19

Luyen, the city of flowers and wine, greets you, its towers, timbered houses, and fortified perimeter walls silhouetted against the sky. It lies in the shadow of the Ceners, at a dangerous bend where the fast-flowing Storn undercuts the sheer slopes of Mount Prindar.

The captain docks at the Luyen quay for provisions, and as his men busy themselves with a myriad of duties and tasks, you accompany him on a visit to the Luyen apothecary.

The entrance to this famed establishment is marked by a huge stone jar, creaking on its chains. The shop is vast, and full of things that stir your curiosity. Towers of containered liquids, mountains of coarse-grained powders, and forests of roots and herbs crowd the bleached wooden shelves. The captain seeks medicines of strength and healing in readiness for the battle ahead, and the herbmaster’s eyes widen with delight when he reads the captain’s list—they are his most expensive preparations.

If you wish to examine some of the potions that line the shelves, turn to 2.

If you wish to take a look at some of the other shops in this street while the herbmaster prepares the captain’s order, turn to 152.