Apothecaria Final. Summertime Ills

(This one was published late due to moving house)

Finishing up Apothecaria as Girvan settles into life as the village witch. Following on from the Broken Cask Start.

Rand Roll had a recent interview with the Creator of Apothecaria.

Apothecaria solo - intro | start | finish

Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate

Continuing with Apothecaria

apothecaria | journal entries | village notes

Continuing on from the Game Start.

I kept on playing Apothecaria, without many major changes.

I can see this is a good game, but didn't have enthusiasm or energy for thinking about the prompts and my responses enough.

For some reason I find that it demands more of me than most other solo roleplaying.

For my next journalling game, I'll try writing my entries during the day or early evening. Maybe even after waking up!

Journal Entries - Summer in the Village

apothecaria | journal entries | village notes

Continuing on from Start (Spring).

Notes - Reputation 21, Silver 30, Store of Reagents - sea beast saliva, candy rock, moon moss, vampire venom, amethyst antlers, moon lotus.

First Week of Summer, Entry 3

I found an old pet of the last witch. There was a drawing of a big red-patterned bee in her notes, and I saw such a bee in Eowyn's garden. Eowyn told me she'd been given the bee to look after, until the old witch Mariana comes for it again...

First Week of Summer, Entry 4

Up at the Mountain with Pixie, where a giant welcomed us in. We talked about the Sky Whale. His kind have many stories about it. We found some glacier moss growing in his beard as he slept.

First Week of Summer, Entry 5

Came across where we found Whalebait and repaired them. The village children have taken a liking to the golem, and Whalebait seems to have built them a small castle.

I found gull-drake guano here.

First Week of Summer, Entry 6

Looking for some candy rock when the sphinx returned, with a riddle about frogs. I turned away to try elsewhere.

First Week of Summer, Entry 7

Great luck, found lots of gulldrake guano and some candy rock on a rocky outcrop!

First Week of Summer, Entry 8

Went looking for a princess toad in the bog but found a huge toad instead. It welcomed me with a poem about a witch who ate a cow that ate a horse that ate an elephant.

Continued looking and found a crashed airship, with a crocodilian body inside. Poser!

Left it be and found my princess toad.

First Week of Summer, Entry 9

I brewed up Ice Drake Tea, crushing the glacier moss and gulldrake guano, adding candy rock for flavour. It cured Wolfgang fine.

Spent some time in a meal with villagers, including Eowyn and Rhys.

Ice Drake Tea (Cough 1, Dehydration 3, Lungs 3, Sweet 4), Reputation 22, 76 Silver

Second Week of Summer, Entry 1

Rhys is back again, this time with someone else's cough. claims not to have annoyed any bog goblins!

Went searching for Darkwater in Hero's Hollow, looking through books in a ruined library. Found a story about the golem and witch of our village over two centuries ago... Curious! There is a long history here.

Took second batch of Darkwater while here, but had to solve a puzzle about bees and wasps. I had a nap while Pixie solved it. She loves puzzles.

Went back and cured our Rhys with Just Darkwater! He'll be sleeping for a week.

Notes - Just Darkwater! (Cough 2, Hot 2, Magic 2, Sweet 3, causes sleep, GP 118, Rep 23)

Third Week of Summer, Entry 1

I bought a fancy wand with a carved ladybird. Pixie is suspicious of it.

A priest of a sea god came in with a loss of experience [Mood 2, Magic], demanding an answer. Her name is Elena and I'll try to be rid of her as soon as I can.

Third Week of Summer, Entry 2

Went to get some coldrust from the dungeon. Found a map which was mostly inaccurate, but did point me to some vampire venom as well as the coldrust. Also a coffin I left alone.

Used up a princess frog from supplies and made Elena Hopfang Soup. Crushed the coldrust and princess toad together, then boiled to improve the flavour.

Elena cured and happily quickly gone.

Notes - Hopfang Soup (Hot 1, Magic 1, Mood 2), Reputation 24, 48 silver.

Fourth Week of Summer, Entry 1

Shared a dinner with a few villagers, found a lost sheep while picking herbs for them and invited shepherd along. Called Willhelm.

Beatrice is back again, this time with sailor's step, acting like a drunk!

Fourth Week of Summer, Entry 2

Went to the Loch to find siren's song, which is so easy in the summer.

Got talking to a dwarf fisher, who told me where to find the dentist crab I was after.

Went back same day, distiled the crab and siren's song into Merclaw Tea. Another happy patient!

Note - Merclaw Tea (Curse 2, Ear 2, Infection 2), Reputation 25, Silver 78

Fifth Week of Summer, Entry 1

Rhys is back with something else! It's like he does it on purpose. Bard Boils but won't say which bard was responsible!

Will look for shock fish and shadow shark at the lock.

Fifth Week of Summer, Entry 2

Found a birds nest on an island today, with an alive wigfish there. Ignoring the strange sight, I moved on.

Later a boat and my friend the dwarf fisher helped me out, pointing out where to find shockfish. Found a dead goat there, shocked to death by one of the fish.

Fifth Week of Summer, Entry 3

Went looking for shadow shark as it got dark, but interrupted by a ghostly crew. Invited on board, Cursed to sail the lochs, one of my sisters studies them.
One gave me a staff, which Pixie is attached to. It's made of two pieces of wood, entwined, and the snake heads are missing. It had to belong to the old witch here.

Fifth Week of Summer, Entry 4

Harassed by looking for shadow shark, trip over an empty basket, with spilled rotten fish. Gave up on them and decided to use reserves.

Fifth Week of Summer, Entry 5

Made a potion from distilled shock fish and raw vampire venom. Rhys is fine, although a bit whiny.

Notes - Sharpbite Tonic (Boils 2, Pain 3, Mood 3], 108 silver, Rep 26

Twelfth Week, Entry 1

Been treating patients all summer, and spending time with Rhys. He misses the old witch, who he used to help out.

With help of my sister Rhonda I've made the snake staff into a broom and I'm ready to visit the Isles.

Thirteenth Week, Entry 1

I visited the isles for the first time. A dangerous place where I had to battle the winds, although Pixie loved it. We followed the snake-broom to an old hut on a floating island, where pixies found a letter. I recognised the writing as that of the old witch, and it was addressed to... the next witch of Eastlow Down.

Now I'm back at the village, about to open up the letter...

End.

Epilogue

In the light of the next full moon, Girvan, Pixie and Sharkbait prepare for a journey.

And Girvan, Witch of Eastlow Down, went first to ask his sisters for a little help...

Village Notes

apothecaria | journal entries | village notes

Witch

Our reluctant village witch is Girvan, who has been posted to Eastlow Down. He has a ladybird familiar called Pixie. And a host of sisters who are mostly witches.

Currently Intermediate (Reputation 21) with a Coracle and a Golem Helper.

Others

Beatrice, upbeat travelling scholar
Elena, annoying priest of a sea god.
Eowyn, neighbour who knows more about gardening than Girvan.
Kerwyn, Dark Ruler of the Underrealms. Trying unsuccessfully to court Maeve, a sister of Girvan.
Malcolm - guide, healed of Thirst
Rhys, village actor with big dreams. Repeat patient
Sisters of Girvan. Mostly witches, all dismissive of him. Include Jennifer, Maeve, Merraid, Rhonda
Whalebait. Repaired golem who wears a the garland of the Flower King.