his side, waiting patiently.

"Oh, a particularly nasty one, that." The man behind the counter hissed in snake tongue. Vassyriss made a blooming gesture with his hand, grinning wickedly. "Black streaks spread out from wherever it touches, and it feels like something's crawling under your skin. It doesn't do much by itself, but if you don't restrain them, they'll claw themselves bloody trying to get it out."

Rey whistled softly, and gingerly set it back on the shelf. "Nasty. Sounds like a torturer's dream come true." He looked at the price tag, and shuddered. "And my coinpurses worst nightmare."

"If you want something a little less expensive, try phantom's shell. Get some of it in a wound, and any injury you get will be agonising."

Rey hummed thoughtfully, but shook his head. "As fascinating as this discussion has been, I'm just looking for a crafting kit. Need a steady supply of blue whinnis, and I don't think I could afford to keep buying it."

The other dhani sighed. "And I assume you already know how to make it." Rey nodded, grinning sheepishly. "Hm. Do you know where to harvest whinnis root though?" That gave Rey pause, and Syriss smiled. "I thought not. Tell you what, cousin. Buy three poisons from me, and I'll tell you where you can find whinnis root nearby."

"I'll buy two." Rey retorted, still smiling. "And I'll come to you for anything I need in the future."

"Deal. What kind of poison do you need?"

"Hmm. Not sure. Nothing lethal for now. Something that I can use defensively, maybe?"

Syriss began to gesture at vials on the shelves, and Rey examined each one in turn. "There's black-eye. Get it in your eyes, and you'll be blind for half a day. Or maybe carrion-limb or coral-blade? Your limbs just stop working for a while. Oh! Terror Root it-"

"Loss of balance, right? Black-Eye sounds good. So, black-eye, phantom's shell, and a crafting kit. That enough profit for you?"

The poisoncrafter laughed, and bustled around the shop, gathering his vials. Getting out of his way, Rey idly reached down to scratch the top of Sable's head. He was sort of getting used to having it around, and it did make him feel safer in the underground, but it was still a surprise to him sometimes, to turn around and find red eyes staring back at him.

Having gathered everything, Syriss shoved a large bag into Rey's arms. "That will be 880."

What.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

He'd known black-eye was expensive, but this seemed a bit much. "750" Rey countered.

"I'm showing you where to get whinnis as well."

"I could just buy the kit and pay someone else for the information."

"Cheeky lad. 850." The shopkeeper rested his elbows on the counter and leaned forwards, trying to stare Rey down. Rey assessed the other dhani thoughtfully, considering. Syriss was playful, and so Rey had made the mistake of assuming that meant he wasn't ruthless as well. Rey's usual negotiating tactics were unreliable at the best of times, and he got the impression that trying to bluff this one would only lower his opinion of Rey. So, a different tactic would be required.

He met Syriss's gaze head on, and focused intently. He felt heat coil in his chest, like a spring slowly winding tighter and tighter, then let it free, flooding his throat and tongue, filling them with heat."780." he retorted, drawing from his magic to add a little extra hypnotic oomph to the number. Syriss seemed to think for a while.

"825, and that's the lowest I can go. Even for one of my own kind."

Well, Rey knew when he was beat. Sighing dramatically, he handed over the gold, and took the bag in return. "Your two poisons are in there as well."

"And the whinnis?"

"I've put a map in there too. There are a couple of large patches around the forest. Make sure not to take too much, we're not the only ones harvesting around here." Rey nodded, and Syriss grinned. "Come back anytime." The poisoncrafter hissed cheerfully, and patted Rey on the back. "Feel free to bring the dog too."

Rey sighed again, and laid a hand on Sable's head. At least one creature in this room listened to him.

"Ledger"650 - Black-Eye
25 - Phantom's Shell
150 - Poisoncrafters kit

825 GM Total

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

Back in his home, Rey carefully unpacked the portable kit, and set everything up so he could use it when he came back. Blue Whinnis would keep as long as any poison did, but the root was most effective when it had been freshly harvested. Too long, and it'd dry out, and then it'd be like squeezing blood from a stone. He'd stopped at the Bizarre to buy a small hand shovel, trowel, thing, so the actual harvesting should go quickly enough. It was the round trip that would be most time consuming, most likely.

Blue Whinnis was fairly simple as poisons went, if slightly time consuming. It was just a matter of chopping it up, letting it soak in water, and then boiling off the excess water. The resulting decoction would knock a grown human unconscious for a few bells, but cycled through the system fast enough that it was safe to eat anything poisoned with it before it woke. If you cut out the liver first, you might not even get drowsy.

Satisfied, Rey reached out to scratch Sable under the chin, and was rewarded with a soft huff and a tail thump. He was starting to understand why humans liked to keep dogs around. There was something oddly satisfying about having an animal that would listen to your every order. And the sensation of warm, soft fur that wasn't frantically trying to escape was a bonus too.

When everything was in order, Rey stood, and stretched. It was early in the morning, which, looking at the map, meant he'd probably be able to make the trip and back, and still have enough light to brew by. Slipping a jar into his pack, he whistled softly. "Come on, Sable." Time to go digging.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

Once they were far enough from Alvadas's walls, Rey stopped, and began to shuck off his clothes. "Stay." He told Sable firmly, and began to shift, keeping eye contact with the dog the entire time. It started to growl, hackles raised, but stayed where it was. He'd demonstrated to the dog his other forms before, given it time to get used to the scent of him like that, but it still seemed uneasy. It was a reasonable enough reaction, he supposed. It had been trained with humans not snakes.

When he was fully in his Dhani form, he frowned at the still growling dog, and focused intently. Gathering his will and intent, he let djed fill his fingertips, and reached out to pet the creature. As his fingers dug into its fur, he sent out the sensation of calm, and familiarity. Wary of overgiving again after having spent several days coughing up blood, he kept the hypnosis light, and let it dissipate when Sable began to visibly relax.

"Good girl. Follow." He hissed, and was rewarded with a tentative bark. With that out of the way, he pulled his pack back on, and with a wicked grin, began to race towards the forest. Siku's scales, but it had been so long since his coils had gotten a good stretch. Behind him, he heard a yip of surprise, then the beating of paws on the ground as the dog began to race after him, keeping up surprisingly well. Slowing down slightly, Rey paced himself, aware his stamina was hardly what it was when he'd been free to roam in the desert.

By the time they reached the edge of the forest, they'd both long since slowed back down to human walking speed, muscles aching. It might have just been his imagination, but Rey thought Sable looked happier, like a good run had been just what it needed.

Snake Tongue : Common : Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

Inside the forest, progress was slower, with Rey having to stop every so often and check the map Syriss had provided. Petching unclear scribbles he grumbled internally. It took just over a bell, but he was eventually able to find the tree with the weird curvy rocks under it, and from there, made his way to the clearing marked on the map.

Stepping out into the open, Rey let out a hiss of delight. When Syriss had said large patches, he hadn't been joking. And in a clearing, they'd be getting plenty of sun and rain. He only vaguely remembered his lessons on plants, but they liked sun and rain, right? That sounded right.

Slithering over, Rey pulled out his jar and shovel. Some of the whinnis plants were clearly too small to be properly mature, but others were less clear. Did bright, waxy leaves mean it was ready to be harvested? Or was that the duller, slightly purple tinted ones? Rey wasn't really sure. Perhaps it would be best to take both, and make a batch with each. Yes, that would probably be best.

A shuffling noise from behind caught his attention. Sable had followed him dutifully, and was now pacing in the shade. Ears pricked and eyes clear as she scanned the clearing and the surrounding forest, Sable looked every inch the dutiful guard dog.

He could leave her to it. It was clear she wouldn't interrupt his work, and she'd keep any distractions away. But some unknown impulse sent him slithering to her. Now, what was the word again?

"Ssable, play."

She looked at him, seeming puzzled, and rolled over tentatively. Siku's scales. Reaching out, he scratched behind her ears until she was relaxed, tongue lolling out of her mouth. He could simply speak to her. Without thinking, he focused his will under his tongue, tasting the heat of it. "Go play" he hissed, slipping into her mind the impulse to go off and enjoy herself.

He realised he'd pushed too far almost the moment he did it, tasting blood in his throat. When he pulled his hand away, he found it was shaking. A bad habit. It was easy to forget both his sense and hypnotism took the same sort of toll on him. A stupid mistake he would have to watch out for in the future.

He shook it off. "Go on and play." he hissed encouragingly, without magic this time. Sable hesitated for a moment, looking torn. Gesturing towards the forest, he gave her a gentle nudge, wrestling down the urge to give her another hypnotic push.

She barked at him in what seemed to be confusion, and a bush rustled behind him. Rey turned, switching his Iraso vision on just in time to see a rabbit dart out of the undergrowth and scarper away. Sable growled at that, and Rey gestured after it. She needed no more encouragement then, chasing after the poor doomed creature. Rey grinned, memorising the ashen shade of Sable's trail, overlapping with the murky brown of the rabbit.

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

Satisfied that his new pet was busying herself, Rey turned back to the task at hand, his vision hazing back to normal. He wanted four doses, he decided. Four doses, with each taking two plants, that was..... eight plants? He counted again on his fingers. Yes, that was right - eight plants. Four with the waxy leaves, four with the purple ones, and then see which was more effective. Best if he found eight that were around the same size and shape too, just to be certain.

With two of each type, perhaps he could test if the roots were better chopped or crushed? Another time, he decided. Too many things that could go wrong as it was. Slithering carefully around the clearing, Rey carefully identified the plants he wanted, and began to dig.

Digging up roots was, as it turned out, much harder than he would have expected. The dirt was compact, and a little damp, and Rey, used to digging in dry desert sand, had no idea how to deal with it. Still, slow progress was still progress, and whinnis roots didn't go as deep as some others. By the time Syna began to dip below the tree line, Rey had his eight roots dug up, cleaned, trimmed and stored. Rey didn't sweat in his Dhani form, but if he did he would have been drenched in it. His arms were aching, and he was positively covered in dirt.

And Sable still hadn't returned. Truth be told, Rey had expected that she would come trotting back with a snack and go right back to being all business. If that dog were a human, she could be a Syliran knight, no fun and all business. Still, it seemed she was still out on the hunt, or else was romping around the forest.

Focusing, Rey shifted his focus, hazing his vision until a web of paths came into view. Most were faded and indistinct, but three were still fairly bright and clear; his own, Sable's, and the rabbits. Packing up, he set off after Sable's trail, tracking her with scent and djed. As he followed the trail, he kept his eye out for more physical signs of her passing, and his nose pricked for her scent, well aware that in the state he was in, magic was unreliable, and his Iraso vision could fail him at any time, leaving him his meagre tracking skills.

With the paths to show him the way, it was much easier to notice signs of her, from snapped twigs to the occasional paw print, and where the rabbits trail abruptly ended, Rey could smell blood, and could see evidence of a scuffle, and an indent where she had rested awhile. Then her path picked up after a different creature, and it was following this that led him finally to his wayward dog.

She was growling at the base of a tree, where Rey could see the other path had disappeared into, and not come out. Slithering closer, he sniffed the air, scenting another rabbit. Sable's problem was obvious, up close. The rabbit hole was a tight fit, and he could see dirt on her muzzle from where she'd tried to push in.

Gently, he reached out and pulled Sable to the side. With his trowel, it was easy enough to collapse the top half of the entrance. Sable wasted no time, lunging at the newly expanded hole and clawing the loose dirt away. Then there was a crunch, and the dog popped free of the hole, corpse in jaw.

She looked so pleased with herself that Rey couldn't help but laugh. "Come on. Let's find a place to wash off, then head back home. " He hissed.

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

Back in his home, Rey frowned thoughtfully at the roots he had. He'd tried to choose plants of similar sizes, but as it turned out, similar sized leaves didn't mean similar sized roots. Even more annoying, he'd managed to cut several of the roots during his digging. He wasn't sure if it would affect anything or not, but some of them seemed to be leaking fluid. Still, they were at least usable. Not too bad for a first attempt.

He'd washed them in the river earlier, so that was step one done. Setting a bowl of water over the fire, Rey gently lay out the four roots with the waxy leaves on the cutting board, and pulled out his knife. Slow and methodical, that was the way. Careful, precise cuts that left him with paper thin slices of root. Or that was the idea, anyways. In practice, he ended up with slices that were more leather thick. A few more cuts diced the roots roughly, nearly taking off the tip of Rey's finger along with it. Then the diced roots went into a flask, along with a ladle of hot, but not boiling water to steep, while Rey went to find something to bandage his finger with.

By the time Rey was finished doing the whole process all over again with the other set of roots, without the cut this time, the first flask was steeped through, the water within a light blue. Straining the liquid out into a beaker, Rey set it to simmer over a low fire. The same process was repeated with the second flask, though Rey wasn't too enthusiastic about this batch. Even leaving it to steep longer hadn't helped with the murkiness of the liquid, and it seemed likely he'd have to toss out these doses.

It'd be bells before either batch would be ready for bottling. And it was still early enough in the night for Rey to catch a bite at the rose. Watching Sable hunt has made him hungry.

----------

By the time Rey returned, full up on freshly cooked rabbit, the blue whinnis was almost done. He dithered around for a while, rewrapping his finger, tightening the cloth just a little, then changing his mind and loosening it again. When the colour of the liquid was right, Rey took both flasks off the fire, and bottled the whinnis. At the end of it, he had four vials of poison, two a rich blue, the other a cloudier shade. The plants with the waxy leaves were better, for sure, but the other batch wasn't as bad as he'd feared. It had a similar colour, and the right consistency. He'd have to test it to know for sure, of course, but right now Rey was inclined to call it a success.

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Yisanareysin]

The ssssssnake hassss your gradesssss...

Reysin

Skills

‡ Negotiation +1
‡ Socialization +2
‡ Hypnotism +3
‡ Animal Husbandry +3
‡ Organization +3
‡ Running +1
‡ Land Navigation +1
‡ Botany +2
‡ Logic +1
‡ Mathematics +1
‡ Pathfinding +2
‡ Tracking +1
‡ Poison +1
‡ Medicine +1

Lores

‡ Poison: Silk Streak
‡ Poison: Phantom's Shell
‡ Poison: Blue Whinnis
‡ Poison: Black-Eye
‡ Poison: Terror Root
‡ Where to find Whinnis near Alvadas
‡ Blue Whinnis: Waxy Leaves are better
‡ Botany: Whinnis Root

Rewards & Retribution

‡ -827 GM (Poisons, Kit & Shovel)
‡ 1 Dose of Black Eye
‡ 1 Dose of Phantom's Shell
‡ 1 Poisoncrafting Kit
‡ 1 Shovel
‡ 4 Doses of Blue Whinnis
‡ A cut on the index finger of the left hand, will heal in 3-5 days

Don't forget to delete your post in the grading queue, and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me about your grade!