Spellcasters facilitate research by bartering magic, and though the practice does not usually span across planes, some resources just cannot be had locally. Such is the case for Ichthia, a sorceress currently peddling finely crafted implements of death. Though never seen, the cost of her shadowy aid is well known: she barters in souls, usually with people not aware of their worth. The original owners of a Neck-Knife are often dead on the inside themselves.