NPC Focus - Corbin Gosselin
Corbin Gosselin, a halfling of keen instinct and quiet pride, is the owner and sole proprietor of La Pipe à Fumer - the most beloved tobacconist in all of Ville des Marie. South of the city, beyond the press of its narrow streets, he tends several acres of carefully cultivated tobacco fields. There he grows a range of distinct blends, the most infamous among them a hot, cinnamon-laced strain known as Dragon’s Breath. Corbin has never spoken plainly of how he achieved its peculiar flavor. Those who trade in rumor insist he once bargained with alchemists from some distant, half-forgotten city.
Within his shop, Corbin offers more than simple leaf and flame. Among his wares are the curious Gnomish Pipes - intricate, clever devices whose craftsmanship borders on the arcane. A number of these are enchanted, each with its own subtle peculiarity, and all priced at a deliberate twenty percent above their common worth. Even so, they sell without difficulty. For those of simpler taste, he keeps a steady stock of pipes and cigars at fair and accessible prices, ensuring that no patron leaves empty-handed.
La Pipe à Fumer is impossible to miss - not by sight alone, but by scent. The air within and around the shop is thick with rich, spiced smoke and sweet-cured leaf, a mingling of fragrances that clings to the senses. Travelers often remark that they find the place long before they see it, guided unerringly by their nose through the winding streets of the city.
Corbin himself is a man who prefers calm waters to troubled ones. He has little patience for arguments, disruptions, or displays of ego, and any who bring such things into his shop will find themselves barred from it without hesitation or appeal. Still, he strives to treat his customers with fairness, conducting his business with a steady hand and an even temper.
Yet there is a sharper edge beneath that civility. Corbin is no fool, and he recognizes the signs of deceit when they present themselves. Those who attempt to cheat or manipulate him are not confronted directly. Instead, they leave his shop with tobacco quietly altered - laced with a subtle agent that brings on a lingering, unpleasant nausea. It is never enough to cause true harm, but it is more than sufficient to ensure that such customers seldom, if ever, return.
