One afternoon as I left the shop and strolled down the street towards the waterfront I heard someone approaching me quickly from behind. My heart went to my throat, had I been found out? Standing my ground and turning to see who was rushing up on me I came face to face with a smallish bald man. He was out of breath, nearly panting. He paused to take a breath, holding up one hand to motion me to stay. Finally he was able to speak.
"You, you are the new seamstress in town are you not?" he questioned me.
"Aye, that I am. Is there something you need?"
"My daughter is to be married in a month, we have traveled to Vesper, Trinsic, Britian and Skara Brae and have not found anything to suit her. My wife saw some of your work in Tailor's shop here a few weeks ago, and she is convinced that you would be able to fashion the perfect dresses for our daughter and her wedding party. We don't want any hard feelings at Tailor's, but we would like to hire you privately to do the work. You will be well paid.
And well paid I was. The family was so pleased with my work that they paid me what would have surely taken a year for me to make working piecemeal at the shop. I gathered up the belongings I had purchased or made during my stay and sorted through them. Newly purchased ticket to travel at will aboard the fine vessel known as Sea's Spirit tucked safely away, I packed a trunk with a few books, dresses, shoes, hats and other essentials. The rest I divided between two ladies from poorer families, whom I had become aquainted with during my evening walks along the northern shoreline.
The first port of call for the vessel I was aboard was a smallish island called Occlo. The ship was taking on supplies and having minor repairs completed. We were to stay here only a week. I spent my time browsing in the quaint shops and sampling the local cuisine. I became fascinated by a shop there which sold strange plants, roots and herbs. People of all sorts would gather inside shouting out prices and purchasing the goods as quickly as the shopkeepers could stock the huge bins and barrels situated around the inside of the building. I asked one morning, during a slow time, what all the excitement was about and was told that these were special items used by mages and alchemists both to concoct spells and potions. Since they were used up rather quickly those who needed them traveled near and far to seek the best bargain for the best quality.
On the evening prior to our leaving I found myself once again near this mage's and alchemist's shop. As I passed by a man, coming out one of the doors, brushed against me. Unlike most of the robe clad shoppers, he was wearing fine yet well worn leather armor. His mages hat sat back a bit on his head and I was able to get a good look at his face. He was rugged, yet his eyes expressed both a kindness and almost sad quality. As he brushed against me he uttered a quiet "Pardon m'lady" and giving a half smile he was off around the corner of the next building in no time. In that one brief encounter, a touch less than a second I felt as if I had been run through by a searing smith's iron. My breath caught in my throat and as I gathered my senses enough to step around the building for one last glance at this mysterious stranger I saw only an odd lingering sparkle of light fading quickly into the air. The stranger was gone.... but not to be forgotten..
Over the next month or so I continued to travel the seas upon the Sea's Spirit. We made calls at the ports of Cove and Moonglow. Each time I had at least a few days to explore the city, and each time I wondered if fate would allow me to encounter the mystery man from Occlo again. A few times I thought I caught a glimpse of him in the crowded streets, but whoever it was I saw always vanished before I could get close enough to take a good look. In Moonglow I discovered more shops selling those special herbs, plants and roots. I learned that they were called reagents, though most called them "Regs". I purchased a magical spell book, bound in fine red leather and spent quite some time one afternoon talking with the owner of a fine mages's shop on the outskirts of Moonglow. I sat staring in awe as he showed me a few of the fascinating tricks he was able to do and told me that perhaps I could learn a few myself, seeing as how I seemed to be so interested in how it all worked. But he warned me that it would take hard work and hours of practice. He was kind enough to give me a few scrolls used for simple spells to be fitted into my new book and a small pouch containing a few handfuls of each of the most widely used reagents. I promised I would practice as time allowed.
The next part of our journey would have us at sea for several days as we traveled to Isle of Skara Brae. I spent several sunny afternoons on the deck of the Sea's Spirit attempting to make the spells I was learning work. It became entertainment for many who would gather to watch and see if I would fail or succeed. I produced an apple from thin air and passed it to a small child who's laughter made me smile inside. I cleared the deck when an attempt to summon a creature brought forth a large hungry looking panther. Many were early evenings when I went to my room covered in dust and ash after many many failed attempts to make the spells work.
By the time we reached the inlet at Skara Brae, where the Sea's Spirit would be docking for the winter, I had nearly mastered the few spells I had and was nearly out of the reagents the kindly mage from Moonglow had given me. My first task, after securing a place to stay, would be to seek out any shops selling magery items. I was happy to find both a mage's shop and an alchemist's shop in the heart of town. Their prices were what I considered reasonable so I restocked my supply and inquired about the possibility of finding a mentor to instruct me on the proper usage of some new spells. I was instructed to purchase or hire a horse and take the ferry across to the mainland and seek the help of an old hag who lived a few days travel to the northwest. Not being comfortable traveling alone in a strange place beyond the safety of the city walls I hired one of the local rangers to accompany me on the journey.