You are a lowly Hedge-Wizard. And the former Archwizard's unlikely new apprentice. His apothecary just opened for business at the crossroads in the Hedge, the most dangerous wilderness in the realm. You're going to help make the business boom, figuratively or literally.
Forage reagents from the land, craft concoctions by hand and sell them to the adventuring parties drawn here to face the horrors of the Hedge. Complete quests and explore points of interest around the Hedge to further your expertise in the alchemical arts while expanding the apothecary into an empire. Be wary of the creatures and rival wizards you're sure to run into though, and don't forget to pay the Tax Man.
Grind reagents in the mortar. Press a live toad in the juicer. Fill the cauldron to the brim and stir: you drive the pestle, the flask and the spoon.
There's no telling what virtues a reagent may carry... Until you try it. Learn to brew potions that express a variety of absurd effects, either to be sold or for your own consumption.
Stock the shelves and open up shop. Parties of druids, warlocks, fighters and the like flock to the Hedge in search of gold and glory. And they're going to need consumables. Customer traffic, preferences, and the amount they're willing to spend change based on factors like the customer's class, the apothecary's reputation, events around the Hedge, and rival alchemist influence.
The Hedge provides the supply and the demand. Explore the several biomes that make up the Hedge to discover new reagents to experiment with. You'll likely stumble across treasures, relics, or forbidden knowledge in the ruins, crypts, caverns and encampments scattered across the land.
You'll also likely stumble across a monstrosity or two, especially after dark. Don't fret though. Apprentices can always be replaced.
Play offline single player with the help of the Archwizard and your loathsome homunculi, or go online and play co-op with up to three other Hedge-Wizards.