"The best place to hide something is out in the open. Nobody ever thinks to look there."
— Robert Anton Wilson
Day after day, people walk by dozens of stores, restaurants, and buildings with barely a glance or consideration for what may go on behind those closed doors. Both wonderful and horrible things may be concealed from view, only a few feet from passerby’s, without anyone aware of how close they are to the strange and extraordinary. One such place is a small shop that would look at home in any strip mall of any city in any state – a shop called Killian’s Curiosities.
Killian’s Curiosities, for all intents and purposes, appears to be one of the miscellaneous shops – a quaint knick-knack store that sells various accessories, décor, and other useless curios that no one ever actually needs or wants. Nobody ever really pays attention to stores like this unless they are actively seeking the contents within – something that Mr. Killian banks on to keep things interesting for his entertainment.
Inside, the store seems almost like a relic from the past with walls and shelves cluttered with various items displayed for sale. Although packed, the shelves are arranged in a semi-categorized manner and labeled with price tags that seem almost too good to be true. In fact, if one was of discerning enough wit, they might realize that there is no way that one could make a living off the prices set. However, that is of no concern to Mr. Killian as his interest lies in the people that buy his merchandise, not the sale itself.
For you see, money is of no concern to Mr. Killian as he is not one with mortal needs. Mr. Killian is a trickster god born from a civilization long ago, whose name has been lost to all but himself and any other immortal beings old enough to have seen their demise. Having lived for as long as he has, Mr. Killian has found that the most enjoyable form of recreation is to watch how humans react when graced with just a smidge of arcane power.
Through the eons he has graced a multitude of humans with various objects of power and enchantments. Herakles of Ancient Greece, Merlin of Albion, and many other mythical figures are mortals given gifts from him to see what choices they would make in life. The entertainment comes from seeing just what decisions they choose to make with the abilities given to them: will they use their power for altruistic means, or will they succumb to the selfish desires they harbor deep inside?
While fun in the past, with the advancement of human technology Mr. Killian has learned that discretion is the better part of valor. It was easy for people to dismiss fanciful stories of magic in the past, but now that people can record events and have faster ways of communication, it is much less of a hassle to observe individuals than directly affect the flow of events.
And thus, Mr. Killian opened his store – a place where those curious enough might venture and receive boon or bane for their troubles. A place where he can sit back a watch the actions of mortals from comfort. But just who would be the next candidate to enter his store?
What do you do now?
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