Potion Permit brings you to the island and small town of Moonbury. The place is home to many colourful characters, though you'll soon find that most of them are not particularly fond of chemists, which means they're not particularly fond of you. You can look forward to being openly roasted in the streets by the townspeople throughout the tutorial period.
Eventually, the people will start to warm up to you, you will find a wealth of quirky and adorable characters to get to know and become close to. They all have hidden depths, and getting further intertwined in their lives is all part of the job.
10 Forrest
The very appropriately-named Forrest is one of the two rangers of Moonbury, along with Bubble. He can usually be found around the post on the edge of Meadow Range. One of the earlier NPCs you're likely to run into, Forrest explains the ins and outs of the wild areas, not wanting to have to rescue any injured chemists from the woods at night. He's dedicated to his job, though he's also very willing to give you a chance.
When he discovers someone had been stealing from the ranger post, and leaving spots of potion around, he immediately accepts your denial over it, and asks for your help to catch the thief. A good guy.
9 Russo
Russo is one of the two children who live in Moonbury. While the other (Lauren) has a family, Russo is an orphan and has been raised by the local vicar, Sister Socellia. This tough start in life has given Russo a rougher edge to his personality, and he'll threaten to fight you if you cross anyone who is dear to him.
His tough streak doesn't mean Russo is a delinquent. In fact, he fancies himself as a detective, and drafts you and a reluctant Dean in to help him solve his first case. You're his assistant, of course, while he's the boss.
8 Martha
Martha works at the Lazy Bowl Tavern, and is one of the people in Moonbury who will warm up to you first. She turns up at your house offering you some Moon Cloves, a traditional gift in the town, and suggests you try using this gift to make friends with people.
She is also quite a generous individual, if absent-minded enough that it sometimes gets in the way of her good intentions. She can be found handing out cookies that she accidentally spiked with garlic, something most people didn't dare mention. At least she tries.
7 Leano
With the appropriate accent, and a hook for a hand, Leano boasts about having been a pirate in her previous career. These days she's moored her boat in Moonbury for good, setting up a fishing shop and a beachfront café with Ottmar.
Leano has a passion for fishing. She's happy to help you get started with angling, and will even talk Reyner into upgrading your fishing rod to help you out. For a supposed pirate, she seems a lot more concerned with sharing things than taking them away.
6 Runeheart
Runeheart is a buff, fierce-tempered apprentice blacksmith. Given her outlook, she is not initially overjoyed at your arrival, and quickly brands you as a spoiled brat with too many titles.
There is more to the young woman than this, though. She works in Hearts and Sparks, the town smithy, under the mentorship of her mother, Opalheart. This is not always an easy relationship. A lot of Runeheart's anger comes from frustration, as her mother often measures her performance as short of her own. She can often be found blowing off steam at the tavern after work, being overly-competitive at darts.
5 Ottmar
Possibly one of the scariest of Moonbury residents at first glance, Leano's assistant Ottmar is actually just a big teddy bear. He might not be the sharpest villager, but he makes up for it with his caring nature. He cooks fish for Kipps the cat. He also makes extremely strong nets that everyone is desperate for, and that will help you clear the landslide in Meadow Range.
While his work is extremely popular, he doesn't seem to be that concerned with increasing the prices. He mostly just wants things for the café. What a nice guy.
4 Victor
Another initially unsettling citizen, Victor is the local grave keeper, an aesthetic that he takes to heart. He has a couple of imaginary friends and tends to wander around town chuckling to himself. That doesn't mean that he's not a caring individual however, he cares deeply for insects of all kinds, and discourages you from killing invading frostmites after helping to identify them.
Victor is rather upset over discovering that your dog is able to dig, feeling unsettled that anyone else in town possesses this skill. Perhaps he's worried the dog may end up taking his job.
3 Zeke
A mysterious old gentleman who lives in a tent on the edge of town, Zeke is a lot more than he seems. Supposedly he was once a successful merchant from the capital, though something drove him to his poverty-ridden situation.
While Zeke isn't well off, he's sharp and tries to spend what he does have wisely. He cares deeply for his cat, Kipps, and will spend whatever he has trying to make sure she has treats every week. Making sure she has enough to eat is probably why he's found fishing most days.
2 Kipps
Who doesn't want to be friends with a cat? Unlike cats in real life, Kipps' opinion of you isn't arbitrary, and you can earn her affection. Kipps is Zeke's beloved cat. She wanders around town when she's not hanging out with her owner. While Zeke would rather people didn't feed her unsupervised, because she has a few food allergies, she is partial to some grilled fish.
Kipps is very attached to Zeke, and will go and find him if he's away from her too long. This can make watching her for him a challenging exercise.
1 Your Dog
Who's a good boy? This boy, unquestionably. Your dog is not only adorable, he's also a huge help in your job as the town's chemist. He can dig things up and find items for you, he can even lead you to NPCs. The NPC-seeking alone makes him the most useful assistant you could hope for. Watching him get sad when he hasn't been fed is truly a heartbreaking experience, and not letting him sleep in the house will probably fill you with guilt. At least you can buy him steaks for the Lazy Bowl.