The Unseen Servant forums

Lug goes to the wagon where the shriveled old crone works. He shows her the jug that's called the Beer of Guldarim.

"Hi! Do you know what this is?"

50 gp deducted.

05 September 2021

The old crone quips, "That's a big jug of beer; don't you recognize it?" She then cackles at her own joke, removing the stopper and examining the liquid within. "It's beer, yes. But dwarven beer... brewed with such mastery as to imbue it with their great desires..." she sniffs it with her bulbous red nose, then dips a long pinky nail in. A look of realization comes over her face and she pauses, clutching the jug and tentatively sliding the 50 coin back across the counter top. "It is a big jug, is it not? Allow me the first quaff of this beverage and I'll waive my fee..."

Lug looks confused. "Why? What's so awesome about it? If you tell me what it does, then maybe you can have a drink for 50gp."

The old crone is hesitant to release the jug. She accepts the offer, though, and produces her own 50gp to add to the 50gp Lug has placed on the counter, one hand on the jug, the other over the coins. "This... this is a potion of longevity. It will restore some youth to my old bones. I would say I have greater use of it than you, as a young strapping man." She tries to bat her eyes charmingly, but its ineffective.

How old is Lug, exactly?

Lug's eyes grow wide. "Wow...a portable fountain of youth?"

He pushes the gold back to the old woman. "Keep your money. And mine as payment. Take your quaff."

Then he realizes a question he should have asked before offering the free drink: "How many doses are in there, anyway?"

Lug is 22.

She pours out a frothy glass of dark beer and drinks it, a bit too greedily. As she does, you see the transformation before your eyes - the deep creases on her face lessen to mere wrinkles, her brittle, straw-like white hair turns a silky gray, her hunch lessens to a stoop. Rather than being an old crone in her eighties, she now looks like merely in her seventies.

Her eyes twinkle with delight as she slides the coins away and, in response to Lug's follow-up question, peers into the jug. "Ha! A rare jug indeed that you have here. Look within the rim. It is full: the same amount of liquid as before I poured." She regards it quizzically with a sniff and a dip of her pinky once more. "But now it is different as well, as if a layer of the tale has been told. This is now a potion of speed, enhancing your physical prowess two-fold." She slides the jug back across to him. "Enjoy your beer young warrior; I suspect you may find more surprises in its depths." She preens a moment in a mirror, smoothing her gray hair with wrinkled hands, then smiles coyly at him. "I feel like a young woman again myself... perhaps you'd fancy a date?"

Lug grins flirtatiously at the less-old woman's advances. "If only I had the time," he answers with a wink. "I do have this potion of speed, but that might not be so great for you, huh?"

He starts to take his leave of the woman, thinking as he does that he is glad that the potion changed. He wasn't sure he was ready to be the one to decide who does and who doesn't have to die of old age.

"Oh, hey—I don't wanna run this thing dry or anything, but would it be okay if I came back every few days to see what other potions this turns into?"

"I think that arrangement suits me," she smiles.

Lug visits Rheanna to survey her selection of mounts. They all seem like ponies compared to his large frame.

"You don't have any war oxen, do you?" he jokes.

He decides to purchase a war horse, as the next best closest option. He walks among the animals, trying to find one he bonds with. He asks some of them if they'd like to be his friend, but doesn't find any horses who can talk—or who choose to, anyway. After finding one that seems suitable, he thinks of asking the nice druids at Beith's Watch to ask the horse what his name is.

War Horse - 300 gp
Riding Saddle - 30 gp
Horse Barding - 180 gp Poor thing's loaded down enough as it is.
Saddle Bags (4) - 4 gp, 8 sp
Feed (14 days) - 8 sp, 4 cp
Total: 515 335 gp 6 sp 4 cp deducted. One horse added.

Halfpint purchases 20 days of preserved rations and 5 days of fresh. She includes 10 days feed for her pony.
She also purchases 10 quivers full of arrows for the trip.

Can anyone think of gifts she could purchase in town to take to the loggers, faeries, etc? Thinking tools, mirrors, etc? She wants to buy some friendship and loyalty where possible.
(I'll calculate costs tomorrow in between meetings)

Before leaving town, Piers goes shopping and purchases: 12 iron spikes, 10 candles, a small steel mirror, 50' silk rope, 5 oil flasks, a lantern, 5 large sacks, a grappling hook, 30 days preserved rations, 10 days of mule feed, and a pack saddle.

He and his mule handlers load it all onto Norp the mule and head on out of town.

85 gp deducted

Prior to his August departure to Idmi D'dum, Bremen (or one of his men) spends 348gp on:

10 Large, Wooden chests - 12gp
Tent - 12gp
8 Rations, trail (perday, preserved) - 4gp
Stoic Draft Horse [with Battle-familiarity] - 70gp
Horse-drawn wagon - 240gp

Lug spends a few days testing his fun new jug. First, he drinks a potion that makes him move really fast—he spends a couple of minutes running around at what he thnks is breakneck speed until he remembers that he still has his dragon armor on; he's just able to keep up with an unarmored elf. He looks around for someone who might be interested in a friendly fight, but no one seems to be want to tossle with a juiced-up junior giant. So then he looks for do-gooding to do good, but Gaul has a lack of little old ladies needing help to cross the street. And the streets in Gaul aren't exactly dangerous to cross. Maybe he could help with some construction! But he doesn't see any.

In the end, he finds that he hasn't really done much. He just did nothing really fast.

He checks in with the crone. A couple of days later he takes another swig and floats above the town. He floats way up high, where he considers spitting on unsuspecting people on the ground. But he decides that wouldn't be nice. So he just floats back down again.

He can't wait to find out what the crone will tell him about the next potion.

10 September 2010
Bemused as Lug returns once more to have his beer tested by the old crone, she tells him, "This one will make you pass unseen..."

Piers visits Rheanna the Ferrier and purchases a stoic riding horse and a saddle.

140gp deducted.

Piers returns to the farrier and purchases a stoic riding horse and a saddle for Florin.

140gp deducted

Tollander visits the leather worker. "I need to carry gear, but a backpack is too big and awkward for me. I need a satchel. Can you make one for me? A strap to go over my shoulder and maybe another to go around my waist".

A saddlebag is listed for 1sp. I figure adapting one to be a satchel might cost 2-3sp? I'll deduct 3

Clint Brockhammer visits the nice old lady (he'd never call someone a "crone") and asks her if she would identify three postions he obtained in his recent adventures: two dusty potions and a sludgy grey orcish potion. He offers as payment strange gold coins minted with ellurian symbols.

The crone is delighted to see her young, handsome benefactor. She asks if he has any more of the potion of youth available, perchance? She bats her eyes coquettishly.

She also, however, identifies the potions appropriately.