Blog Post

The Adventure Shop

4/22/2021

An adventure shop with all the tricks, gadgets, dudads, and whatchamacallits you might need on your journey. 

The wall glistened, but it was not the wall itself, it was the weapons lining it.

The sun shone through the windows bouncing off the metal and blinding the shopkeeper who cleaned the bar between the weapons and the rest of the shop. 

The shopkeeper, Dahlia, blinked as the bright light invaded her vision. The light was annoying, but there was no point in fixing it. The gleaming weapons were good for business. First time, bright eyed warriors were charmed by the power of the metal on the wall. Though, through gentle guidance of the shopkeeper, would often leave with the items other than ones on the back wall.

Dahlia continued to go about the shop. 

Organizing the typical everyday items needed like backpacks, hammers, nails, candles, walking sticks, ropes, torches, blankets, tinder boxes, and the bags of coins. Each bag holding coins from several regions for more diverse spending opportunities for her travelers. And it allowed her to accept various currency from whomever entered her shop. All these items hung and were stored on the far right side of the shop wall.

Dahlia moved onto the potions, elixirs, balms, ointments, and herbs for various uses. Kept on a shelf toward the right side of the shop. She organized each of them to face forward ensuring the labels were clear as well as stuck to the glass well. No one would ever use one of her products and be endanger of it being mislabeled or smudged. 

She moved to the middle shelf of the shop. The shelves of knowledge, scrolls, notes, books of various topics, and other leather folders that held various pieces of papers. Looking very disorganized, but Dahlia knew where every piece of knowledge belonged. What she gave to adventurers was carefully scribed copies of her precious originals, but never the originals themselves.

On the left side of the shop held the shelf of various objects used in diversions, escapes, or just the general fun of pranks.

On the far left wall held various clothes and heavy cloaks for the new adventurers just starting their journey. The cloaks and clothes came in every size and style to accommodate the creatures that came into the shop. 

Though the Giant’s cloaks and clothes were kept in the back of their shop due to the size as they could not hang and be kept clean. 

Dahlia looked at the back of the shop. A place no one else would go. A place that held treasures most special.

Magic ingredients, weapons, spell books, wands and staffs, a library of books too precious to be left in the front of the shop. A table for work stood in the middle of the room. Empty bottles, books, unfinished books, and tools lay about the room waiting for a purpose. A place for her to create, invent, and imagine.

To the right was a door that lead outside to her metal working. The kelm residing under an old open stable converted to hold all she needed to create the weapons inside. Overtime she was slowly learning to create anything. Her one struggle was working with any metal. Some of the more delicate metal was too easily destroyed with her current skill set. Though it was a setback she would continue to learn and try, or hope one of the adventurers would teach her in trade for anything needed in the shop for their journey.

That is how she learned most things. She never traveled herself, but from the adventures she learned more than she could traveling. All of their combined knowledge adding to her ability to help anyone find what they needed for their journey. And her skill growing in creating and inventing new items for her shop.

As she finished organizing she wondered if she would have a few moments to go upstairs to  her little home to make a snack. The door opened answering her question as she waited to see who entered.

Was it the boisterous Borg the Strong? He was a warrior and adventure with no fears, or at least no known fears.

Or maybe Hazel the Healer. A crafty mage to a group of misfits. Hazel often came to the shop for bandages, ointments, and elixirs on a regular basis. Her new guild definitely had some learning challenges, or maybe they were too eager to take on challenges more than their skill level. 

But as the individual approached she did not recognize them, well at least not all of them. One thing she always recognized in the ever changing individual was their eyes. Aster could be any age, any race known to his knowledge. Powerful in magic and a well known adventurer, as well as one of Dahlia’s more frequent customers. She never knew how old he really was which made him more of an enigma than known to her. 

“Greetings Aster. I almost didn’t recognize you. You look like a seasoned wizard.”

Aster ran his hand down his white beard, “I thought it would look the part for a recent journey I’ve been asked on. They need a wise old man to listen to.”

Dahlia laughed as she put her rag under the bar in front of the weapons wall, grabbing a mug in its place. 

“Drink?” She offered.

Aster nodded, “Of course I would never pass up one of your magical brews!”

She passed the brew across the bar.

Aster took the brew, drinking while going through the shop looking at all the items.

“What can I get you for this journey?” Dahlia asked.

“The topical items. I will need one of your bags of coins. What is your current exchange rate? What will you currently take?”

The exchange rate factors in all towns, as you know, so it will rise and fall collectively. To answer your question, it has only gone up by one of this town’s gold coins. As far as currency I am willing to now take anything you have, given it isn’t fay currency. Too often does it disappear somehow right after the customer leaves. Curious isn’t it?”

Aster laughed, “I could see why that would be a problem.”

As Aster neared the shelves of knowledge with his brew her chest tightened. Anxious about the potential spills near the precious reading materials. Looking up, Aster’s mischievous smile could be seen through his white beard.

“I will not go near your book with this in hand. Although what I need might not be on the shelves.” He hinted.

Dahlia busied herself with shining a weapon that needed no attention.

“As you know the quest I will go on with these new adventurers will be very dangerous due to their lack of experience. I need protection spells.”

“I don’t sell,”

“Dahlia, I know you don’t sell spell books, but I have a theory you have them. I need a few to help my young adventurers stay safe.”

Dahlia looked up from the weapon, “You don’t need spells per say. Look on the third shelf to your right, not mine.”

Aster moved to the aisle of whatchamacallits. Exploring he came up to the front with a few items. 

“And these are?” he asked, placing them on the counter.

“Not what you asked for, but what you need.” Dahlia pointed to one, “What you are holding currently is a bubble spell.” She said moving to the shelf.

“It lasts for the time of danger, but will pop when the danger passes. Breathing is tricky. The more you breathe out the bigger it gets. The more you inhale the smaller. So when it is used it encourages good breathing techniques.”

Dahlia picked up the cubes, “These are gelatinous cubes great for escapes from great heights, moving through the sharp places. They will form with a little bit of liquid, from any source. They tend to get a mind of their own after eight to twenty-four hours. Sometimes sooner depending on the cube. So it is best to let them go when that happens.”

Dahlia moved to another, “There are a few more on that shelf, like this chain. That, while it is held, gives the user invulnerable invisible armour. They can not be harmed or touched by anything that would cause harm.”

“So I don’t need spells, just these. But won’t learning how to make these myself be better to protect them?”

“Giving you what you want would help you protect them, but it would ensure you would always protect them. If you do that they will not learn how to protect themselves. In giving you limited resources to protect them you will have to choose when to use those resources. Allowing you to help them in the most dire circumstances, but letting them grow where there is opportunity. You tend to overprotect and want to guide which is why you journey with new or unseasoned adventurers. You may want a spell book, but to teach you only need these.” Dahlia said handing the items back toward Aster.

“Point taken. I’m going to the Inn to get a room. Will you?”

“Everything you need will be set when you are ready to leave. And if your young adventurers are meeting you here, send them over. I will prepare them with what they need for the journey as well.”

“Of course. I will ensure they all find their way over to your shop.” Aster left as Dahlia brought Aster’s mug to the back of her shop.

Back at her front she straightened everything once more, ensuring the first time adventurers would be in awe of the shop. 

Often new adventurers were uncertain of the role they played in the journey and Dahlia loved helping them discover the tools they needed to find it.

Though Dahlia did not adventure herself she knew that sometimes you don’t need to be the one going on adventures, sometimes your journey is giving others the tools they need to live theirs. And she was perfectly content with that.

Thank you for reading and come back May 13th for part 2 of The Adventure Shop!!!

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