“Voss's Curiosity and Candle occupies a narrow lane off the market square, its windows steamed and lit by hundreds of tiny candles. Shelves sag under labeled jars, curious statuettes, and neatly stacked boxes of scrolls. A silver bell announces customers but rarely needs to be rung; Marlis Voss, the proprietor, will likely already be watching you from behind a circular counter littered with ink pots and a brass astrolabe. Marlis is a level 8 half-elf wizard with a fondness for tea and for trading stories as much as items. She wears an ink-stained robe with a scarf threaded with tiny charmstones and speaks in quick, amused sentences. She will haggle reasonably with adventurers of proven deeds and offer advice on minor uses of items. Her shop is scented with almond oil and solder, and there's always a cat—smoky grey and one-eyed—sleeping in a patch of sun on the back shelf. Marlis keeps a small ledger of favored customers and sometimes offers small discounts in exchange for useful lore, rare components, or a promise to fetch an item from a dangerous locale.”