Pothos

Pothos
Pothos, from Ultima VII Part Two
Species:	human
Profession:	apothecary
Appearances
Ultima VII Part Two Location: Moonshade

Pothos runs the apothecary of Moonshade on the Serpent Isle. He appears in Ultima VII Part Two.

Description

The Avatar first met Pothos when he arrived at an already tense banquet being held by Filbercio and reported to the MageLord that he had been unable to find a sufficient cache of blood moss. This elicited threats from the already cross adept.

When approached later at his shop, Pothos told the Avatar that, being a relatively insignificant mage, he was content to trade in reagents and magical objects. He worried that Filbercio would throw him into the Mountains of Freedom for his failure regarding the blood moss. He also chatted about Batlin's visit to the island, relating stories of his "daemon" companion Palos and his attempts to collect serpent teeth. If presented with a sample of it, he would also relate the dangers of the forbidden reagent stoneheart, and would offer to buy it as an individual licensed to possess it.

Pothos knew a suspicious amount about Erstam, the "Mad Mage", including details of the madman's experiments on the Isles of the Mad Mage. The town's local gossip, Bucia, mentioned to the Avatar that Pothos bore a striking resemblance to Erstam, and when confronted with this observation, Pothos confessed to being his son. When pressed for a way to meet with Erstam, Pothos offered to tell the Avatar the secret of reaching him in exchange for a quantity of blood moss.

Once this was furnished, Pothos revealed that a great turtle could be summoned by a bell on the northern shore of Moonshade by chanting the mantra I Re-tem Bentas Juxark I. Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I, and that the creature would transport travellers to Erstam's isle on its back. He also gave the Avatar a password, "Iskatradeeth," so as to earn Erstam’s trust.

Later, when Shamino the Anarch conquered Moonshade, Pothos was killed in the resultant chaos.

Lore

“

I stopped at a place called the Capessii Canton to ask directions. It was a nice shop and carried a varied inventory. A woman behind the counter was waiting on a slightly built young man with a worried expression on his face. I introduced myself and asked for some assistance. The young man introduced himself as Pothos. He said he was the the town's apothecary and had stopped in for a few items he needed in his shop. – from Balancing the Scales (Ultima VII Part Two)

Goods

Prices in Ultima VII Part Two are as follows:

Potions Cost (guilders) Min Max Sleep 40 85 Healing 50 100 Illumination 25 50 Curing 45 75 Awakening 75 150 Protection 75 150 Invisibility 135 240

Magic Items Cost (guilders) Magic leggings 550 Magic boots 100 Magic axe 1200 Magic bolts (10) 200 Glass sword 1500 Sword of Defense 1200

Reagents Cost (guilders) Min Max Black pearl 25 50 Garlic 5 8 Spider silk 19 35 Sulfurous ash 30 36 Worm heart 60 100 Mandrake root 45 75

Pothos also buys stoneheart for 120 guilders apiece.

Trivia

• The model for Pothos' character portrait is Ultima VII Part Two playtester Russell Byrd.
• I Re-tem Bentas Juxark I. Praetimde Mir-Wis Re-Por I translates roughly to "I will have virtue to protect me. Ancient lore of the water transport me." in Gargish. Pothos mentions that its meaning may be discerned if one knows the "language of magic," which has interesting ramifications, especially when one observes the many cognates in the Gargish language to the words of magical power.
• According to the original design documents for Serpent Isle, Pothos was originally intended to die in a scene during the reign of Shamino the Anarch, in which Melino accuses him of giving inexact change, and he is then convicted and spectacularly slaughtered by the possessed Shamino and Julia the ranger.
• Pothos cannot be given the blood moss he needs until the Avatar has spoken with Bucia about the matter.
• All the other inhabitants of Moonshade have Italian or pseudo-Italian names. The name Pothos is the only exception.