The Fireball Gazette

A Cottage in the Clearing and a Potent Brew
The squirrel led them through the dense, damp woods to a forest clearing where they discovered a quite lovely cottage. It appeared someone had left in a bit of a hurry, as outside they stumbled upon a recipe for Atreya's Power Tonic, a brew said to grant the ferocity of a tiger and the steadfastness of an elephant - though one does hope it doesn't cause any tummy troubles. Under Tiyana's command, the party split up to gather the five necessary ingredients: Distilled Dawn, Fairy Extract, Smashed Redfruit, Forest Orange, and Golden Frog Mucus. Deva, being ever so polite, managed to coax the golden frog into surrendering some of its mucus without any fuss, completing the recipe. Once the ingredients were mixed and the tonic consumed (with a small tea break in between, naturally), the party felt an immediate, rather impressive surge of power.

The Chimera's Challenge
Empowered by the tonic, the party followed their squirrel guide deeper into the forest, where they encountered a cervitaur woman named Rosemary. She was engaged in a rather undignified dance with a chimera, attempting to draw its blood. As soon as the party arrived - not that anyone had asked them to interrupt - the chimera charged at them, initiating a bit of a kerfuffle.

Selah and Mad Matt took the front lines, with Selah attempting to strangle the chimera’s vulture head using her nunchaku. Mad Matt, who has always been a trifle unrefined, charged in with a roar, but the chimera’s three heads turned on him all at once, sending him reeling back to the safety of the back lines after the bear head took a rather nasty bite out of him. Rosemary’s attempts to assist were, quite frankly, a bit of a bother, as her concoctions missed their mark entirely.

Deva and Tiyana, however, executed their signature combo to perfection. Deva’s vines ensnared the chimera, and Tiyana’s Fireball ignited them, engulfing the beast in flames - which was all well and good, but a bit much for a Tuesday. Mabel, supporting from the rear, fired crossbow bolts empowered by Branding Smite, further weakening the creature.

Victory and an Unexpected Reward
As the battle raged, Peanut Butter valiantly defended the party, distracting the chimera and saving Mabel from what would have been a most unpleasant end. Selah, ever the agile warrior, leaped onto the chimera’s back, unleashing a flurry of punches. Meanwhile, Deva unsheathed a flaming blade from within her hand, decapitating the bear head in one clean strike - very efficient, if a bit dramatic.

In the midst of the chaos, Rosemary and Mad Matt managed to collect some chimera blood, which was precisely what Rosemary had been after. After a final, heroic charge from Deva, the moose head of the chimera was severed, and the beast fell lifeless to the ground, finally allowing for a moment of peace.

The party then turned their attention to Rosemary. Though they found the reward a tad underwhelming - one does expect a bit more for such an ordeal - they accepted Rosemary’s offering of a vial of Mind Reading potion and some Climbing Claw ointment for Selah. Rosemary also mentioned that Atreya, her much-lauded teacher, resides in Yufune and could help them make use of the remaining chimera blood if they were polite enough to mention her name.

Ever Onwards
With new knowledge and potions in hand, the party set out for Yufune, eager to meet the alchemist Atreya and a professor who could read Ancient Deep Speech (how very grand). Their adventure in the Midai Forest had been quite unexpected and rather dangerous, but it left them stronger, wiser, and more determined than ever. The secrets of Yufune await, and the Fireball Gazette will be there to report on the next chapter of their somewhat turbulent journey.

Atreya’s Power Tonic
Whoever drinks this magical elixir will possess the strength of a bear and the resilience of an elephant for an entire day! For the best effect, consume immediately after mixing. To create the elixir, five ingredients must be mixed in equal parts:

• Distilled Dawn – clear and slightly orange, directly from the distillation flask
• Crushed Redfruit – crush some berries in a mortar and collect the juice
• Golden Frog Mucus – a thin, orange mucus from the inner mouth membranes of the largest possible frog. Always treat your household frogs well; it's only polite, and voluntarily given slime is much more effective than hunted slime.
• Fairy Extract – either fresh or pasteurized. If using fresh fairy dust, the light of the purple dark candle aids in extraction.
• Forest Orange – freshly squeezed and deep yellow for the best effect

The order in which the ingredients are mixed is critically important! One wouldn't want a mistake. If an error is made in mixing, the elixir will be indistinguishable in taste and texture from a correctly mixed elixir, but just a few minutes after drinking, the hapless alchemist will feel a rather exhausting emptiness descend upon them! To ensure the correct order, the following truths must be observed:

• The Distilled Dawn forms the base of the elixir and must be added first or second.

• The Crushed Redfruit must always follow the Golden Frog Mucus directly to prevent dangerous enzyme formation.

• If the fresh Fairy Extract has a strong shimmer, it must be added second. However, if it’s pasteurized and has lost its shimmer, it must be added last.

• Forest Oranges are quite hostile to even numbers, so they must never be added second or fourth!

• The Golden Frog Mucus must either immediately follow the Distilled Dawn or have at least two other ingredients between them. If only one ingredient separates them, the elixir will become quite unstable!