She lifted a hand to cover her eyes from the blinding light of the sun. Crescent Coast was a supposedly world class destination for beach enjoyment, but the unfortunate lack of service brought the whole experience down a few stars. Still, it was rather peaceful. Except for the sun. And the sand in her bikini. And now that you speak of it the sound of waves constantly crashing was enough to make her go stir crazy.

    Actually, the waves really were crashing today. There had been a typhoon recently that had in secret stirred up a large amount of turbulence in the Luna Sea, significantly increasing the size of the crests. Some were dangerously close to ruining her spot, she had felt water lap at her toes more than once in the hour that she had been out here.

    Frustration built at having come all this way only to not be able to relax, she sat up. Only a few sparse locals and...Is that black tiefling... There's no way. Gwendolyn made it a point to recognize most notable people from around charon, but what was he doing here?! Wasn't he like, a crime boss in Ash Lands society or something? Or was that a rumour made to denigrate the Ash Lands. Only one way to find out...It was always time to Schmooze, this would be easy.

Zarius has never been good at taking vacations, so when everyone at the Rookery insisted on him taking a break to the Crescent Isles, he found himself anxious and needing something to do. 

Wanting to at least try and honor the wishes of his family and friends for him to take things easy, he ended up going for a walk along the beach. Surprisingly there aren't as many others out and about. Seems that a recent storm left the beach a little messed up with tidal pools and long strands of kelp strewn across the coastline.

In his opinion it was better this way. Less people meant less noise and fewer sets of eyes on him. His reputation was making it harder and harder to do anything in secret anymore, even if that was just taking a break from the craziness of higher class society and his various other schemes. The morning had promised that he may finally get some peace for once. Though it was just his luck that some random kid did not get that memo.

The young boy ran about in a fit, flailing his arms and shouting about something. No one else paid the youngster any mind which only added to his distress. Eventually he approached the tiefling on the brink of tears and begged for him to help with some wildlife that was trapped in one of the tidal pools.

This was the equivalent of someone asking to help get their cat out of a tree. But the boy was insistent and even offered the shadowy stranger all his life savings. Unnecessary, as Zarius had nothing better to do and how hard could it be to move some fish. 

Much harder than expected it turns out. Getting to the tidal pool, there are two massive stingray-like creatures flailing about in as much of a fit as the kid. Their barbed tails whip around dangerously, threatening to strike anyone who gets too close. 

Of course. Things never could be simple. The tiefling, barefoot and dressed much more casually and lighter than he normally does, scratches the back of his head. Ginma's fuzzy horse ass, how is supposed to get these massive creatures back in the ocean? The puddle they were in was a least a few hundred feet from the surf. If they tired themselves out then maybe he could grab one and haul it across the sand, but then it might not have any energy left to get past the breakers to calmer waters. 

"You're gonna help them, right mister?" The kid blubbers, barely able to speak clearly through the hiccups and sobs. 

Aaaaaaaaaah, dammit. 

"I will see what can be done, but I make no promises."

He sighs and looks around. Perhaps there was some debris that could be used to create a net. His eyes instead catch sight of something else, or rather, someone. A beachgoer dressed in nothing more than a bikini was approaching them. Maybe she was the kid's mother. That would either make things easier, or ten times worse. 

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Glide Over the Moon
Participants: Two or more
Location: Crescent Isle (Coast)
Post Requirements: 6 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown, +1 Hide, +1 Water Catalyst
Description: A huge wave flooded the beach, filling up large pools further up the beach with water. Now that the sea has receded, two Manta Gliders have become trapped, stuck in a pool and unable to return to the ocean. While normally docile, these creatures are now angry, lashing out and attacking anyone who even tries to get close, let alone help. The pool will begin to dry up over the next few days, leaving these creatures to die. We need to find a way to get them off the beach and back into the Luna Sea.

    She waved at the kid as she approached, a big fake smile plastered on behind her veil. It was her in to get on the same side as a dignitary, she had to play this appropriately. She arrives just after Zarius finishes talking, only having heard a small thing about promises.

"Don't worry little one, I'm an adventurer too, and we promise to help out."

    The kid offered some slightly confused protest, as she had been one of the one's to ignore him earlier. Stepping between him and the tiefling, she offered a hand. 

"Hi, I'm Lady Gwendolyn, at your service. How can I help?"

    To be entirely fair, she was here for a job already. A pirate ship passing through the area had capsized in the storm earlier in the week, and a very ostentatiously dressed lizardfolk from the courier service had sent her out here to make sure it's treasure hadn't been washed up on the beach for any old tart to find. She had taken the job more as an excuse to sunbathe, how likely was it to happen across a priceless emerald on some random beach in the CRESCENT ISLES. The place was literally all beaches.

    She wasn't sure this alternative was better. Two massive smelly fish flitting about in a tidal pool like she wished she could be right now. The only thing keeping her from vomiting was the perfume in her veil, and that only barely, it was intense. But, a schmooze is a schmooze, and if this is what it takes to climb that ladder by Avashas shiny beak she was grabbing that rung.

"Here, I can at the very least solve one of the problems for us. Step back from them"

    Outstretching her hand, Enlightened Redolence materialized from thin air. A massive shining maul in the morning sun swept to the side as she opened up the censer head to root around. Gwendolyn withdrew two vials from within, slamming the shaft of the maul into the sand so it stood upright. She cracked a vial of milky white liquid and poured it into the other vial, causing a reaction that she immediately corked back off. A quick toss into the tidal pool saw the liquid mixture float to the surface and begin to offgas a noxious purple smoke.

    The undulations and flails of the manta slowed down over the next minute and eventually ceased alltogether.

"There, all better!"

The tiefling gives a nod of acknowledgement to the woman. She wasn't familiar, but at the same time she didn't strike him as a local either. She called herself an adventurer, probably on vacation given her attire. He does give her a bit of a skeptical look as the kid is basically shunted out of the conversation which the woman invites herself into. 

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Zarius," he responds curtly. Even if this woman was a little on the socially rough side, there was no reason not to keep his own manners.

"We just need to get these two creatures back in the ocean where they belong," he explains, gesturing to the struggling creatures. Easier said than done. The two large rays were flapping around and lashing their tails about. If they got too close, surely they would get stabbed. 

The woman then does something with a concoction made from vials she pulls from her oddly shaped mace. He doesn't have a chance to ask what it does before she throws it at the creatures and the fumes take effect on them. 

The child looks horrified, believing that this woman who had previously told them to bugger off had just killed the two defenseless creatures. Well, defenseless was hardly accurate but to a kid this was still a tragedy in the making that would surely scar them for life.

Zarius sighs and shakes his head. "Your idea of all better leaves a lot to be desired." He walks over to the still creatures and checks to see if they are still alive. He's no expert on Manta Gliders, but they do appear to be okay, just sleepy. "I suppose this works."

He wades into the water and gets a grip on one of the manta gliders.^[1] Even unconscious, the creatures are not the easiest to handle as they are slippery, awkwardly shaped, and heavier than one would expect. He manages to haul one out of the pool and back onto the sand with a huff. 

"Can you help me drag this thing? Probably best to move one at a time."

The kid meanwhile paces back and forth anxiously, staying close but also giving them space to work without getting in the way. 

---

[1] Iron Grip

    Oh gods…. He wanted her to actually touch those slimy things? She looked at the kid, and then looked at Zarius. And then looked back at the kid. What the hell was that in his bathing suits pocket? Only the shiny green top of the item was poking out… but it was clear… and had a jewlers cut. The freaking Star Emerald she had been sent out here to find?! No way. She silently wished she had gassed the kid if only to get this situation over with.



    “Listen kid… I gotta help mr. Zarius get these sleepy fish back into the water. But after that… you gotta help me okay? I lost my green star earlier… If I help you with the Mantas…youre gonna help me find it alright?” She whispered quietly to him, bending low so that Zarius wouldn’t hear. “If I don’t find it, I think all those fish are gonna die… So let me hurry and get them back to the water so we can get started okay? Don’t tell Mr. Zarius, or else he’s gonna be mad”



    Walking away from the now crying kid, and slipping on some white cotton gloves, she came alongside Zarius and grabbed hold of the monster of the sea. “He’s just worried about the fish, let’s get to work!” She said cheerily. It was weird to see children other than Astrid be so weak, but way better at finding emeralds. She pushed, and it was clear that the cotton was a poor choice, as the slimy sea gunk that surrounded it sunk into the fibres. Shit, on top of everything they would be waking up soon, they didn’t have enough time to grab both of them while they remained asleep…

Zarius isn't paying too much attention to Gwen, though he does watch as she walks over to help haul the manta glider across the sand. The kid was having another fit, worse than before. He can't help but give the woman an accusatory look. 

"Is that really all?" He asks with pretty obvious skepticism laced in his tone.

Zarius himself is no stranger to bullying people for what he wants. His younger brother got the brunt of that when they were growing up. But even as an adult, Zarius wasn't above threats or manipulation. How this kid was reacting after whatever the woman said doesn't strike him as just him being upset. Really, if the woman had been reassuring him, he wouldn't have reacted that way considering he had already calmed a bit down when Zarius agreed to help him. 

There isn't really time for an interrogation though. The creatures were starting to get riled back up and they needed to at least get one back into the water while they had the chance. Digging his heels into the sand, Zarius throws his weight into the pull and manages to drag the creature to the water lapping at the beach just in time. The creature wakes back up and starts to flail about. Luckily Zarius grabs a hold of the barbed tail before it can start whipping it around. One last big push and they get the creature into water that is deep enough for it to swim on its own in. 

"Alright, you can step back, I will hold onto its tail until it heads out." The instructions were simple enough, the woman should have no issues following them. 

As soon as she's clear and once the creature starts tugging and pulling on its tail as it tries to return to the open water, the tiefling releases his hold and jumps back quickly to avoid being jabbed. The large manta glider eventually gets enough momentum to disappear below the water's surface as it gets past the breaking waves and out to deeper waters. 

Zarius sighs and looks back at the tidal pool where the other manta glider has woken back up and is thrashing about.

"Well, the easy work is done. I appreciate your assistance, Lady Gwendolyn. I hope this has not soured your vacation."

It was a fair assumption that she was not here on any business given her chosen attire. Though the stated assumption would either serve to validate or invalidate itself if she chose to correct him. 

He starts walking back to the tide pool to figure out how to help the second manta glider and hopefully put an end to the kid's tears. If that really was all he was crying over, that is. 

    A small bead of sweat dropped from her brow. Zarius WAS a pretty renowned crime guy if that was the appropriate nomenclature. It would be within reason to guess that he was aware of the shipwreck. But did he realize what the kid was holding? It seemed like he was trying to dismiss her… No, it was paranoia. Leneonic wouldn’t send two couriers after the same prize at the same time….would he?



    “Heh…uh, please! Allow me to assist in completing the work. A job isn’t done until it’s done, right kid?” She uneasily looked over at the still bawling kid, who only took a moment to give a tearful nod before going back to crying. Where the heck was this kids parents anyway. Gwendolyn bent over and rubbed her gloves in the sand, the slightly viscous goo from the last manta mixing with it to create a more grippy surface.



    She thumbed the ring that Wolfe had given her at their dinner date, perusing its magic for something that could be handy. Odd…there were alot of Ooze related magics on this thing. Goo puddle….Slimy hands…Rubber whip…Wait. That last one could be useful. Slapping her hands together, a thick, gooey string of electric blue ooze formed as she pulled them apart.



    “Alright! I’ll get the tail, if you can drag it out!” She said, whipping it forth. The tip of the goo noodle, or goodle for short, made contact at the base of the rays spiny tail. But with a bit of positioning, she managed to wrap the length of it in the goodle, arresting its whippy momentum.

Gwen's unease doesn't go unnoticed. What exactly was this woman's deal? Maybe she was just really bad with children. He glances at the kid and eyes them up and down quickly before a glimmer of green catches the sunlight. Was that sea glass? No, he had seen plenty of colored glass in Darkveil, glassblowing being a popular art in the city and one of the few traditional crafts still practiced. Also this kid would have had to have some serious lack of common sense carrying broken glass in his pockets like that. No, that was some sort of gemstone. Quite a sizeable one at that. 

He thinks for a moment. Wasn't there some precious jewel scheduled to be on display in Eclipse City? He vaguely recalls an encrypted message reaching the Rookery saying something about it, but his sister had shooed him off to go vacation before he could fully read the correspondence. 

If this is the same gem, how in the world did this kid get a hold of it? He considers the conditions of the beach, while there was no evidence of a ship having run aground here, there was plenty of kelp and other debris washed in by the rough waters. Perhaps something happened to the envoy delivering the gem, or some poor thief ditched it to avoid being tracked down by the authorities and this kid just so happened to pick it up...

He glances over at the woman who was wrangling the manta glider. It would be a wild coincidence and uncanny timing...but it isn't out of the realm of possibility. She was acting a bit suspicious and clearly had some fancy tricks not up her metaphorical sleeves. Only one way to find out.

"Very well," he responds. 

Stepping back into the tidal pool as if nothing was up, Zarius times his grapple on the flailing creature once Gwen has successfully restrained its deadly tail. He digs his heels deep into the sand as he grabs onto the underbelly of the creature and lifts as Gwen pulls, sliding it across the sand as it batters him with its fleshy fins in protest.^[1] 

It's a significantly harder effort than the previous one as the creature does little to aid them in saving its life. The Fellblood keeps a tight grip on it as it thrashes about and just focuses on pushing it back to the water. 

---

[1] Iron Grip

    Nice, it seemed like Zarius was none the wiser. She adjusted her positioning to assist with the drag from the tail, moving waist deep into the water to help pull the monster further seaward. The kid finally stopped bawling as the Manta touched the Luna sea, and began a sad sort of goodbye to the fishes. Kids are weird. The one or two other people on the beach idly clapped as well, as though the small nuisance of their vacation had finally been dealt with.



    The mantas met back up with each other about twenty yards out, and swam back into the sea with a flying leap as water glittered behind them. Truly a beautiful sight, Gwen thought, looking at the stone in the child's pocket. Time to finish this job.



“Alright! Good work everyone, glad we could get those big fishes back into the water with the rest of the fishes."


“Thank you Mr. Zarius, Ms. Lady… you can have the rock now, I’m just happy that the fishes are happy now.”



    Gwendolyn snatched the emerald as soon as it emerged in his hands, not quite fast enough to avoid it being noticed. She paused a second, a small bead of sweat dropping down her temple and splashing against the sand. It was time to make a hasty exit before the Tiefling found out what she was really after. At least, she hoped he hadn’t already.



“Aheh-heh… Weeelll I’ll be seeing you kid. Nice to meet you Zarius, be safe! Watch out for more beached mantas!” She shouted, waving backwards as she attempted to hide the Gem in front of her whilst walking away into the sunset.

Once the creatures are back in the water, Zarius keeps one eye on Gwen the whole time leading up to returning to the kid, the kid taking the clearly precious gemstone out of his pocket and Gwen snatching it like some greedy little gremlin. Well now he was even more interested. Had Gwen played it cooler maybe he would’ve let her just leave without any trouble. It’s clear she wants to keep it from him and the jerk of an older brother in him makes him want it now, if only for leverage.

“No problem, make sure you get home safely,” he waves the kid off before turning his full attention back to Gwen. She was…not very subtle, was she? An amused smile spreads across his face as she tries to back away.

“What is your rush, Lady Gwendolyn? You clearly were just sitting around on the beach moments before, surely you have time for a friendly chat and perhaps a walk?”

Zarius steps towards her, keeping her from getting too far from him. He didn’t want to run her down, but he could if she gave him reason to. The whole point of training his body to the extent that he has was to ensure even if he was without his gear, he could put up a good fight if necessary.

He glances behind her, taking note of the surroundings. As far as he could tell, she was alone, so he wouldn’t have to worry about interference. Any other civilians on the beach wouldn’t likely get involved in an altercation, more concerned with their beachcombing.

Closing the gap between them, the Fellblood leans in a bit. “I do not think that little bauble belongs to you, Lady Gwendolyn.”

A cold sweat runs down her neck as she feels the Tiefling staring smugly into her back like a wolf who had cornered a rabbit. Shit, she had been relaxing idly only to leave immediately. Then again, who wouldn’t want to leave after wrestling a slimy old manta for the last several minutes. The only problem was that she didn’t have anywhere to hide her prize… Using the last bit of ooze from the whip, she tacked her fingers together. With one smooth motion she slimed the emerald, stuck it to her back while turning around, and smiled through the shivers it sent up her spine.



    “So kind mr. Zarius! But I’m afraid I must decline, all this wrestling has left me quite unpresentable. Nothing like a shower to freshen one up for relaxation!” Walking backwards across sand came off as a quite awkward chicken walk, but she maintained a perfectly pleasant lady-like demeanor as the man closed in. Even the thinly veiled words of Zarius couldn’t break her smile, though the sweat pouring down her face now betrayed her guilt.



    “Ahheh…Heh……..Heh………..BogFog” Smoke explodes from her feet, covering their area of the beach as gwendolyn makes a break for the treeline. These damn Crescent Isle beaches were so wide, she still had 100 feet to cover.
Bog Fog: By channeling magic into the environment, you cause a thick cloud of fog to form over a 100 foot area, clouding the area in white mist. This fog will last for 3 post and is extremely hard to see through, making it difficult to navigate or fight in. Not only is it good at concealing things, but it is also extremely thick and heavy, preventing wind from blowing it or redirecting it away. Has a two post cool down in between uses.

This woman. He’d give her credit. She had his full attention now for better or for worse. 

She’s still close enough for him to tell that she’s making a break for it as the cloud of fog spews forth and obstructs his vision.^[1] He turns invisible and dashes after her with a burst of adrenaline, the slippery sand slowing them both down a smidge as he gives chase.^[2,3] 

Once he gets clear of the fog and can see her again, he slips past her to cutting off her escape to the treeline. Who knows what she was running to, but he wasn't about to let her get to it so easily. His tail whips around her ankle in an attempt to trip her up as he reaches forward to catch her mid fall.^[4]

The invisibility drops as he does, revealing the smiling fellblood once more. 

“Do be careful, Lady Gwendolyn. You do not want to faceplant into the sand. You could fall on something sharp.”

He feels the gem stuck to her back as he pulls her back up onto her feet. As subtly as he can, he tries to free it from the sticky goo and slip it into his sleeve before she has a chance to move away from him again.

---

[1] Fighter’s Sense
[2] Invisibility
[3] Adrenaline Rush (½ per topic)
[4] Prehensile tail

    Breaking out of the fogcloud, the treeline was in sight! Something wraps her leg, sending her falling face-forward. But the smooth gentlemen reappears, catching her in his arms. It would be almost romantic, if it weren't for his ulterior motives… She felt the goo dissipate from her back, but didn’t see the gem fall to the ground.



    Thinking quickly, how could she turn this situation around. He was a man after all… Swooning, she smiled and turned around, hand against her forehead. “Oh, Mr. Zarius. You’re right, I need to be more careful. However can I repay…” Her arm slid down the Tieflings shoulder. Was that…a bump on his arm? No, the gem! Sneaky bastard, she walked her fingers back up his arm until her hand was right behind his neck, at which point she summoned her maul from thin air.1


    It manifested horizontally and she grasped it, holding it sideways across the back of his neck. The heat from the hollow censer coursing throughout the entire pole, it was enough to make her sweat most of the time. The head of the maul was closer to the ground, and it’s smoke drifted lazily upwards. The almost imperceptible Mystwud clasp keeping the string on her bottom part tied pulsed angrily. 2


“Enough playing around, are you gonna give it to me or not”

1 Always There
2 Banner Lord The warlord often wears a symbol or sigil portraying their influence. This can come in the form of a banner worn on their person, a cloak, cape or other piece of fabric brandishing their mark or some other form of recognition of their power. The warlords own power emanates from this mark, instilling fear in those around them. A 10 foot diameter aura pulsates out from this banner, allowing the warlord to exert their influence and fear. Once activated any enemy within the range of the aura will become fearful of the warlord, unable to move towards them or take offensive actions against them for their next post. This ability can only be used once per topic.

The Fellblood sweats a bit from the heat given off from the censer. Ah. Well. This was a less than ideal position to be in. He couldn’t exactly move away from her as much as his instincts were telling him he was in danger.

“There is no need for us to fight, Lady Gwendolyn. I just want to know why you are interested in something that could bring you so much trouble. Something as valuable as this will be tracked down. If you are adding it to your personal collection then you best be ready for thieves, treasure hunters, and guards to be very interested in conversing with you. And they may not be as understanding as I am.”

It’s a logical response. If this gem is what he suspects it is then there will be a reward for its return as well as all manner of opportunistic people out to find it before the authorities can reclaim it. These sorts of high profile goods are not so easy to whisk away without a trace. Even the most skilled fences would think twice about getting involved.

“I will happily hand it over, if you just humor my curiosity.”^[1]

He wasn’t necessarily lying about handing it over if she cooperated, it was more that he wasn’t just curious for curiosity’s sake. Knowing whose hands this gem would pass through or ultimately end up in was very valuable information, information he could leverage in his own dealings. Especially considering the letter he never got the chance to read could have been a missed opportunity if he hadn’t just lucked his way into coming across the jewel in the first place.

---

[1] Smooth Talking

    Oh, that was easy. Man she must be really hot today, the bikini was a good choice. Zarius wanted to truth then.



“Personal collection? I was just here to retrieve it for the couriers. Honestly, I have more than enough money for comfort, and green isn't really my color.” She said, letting go of the tiefling and placing her censer in the sand. “Honestly I’m just doing it to get back at my dad for making me join these damn guilds in the first place.”



    That was the gods honest truth, and it felt good to finally say it after getting this deep into trouble with a notorious gangster. What was the real end game of all this work anyway, she was relaxing just fine before those damn mantas. Would she be less stressed if she had just let it go?



“You know Zarius, keep the thing. It’s just a rock anyway. You’re right, I’m going to finish my vacation right here on this beach, so have fun. Feel free to join me if you’d like, just know that there’s mantas in the water”