Occults & Arcanum

Occults & Arcanum

Occults & Arcanum is a two-storey shop of alchemical goods and controlled curiosities located in the rural reaches of western Cormyr — described by those who know it as "Backwater Cormyr's best kept secret." The establishment is fronted by a gold plaque bearing its name and the proprietor's signature beneath.

Proprietor

The shop is owned and operated by Dicentera, whose reputation for sourcing specialty alchemical materials has spread well beyond the immediate region. Dicentera's work occupies a legal grey zone: the shop operates under a writ of coin — an old wartime permit authorizing trade in alchemical goods for military and stockpiling purposes. This writ has kept the business technically legal long past the circumstances that originally justified it.

Stock and Trade

Occults & Arcanum carries what Dicentera describes as "would-be alchemical contraband" — materials that would be illegal in most Cormyrean markets but are permitted under the shop's standing writ. The inventory draws on regular forays into the Farseas swamps and shipments of refined goods from suppliers who know not to ask too many questions about the destination.

The shop's reputation as a reliable source for specialty goods has made it a destination for merchants, adventurers, and well-connected agents moving between Cormyr and the swamplands.

Significance

In the context of the ongoing resource conflict in the Farseas, establishments like Occults & Arcanum represent the informal supply chains that keep alchemical materials flowing between the swamp's production zones and Cormyrean consumers — operating beneath the notice of official trade monitoring.

See also: Dicentera, Cormyr, Farseas, Hydracephelate