Overview
Dr. Bixby Wizzlethorpe is a renowned alchemist in Southaven, celebrated for his groundbreaking work in magical alchemical mixology and his eccentric personality. Though his brilliance is unquestionable, his absent-minded nature and obsession with experimentation often lead to comical misadventures.
Description
Dr. Wizzlethorpe is a wiry man in his late sixties, with frizzy white hair that seems to defy gravity. His round, thick-rimmed glasses magnify his bright, inquisitive blue eyes, which dart around with perpetual curiosity. He dresses in a patchwork of alchemical robes adorned with scorch marks, ink stains, and dangling pouches of mysterious reagents.
His voice is high-pitched and fast, frequently trailing off into mutterings about complex alchemical theories or entirely unrelated topics. Despite his disheveled appearance, he carries himself with an air of confidence and charm, always ready to share a quirky anecdote or a dubious potion with anyone willing to listen.
Personality
Dr. Wizzlethorpe is an eccentric optimist with a relentless passion for discovery. He is deeply curious and approaches every challenge as an opportunity to learn something new. However, his enthusiasm often leads him to overlook practical concerns, resulting in chaotic experiments and a cluttered lab.
He is kind-hearted and genuinely enjoys helping others, though his tendency to get lost in his own thoughts can make him seem aloof or inattentive. Despite this, he is fiercely loyal to his friends and will go to great lengths to assist them, even if it means putting himself in danger.
Background
Born into a family of scholars, Bixby was a prodigy who excelled in both arcane and alchemical studies. As a young man, he traveled extensively, apprenticing under master alchemists and collecting rare ingredients from distant lands. His groundbreaking research on magical cocktails earned him widespread acclaim, and he eventually settled in Southaven to establish his laboratory.
Though celebrated as a genius, Bixby’s reputation has been marred by a series of mishaps, including an incident where a failed experiment turned half the town’s water supply into a bubbling potion of minor invisibility. Despite these blunders, the townsfolk hold him in high regard, recognizing his good intentions and invaluable expertise.
Bixby was kicked out of the Marble Academy in Lusteris while training to be a wizard for accidentally summoning a Kraken. After than, he wandered in the forests and ended up in Balandel, joining the Guild of the Wandering Flame and focusing on alchemy and magical mixology.
In Session 1 - The Disappearances in Southaven, Dr. Wizzlethorpe gave the party a list of rare alchemical ingredients to keep an eye out for (Bixby’s Cocktails). He was also confronted by the party after they found his emblem on a box of ingredients with bandits in the Southaven mines. He confirmed they were his but had no idea how they ended up there. He mentioned that his assistant, Mira Fallbrook, had once mentioned selling ingredients - a rare occurrence, as he typically only purchased supplies.