Siber goes to the Breaking Wave Inn, in the Sea Ward, as per the guard's directions. After a few minutes of walking, he reaches the inn. It's a nice place, warm and bustling with a friendly atmosphere. The outside has a fresh new coat of dark blue paint and the building's ceiling itself is molded to look, from the outside, like a wave crashing on the shore. Water droplets drawn on the building artfully spell out the words "The Breaking Wave Inn". The beautiful exterior is slightly put off by the smell of burning hair emanating from inside, however.
You ask around for the location of the alchemist; it's not difficult. The inn's proprietor tells you to go upstairs and take your second left, which you do. The door is open, and inside is an old, short(even for a gnome) gnome with a bald head except for a thick shock of white hair sticking out in a ring just above his ears. His bushy white eyebrows are literally smoking, apparently they were just put out of fire. There are two pairs of spectacles, one pair of goggles, and even a monocle perched precariously on top of his head, tucked up, and he's wearing yet another pair of spectacles on his eyes. The large room is cluttered with vials, alchemical ingredients, and books of all sorts that have been haphazardly scattered about. The gnome looks up at you and waves in a jolly sort of way. "Fingin Fenwick Filibuster, alchemist extraordinaire, at your service!" he calls, in a squeaky voice that reminds you of a mouse.
ROTFLMAO, my alchemist was a Gnome too! Ok, I explain to him what I found at Winterbrook, explaining the whole poison in the well thing, and that we need his help. I assume I have a sample of the water on me. I will also tell him (as soon as he asks) I am willing to do whatever it is he is about to ask me to do in return for his services.
"Oh," says the gnome, waving a hand, "okay. I seem to have misplaced many of my alchemical tools back home, and without them, I can hardly do anything. I have recently...moved here from a nice place just west of the Western Heartlands, that's where they would be." He hands you a map, upon which is messily and barely decipherable cat scratch that gives you directions to his old house. "Retrieve my alembic, my Hessian crucible, my retort, my aludel, and my mortar and pestle for me, then we'll talk about your little poison. Oh, and something else you might find interesting, I recently created a new alchemical formula. It doesn't turn lead into gold yet but it turns steel into silver, which might come in very handy. I seem to have also left behind almost all of my books. This is but a pitiful shadow of my original collection-" he gestures to the mass of papers and tomes "-and I should very much like to have at least some of my old books back, there were some real gems in there, even some written by myself! For every ten of my books that you bring back to me, I will change one of your weapons into silver. As for arrows, I will change one dozen for every ten books you bring to me. Now, do you agree to my terms?"
It seems to be a more than reasonable proposition, I accept. You better tell me now the thing you forgot to mention about this place you spoke of. I know you did...
Do I currently possess any gold? If not, is there some way I can earn it? I have a plan, but you know how it is, money makes the multiverse go round!
"Forgot to mention?" the gnome repeats absentmindedly, scratching his balding head. "Nope. I didn't forget, I think omitted is more the word. If I told you, you probably wouldn't want to go, and I really want that stuff! What I ever did without my Hessian crucible, I'll never know." He starts mumbling to himself about his alchemical equipment.
"Good to know," the gnome says, nodding. "Well...I did a lot of experiments, and not all of them were successful. Homonculi, ghouls but not ghasts from my experimentation with the undead, broken ones, etc. You will not encounter nearly as many of any of these creatures as you normally would, though, and if you need help I can give you some of my more successful subjects to help you. I also had a good deal of security at my home, so expect traps."
Jdogg, I guess you can if you want to...DH, where is that online PH at? Where did you find it?
