You come across The Wandering Merchant while out on your travels.

“Hello there, child. How are you?”

He appears older, sun-baked, and weary from his travels. He sits down on a boulder not far off the path under an old oak tree, where he rests his tired legs after a long day of traveling.

“I am a simple old man who likes to sell. Is there something I can help you with?”

You pull out the doll The Soldier gave you and ask him if he knows anything about it. You tell him the story of how it seemed to have spoken to you.

“I do not know of this object. But I can sense its magic.”

He studies it for a moment and closes his eyes as if he is trying to reach out to the doll to tap into its magic. Within a moment, he opens his eyes and sighs.

“It is possessed; a demon resides in it. One that grants the user the ability of their enchantments to not be resisted by the enemy they fight. Alas, it does not have powers to void or devoid the enemies you face.”

He stares at the doll for a moment and reaches into his bag to pull out a book—an old, musty tome.

“I got this from the Shadow Plane. Have you heard of such a place?"

You shake your head, but now that he mentions it, the name does sound familiar.

“I will trade you this tome for the doll. It has the same abilities as the doll, but it’s not possessed by a demonic entity. It will, however, help you make the enemy crumble before you. Make them weak in your eyes, mind, and soul. Study the contents of the book, child.”