### 183

One stall in particular catches your eye. A sign reads:

MADAM TARLAS--HERBAL CURES & REMEDIES
APOTHECARY TO NOBLEMEN & KINGS

The stall is full of potions and salves and the dried leaves and roots of many different plants, some of great power and others of no use at all. Your trained eye notices several items for sale that could be of great use to you as an alchemist. They are:

- 1 Jar of Ezeran Crystals (which produce an acid capable of melting metal when combined with sulphur). Cost: 5 Nobles
- Pestle and Mortar (Backpack Item). Cost: 5 Nobles
- 1 Bottle of Naphtha (a volatile, inflammable liquid). Cost: 2 Nobles
- 2 Vials of Laumspur (a healing potion that will restore 3 ENDURANCE points when swallowed). Cost: 2 Nobles each
- 1 Vial of Graveweed Essence (a strong poison). Cost: 1 Noble
- 1 Vial of Alether (a potion that will increase COMBAT SKILL by 2 points when swallowed before an attack). Cost: 2 Nobles
- 1 Bundle of dried Azawood Leaves (a base constituent that will charm up to 4 magical potions). Cost: 5 Nobles
- 3 Tarama Seeds (swallowing 1 seed permits a wizard to use his Wizard's Staff, or Magical Power, without losing any WILLPOWER points; they take up no room in your Herb Pouch or Backpack).9 Cost: 3 Nobles each

You may purchase any number of these items. Items that do not fit in your Herb Pouch must be carried as extra Backpack Items. Remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.

Turn to 26.

[9] Tarama Seeds may be recorded as Special Items since they don't take up space in your Herb Pouch or Backpack. Each Tarama Seed can be used to cast exactly one spell or to use your Wizard's Staff outside of close combat (e.g. to fire a bolt of energy at a distant enemy) without using the normally required WILLPOWER points. Tarama Seeds cannot be used to maintain the effect of a spell or in place of other drains on your WILLPOWER, like mental attacks. It also seems inappropriate to use a Tarama Seed in close combat where you could then decide to expend an infinite amount of WILLPOWER to automatically win a fight.

Concept copyright © 1985 Joe Dever and Gary Chalk.
Text copyright © 1985 Ian Page.