Kingsport 1844: Calypso Apothecary
- At August 19, 2021
- By Great Quail
- In Call of Cthulhu
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17) Calypso Pharmacy
411 Green Lane, Downtown. Est. 1843
A) The Sixth House on the Left
Occupying a new clapboard building along crowded Green Lane, the Calypso Apothecary is marked by a colorful sign depicting the eponymous Greek nymph singing to a contented Odysseus. Inside is a well-equipped modern pharmacy, filled with tall wooden cabinets, glass cases, advertisements, and a painting of a semi-naked Calypso gathering lotus leaves. Numerous potted plants and exotic flowers decorate the shelves, some under glass bell-jars. The apothecary is abundantly stocked with the usual suspects of mid-nineteenth century medicine: witch hazel, calomel, benzoin, camphor, smelling salts, headache powder, cough syrup, anise oil, shampoo, hair restorative, laxatives, muscle tonics, tooth powder, etc. Among these are a variety of patent medicines and nostrums, purgatives, expectorants, laxatives, and tonics; including the ever-reliable Dr. Bateman’s Pectoral Drops, Robertson’s Infallible Worm-Destroying Lozenges, Brandreth’s Life-Addition Pills, Ponnonner’s Vitality Lozenges, Swaim’s Panacea for Scrofulous and Syphilitic Incurables, Dr. Steer’s Opodeldoc Liniment, and Mug-Wump Specific Cure and Preventative for Curing All Venereal Diseases.
That’s the Stuff!
The active ingredient in many patent medicines is—surprise, surprise!—a combination of alcohol and opium. For instance, Dr. Bateman’s Pectoral Drops are a tincture of opium, catechu, camphor, and anise oil in 152 proof spirits. Opium may also be purchased on its own. A camphorated tincture of opium is known as “paregoric,” and is considered fairly mild. When the amount of opium in a tincture increases to 10% by weight, it becomes the stronger “laudanum.” Morphine, which was discovered in 1804, is an alkaloid extracted directly from the poppy plant that produces opium, and is generally ten times stronger than opium. In 1844 morphine is commercially available as “morphia,” but is much rarer than laudanum, and is ingested orally. Gum opium, such as what’s smoked in the Diving Bell, is not sold by pharmacies. (See “Drugs, Intoxicants, and Poisons” for details on opium effects and addiction.)
| Patent Medicines It’s become something of a cliché that nineteenth-century medicine caused more ills than it cured, and there’s definitely some truth to that. Aside from the thousands of people who became addicted to opium and morphine—cocaine and heroin wouldn’t enter the picture until later that century—many of these panaceas contained toxins such as lead, arsenic, and mercury. Indeed, mercurous chloride is the main component of calomel, a medicine distributed as a blue pill and taken orally for various gastrointestinal and gum disorders. It “treats” these disorders by virtue of its toxic effects, causing diarrhea, vomiting, and loose gums. Too much calomel, and the patient can die of mercury poisoning, suffer tooth loss, or develop gangrene of the mouth, which is just as horrible as it sounds! Mercury is also a common component of venereal disease medicine, leading to the aphorism, “One night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury.” Perhaps the most egregious patent medicine of all was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. Developed by a Maine nurse and selling over 1.5 million bottles, this solution was marketed to soothe crying babies. Which it did, using high doses of morphine! Some sources place the number of babies forever “soothed” in the thousands. A final note for Keepers interested in historical authenticity. Although patent-medicine viper oils and snake oils have existed since the eighteenth century, the term “snake oil” as a derogatory catch-all came into vogue during the late nineteenth century. We can thank Clark Stanley, the Rattle-Snake King, who huckstered his Snake Oil Liniment. Stanley’s miraculous panacea was later demonstrated to be a combination of mineral oil, turpentine, camphor, and chili-pepper capsaicin. |
B) Personalities
Calypso Apothecary is owned and operated by Hadrian Quire.
Hadrian Quire
Age 30, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Dunwich 1814.
| STR 50 | CON 75 | SIZ 45 | DEX 60 | INT 75 |
| APP 90 | POW 80 | EDU 60 | SAN 80 | HP 12 |
| DB: 0 | Build: 0 | Move: 9 | MP: 16 | Luck: 65 |
Combat
| Brawl | 50% (25/10), damage 1D3 |
| Pistol | 75% (37/15), damage 1D8 |
| Dodge | 40% (20/8) |
Skills
Accounting 60%, Anthropology 35%, Appraise 80%, Archeology 35%, Art/Craft (Glassblowing) 50%, Art/Craft (Sketching) 75%, Charm 50%, Credit Rating 60%, Cthulhu Mythos 20%, First Aid 65%, History 35%, Hypnosis 70%, Intimidate 30%, Kingsport Cult 10%, Law 30%, Library Use 70%, Listen 65%, Lore (Herbology) 75%, Mechanical Repair 15%, Medicine 60%, Natural World 20%, Occult 45%, Persuade 60%, Psychology 50%, Renown 10%, Ride 70%, Science (Anatomy) 60%, Science (Botany) 70%, Science (Chemistry) 75%, Science (Pharmacy) 75%, Sleight of Hand 80%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth 70%, Witchcraft 25%.
Languages: Latin 45%, French 30%, Greek 15%.
Description
A devilishly handsome man with a louche demeanor and a shock of red hair, Dr. Quire hails from the dissipated Quire family of Dunwich. Having earned a degree at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, he relocated to Kingsport and opened an apothecary, demolishing the previous residence and building from scratch. Although he calls himself “Doctor,” Quire is not a physician, and does not hold a degree in medicine. He is, however, an expert botanist, having a background in herbal medicine acquired from his mother, Lucretia Whateley, who was accused of witchcraft and driven from Dunwich the year after his father died.
The Whateley Cousins
Hadrian Quire’s mother Lucretia is the younger sister of Laetitia Whateley, Lady Jezebel’s mother. This makes them first cousins, but they are oblivious of this fact, and have yet to meet in person—Quire has no use for brothels, and Jezebel has a disdain for the “usurping Jovian dominion” of modern apothecaries. If the player characters have met Lady Jezebel, a Hard Spot Hidden roll detects a distinct resemblance.
C) Visiting the Apothecary
Opening the door to the apothecary rings a small bell and attracts the attention of Quire, who glances up from feeding a Venus flytrap. His desk is overflowing with fascinating objects, including arcane glassware, balances, mortar-and-pestles, funnels, essential oils, bundles of dried herbs, green beetles in glass cages, and astrological charts. A glass-mold is clamped open under a reflecting lamp, a prototype for one of his new medicine bottles. While Quire may sell his share of quack medicines, he’s no huckster, and allows customers to browse peacefully until they have questions.
Player characters may purchase any medicines and tonics they require for their journey, and the Keeper is welcome to determine their relative efficacy. While Quire has an ample stock of paregoric and laudanum, his stock of morphia is depleted, and won’t be replenished until after the Quiddity departs. If characters suggest they’d like something “stronger,” he’ll direct them to a cabinet with his own “modest potions,” adding, “If you need anything stronger that these, friend, may I suggest the Diving Bell on Barton Street? Disreputable in the extreme, naturally. But I understand they indulge in the poppy following the Chinese habit?” He’ll mime smoking an opium pipe, after which he returns to his carnivorous plants.
Quire’s Herbs
Quire maintains an extensive stock of herbs—sometimes called “yarbs” by locals—mostly gathered himself but some imported from distant soils. A few of his regular customers know to ask for rarities, mostly healers and “wise women,” but he tends to keep this practice sub rosa. If a character is interested in an herb for magical or medicinal purposes, the Keeper should assign a probability and a price, or simply call for a Luck roll. The most likely candidate is Rachel Ward, who may be seeking High John the Conqueror root and bat’s head root, depending on her relationship with Lady Jezebel (see “Rachel Ward’s Last Lesson” under Encounter 6 for details). If asked about these roots, Quire raises a quizzical eyebrow, but he’s willing to supply. He has a dozen High John the Conqueror roots priced at 25¢ each, but there’s only a pair of bat’s heads. He’ll part with one for $1, but the second requires $2 and a successful Charm roll. As far as rose attar, that’s in plentiful supply at 15¢ per ounce. He also has belladonna, henbane, and wolfsbane, but it requires a successful Witchcraft roll to convince him a client knows what she’s doing. Each sells for 50¢ /dose.
Quire’s Potions
Calypso Apothecary offers several concoctions made by Quire himself. Unlike most of the nostrums peddled at Calypso, these medicines have tangible effects; after all, they were prepared by a Whateley! Quire spares no expense regarding ingredients or packaging, so the medicines are expensive and in limited supply. Each is contained in its own special bottle, designed by Quire and produced by a master glassblower on Arkham’s French Hill.
Calypso’s Golden Shuttle
Ingredients: Alcohol and opium with hemp, hyacinth, thyme, valerian, and wormwood. Cost: $2.00/bottle, Doses: 10, Duration: 8 hours. Sold in a golden bottle, the label depicts Calypso easing Odysseus into a trance with her loom and golden shuttle, and promises “relaxation, meditative thoughts, & pleasant dreams.” One dose allows the drinker to spend 1 magic point to receive a +1D10 bonus die for any roll involving Dreaming, including use of the Levantine Dream Wheel (see Encounter 6). It also makes a drinker more susceptible to Hypnosis, granting a +1D10 bonus die to willing subjects and imposing a –1D10 penalty die on unwilling subjects.
Malean Lotus
Ingredients: Alcohol and morphine with belladonna and ziziphus lotus. Cost: $3.00/bottle, Doses: 10, Duration: 1D4 hours. Sold in a green bottle imprinted with lotus leaves, this powerful concoction “guarantees the restorative peace of a deep & tranquil slumber.” One dose triggers a Constitution roll, with a failure bringing 3D4 hours of slumber after 2D4 minutes. Upon wakening, the drinker must make a Power roll or forget everything that happened 1D4 hours prior to drinking the potion. Two doses imposes a –1D10 penalty die on both of these rolls; three doses inflicts –2D10 penalty dice and acts as a “Severe” poison. Additional doses have no extra benefits, but increase the poison level to “Deadly.”
Moly
Ingredients: Condensed fluid magnesia with amber shavings, amaranth, mistletoe, and snowdrop. Cost: $2.00/bottle, Doses: 4, Duration: 6 hours. Sold in a slender, transparent bottle etched with an image of Circe stroking a swine, Moly is a pearly-white concoction offering “protection from spells & hexes.” One dose grants a single +1D10 bonus die to any roll involving magic, whether casting or resisting. Additional doses are not cumulative.
Nausicaä
Ingredients: Alcohol and musk with damiana, feverfew, henbane, lobelia, nine hooks, rose attar, Spanish fly, and Venus flytrap. Cost: $3.00/bottle, Doses: 6, Duration: 1 hour. A small pink bottle in the shape of a heart etched with a naked nymph, this “love potion” is brazenly advertised to “increase your sensibilities, brighten your complexion & galvanize your erotomagnetic fluids—perfect for attracting the opposite sex!” One dose adds a +1D10 bonus die to all Charm rolls made during its duration, but simultaneously inflicts a –1D10 penalty die to resisting Charm. It also acts as an aphrodisiac, temporarily boosting Constitution by +5 percentiles and enhancing performance for both sexes.
Penelope’s Shroud
Ingredients: Alcohol and opium with asphodel, foalswort, hyacinth, Jacob’s ladder and violet. Cost: $2.00/bottle, Doses: 6, Duration: 1 hour. A blue bottle inscribed with a beautiful woman weaving a shroud from her hair, this medicine offers to “bring peace of mind & tranquility, restore & renew unraveled thoughts & promote sound cogitation—treats neuralgia and melancholy.” One dose relaxes the muscles, dampens sensory input, and calms anxiety. This offers the user a +1D10 bonus die to all Sanity rolls made during its duration. Doses are not cumulative.
Scylla & Charybdis
Ingredients: Alcohol with agrimony, basil, narwhal horn, periwinkle, Solomon’s seal, St. John’s wort, Uxia cilophytia, and yellow dock. Cost: $2.50/bottle, Doses: 3/3. This concoction is sold in two interlocking bottles, a pink sea-monster nested within a toroidal whirlpool. The sea monster has the upper body of a beautiful woman, but the lower body of a tentacled serpent. Advertised as a “palliative for bee-stings, snakebites & poisonous ingestions,” the medicine has two components. Scylla is preventative, one dose offering a +1D10 bonus die to any Constitution roll intended to resist a poison; while Charybdis is restorative, and heals 1D6+1 hit points of poison damage if consumed within 10 minutes of being envenomed.
White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
[Back to Encounter 16, Marine Bank | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 18, Seventh House On the Left]
Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 23 October 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]