[Lava]

Here I realized I was still on version 1.9.2, and poor little Mister O. Possom died when I entered his tent—and I was so looking forward to having a screaming contest with him... Strange, I mean, I thought I’d spoken to him normally in this version too... I’ll check it out again with a different character, because I know I’ve never had that happen before

I have no idea what happened; no script would cause his sudden death! Even if that is *slightly* in character.

So far, there hasn’t been a way to have a mage or blacksmith work on them with other components so that both—or at least a selected pearl like the Copper Pearl—have a limited number of uses per day?

There's no option like that, sorry. I actually wanted to add these one-time items, a little advantage for the very beginning of the game (because I believe most people will do these quests very early), and that's all. 

Wow, this area really gives you that vacation vibe. 

Well, I often add these dark quests, strange stuff, and I thought that adding something more light-hearted and normal wouldn't hurt. Cool that you enjoy it. 
Cheers!