Ad aspera

- You're a shady character, for sure, - Krait clicked his tongue and waved a hand. - Fine, give me your brew. I've digested worse. But mark my words! If you poison me, you'll remain a debtor. And then I'll curse you too!
well go for strength

-- Just don't say later that you weren't warned, -- the alchemist rummaged through the shelf, first took one vial, sniffed it, grimaced, put it back, took another, held it up to the light, put that one away too, and finally shoved a third one at Krait.
The brew was indeed something between strong vinegar, rot, and something very spicy -- Krait's distorted face, even through the thicket of his beard, presented an image of wrath mixed with disgust. The alchemist, slapping his forehead, thrusts a pitcher of water and a piece of stale bread toward him. After a couple of minutes, the potion begins to take effect, and Krait first feels as if he's been struck by paralysis -- his legs cramp, and he drops heavily to the floor. His limbs refuse to obey, and a veil clouds his eyes. After a few more minutes, it lets go and freedom of movement returns. Almost. But he definitely feels stronger. Even much stronger, though his movements are unusually stiff. And it seems his stomach is still not quite capable of digesting such things. Certainly not on a regular basis.
+3 Strength, -1 Agility, -1 Endurance

-- Well? -- the alchemist grabbed another vial just in case. -- Did it work?

Potion of Strength:
+ 2-4 Strength
- 0-2 Agility
Check 12 against Endurance: -1 Endurance
Lethality: 15 (subtracted from Endurance). If the value is negative -- multiply by -1% and roll.
Temporary effect: +10 to Strength checks, +100% melee damage (additive)
-5 to Agility checks, -25 melee accuracy, -25 melee dodge, -25% ranged dodge

Added 26 minutes later

Unus was pleased with how the sermon went. Peering into his helmet and seeing only a rotten tomato, the paladin shook it out and smiled slightly. He found it amusing that those hooligans managed to land a vegetable in there. In the herald's speech, Antinish heard some interesting information. Since he received no alms from the residents, he decided to go to the blacksmiths' guild and find out if he would be suitable for the role of an apprentice.

Unus is led to the head of the guild -- a bald, bearded man about fifty, who seems to be the only one here not working -- instead of a blacksmith's apron, he is dressed in a cotardi of fine cloth and supervises the workers, sitting at a table at the far end of the smithy. Only the powerful arms currently holding a quill betray him as a man accustomed to hard labor.
-- Decided to hire on as an apprentice? Finally get to work instead of embarrassing the folk? No, well, I can't refuse such an important person... Fine. We work in two shifts -- from dawn to noon and from noon to sunset. You can take two shifts if you don't drop dead. But make sure it works out to at least one shift per day in the end -- get it? A shift is one silver and two coppers. If you toil hard and increase our output -- there's a bonus. Ready to start tomorrow?
Requirements: Strength and Endurance 15+, Agility 10+
If Strength and Endurance are over 20: +5 copper coins per shift


Added 9 minutes later

— What a predicament... — Stepping out of the town hall, Kotori sighed heavily and rested her head on her palm, lost in deep thought.
Two weeks was a long time, and even after they passed, there were no guarantees that fruitful news would await her. On one hand, there might be no information about her husband in the town hall at all, but what could be even worse — falling into the depths of bureaucratic hell and waiting for results for even longer while her purse emptied day by day. As if hearing the woman's thoughts about financial difficulties, the voice of the Herald rang out in the sky, with news and job offers. There was only one catch: neither the blacksmith's craft nor work at the port were intended for a woman, and among the guards, she remembered only men. After thinking for a while, she decides to inquire about a certain "nacker". Surely the work isn't for one person alone, and if it proves to be too dangerous, she can always refuse and look for alternative ways to earn a living.

Kotori's only contact regarding this matter now was the herald himself, and he was not very informative.
-- What do you want, woman? Nacker? Devil knows. That's not the kind of question that *concerns the city council, and especially not me personally. Peasants and their lords are their own business, damn them. Talk to the village elder -- if he hasn't left for the village yet, he's probably getting drunk at the "Drunken Boars" to celebrate the arrival. I bet that's why they named it after the country folk...
The herald departs.
Marked:
Eastern district -- "Drunken Boars"