Wheelock is, perhaps, the greatest poisoner of the Tablelands. He makes his home at the oasis 35 miles
northeast of North Ledopolus, on the edge of the Great Ivory Plain. He usually remains at home, but he does
make occasional excursions to collect new strains of
poisonous plants. Whenever he travels abroad, he always
makes the journey in a brightly colored wagon drawn by
six muls. The wagon has small curtained windows and a
sloping roof.
When at home, audiences are received by his assistant
Toth, who is a cleric of the earth. Toth is a simple and
polite young man who conducts Wheelock's business affairs
and determines who will gain access to the poisoner. True
to the chilling neutrality of Athasian bards, Wheelock
does not discriminate among his clientele in terms of the
merit of their various causes. He does evaluate clients in
terms of urgency and sheer desperation. He may at times
end up selling one man a poison and his intended victim
the antidote.
He has little use for gold, but he will charge exorbitant
fees just to measure the desperation of an individual.
Other times he will require a service be completed before
providing a poison. He usually demands whatever the
client has less of, whether it be time or money. Sometimes,
if he takes a fancy to a person or dilemma, he will provide
his services for free or for a small gift.
Wheelock always interprets people's requests literally.
This sometimes ends up killing them.
