Welcome to Packpizzle's Emporium

...Hidden away down a misty cobblestone side street is a mysterious used bookstore. Within its cramped, dusty shelves, you've discovered a strange tome. The book looks and feels impossibly old, its' cover a worn leather of deep purple with copper corners patinaed with age.

Inside, written in ink that faintly glows with unknowable magic, is the tale of Pylonius Packpizzle, a gnomish adventurer from a world called Arkady. The stories nearly leap off the page... heart-stopping accounts of combat against giants, trolls, and dragons, daring rescues of allies and innocents, and finally, retiring to the city of Porto Luz and opening up an adventurers' shop.

As you read the journal, you feel dizzy for a moment, as if the world has subtly tilted on its axis. The words in the journal seem to blur, and when your eyes refocus, you look up only to realize you're no longer in a simple bookstore. Somehow you've been transported to a shop filled with wonders and delight...

Hello, and welcome! I'm Gates, the founder of Packpizzle's Emporium.

I'm a dreamer - always have been, always will be. As a little kid, even still today, I dream about things like this, about finding a mysterious, magical book that takes me and my friends on a grand adventure. If you're here, chances are you have similar dreams.

In my early teens back in the 80's, I played D&D (1st edition!), around the dining room table with friends. We were terrible at it, but boy did we have fun. As an adult, I rediscovered my love of the game when a good friend sent me listen to an episode of NADDpod (Shout out to the two crew!) The podcast rekindled my passion for the game and I dove head (and heart) first into the D&D community. I joined Discord servers, started my own campaigns online, and began world building with gusto.

I've also been a maker for many years. Making soaps, candles, etc. taps into the creative part of my brain. I love that it's art and science rolled into one, an alchemical magic of sorts. And the scents? The scents transport me. The aroma of leather mixed with warm sandalwood? I smell it and in my mind I'm in an exotic library, scouring the shelves for magic books. The bright scent of sea air mixed with exotic orchids? I'm on a ship traveling to a distant land. I realized I could share these scents, to help others become more immersed in the worlds they're creating. 

With all of this in mind, I decided to open Packpizzle's Emporium.

Packpizzle's is a shop that asks the question 'What if a D&D style alchemist's shop was brought into our world?' There'd be an eccentric shopkeeper of course, with wild tales of their adventures. He'd have a familiar, naturally - Py's is a gentle spirit fox named Roxy. There'd be strange objects, magical items on every shelf. There'd be secrets, surprises... all the stuff dreams are made of. Entering the shop would be like stepping across the threshold into a world of magic and hope. A world where grand stories of love and loss are real, a world where a simple visit to a shop could lead to a great adventure.

At a certain point there are practical matters to consider - this is a shop in our world, after all. I'm busting my ass to make this site as user friendly as possible, but I hope to preserve much of the magic and feeling of visiting a classic RPG alchemist's shop. I want Packpizzle's to be a place that makes and sells items that bring the magic of RPGs into our world, that helps bring your dreams and stories to life.

Even though the shop won't open for a few weeks, I want to invite you to follow along as we get ready. So much of the joy of TTRPGs is sitting around a table with your friends, sharing the adventure. I want to share this adventure too.

It's become a common ritual for DMs to have a saying for when players take down the biggest enemy in an encounter - you're probably thinking of the best known to yourself at this moment, heh heh. I've long used "Tell the tale" in my campaigns. It's my invitation to my players to fully immerse themselves in the world we are creating together. I'd like to offer that invitation to you - 

Welcome, my friend, to Packpizzle's Emporium. We want to help you tell your tales.