DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Relics, Curios and Oddities I assume - you shall not find a better selection of cursed wares this side of the channel!
Knockturned for The Better (Harry Potter Shopkeeper Quest)
- Thread starter Erien
- Start date
Relics, Curios and Oddities I assume - you shall not find a better selection of cursed wares this side of the channel!
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Everything old and odd. The first post's image in the thread fives the general idea. That's the view from his shop counter.
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Not unless his breaks. Go nuts.
- Location
- Spain
You know I hope that we can learn how to brew potions in the future, relics and oddities are very interesting, but since in the Wizarding World potion shops are basically pharmacies it is a more consistent source of income...
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Seems like people want dungeon delving, which is plenty lucrative, and dangerous besides!
- Location
- Spain
And that is awesome and fun, don't get me wrong, but since dungeon delving is a resource intensive activity and we cannot know if the loot is going to be worth it having a fallback plan seems like a good idea (and potions work great for that purpose)
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You had the option to be a potion god, but let it slip from your grasp.
- Location
- Spain
I know, but we were kind of short of points at the end... Thats is why I am asking if we can train it, I mean unlike other feats like Order of Merlin or Metamorphomagus you can learn how to brew potions better through practice...
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Of course ya can.
- Location
- Spain
Thanks by the info...
By the way, since we are by nature creepy but we know a coupleo of things about muggles, what is our creepy vibe? Old Goth guy, or Tax Collector?
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm leaning towards lonely boy who lives in the Gothic manor just outside of town.
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Now I'm imagining it as "The Pickers, Magical Britain edition"
- Pronouns
- Reader
Our phasing should be good for walls, but not for traps or anything fast I imagine. Didn't take the veil walker feat after all.
Last edited:
I'm not sure what you mean, we have veil walker on our character sheet and I can't find what option you think might have sped it up?
- Pronouns
- Reader
Whoops. Mistook it for a vote option on a hasty reread of CC6. Nevermind.
- Location
- Where Jokes Die
Ooh. I especially like the "candies, please take" when you take into consideration the Baba Yaga omake. Funny mental image of his Baba randomly floo-ing him bags of candy to hand out to customers and the like.
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Nikola is very friendly, just also kinda creepy.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Loving the writing in this. Well done. Will be watching with interest.
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thank you! First chapter is next week.
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Outline for next chapter is up on the patreon, next chapter coming next week.
For those not aware, I post outlines for 1$ patrons, full chapters for 5$ patrons.
I however, am not a jackass. Early full chapter release on patreon is at most six hours before they go public, and outlines are just insights into the writing process more than anything. Still, Nikola finally has left the Ministry. Thank goodness.
For those not aware, I post outlines for 1$ patrons, full chapters for 5$ patrons.
I however, am not a jackass. Early full chapter release on patreon is at most six hours before they go public, and outlines are just insights into the writing process more than anything. Still, Nikola finally has left the Ministry. Thank goodness.
1.6 - The Little Plot on 98
New
Erien
God's Weakest Soldier
- Location
- Georgia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: I know my wares.
-[X] [Spellbreaker]
-[X] [Enchanter]
Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!
—
-800 Galleons for a plot of land in Knockturn Alley.
350 Galleons remain.
—
"I was praised for my ability to reverse and remove curses, I also was noted for my ability to handle enchantment. Was that what you had in mind?"
"That's it?"
Nikola tilts his head, his hair floating impossibly for a moment before falling into place. "Were you expecting more? I am simply here to open up a shop." Nikola had yet to truly decide if David was stupid, hostile, over-expectant, or perhaps some hitherto never before seen mixture of the three. He was at least rather sure he didn't much like the man, and was rather dearly hoping he wasn't going to be the normal experience with the English going forward.
Though the wand-weigher had been rather impatient. That at least was something Nikola could understand. His was likely different from what the Witch was used to.
"The shop yes, as you mentioned," David replies. "Where?"
"Is that relevant to this process?" Nikola asks.
"... It is now." David says.
What a fascinating little man in a position of limited power, using it to make up for the lack of power in every other facet of his life. That was the first thought that runs through Nikola's mind, even if he feels somewhat guilty for it. But it isn't the first time he has seen it. This one, at least, wasn't wearing a uniform.
"I have purchased a plot of land in Knockturn Alley. I, sadly, haven't been able to lay eyes upon it yet, but as far as I know it is simply a barren spot."
David smiles, then, apparently unable to control himself, laughs quietly. "Of course you are." He pulls the papers back across the desk, lifts, then taps them to get them all aligned. "Welcome to wizarding England."
Nikola smiles back, he had felt quite 'welcome' already. "Is that everything then?"
"You have some paperwork to fill in, then you'll be getting an identification card and a temporary work visa." David's eyes flit to Nikola's eyes for the briefest of moments before looking away. "We shall of course be checking on you four times a year."
"To confirm the legality of my business?"
"Legality, sanity, and safety, yes." David replies.
"I'll make sure to keep a pot of coffee warm." Nikola replies with a thin smile. "Will it be you?"
David snorts. "No, I have far more important things to do."
Then the coffee will be just coffee, Nikola thought to himself, still smiling.
—
"Your wand sir," the witch says in a clipped, practiced, and bored tone. It's a misshapen thing of brown wood with a particularly gnarled end, as she pushes it along the desk it doesn't so much roll as bounce. But Nikola catches it easily.
"Thank you." He replies with a smile.
The witch looks up at him briefly, then halts, her eyes meeting his. She stares, unblinking, eyes widening as she gazed into the vei-
Nikola looks away quickly, and makes his way out of the ministry a good two hours after he entered it without another word. Rather quick for bureaucracy, all things considered. The assorted masses of Wizarding England move as he does, a wave of people coming and going from the ministry. From the 'exit' it takes another good ten minutes to actually leave the building, and from there, it is London in July.
… Not that dissimilar to home actually, though slightly more humid. Scents all too familiar greet him, despite the alien surroundings. Gasoline, exhaust, a man with too much cologne and a woman with too much perfume. It is always amusing to him how much stock muggles put into mere appearances. But then, it isn't like the magical community was much different… it was just easier for them to change themselves rather more dramatically. Everything is simply more difficult for them, but frankly, it is something he admired. Reaching into his coat pocket he produces a pair of sunglasses and fits them over his eyes, lest a muggle become… distracted. Then he pauses, staring down at the briefcase as it lightly jostles on its own in his hands. Nikola stares at it for a moment, then smiles. "Calm, we're nearly there." The shaking stops, and he smiles, turning his head up to look at another wizard stepping out of the red telephone booth that marked the entrance to the ministry of magic.
"Good morning, would you happen to know the way to Grimmauld's Grimoires?"
The scandalized look Nikola got said quite a bit to be honest.
—
It was a bit out of the way, that was the first thought that Nikola had as he finally found the building in question. Grimmauld's Grimoires was down a rather dingy alley, filled with refuse, that of the man-made and… man variety. Eyes follow him as he walks down the alley, the homeless and worse watching as he steps around puddles of not yet dried morning rain to reach the shabby wooden door. A single sign made of wood rested just by the door, hammered into place by a bent and crooked nail. On it, was the depiction of a golden book, lettering underneath naming it as 'Grimmauld's Grimoires'.
The interior isn't particularly better, but it isn't worse either. If Nikola was to describe the bookshop with a word, it would be 'crooked'. Bookshelves lined the walls and floor, each a little bit more shoddily made than the last, their wood was bent and broken in places, the wood visibly slouching underneath the weight of the tomes resting upon them which, in their own way, was crooked too. The books are aged, some are even ancient. With repaired or missing covers, torn or destroyed pages, and the dog ears of many years of repeated study. Cookbooks, potion books, defense books, history books. It was a veritable treasure trove of information… if one but knew where to look. In the center of it all was a man, waving a wand to put a stack of books up onto a shelf, whom Nikola assumed to be Grimmauld, whom, as the man turned around to look at Nikola, was revealed to be just a tad bit crooked as well. A hunched back, likely a product of too many years bent over, gave the man a rather lopsided appearance, and the smile was lopsided as well, favoring the right side of his face far more than the left to reveal a row of crooked yellow teeth.
"Well g'morning. Lookin' fer something?" the man greets cheerfully, wrinkles on his face exaggerating in his delight.
"A fascinating collection you have here," Nikola replies back equally cheerfully. "Tell me, do you have…" Nikola produces a piece of paper from his pocket, studying it for a moment. "The Malleus Maleficarum?"
The man jerked a finger behind him towards the back bookshelf. "Course! Middle row, in between Moloch and The Marquis Marchosias."
"Thank you kindly," Nikola places a knut onto the counter and then makes his way past the man to the bookshelf. He peruses it for a moment, before finding the book in question. He pulls it back gently… then at once the bookshelf folds itself into the floor with a clatter of paper and crunching wood. The walls behind it then slid aside with the sound of grinding stone. Wet, sticky air blasts across Nikola then, as in its place is revealed… a street. Or, perhaps more accurately, an alley.
Nikola smiles, then steps through.
—
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gqpjm4zci4
—
Compared to the asphalt and concrete he had just been walking on, the muddy, mossy, and quite a bit slippery cobbles his boots now trod upon were remarkably different. The alley was a wide thing, surrounded on either side by buildings that seemed to be competing for the light much like trees, bent and twisted, leaning over the pathways to block out as much of the sun as seemingly possible, while still allowing plenty enough through to reveal the various peoples about. Witches, wizards, goblins and elves. These things and more moved from place to place, far more sedately than they had in the Ministry of Magic.
"Cauldrons for sale! Cheap!" a male voice calls out.
"New wands for sale at Gregorovitch's!" another voice shouts out.
Nikola's eyes flit to the building across from him, Borgin and… Burkes, which was building twenty-three. Nikola looks slightly to the left, Cobb and Webbs, building thirty-two. Getting closer. He taps his wand against his side, and at once the reduction charm is ended. Gone is the diminutive little stick the English are so fond of, instead he could once again lean against his staff. It is a simple thing, oak with a gnarled tip… and covered in a rather delightful amount of runes he has worked on. But more than anything else, it is his walking stick, and with a tap-tap-tap of wood against cobble, he begins to make his way down the alley towards his destination.
—
The place remains gloomy, but it's a familiar form of gloomy as Nikola counts the numbers. Twenty five, twenty four. None pay him any attention as he moves, too caught up in their shopping or idle conversations to note the new wizard moving amongst them. Twenty three, twenty two. The bag rattles at his side, and he smiles. Strange scents played past, wet stone, old wood. A snake from a nearby shop hissed, followed by the croak of a toad and the bark of a dog. A bat whizzed by his head, diving through an open window, a small letter tied to its leg. A gaggle of children ran past him, too young to be in school, they held in their hands tight small alchemical instruments, and as one they darted into a potion shop. Twenty one…
Ninety eight, exactly where he was promised. Sitting squat between Twenty-one and nineteen. It is a semi-empty plot, semi, in that a burned carcass of wood and metal that marked the previous spot stood there as a skeleton might after a balefire. It wasn't particularly large all in all, just enough for all of his wares and a sleeping quarters on the second floor. Of course, he has no second floor, nor first floor in truth. He simply has the plot, and thankfully cheaply at that. Supposedly the spot had a reputation, bad things happened to those who owned it, and its numbered address was increased every time something happened to the place. Nikola stared at the remains, and found himself rather unworried. He was, after all, already half dead, he thought. What was left to happen? To the right of his shop was… a discount broom shop, to the left was a premium broom shop. And across from him… was what appeared to be a grocer, along with an alchemical reagents shop he dearly hopes wasn't connected. He takes this all in for a moment, then turns back, as, regardless, he knew he was going to have to find someone to build the shop, draining his already meager resources fur-
The bag rustled at his side once more.
"Oh alright then." Nikola says. Setting the trunk down, he taps it with the end of his staff, at once the latches on the top of it snap open, and the tiniest of gaps forms. Then a rabbit bursts out of the bag… yet the gap remains as small as ever. With a twitch of a little nose the rabbit lands atop the trunk, it turns its head this way and that, observing the space around it, and 'sniffing' the air. Then it looks up at Nikola and kicks off. It floats through the air, translucent blue body passing through him. Nikola turns around, stretching forth his hand to catch the ghost, then he deposits the rabbit into a breast pocket. It wiggles around in it for a moment, then turns to poke its head up and over the lip of his pocket. "Good morning Fluffi. Did you enjoy the trip?"
The dead rabbit continues to sniff the air for the moment, more out of instinct than anything else. Then turns its head up to look at him, as if to suggest 'how dare you keep me inside a metal box filled with your junk'.
"Of course, my apologies." Nikola apologizes. He then turns, and looks at the burned down edifice with a smile on his face. A new beginning.
And with it, opportunity. But first, the local populace? Some money? Or to hit the ground running?
Possibilities, possibilities.
—
All of Nikola's merchandise is in the briefcase, unlike Newt Scamander however, he doesn't have a place to sleep in there.
[] [It is time to start selling]
Nikola's merchandise is in the trunk, and it's best if people know a shop exists here immediately to let them know you are around. Even if Nikola doesn't have a shop as such.
[] [It's time to find a place to rest]
There must be places to stay around here, and it'd be good to meet people as well.
[] [It's time to find a builder]
Once one is located, setting up the place is relatively easy with magic. It is, however, not something Nikola knows how to do. A Magical Architect should be around however.
-[X] [Spellbreaker]
-[X] [Enchanter]
Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!
—
-800 Galleons for a plot of land in Knockturn Alley.
350 Galleons remain.
—
"I was praised for my ability to reverse and remove curses, I also was noted for my ability to handle enchantment. Was that what you had in mind?"
"That's it?"
Nikola tilts his head, his hair floating impossibly for a moment before falling into place. "Were you expecting more? I am simply here to open up a shop." Nikola had yet to truly decide if David was stupid, hostile, over-expectant, or perhaps some hitherto never before seen mixture of the three. He was at least rather sure he didn't much like the man, and was rather dearly hoping he wasn't going to be the normal experience with the English going forward.
Though the wand-weigher had been rather impatient. That at least was something Nikola could understand. His was likely different from what the Witch was used to.
"The shop yes, as you mentioned," David replies. "Where?"
"Is that relevant to this process?" Nikola asks.
"... It is now." David says.
What a fascinating little man in a position of limited power, using it to make up for the lack of power in every other facet of his life. That was the first thought that runs through Nikola's mind, even if he feels somewhat guilty for it. But it isn't the first time he has seen it. This one, at least, wasn't wearing a uniform.
"I have purchased a plot of land in Knockturn Alley. I, sadly, haven't been able to lay eyes upon it yet, but as far as I know it is simply a barren spot."
David smiles, then, apparently unable to control himself, laughs quietly. "Of course you are." He pulls the papers back across the desk, lifts, then taps them to get them all aligned. "Welcome to wizarding England."
Nikola smiles back, he had felt quite 'welcome' already. "Is that everything then?"
"You have some paperwork to fill in, then you'll be getting an identification card and a temporary work visa." David's eyes flit to Nikola's eyes for the briefest of moments before looking away. "We shall of course be checking on you four times a year."
"To confirm the legality of my business?"
"Legality, sanity, and safety, yes." David replies.
"I'll make sure to keep a pot of coffee warm." Nikola replies with a thin smile. "Will it be you?"
David snorts. "No, I have far more important things to do."
Then the coffee will be just coffee, Nikola thought to himself, still smiling.
—
"Your wand sir," the witch says in a clipped, practiced, and bored tone. It's a misshapen thing of brown wood with a particularly gnarled end, as she pushes it along the desk it doesn't so much roll as bounce. But Nikola catches it easily.
"Thank you." He replies with a smile.
The witch looks up at him briefly, then halts, her eyes meeting his. She stares, unblinking, eyes widening as she gazed into the vei-
Nikola looks away quickly, and makes his way out of the ministry a good two hours after he entered it without another word. Rather quick for bureaucracy, all things considered. The assorted masses of Wizarding England move as he does, a wave of people coming and going from the ministry. From the 'exit' it takes another good ten minutes to actually leave the building, and from there, it is London in July.
… Not that dissimilar to home actually, though slightly more humid. Scents all too familiar greet him, despite the alien surroundings. Gasoline, exhaust, a man with too much cologne and a woman with too much perfume. It is always amusing to him how much stock muggles put into mere appearances. But then, it isn't like the magical community was much different… it was just easier for them to change themselves rather more dramatically. Everything is simply more difficult for them, but frankly, it is something he admired. Reaching into his coat pocket he produces a pair of sunglasses and fits them over his eyes, lest a muggle become… distracted. Then he pauses, staring down at the briefcase as it lightly jostles on its own in his hands. Nikola stares at it for a moment, then smiles. "Calm, we're nearly there." The shaking stops, and he smiles, turning his head up to look at another wizard stepping out of the red telephone booth that marked the entrance to the ministry of magic.
"Good morning, would you happen to know the way to Grimmauld's Grimoires?"
The scandalized look Nikola got said quite a bit to be honest.
—
It was a bit out of the way, that was the first thought that Nikola had as he finally found the building in question. Grimmauld's Grimoires was down a rather dingy alley, filled with refuse, that of the man-made and… man variety. Eyes follow him as he walks down the alley, the homeless and worse watching as he steps around puddles of not yet dried morning rain to reach the shabby wooden door. A single sign made of wood rested just by the door, hammered into place by a bent and crooked nail. On it, was the depiction of a golden book, lettering underneath naming it as 'Grimmauld's Grimoires'.
The interior isn't particularly better, but it isn't worse either. If Nikola was to describe the bookshop with a word, it would be 'crooked'. Bookshelves lined the walls and floor, each a little bit more shoddily made than the last, their wood was bent and broken in places, the wood visibly slouching underneath the weight of the tomes resting upon them which, in their own way, was crooked too. The books are aged, some are even ancient. With repaired or missing covers, torn or destroyed pages, and the dog ears of many years of repeated study. Cookbooks, potion books, defense books, history books. It was a veritable treasure trove of information… if one but knew where to look. In the center of it all was a man, waving a wand to put a stack of books up onto a shelf, whom Nikola assumed to be Grimmauld, whom, as the man turned around to look at Nikola, was revealed to be just a tad bit crooked as well. A hunched back, likely a product of too many years bent over, gave the man a rather lopsided appearance, and the smile was lopsided as well, favoring the right side of his face far more than the left to reveal a row of crooked yellow teeth.
"Well g'morning. Lookin' fer something?" the man greets cheerfully, wrinkles on his face exaggerating in his delight.
"A fascinating collection you have here," Nikola replies back equally cheerfully. "Tell me, do you have…" Nikola produces a piece of paper from his pocket, studying it for a moment. "The Malleus Maleficarum?"
The man jerked a finger behind him towards the back bookshelf. "Course! Middle row, in between Moloch and The Marquis Marchosias."
"Thank you kindly," Nikola places a knut onto the counter and then makes his way past the man to the bookshelf. He peruses it for a moment, before finding the book in question. He pulls it back gently… then at once the bookshelf folds itself into the floor with a clatter of paper and crunching wood. The walls behind it then slid aside with the sound of grinding stone. Wet, sticky air blasts across Nikola then, as in its place is revealed… a street. Or, perhaps more accurately, an alley.
Nikola smiles, then steps through.
—
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gqpjm4zci4
—
Compared to the asphalt and concrete he had just been walking on, the muddy, mossy, and quite a bit slippery cobbles his boots now trod upon were remarkably different. The alley was a wide thing, surrounded on either side by buildings that seemed to be competing for the light much like trees, bent and twisted, leaning over the pathways to block out as much of the sun as seemingly possible, while still allowing plenty enough through to reveal the various peoples about. Witches, wizards, goblins and elves. These things and more moved from place to place, far more sedately than they had in the Ministry of Magic.
"Cauldrons for sale! Cheap!" a male voice calls out.
"New wands for sale at Gregorovitch's!" another voice shouts out.
Nikola's eyes flit to the building across from him, Borgin and… Burkes, which was building twenty-three. Nikola looks slightly to the left, Cobb and Webbs, building thirty-two. Getting closer. He taps his wand against his side, and at once the reduction charm is ended. Gone is the diminutive little stick the English are so fond of, instead he could once again lean against his staff. It is a simple thing, oak with a gnarled tip… and covered in a rather delightful amount of runes he has worked on. But more than anything else, it is his walking stick, and with a tap-tap-tap of wood against cobble, he begins to make his way down the alley towards his destination.
—
The place remains gloomy, but it's a familiar form of gloomy as Nikola counts the numbers. Twenty five, twenty four. None pay him any attention as he moves, too caught up in their shopping or idle conversations to note the new wizard moving amongst them. Twenty three, twenty two. The bag rattles at his side, and he smiles. Strange scents played past, wet stone, old wood. A snake from a nearby shop hissed, followed by the croak of a toad and the bark of a dog. A bat whizzed by his head, diving through an open window, a small letter tied to its leg. A gaggle of children ran past him, too young to be in school, they held in their hands tight small alchemical instruments, and as one they darted into a potion shop. Twenty one…
Ninety eight, exactly where he was promised. Sitting squat between Twenty-one and nineteen. It is a semi-empty plot, semi, in that a burned carcass of wood and metal that marked the previous spot stood there as a skeleton might after a balefire. It wasn't particularly large all in all, just enough for all of his wares and a sleeping quarters on the second floor. Of course, he has no second floor, nor first floor in truth. He simply has the plot, and thankfully cheaply at that. Supposedly the spot had a reputation, bad things happened to those who owned it, and its numbered address was increased every time something happened to the place. Nikola stared at the remains, and found himself rather unworried. He was, after all, already half dead, he thought. What was left to happen? To the right of his shop was… a discount broom shop, to the left was a premium broom shop. And across from him… was what appeared to be a grocer, along with an alchemical reagents shop he dearly hopes wasn't connected. He takes this all in for a moment, then turns back, as, regardless, he knew he was going to have to find someone to build the shop, draining his already meager resources fur-
The bag rustled at his side once more.
"Oh alright then." Nikola says. Setting the trunk down, he taps it with the end of his staff, at once the latches on the top of it snap open, and the tiniest of gaps forms. Then a rabbit bursts out of the bag… yet the gap remains as small as ever. With a twitch of a little nose the rabbit lands atop the trunk, it turns its head this way and that, observing the space around it, and 'sniffing' the air. Then it looks up at Nikola and kicks off. It floats through the air, translucent blue body passing through him. Nikola turns around, stretching forth his hand to catch the ghost, then he deposits the rabbit into a breast pocket. It wiggles around in it for a moment, then turns to poke its head up and over the lip of his pocket. "Good morning Fluffi. Did you enjoy the trip?"
The dead rabbit continues to sniff the air for the moment, more out of instinct than anything else. Then turns its head up to look at him, as if to suggest 'how dare you keep me inside a metal box filled with your junk'.
"Of course, my apologies." Nikola apologizes. He then turns, and looks at the burned down edifice with a smile on his face. A new beginning.
And with it, opportunity. But first, the local populace? Some money? Or to hit the ground running?
Possibilities, possibilities.
—
All of Nikola's merchandise is in the briefcase, unlike Newt Scamander however, he doesn't have a place to sleep in there.
[] [It is time to start selling]
Nikola's merchandise is in the trunk, and it's best if people know a shop exists here immediately to let them know you are around. Even if Nikola doesn't have a shop as such.
[] [It's time to find a place to rest]
There must be places to stay around here, and it'd be good to meet people as well.
[] [It's time to find a builder]
Once one is located, setting up the place is relatively easy with magic. It is, however, not something Nikola knows how to do. A Magical Architect should be around however.
Last edited:
[X] [It's time to find a builder]