Into Skyrim, Elder Scrolls 8 Nirn's Beta

I pushed open the door to the apothecary. An old man greeted me, "Welcome to Elgrim's Elixirs!"

I nodded, "Is Ingun Black-Briar here? I heard she was your apprentice, and specially she likes to craft poisons?"

Elgrim nodded, "Eyh, she has a morbid curiosity, what makes her such a good alchemist. I assume that means your looking for a poison? Care to let me know what you are using it for?"

I nodded, "Your asking because she won't care what the reason is for? I'm asking for a poison that could take down a giant. About 4-7 of them specifically."

Elgrim laughed, "You got it on the nose, I worry her carelessness will get her in trouble with those poisons. Eyh she should have what your looking for. She is in the back, mind the stairs though that's off limits."

The stairs likely led up to the small building above the apothecary. It was most likely Elgrim's home, I had no reason to trespass though. Entering the Alchemy workshop it smelled rather pungent. Not a smelly pungent like Riften as a whole. "Is that Lurevian Feathergrass?" I blinked as a memory of the smell cross my mind.

Ingun smiled, "Oh! You know your rare ingredients! How did you know? Its only grown by alchemists in Cyrodil."

I recalled the memory that wasn't mine, eh, or maybe it was? Its actually a little bit of a blur. "The grass grows in Rosacea. Its surprising they could grow it in Cyrodil. It normally grows like wildfire in damp cold climates. Poisonous to most things except the Red-Lobe Jackalopes."

Ingun's eyes lit up, "Fascinating! Do you have a interest in poisons as well?"

Seeing this as an opportunity I agreed. "I have my fair share of adventures and poisons are far too useful in a fight to not use them. Which actually brings me here today. I'm not a very good alchemist so I tend to buy my poisons premade."

She nodded, "Completely understandable, it took me a while to truly learn which ingredients may blend well together. Just because two ingredients are poisonous doesn't mean when they are mixed make strong effect." She paused and smiled, "if you are willing I could teach you?"

This time I felt my own eyes sparkle. A free alchemy lesson? This should raise my level if I agree so I nodded. "If you could teach me while making a poison that could effect a giant that would be wonderful!

Her eyes widened, "A giant? Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I have just the recipe!"

She rushed to the alchemy table, "First let's start with the ingredients. The poison I have in mind requires Nightshade, Frostbite Venom, a Skeever's tail, and finally a silverside perch."

I recognize that combination, thought the frostbite venom is new. "Why add frostbite venom?"

Ingun's eyes sparkled, "The venom makes the poison less solid and doesn't harm the mixture. It is the perfect addition if you want to coat the poison on arrows."

I nodded, a thicker mix would make it easier. "Do you add it because the poison is a powder?"

Ingun nodded, "If not enough nightshades are added and the skeever's tail isn't fresh the poison comes out closer to a powder. Useful if adding it to a tea or ale, but if you are using it to hunt something it..."

That made sense, though a tea or ale? I couldn't imagine those covering up the likely horrible taste of the concoction. Ingun moved around some equipment and laid out some nightshade, "First let's crush the nightshade. It's usually best to start with only a few flowers and add more based on the dosage. Speaking of, how many giants are you hunting? They tend to travel in couples with mammoth companions."

"About 4-7, no mammoths. The story is rather complicated." The number was really just a guess and truthfully there was only likely 3. Things can change though and having extra poison is still helpful. 

Ingun took a some extra items while passing me a mortal and pestle. "Hehe, this should be enough ingredients began crushing the Nighshade."

I followed her instruction and gestured, "Crush them like this."

I nodded and soon they were turned into a fine paste. She smiled, "Next is the silverside perch, we need its oil. So we will use the alembic for this. I'll show you how its done, and you can do the rest."

She prepared the small fish quickly, descaling them and placed them within a small flask. The flask had a filter inside that the fish cooked on. I followed her actions and slowly a small pool of oil and grease formed in the flask. 

She turned a switch on the flask closing the filter. Once it was closed she dumped the fish out and connected the flask to a system of 3 flasks. I tracked the oil through the flasks, "Are you refining the oil?"

Ingun nodded, "The silverside-perch helps increase the potency. The more concentrated the better effect. Let's move onto the final ingredient, when it comes to the skeever tail the whole thing is required. So are you in good with a knife?"

I could confidently say I was, Ingun wanted the Skeever tail finely chopped. So I diced it into thin chunks. Ingun smiled, "Next we mix everything together, however normally after chopping the tail up we would pulverize it with a mortal and pestle again. By adding the Frostbite venom the chunks will dissolve."

Once I mixed the 4 ingredients together I gained 5 levels in alchemy. Ingun gave a smug look, "Nice and easy isn't? Now you can make this poison yourself in the future too! If you return to the city I would love to hear how the poison works."

I shook Ingun's hand, "I promise I will, perhaps I can bring you some ingredients in time." I can likely just commission the caravan to do this too. Well, it would me commissioning them to commission someone else to do it. Its why it was so expensive. 

Ingun smiled brightly, "That would be perfect if you could. I've been trying to experiment with Nighshade, Nirnroot, and Deathbells. The Nightshade is easy enough to get, but my supplier hasn't contacted me in a day or two."

I blinked as I received not one, but two quests. What shocked me wasn't the quest itself, but instead the quest updating and saying I failed it. I would check it in a second, I gave Ingun one last goodbye. "I'll find out more, and if I can't I'm sure I can find a new supplier. Though that would require some extra bottles of poison."

She laughed and I left the shop. I opened the new quest, one was the obvious collect 20 of each ingredient. The second was to find her supplier, the part of the quest was failed. It seems her supplier was a witch from Illia's coven.

I could get her a new supplier or become the new supplier though as part of the quest. I suppose I could work it into my Orc support plan. First things first though... I would finally head toward Fallowstone cave.