Conjurers Cubbyhole

Buried in the first floor of Pike Place Market, deep inside the labyrinthine structure, is a small and fairly modest shop called the “Conjurer’s Cubbyhole.” The entryway itself is fairly nondescript, and the sign above the door has worn away over the years.

The Cubbyhole has a wide selection of merchandise, both on the floor and in the “back room,” but the store itself is exceedingly small. The wares here range from simple tricks a child of 12 could (almost) perform to professional supplies and a few collector’s items. The selection of fake shrunken heads, Halloween masks, trick knives and bottles of stage blood adds a sinister touch to the atmosphere. In fact, the atmosphere gives most people the creeps. Most people who wander into the store are judged by their reactions. Anyone who takes an Addam’s-Familiesque delight in the store’s strangeness is noted as being “one of the family.”

Once in a while, some connoisseur of the macabre inquires about a particular collector’s item. Those “in the know” speak of the Cubbyhole’s unusually vast selection of curios. The occasional sale of one of these collector’s pieces is really what keeps the store in business. The latest item on display is a Box of Knives, a sinister recreation of an iron maiden that resulted in the death of a magician’s assistant 30 years ago. The curios often sell for unusually exorbitant prices, but periodically (and mysteriously), a piece is sold for a favor or another rare item.

Few people are invited into the “back room” where most of these items are kept. The door, marked “Private,” is kept locked. There’s a reason for the owner to be cautious — he’s very particular about who he lets into the back. The greatest accomplishment of his career is the Chantry occulted behind his store.

The Conjurer’s Cubbyhole is actually just a front for the Theater of the Mind Chantry run by Rudolfo Ouspensky. Although he’s a Hermetic mage, his Chantry has members from most of the Traditions, and is a very popular meeting place for Hollow Ones. Rudolfo is a rather gregarious fellow.

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