The Whispering Pestle

A cramped apothecary shop where the shelves seem to rearrange themselves and the proprietor always has exactly what you need — for a price.

Environment Urban

Tucked between two larger buildings in a narrow alley, The Whispering Pestle is easy to miss unless you know to look for the faintly glowing mortar-and-pestle sign. Inside, floor-to-ceiling shelves hold thousands of labeled jars, dried herbs, bottled essences, and stranger things preserved in amber fluid. The shop is tended by an ancient gnome alchemist whose memory for formulas is encyclopedic, though her prices shift with her mood. A beaded curtain leads to a back room where custom elixirs, poisons (sold discreetly), and mutagens are brewed to order. Regular customers swear the shop is larger inside than out.

• self-rearranging shelves
• custom elixir brewing service
• rumored secret stock of rare mutagens

• volatile alchemical mixtures
• mislabeled containers
• a protective homunculus