Dera Nightfall

Dera Nightfall is the owner and resident alchemist of Dera’s Apothecary. Her shop is a cramped maze of glass bottles, jars of dried herbs, strange reagents, and half-finished experiments that only she understands. The place smells faintly of sulfur, bitter roots, and the sharp bite of alcohol used to preserve tinctures.

Dera stands a little over three feet tall, average for a female rock gnome, with a wiry build and quick hands stained from years of handling reagents and powders. She has fair skin, bright lavender eyes, and pink hair usually tied into a messy braid that never quite stays contained. A pair of safety goggles often rests on top of her head, pushed up whenever she is not actively working with volatile mixtures.

She usually dresses in practical work clothes: worn bib overalls beneath a heavy leather alchemist’s apron with pockets full of tools, measuring spoons, and glass vials. Despite the stains, burns, and scattered powders that seem to follow her everywhere, she is unmistakably pretty in a sharp, clever sort of way.

Dera is blunt, sarcastic, and rarely interested in social niceties. She distrusts strangers and assumes most visitors want something from her. Still, beneath the grumbling exterior she is fiercely intelligent and extremely capable. When it comes to potions, reagents, and unusual alchemical solutions, few in Eastguard can match her skill.

She keeps irregular hours, sleeping through much of the morning and working late into the night while her workshop bubbles and hisses with ongoing experiments. Locals know that if the lamps in her shop are glowing after midnight, Dera is probably close to discovering something interesting.

Rumors around town say she once blew up part of her own roof and slept through the entire event. Others claim she knows potion formulas nobody else in the region understands. Both rumors are probably true.