Completed [Stromhold Salves] A Potion and a Dream [Aoren]

[Ethan Ironhorse]

30th of Fall, 513 AV Stromhold Salves Stormhold Salves is a small apothecary shop located in the Third Tier of Stormhold Castle, in one of the more enviable spots in the entirety of the tier. It's success has won it a coveted courtyard wall location with real outside windows overlooking the tree lined outdoor portion of the bazaar, which not only makes it one of the few shops with fresh air and sunshine, it also makes it easily found by anyone who wanders into the Great Bazaar. Though it looks quaint, nearly anything a person needs can be provided by Mistress Sahfri, even the more exotic herbs from far-away lands. There is no real rhyme or reason to how the shop is set up, every wall lined with shelves and shelves of glass jars. Some are cordoned off with thick velvet curtains to protect the herbs from bright sunlight streaming through the windows. Other bottles are filled with liquids of every imaginable color, distilling in the warm rays of Syna's light. The seeming chaos is easily mastered by the shopkeeper, Mistress Sahfri, who is helped along by the extra pair of long, strong arms. She can be found nearly anytime, day or night, always with a calm smile and a welcoming word - usually in whatever language the speaker prefers. All prices are by inquiry only. Ethan entered the shop looking around. The herbs next to the window he could identify and would have loved to bought some, problem was he didn’t have a window. Trying to care for the herb was next to impossible without his own garden and his own Philtering skills seemed to have fallen by the wayside. He had collected a Mortar and Pestle but hadn’t really been able to follow up on honing his skills or his equipment. The bottles and devices needed were only part of the equation, as he still needed raw herbs and components to help create some of the formula he had. Of course, he had instead started to learn Shielding, which had derailed his studies a bit. Now he was working on bringing up his fighting skills while trying to keep up with his studies of Shielding. It was hard, practicing and training during the day, then performing a bell or two of magic at night in his bedroom before applying Krolar poultice and healing bruises or scrapes. He had gone through the stuff faster than he had imagined with the constant training. Bruises were now the normal, as well as, the tired muscles and constant feeling of movement. Ethan needed a break some time to explore or get out of the city. The training was just too much and Ethan felt like he was starting to get caught in some kind of exercise nightmare. Still it didn’t feel like Ethan could go to the Broken Casket or Rearing Stallion for an ale. He really needed to leave the city, leave its walls. For a moment, he thought about a childhood dream of exploring the Ayalasa Caves that housed the refugees of Syliras during the great Valterrian. Of course his dream, he also uncovered some type of secret or grand piece of history. Ethan chuckled under his breath, it was a child’s dream of course, the caverns had been mapped by countless explorers. Heck, you could buy a map stating some kind of lost tunnel for ten gold mizas in the bazaar. Or if you had the money to burn, there was always some lost journal describing a secret treasure trove of valuable pre-Valterrian artifacts. Still, Ethan had to admit that he should still go there once before he left Syliras and recognize a part of his history. Even if it was nothing more than seeing the main caves that everyone lived in. Ethan shook his head out of his day dream and stopped playing with some of the herbs. He needed to find some more Krolar Poultice and perhaps something to boost his muscle growth for perhaps ten days so that he could ask Ser Titus for additional training. Though in truth he was worried about taking too many short cuts and the Krolar Poultice was already healing Ethan’s tissues of the stress he was putting on them. Ethan looked around for a clerk, giving the man a signal that he was ready to be helped.

[Aoren]

Aoren had been at work all morning. Indeed, he'd been at the shop since before Syna kissed the skies with her gracious light. They had a great deal of work to do that morning. The beginning of the colder seasons was when all of the citizenry of Syliras liked to stock up on poultices, creams, salves and the occasional potion or two that Mistress Blackleaf made in preparation for the winter. It was always better to stock up early than to be beset by some horrible disease and incapable of going to the shop for fear of spreading it.

"Rak'keli, Mother Avalis, give me patience." Aoren had only recently learned of the Goddess of Healing, the patron deity of his chosen profession. As an apothecary, even an apprentice one, he was a practitioner of medicine in some small manner. Though he didn't consider himself a physician there were times when he had applied the knowledge he'd gained from working under his employer's tutelage. He had once seen to a boy in the market place who had fallen off a crate and injured his arm. Not only had he bandaged the boy he had told the boy's mother what remedies to use in order to treat him and stave off infection.

There had also been a time when he'd encountered a poor citizen who had been exposed to poison oak. Aoren had informed him of the proper ointment to apply to his skin to alleviate itching and treat the rashes that burned all over the skin of his forearms and his lower legs. He had learned so much in the past year of Sahfri Blackleaf's employ that it often surprised him. He did not often see other apprentices, if the Mistress had any to speak of, but Aoren seemed to be the one most often found at her shop.

Presently though? He was trying not to pull his hair out. All morning he'd been swamped with customers. Old ladies asking for remedies to cure their aching bones, old men seeking ways to "improve their performance", young men looking for ways to entice young women. Colds, fevers, sneezes, chills, aches, pains, rashes. The list went on and Aoren hadn't had a moment's rest since the door to the shop had opened.

He was feeling a little overwhelmed. So when things finally quieted down he took a breather. Aoren was naturally a person who avoided people. It was one of the reasons he'd picked the seemingly quiet shop for employment. There were days when things became rushed though and he was slowly learning to deal with it. He had to. He enjoyed his work too much to just hide himself away like he used too. Too many days he'd spent just burying himself in a book or out running about the wilds exploring. He did it because he'd lost a friend and he'd turned his back on people for a time after that.

He was slowly returning to the masses however.

Aoren pulled a book from the shelf. It was a book concerning the practice of Philtering which was the craft that was at the root of being an apothecary. Or at least it was one of the crafts. He opened the book up to a page that he'd read at least a dozen times while making the various poultices around the shop. He needed to. He was still little more than an apprentice after all.

Today he would be reading about the various processes by which the methods of Philtering could be applied.

"Calcination. Hard solids are reduced to powered material through this process. It allows the philterer to purify solids and reduce them down to more workable forms without a loss of usefulness and beneficial properties. Some substances are crystallized through this process. The actual process involves heating the base substance without it contacting the heat’s fuel source. The temperature is not enough to melt the base substance but hot enough to cause various thermal-based changes in the base substance that brings out a purer end result. Calcination may also be performed by crushing or smashing minerals beforehand and then heating them to crystallization. The final product of this form of calcinations is known as calx. "

Aoren was just about to turn the page when the door to the shop opened. He looked up from the book and stood up a little straighter. A customer. Aoren waited patiently as the man perused the shelves in search of whatever remedy he needed. When the man signaled for Aoren to approach the Drykas gave him a reassuring smile.

"How may I help you?"

NoteI am so, so, so, sorry for the delay!

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan watched the young clerk leave his book open as he came over to answer. “Hello, I am looking for about sixty doses of Krolar Poultice, if possible 12 doses of Iskyny Tea, 3 doses of Mandrake Tonic infused with willow bark, and a gallon of linseed oil with the following herbs in suspension: Goldenrod, Cottonwood, and Alder, and I am sure it goes without saying, but could you make sure that the rims on the vials and jars are coated in wax.” Ethan smiled, he knew that he was giving a large portion of coin away for the medicines and that the wax seal would keep them reasonably fresh over the winter. Or course, the infusion and suspension was the basis of what little knowledge that Ethan had about philtering. Ethan was sure that there had to be some way to make the potions stronger, the Mandrake Tonic with willow bark would help ease the pain of a sore throat and reduce fever. The linseed oil had been used to help sooth horse muscles and ligaments since before the Valterrian, but the suspension of Goldenrod, Cottonwood, and Alder bark would help smooth and increase the strength of the ligaments. Ethan would try it on himself, and hope that which worked on horses worked for him. Personally Ethan would have liked to distilled the herbs in water and created a higher potency, but distillation could hurt some of the healing properties. He just didn’t know enough, nor have the money to spend on experimentation and equipment. Besides, Ethan would reduce his training in winter, but he needed to work as a blacksmith to try and gain enough money to travel by spring. Ethan thought about the training and his leather armor, before the man could respond Ethan asked an additional question, “Also, I need something for my leather armor… water from the rain is starting to penetrate the hide. I went ahead and retreated the armor with beeswax to seal the areas that weren’t properly covered. However, my problem is that only prevents the outside from getting wet, you won’t have an oil or leather binder that I can apply on the inside to clean and penetrate the hide to give it back some of its hardness?” Ethan had been thinking about the armor and fur wondering what types of philtering potions might work. His own book had been mainly about medicines and separating out the healing essences from others.

[Aoren]

Aoren listened patiently as the man rattled off the items he wished for. He smiled to himself. This was someone who obviously had training in medicine. He knew his poultices and tonics quite well. That also provoked the question as to what the man would need such things for? It was none of Aoren's business but he made a mental note of the list.

"Krolar Poultice was what you asked for first yes?" He nodded. It was a rhetorical question but Aoren said it by way of reassurance that he had been listening. He walked over to a shelf behind the counter where he could find topical medicines that caused numbness and evoked general healing. The normal dose for a container was three doses but Mistress Blackleaf kept a stock of varying sizes. He retrieved six jars of ten doses each and set them on the counter. For a moment Aoren browsed the shelves as he searched the catalog of items within his mind. He'd been working within Stormhold Salves for well over a year at this point and was familiar with the vast majority of items and where to find them.

"Iskyny Tea. Here we are." He walked over to another shelf next to herbal remedies and assorted teas that improved general wellness. "I wouldn't recommend drinking this tea if you've got a great deal of things to do or you're in an otherwise dangerous setting. I'm sure you know that but I'm required to tell you so that you don't misuse it." He retrieved three pouches of the tea and set them next to the poultice. Walking over to another shelf he browsed the assorted selection of tonics that were available there. He hummed to himself as he searched for the correct one.

"Mandrake and Willow Bark....let's see..." Running his fingers along the broad range of medicines he furrowed his brow then glanced to his left where he saw the one needed. "Ah! There it is." Plucking three vials from the shelf he set them on the counter next to the rest of the sizable order.

"The linseed oil will have to be specially made. We do not stock it with those particular herbs in suspension. We can do it but it will take a day or two to complete. All of our containers have a wax seal on them unless they are made for immediate use." He nodded to the assembled order on the shelf.

"Now then, I will say that you should be careful not to use too much Mandrake Tonic in one sitting. It is poisonous in large doses and can lead to further illness or death if untreated. If you start to feel anything abnormal after ingesting any of the remedies come back to the shop immediately or seek out a doctor as soon as possible." He retrieved a piece of parchment from beneath the counter then grabbed an ink bottle and quill pen. Aoren dipped the quill pen into the inkwell.

"I'm certain you already know this but Mistress Blackleaf asks that I reiterate it to each customer. The Krolar Poultice is used to numb painful areas and increase the effectiveness of general healing medicines. You shouldn't use it in excess otherwise you risk losing feeling in the area it is applied to." As he spoke he continued to write these instructions down so that there would be no manner of miscommunication.

"The same as before for the Mandrake Tonic." He scribbled a few notes below the initial instructions regarding the Krolar poultice. "As for the tea, no heavy lifting after drinking a single serving. A single serving is one cup. Avoid working with sharp objects and if you can take it when you're either about to go to bed or just generally don't have anything to do. Again, do not consume it in excess as you run the risk of inducing a coma." He finished writing out the instruction then tabulated the price of each medicine and documented the expense of each one individually so that the man could itemize them if he wished.

"The Krolar is five silver mizas for a 3 dose container. I gave you six containers of ten doses each. That is nine gold mizas and six silver mizas total for those." He pointed to the calculations he'd done on the parchment to show the man how he'd come to that conclusion.

"The Iskyny Tea is ten gold mizas for every four dose pouch. That totals thirty gold mizas." He scribbled down his tabulations so that the man could follow his mathematical train of thought. "And the Mandrake Tonic is usually only two silver mizas but with the infusion of Willow Bark that brings it up to three silver mizas. That makes for nine silver mizas total." He hums and sighs adding his final tabulations bringing the price of all the items together to form the man's receipt.

"That brings you to a grand total of forty gold mizas and five silver mizas. You won't have to pay for the linseed oil until you come to pick it up. We should have it finished in about two days. The oil alone is usually two silver miza but with the added herbs it will bring the price up to seven silver mizas. That's for a regular amount. For a gallon?" Aoren did a little bit of math in his head. All of these numbers were sometimes a headache but he enjoyed it as it was a bit of a challenge for him. "That will make it five gold mizas."

Aoren extended the parchment with both his instructions and the total for cost to the man with a smile as he began to straighten up the man's order so that he could more easily deposit it into whatever means of carrying all of the items he'd brought with him.

"As for a means of curing and protecting leather?" He shook his head. "We don't regularly stock a means of doing that. You should probably visit The Leatherworks. Master Nabinu would be able to help you." He finished assembling the order neatly then stared at the man.

"This is quite a hefty order. May I ask what you need it for?"

NoteTotal for Krolar Poultice, Mandrake Tonic, and Iskyny Tea = 40 GM 5 SM
Total for Linseed Oil = 5 GM

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan watched the clerk go off to the counter and at the question Ethan nodded. When the clerk placed the large jars of Poultice in front of Ethan, he made a face of dissatisfaction. The larger jars of Poultice were used for multiple people quickly, he had learned the same thing from working the Windmount Stables. When cracking the seal on the jar, you had maybe seven to ten days before it spoiled. Krolar Poultice tended to crack and separate water to its top, while the fat became rancid if left out too long. Ethan was going to have to request smaller samples. As the clerk talked about the Tea, Ethan nodded in understanding. He only used the Tea every so often to increase the overall healing of his body. He would take a day off from training and drink the tea at night to allow himself a deep rest that relaxed his muscles and ligaments. In the early days of training, Ethan had felt blisters on his feet, as well as, soreness in his knuckles and shins. The tea over the course of several nights, slowly helped his body heal and allow him to continue training. Of course, he needed more than a good nights rest, when he woke up after the first time using tea he had felt like his muscles and body were laden with lead. After the next few times, Ethan had allowed his body as much sleep as possible and it seemed to help with the next morning. Ethan was disappointed about the linseed oil, as a topical the oil was good for ligaments that seemed to be stressed with the training he was going through. Still waiting a couple of days would be bad, and it would take that long for the herbs to absorb into the oil. As the Clerk gave him the general information and cost, Ethan shook his head, he wasn’t going to pay for something that didn’t meet his needs. “Thank you for the advice and information about the medicines, but the Poultice needs to be in jars of three to two doses. I don’t want spoilage of a whole jar if I am using the Poultice only once every couple of days. I was hoping the shop had a trusted runner as well? I wouldn’t mind paying a silver or few copper to have some of the jars delivered to my room.” “The information about your products was helpful thank you. I remember the first time I tried the tea, and though most people state you need eight bells of rest, it usually takes about ten for me to feel the effects ware off. Besides, I only take it after periodically long work out sessions when the stress in my bones start tingling in pain. The Poultice is mainly used on bruises, chafing, and the occasional cut from sword practice. I have successfully used it to manage my injuries but your right too much of a good thing can numb an area. The price for the linseed oil…” Ethan rubbed his chin, it was a good price and he could probably haggle over it, but it seemed fair for the labor of dicing the herbs and suspending it. “I suppose five its ok.” Ethan went into his shirt and fished out a the appropriate coin for the man. Snorting, he felt horrible paying so much for medicines, but at least this way he wouldn’t have to worry about increasing prices as winter set in. “Well the Poultice and Tea, I use heavily because of how much training I do on a daily basis. The Pits tend to give bruised ribs and sore ligaments. The Poultice takes care of the bruises and cuts easily enough, if I roll a rib or over stress my bones through training, the tea helps me sleep at nights and in a day or two I am back to training. Now I haven’t broken a bone or tore a muscle yet… but I am being as careful as I can. The linseed oil, is often used on horses for over used ligaments. I have started feeling that muscle build, but its causing stress at the joints. I will massage the linseed oil into my joints, just like I would a horse.” “I am sorry to hear that you don’t have anything for armor. I went to the Leatherworks and got some wax, but that’s a short term treatment. After talking to Master Nabinu, he said there were lacquers or suspensions that philters use to make that could do such a thing and said that it was beyond his skill to make.” Ethan looked thoughtful and finally settled on something, “Hmmmm, it’s possible a sample of the armor coating is down in the Ayalasa Caves….” Ethan thought about it, if he could retrieve a sample it was possible for a philter to maybe determine the ingredients. “Would it be possible from a sample to determine what was used in its creation? How much would it cost to get a copy of the recipe?”

[Aoren]

Aoren nodded as the man requested to have the Krolar Poultice in the smaller dosage vials. He picked up the jars and put them back onto the shelves in their appropriate place. He retrieved the vials assembling them for the customer with a quiet nod.

"That would be me." He gave a quiet chuckle at the request of a runner to deliver the medicines to his room. Rubbing the back of his head he scanned over each item in front of him with his eyes making a mental note of each one as it would need to be crated and delivered carefully. "I make regular runs around the citadel every three days.

"If you leave the District, your name and roughly which number down the hall your door is then I can bring it right to you." " He grabbed another piece of parchment from beneath the counter and pushed the inkwell as well as the quill toward the customer.

He listened patiently as the man explained the various uses for which he was going to apply the medicines. He made a mental note to try and rub the linseed oil into his own muscles after a work out or a particularly grueling day. It would probably help with the aches and pains just as the man said it would.

"You know, there may be something down in those old caves. I went to them once. That was several seasons ago though. It was...interesting. To say the least. I know we don't make anything readily available of that variety because I help with the concocting of the majority of our stock." He waved his hand to the large assortment of items clustered about the shelves. "I can't imagine Mistress Blackleaf charging anyone for a recipe. Nothing we make is secret and the formula's can be found in medicinal books sold in shops all over the place. It would likely be the actual product that you would be charged for. I could certainly discern the properties of a substance for you. That's one of the basic techniques of Philtering." He scratched his chin.

"You know, a venture to the caves is a little dangerous to undertake by yourself. I could accompany you if you like, Sir? After all it would be a chance to further my own knowledge of substances useful in my trade." He shrugged his shoulders but left the offer out there.

"In any case I can have your medicines delivered in two days to your room."

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan raised an eyebrow when he heard that the clerk was also the runner. Ethan had expected a small child doing the task for a few extra coin here and there, but Ethan supposed that the clerk could also do the runs. Ethan left his apartment address on the slip of paper, as well as, the order just to make sure that he received all the items that he had bought. It wasn’t because Ethan feared that the clerk would cheat him, no he was more afraid that he wouldn’t remember the quantity of all the items and forget one. Besides he didn’t want to waste the man’s time. Ethan was surprised that the man had gone down into the caves. He had always been too busy working, or his mother or father would state that the wilderness was too dangerous. Ethan looked over the shop as the man gestured to it and was pleasantly surprised that they wouldn’t charge Ethan for the recipe and discovery of it. Of course, he would end up buying ingredients from them, and that was assuming that they still existed, not to mention they could easily sell the potion to the leatherworks. Ethan thought over the offer of having the clerk join him. The man had been to the caves before and knowing what to expect, would help. Ethan’s plan had been to buy some journal of the caves and see if he couldn’t figure out a place where armor was kept. It was likely that it would be buried, or if Ethan could find a journal describing a lost party in the caves, he might be able to find a body with armor preserved. Anything was possible, a cave in or mishap in the caves could have killed someone with pre-valterrian equipment, some of it still might exist. “Well, I won’t mind help, and if you potentially get another formula in the process, I wouldn’t mind the help. I think our best bet is to see if an old journal from Valterrain is up for sale in the Bazaar. It’s possible that a book might make mention of a missing hunting party or patrol could lead us to a cave in or fall that would produce lost items. Granted, we will need rope and climbing gear, but it’s a better shot then trying to stay to the common paths and rooms. Just my thoughts… the name is Ethan Ironhorse, an if we are going to go and try to recover some lost thing, I suppose an introduction is in order.” Ethan held out his hand for the clerk.

[Aoren]

"You may call me Aoren." He shook the man's hand with a small smile. "My experience in the caves is rather limited. I didn't go very far in. I didn't stay for very long either." He dropped his hand once it was released. His spelunking into the Ayalasa Caves had been quite an adventure really. It was there that he had met and befriended a mischevious specter by the name of Fubuki Kouri.

While the experience had been pleasant enough he sometimes wondered that if he had angered the spirit that things may have gone differently. There was no telling what could happen when the dead were involved. Namely, dead who should not still be amongst the living. In any fashion. There were times when Aoren considered looking into whether or not there was a discipline of magic concerning the dead so that he might help such troubled spirits ease on into the next world. In any regard he pulled himself from his thoughts and studied the man in front of him.

"So, Ethan, when were you interested in departing for the caves?" He stepped away from the counter going into the back work room for a brief moment to retrieve a crate. Once that was done he set it on the counter then began the task of placing the customer's medicines into its slotted sections. He left the top of the crate open as his order was not complete then placed the note scrawled on the parchment on top of it.

A trip to the caves would take no less than a full day. Of that Aoren was certain. While his own venture had taken him roughly two days that was because it had been slow going. He'd learned a little about cave diving or spelunking as the more experienced cave divers would call it. What he knew was sparse and scattered at best though. Hence, two minds would be far better than one. The last time he'd had an ethereal partner to warn him of dangers that he otherwise would not have been able to see. She had possessed no fear of death thus she hadn't been inhibited in her curiosity. Aoren had been forced to be more careful though. He was still rather fond of being alive.

"We won't need a map on how to get to the caves. I remember the way there. Unless the landscape has suddenly changed dramatically I can still get us there." He offered a slight chuckled at his small joke. In Mizahar, one could pose the notion that the landscape really did change to suit its own needs. Whatever those needs may have been.

"Once we are inside though..." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "...there really is no telling what waits for us. Some parts might be charted out. Most, if not the entirety of the caves, are still a complete and utter mystery."

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan thought over Aoren questions after all Ethan didn’t want to try and be foolish and make a decision without thought. “I am not sure about when I can be ready to go. We will need supplies and gear, but before we get supplies or such. We really need a good lead and understanding of what we are looking for. Which sadly means research… how about we meet together in twenty five days to determine any leads in which we have found? After all, I want to look at some journals and possible historical texts to see if we can’t find a general map of the caves, and then use that to determine possible cave entries and dangers that exist.” “I am afraid that I can’t be more specific than that, I want to make sure we have a general idea of something we can find and where. Otherwise, we are exploring randomly hoping to find something, and I don’t plan on staying in the caves for days without anything to show for it. So I want to do research first before we go, and that way its profitable for the both of us. Perhaps you could look to what is needed for the trip? I know that climbing gear will probably be required, as well as, rations and sleeping gear, but since you have a little experience with the caves, it might be better for you to go over our supply list. Or can you think of a better plan?” Ethan felt slightly uncomfortable about not allowing them to head off to the caves in a couple of days, but he didn’t want to waste money or time by going to the caves and hoping they would stumble onto something. In additional Ethan had asked Aoren thoughts because after talking with Squire Orion he wanted to make sure that a plan existed for them all, and one they agreed to. Perhaps it was better this way, talking to someone and determining if they would be helpful during the trip or not. If Aoren, didn’t provide a list or didn’t think about it and made it up when they got together Ethan would know that the man was lazy and wasn’t taking this venture seriously. On the other hand, if Aoren presented a well thought out list and items that would help them be successful then Ethan knew that Aoren would be able to pull his own weight mentally.

[Aoren]

"Fortunately I am a patient man. Besides, there are several things we need to think through before jumping into venturing down into the caves." Before he could tap into the in and outs of the planning Ethan was already ticking off things that had crossed Aoren's mind. He folded his arms over his chest listening to the man talk. His eyes were cast downward seemingly studying the patterns in the floor. He was listening intently though. When Ethan had finished he looked up.

"I am certain there are rudimentary maps or journals explaining a general layout of the caves. There are probably several to be found on the shelves of Master Dominac Ariva's shop. The Undeniable Interests. I have been in there a number of times myself in search of one thing or another." He retrieved another sheet of parchment from beneath the counter. Dipping his quill into the ink he began to scrawl up a list.

"The cave diving gear will probably be available at one of the stands in the Great Bazaar but I will definitely check with the smiths at the Ironworks just to be sure. They are probably the ones who fashion the hooks used to scale the walls. If they don't have the gear they will probably be able to point me in the right direction." Though he was speaking aloud it was more for his own benefit than for Ethan's. It was a way to organize his thoughts as he jotted them down onto the paper.

"We should expect to carry supplies for at least seven days. At the very minimum. While I don't think either of us is experienced enough to explore the caves for very long without risking injury a day or two inside them shouldn't do us any harm." He leaned on the counter brushing the feather of the quill against his chin as he thought about what else they may or may not need during the small adventure. There was no denying that Aoren was excited at the prospect of exploring. He hadn't truly embraced his more adventurous side in several seasons. It was time to get out of his shell.

"I think I'll check with some of the local merchants to see if maybe any of them are going to be sprouting an expedition into the caves any time soon. I hear that many merchants around the city make it habit of recovering things that may have been left behind in them." He shrugged his shoulders looking down at the list he'd made. On it were scrawled billeted items including going to the aforementioned shops, possible pieces of equipment, supplies, and other bits of information that may prove useful to look into.

"Twenty-five days sounds like a reasonable amount of time. I didn't really expect us to uproot ourselves overnight. Things like this need to be planned after all. I will keep in touch with you as I hear things. Sound good?" He extended a hand to Ethan with an excited smile. A handshake to close the deal with the expectation to get together a proper venture.