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The
Lazopyn Taxidermy
by Daniel
Deadmarsh
This is a modest shop two blocks away from the market-square of Fellaren-Krae. It is the only taxidermy in Fellaren-Krae. The Lazopyn Taxidermy is owned by Nathandor Lazopyn (10th level expert- Chaotic Good Human).
The cost to the client of doing taxidermy varies. Costs are based on size, complexity of the job (are their internal poisons to avoid) and if it was a magical beast or not.
Nathandor has on occasion hired adventurer's to go out and find rare creatures to perform his art on. However, this is always at the request of the client, and all costs are related back to the client.
The Building:
The previous tenant of this traditional commercial site within Fellaren-Krae was a butcher shop. The building is a two-story building, with a modest-size cellar, that was used for cold storage and smoking meats.
The building has two large rooms and one smaller room on the first floor. The display room holds a variety of stuffed animals and several stuffed exotic creatures. These later ones are not from the region. All are for sale. The display room is the first room off of the main street.
The large back room is where Nathandor conducts all his taxidermy skills. It contains all his tools, herbs, parts of creatures he's stuffed, and the tables he works at. The stairs and cellar door are also accessible from this room.
The smaller backroom is Nathandor's kitchen.
The upstairs has three rooms. A storage room, Nathandor's bed chamber, and a small den, where Nathandor conducts his paper work and records his sales, inventory, type of work, customer names, etc. Among his papers is a scroll 'protection from evil', which he had accepted as payment for some work he completed a few years back, and several books on taxidermy. Nathandor also keeps most of his coins with a money lender, who provides documents that Nathandor has kept the following with him: 367 gp, 355 sp and 1000 cp.
The final upstairs room is Nathandor's bedroom. It is a simple room with a bed, dresser, cabinet and chair.
The cellar is were he stores the meat of the animals that he has just stuffed. The meat, if any is provided back to the client. The cellar has a small smoke room, for the smoking of meat. Nathandor stores the accessible portion of his wealth in this room, in a small wooden coffer. It contains 112 cp, 55 sp and 67 gp.
There is a secret door in the cellar, which Nathandor has not yet discovered. The secret door (a push-sliding stone door) leads into in a stairwell that leads deeper into the ground and into another chamber, which the previous owners had built. The previous owner a butcher, was actually a priest to Cyric, and was slain during the Thalassan uprising. Inside the chamber, a 20'x20' room, is a blood stained stone altar to Cyric. Resting at the side of the altar is a blood stained clay goblet, two small curved daggers. The floor is littered with the remains of small animals that have been slaughtered in honor of Cyric. In the southern portion of the room, opposite the stairwell is a large and deep stone bookcase. It has three shelves, on the lower shelf are the skulls of the animal skeletons littering the floor, on the middle shelf are the skeletons of humans, and on the top shelf are the skulls of humans (there are 39 human skulls on this shelf).
There is a small secret compartment set in the side of the altar. It can be found by removing a stone slab panel. Inside the compartment is a wooden lever, a small leather bag, three black and used candles and an ornamental dagger.
All items are none magical, the dagger is silver with a carved bone handle (actually made from a human pelvis) and as two onyx gemstones set on either side (estimated value 60 gold pieces). Inside the leather bag are 13 cp, 7 sp, 5 gp and 3 silver rings worth 5 gp each and 1 opal ring worth 10 gp. The lever if pulled will open another secret door, next to altar, and this one leads into the cities old sewer system. And can only be opened from this lever. There is no mechanism on the other side. If opened this door automatically closes after 5 rounds.
Nathandor Lazopyn
Nathander is a friendly individual, still tramautized of the events of his early life. Nathander still has vivid recollections of the evening in question. Nathandor's skills include: Alchemy, Craft (taxidermy), Knowledge (nature), Wilderness Lore and Concentration
Nathander provides services to many of the locals, from inn and tavern owners, to other store owners to mages and clergy. Game and creatures brought in from adventurers always stricks his fancy. He has stuffed the likes of owlbears, and umber hulks to the exotic cockatrice.
Nathander has never been prone to drinking, however he does occasionally enter extreme bouts of depression, at these times he often closes his shop to concentrate solely on any taxidermy that needs to be completed for a customer.
Nathander loves his work and particular enjoys working on new, exotic and even magical creatures. With the later he often keeps internal organs (asking permission first), and sells them to several of the local mage supply stores.
Nathandor is single and although 45 years of age is interested in starting a family. He is also interested in gaining an apprentice, as business as been very successful as of late.
Nathandor's History:
Nathandor grew up on the farmlands of Cormyr, with great dreams of becoming a Purple Dragon in the King's army. However, his sister, cousin and himself, all wanted a taste of adventure in their late teens. Their desire for adventure lead them to the goblin infested lands between Cormyr and the Dalelands. On their very first evening in the badlands, disaster struck the small band.
On Nathandor's first watch, he heard a noise, and decided to investigate it. He found nothing. On his return to their camp to wake up his cousin, he found the half-eaten remains of his sister, Shailea and his cousin, Danel and the fully eaten remains of their three mounts. There were large footprints in the camp. The tracks belonged to something significantly larger than a human. Nathandor, lit a torch, and heard grunts and growling. As he raised his torch he saw what had did this horrible act, three large 9-foot tall creatures. The creatures quickly backed away from Nathandor as he swung his torch. Nathandor could see one of the creatures used Danel's leg as a club. Nathandor was struck down with mortal fear and quickly fled the seen, dropping his sword and other unnecessary weight to flee the band of flesh-eaters.
Nathandor was found unconscious by a patrol of Purple Dragons along the main caravan route. He was then escorted all the way home by a veteran Purple Dragon Corporal named Jicnum Toldoth. Jicnum spoke of many of the horrors he had seen as a Purple Dragon. Jicnum began talking about his childhood and how is father wanted him to learn the family business of becoming a taxidermist, and the great talent that was needed to do this. Jicnum encouraged Nathandor to follow what he wants to do most, but not get killed or others hurt in the process, helping others was the key.
Once home, his family was stricken with grief at the lost of Danel and Shailea. They were angry at Nathandor for going on such a dangerous and foolish journey in the first place. Nathandor left his farm for Suzail. He was depressed and thought of taking his life several times. Then one evening in a small tavern were he had begun working in the larder, he heard the patrons discussing and praising a newly acquired trophy by the owner, a stuffed great-horned owl. Nathandor was amazed at the great beast and the skill that was needed to conduct such a delicate procedure. Remembering the conversation with Jicnum Toldoth he set out for Arabel, to find the Toldoth taxidermy family business.
Nathandor was taken in as an apprentice. After 10 years as an apprentice under Jicnum's father, Arien, Nathandor left Cormyr to learn more about the world and what it had to offer. Nathandor made it as far as Fellaren-Krae.
With little to keep him warm, Nathandor was one of the recipients of the Guild for the People. With the help of the Guild he was able to gain some money and make a loan to acquire an old butcher shop.
His parents past away and left him the farm, he sold it for a modest fee to his uncle.
Nathandor has since repaid the entire loan, and now gives 5% of all his earnings to the Guild for the People.