“Tallow & Talismans sits on a corner where the street narrows and the lamplight pools. Shelves lean in like watchful patrons; small bells tinkle when someone crosses the threshold. The air smells of beeswax, old parchment, and a faint singe of iron. Mira Tallow, the proprietor, is a compact human wizard in her early forties whose hair is kept back with a strip of well-worn leather threaded with charms. Her spectacles rest halfway down her nose, and she has a habit of slipping a coin to the shop's resident hollow-eyed mouse familiar when a customer demonstrates cleverness rather than greed. Mira is practical, fond of barter involving favors or stories, and prefers selling items that won't make a fledgling party suicidal. She keeps a ledger with margin notes about likely buyers and an old map tucked beneath the counter indicating safe routes and local rumors. Regulars know to ask for the back shelf if they need something small, discreet, or slightly odd.”