“Why must every vacation I take in Moonglade be interrupted with the most mundane of tasks?” Vail bemoans as he walks around the edge of Luna Lake.

It was a familiar story: some curious idiots look for treasure or artifacts, only to unleash hell onto the unsuspecting public. Geonids are more of a menace than anything, small enough to get almost anywhere, but smart enough to get into all sorts of trouble. Kind of like rodents, or a very tiny cat.

Considering he had rounded up a legion's worth of crabs rather recently, Vail thought this wouldn’t be as big of an issue as the archaeologists had made it out to be. He didn’t take into consideration how well these things could blend in however. Now he found himself just as desperate as they were, pacing around the water’s edge, rapidly searching his mind for any possible solution.

Suddenly, he’s blinded by an intense light, causing his eyes to narrow as he attempts to take in the source. Much to his surprise, he finds it isn’t the reflection of the sun on the lake, but rather a lustrous fellblood of all things. He carefully approaches the figure, only to find that the light is not coming from some manner of spell, but rather a reflection from the obscene amounts of glitter adorning their face.

Vail began to speak softly, doing his best to not intimidate the figure, taking into account he himself probably looked like an encroaching figure of darkness.

“Excuse me, do you mind moving into the shade? I’m trying to solve a problem and it’s a little hard to think through sun blindness.”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: The Rocks that Roll
Participants: Two or more
Location: Moonglade
Post Requirements: 5 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown, +1 Stone, +1 Earth Catalyst
Description: Some dumb archeologist were digging out in the glade, and without investigating first, tunneled into a nest of Geonids. The disturbance caused the nest to scatter, trying to flee for safety, which was further complicated by the researchers trying to hit them with axes and picks. Now 500 of these small rock like things are just everywhere, disturbing travelers, getting into homes, and just being an overall pain. Your job is to go in, and some how round these things up. Use force if you need to, but the longer they stay out the more danger they are to others and themselves.

The trip to Moonglade had started out as a vacation.

Even charlatan hustlers needed a break, after all! Morrigan could hardly be blamed for needing a rest after the constant scheming and scamming they subjected others too. They’d tried to take a trip to the beaches of the illustrious Crescent Isles, but that had ended with a horrible Tsunami and an impromptu decision to help clear out a couple of vicious, trapped jungle animals. Point being - they had not managed to relax. But they would be damned if they didn’t get their desired beauty rest, relaxation, and pampering!

The lakes of Moonglade were hardly the most scenic of waterfront destinations, but it would do in a pinch. Around midmorning, Morrigan rolled the Wagon of Wonders up to the side of the lake, crunching rocks under the wheels as they did so. Once they’d stopped, Morrigan flung open the tarp covering the back entrance, breathing in the clean forest air.

“Ah… can you smell that?” They called back to their followers. Mariposa, the reptilekin minstrel, straightened where she’d been in the midst of composing her most recent song on Morrigan’s heroics in the Crescent Isles (all embellished, and completely untrue).

“… I smell nothing.”

Morrigan grinned so wide that their cheeks stained from the motion, revealing pearly-white fangs. “That’s right. Nothing. The Glade of the Moon, my ladies, is so clean and pure that there’s nothing here to disturb my break! No tsunamis, no wretched lightning chickens… nothing!”

They turned and hopped to the ground, sandals crunching where they landed on a couple of pebbles.

“I don’t remember there being as many rocks here, though… no matter! If you ladies excuse me, I’ll be sunning myself at the waterfront.”

They received a halfhearted wave from Mariposa and a much more enthusiastic one from Ceres Celestia as they made their way to the lake. With a flourish of inexplicable glitter, they produced their beaded fan in one hand, and a sparkling, colorful drink in the other. And then they sat down by the water, soaking in the rays of the blessed sun.

Hours passed while they lounged in that relaxed state. Hours, until a soft voice broke through the silence, requesting Morrigan move out of the way. Their nose wrinkled in irritation, whirling around to face the intruder, a slew of derisive insults on the top of their tongue -

Only for them to die in Morrigan’s throat.

He looked… sick. He looked like an adventurer. A sick adventurer! Oh, this was wonderful - he was prime real estate for Morrigan to attempt to pull him into their clientele!

Perhaps anyone rational would not attempt to pull a scam on their vacation, or even bother scamming someone as tall and imposing who moved with the grace and silence of a housecat capable of tearing Morrigan asunder with his claws. Unfortunately for the pale young man, Morrigan Moonweaver was an incorrigible shitheel. And when opportunity knocked - oh, you could best believe the charlatan would answer.

They snapped their fan shut in their palm, turning their attention to the walking moneybag - ahem, kind stranger - that had just spoken to them.

“Ah, pardon me terribly for the intrusion! Solving a problem, eh? You wouldn’t happen to be an adventurer, would you? I’ve a keen eye for your type! I myself happen to be an alchemist - a curator of curios, a mixer of mythical brews! Perhaps I could interest you in some of my wares? I think you may find that I have something to solve this little ‘problem’ of yours.”

There was a twinkle in their eye that seemed to glow even brighter than the glitter plastered on their face. A very punchable twinkle.

---

Bringing Minions
Mariposa (Warlord II)
Ceres Celestia (Earth Domain Apprentice)

Bringing Pets
Adult Form Bubbles (Adult Drake: counts against Pet Cap)
Sparkle Blossom (Horse: Counts against Pet Cap)
Luna Rose (Beastmaster I: Doesn't count against Pet Cap)
Concorde (Scarecrow Squire: Doesn’t count against Pet Cap)
Clawdius (Gargoyle Rook: Doesn’t Count against Pet Cap)

Aw fuck, I should have of just turned around. Vail thought to himself as the fellblood completely ignored his request and chose instead to hit him with a sales pitch.

He should have known better, anyone this eager for attention was bound to make even the paltriest request into an arduous endeavor. He summoned up an unfathomable amount of restraint as he began to reply stoically, entertaining the strange alchemist for as long as he could possibly stand it.

“Oh? Pray tell, who are you? Surely an alchemist of your skill level is well known across the lands. Do you happen to have any experience with geonids?” He replied without a hint of hesitation.

This person would fit right in Darkveil, he could easily imagine the fellblood scamming some poor drunken oaf in the Dancer’s Den, were it not for the fellblood’s glitter and fanciful clothing. Vail had worked with this type before, after all, when scammers ran out of places to run, they always wound up in Darkveil. Perhaps this was an opportunity that could benefit the both of them. If this job was going to be such a pain in the ass, it would be quite wasteful to miss out on a chance to make a few extra solars on the side. With his intimidating presence and the fellblood's silver tongue, the unsuspecting nobles of Moonglade will no doubt loosen their coin purses.

For now though, it was better to let the fellblood run his mouth, and to carefully pick out the little nuggets of truth buried within the mountain of bullshit headed his way.

Unfortunately for Morrigan, they were too wrapped up in themselves and their self-perceived greatness that they did not notice the young man’s thinly-veiled… annoyance, was probably the best word for it - as most would ascribe to feeling such an emotion after conversing with Morrigan - in favor of talking about themselves.

They flipped their braid over their shoulder, eyes glittering at the opportunity to boast about their skills. “I suppose one might say I have a bit of a reputation - back home in Zeinav, I am known as the great Wizard of the Wastes! Enchanter, diviner, storyteller, godslayer, Sand Scorpion, Champion of Zeinav, creator of miracles and maker of elixirs most wonderful.”

Morrigan dipped into a bow, waving an emphatic arm that splashed glitter all over the tall, pale man’s face with the movement.

“But you can call me Morrigan Moonweaver. And may I inquire as to the title of your personage?” They asked in a completely insufferable, haughty manner - exactly the kind of thing that would no doubt wear Vail’s patience thin.

As they straightened, they considered the last part of the young man’s question. They couldn’t say that they had ever encountered geonids, whatever the hell those were, but they’d fought plenty of other vicious and violent creatures in the past. How awful could a geonid be?

Morrigan rifled through their bag, humming to themselves. Glass clinked together where potions of various shapes and sizes were shoved into the brightly colored canvas satchel. “I may have something that can help you with this dilemma… let me see… here!”

They held up a potion of dark liquid, one of Morrigan’s own concoctions. It would probably work. Maybe.^[1] Twirling the thin vial between clawed fingers, Morrigan held it out to the stranger.

“A brew to enhance your strength. The perfect solution to deal with these vicious geonids! For you, my friend... only twenty solars a bottle! A steal, no?”

---

1. Bull's Strength Potion

Vail, using all the fortitude he could possibly muster, calmly wiped away the glitter on his face, unknowingly leaving a good portion of it on the numb scars below his right eye. The fellblood’s cavalcade of grandiose titles all but confirmed his suspicions. He paused for a moment before deciding that he could meet their attempted manipulations halfway, he simply needed to play into Morrigan’s ego.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Morrigan. I am Vail, a former resident of Darkveil. Nowadays I am simply known as a ghost.” He replied as calmly as he could, considering the galling nature of Morrigan’s introduction.

Vail watches as the fellblood’s mind races, no doubt searching for any way to profit off a problem they don’t understand in the slightest. Sure enough, the fellblood offers him a potion of strength, something Vail would have taken as a slight against himself if the charlatan had any idea what type of creature he was actually referring to. Instead, he chooses to placate the scam artist, correcting their false assertion while still maintaining an act of undue respect towards exorbitant fellblood.

“Master Morrigan, I do believe you are confusing geonids with golems. Geonids are tiny creatures, no bigger than your average rodent. Even someone with an affinity towards more intellectual arts, such as yourself, would have no problem lifting them.” He replied with a smile, one that communicated that the ash lander held no ill will over the simple mistake.

If Morrigan was embarrassed at all by their slip of the tongue caused by their utter ignorance of Moonglade’s beasts, it didn’t show on their face. They merely slipped the potion back into their pocket, before pulling out another. “Well, of course! My mistake, I must have misheard your request. Silly me. Now, if you’re in search of slippery little buggers, then I could perhaps interest you in an elixir that enhances your sight? Much easier to spot little creatures hiding from your sight!”^[1]

They shook the bottle enticingly, utterly convinced by the young man - Vail’s - act. They utterly believed that they had a potential new customer, and they were gunning to bleed the adventurer dry of his solars. Or at the very least, earn a new follower. They huffed out a laugh at Vail’s insistence that surely, even they could lift a rock the size of a rat. They flashed him a coy smile before leaning over to the riverbed, moving to pick up a hefty sized boulder.^[2] “Oh, I assure you friend, I am much stronger than my slim and graceful figure might indicate.” And with the help of the ring-gauntlets on Morrigan’s hands, they lifted it like it weighed nothing, hoisting it on their shoulder.

They flashed Vail a smirk, as if to say, impressed yet?

“If you are in need of the skill and wit of a wizard catching these pesky rocks, then you could do far worse than I, my friend. Now, what do you say? Do we have a deal? The elixirs, or my services?”

No matter what he said it was obvious that Vail was not going to be getting rid of the annoying shit of a fellblood anytime soon.

---

1. Eagle’s sight potion
2. gauntlets of ginma

Vail simply smiles as Morrigan suggests another, equally useless potion, in an attempt to separate the ash lander’s solars from his coin purse. Feeding into the fellblood’s delusion, he approaches the dangling potion with a feigned curiosity, bending down to examine the concoction from all manner of angles, as if looking at mixture from some different perspective will somehow change its properties. 

After a good minute of examining, he pulls back and looks the fellblood in the eyes. 

“Master Morrigan, I’m afraid this potion won’t be of much use either. Geonids blend into their environment extremely well; this potion would merely extend the range of my vision. The problem lies in discerning the critters from your average rock.” He replies in a calm manner.

As Morrigan begins to lift a boulder, Vail takes note of the fanciful ring gauntlets adorning their hand as he gives a slow clap, the kind of applause one would expect to see in slow sport played exclusively by nobles.

“Very impressive. I couldn’t help but notice you have quite the eye for fashion, may I examine those gauntlets you are wearing?” Before the fellblood can respond, he decides to placate their desires. "Master Morrigan, I must admit I'm far more interested in your skillset than any potion. Tell me, what do your services entail?"

This sweet piece of bait didn’t seem to be enough to lure the fish out of the water, either. Morrigan shrugged, tossing the potion behind them, where it landed amongst the river rocks with a loud CRASH as the glass splintered apart. They didn’t seem to particularly care about the broken vial. “Of course, of course.such a silly oversight for me to make.” Yeah, this wasn’t working. This Vail fellow didn’t seem especially interested in Morrigan’s wares - at least, not right off the bat. If Morrigan wanted to make some coin out of this entire venture, they’d need to sweeten his perception of them. The art of the deal was a delicate business, one that required a little bit of give and take - contrary to popular belief, Morrigan was adept at pulling back a little and switching tactics.

Vail, unfortunately, seemed much more interested in Morrigan’s ability to lift rocks. And their fashion sense. Morrigan delicately fanned themselves, holding out their hand so Vail could get a look at the jewelry adorning their hands, so blinded by their desire to show off flashy jewelry that they forgot about the fact that their ‘feat of strength’ had come entirely from the enchantment on the gauntlets.

“Hmm. My skillset?”

Oh, yes. Morrigan’s favorite subject. Themselves.

If Vail thought Morrigan was insufferable now…

“In addition to being a master wizard and potion-maker of both the Mage’s Guild and the Golden Consortium, I happen to be trained in the ways of desert warriors. Not a bad ally to have in a pinch, eh?” They added with a wink before flexing their arms. Given their short stature and thin frame, there was a surprising amount of muscle - as in, surprising they had any at all.

“Now, you must understand that I do not do magical demonstrations for free.” They clicked their tongue. “For my spells are so powerful that they would burn the retinas of any normal human who were to gaze upon them. But… if you are looking for use of my services, perhaps to rid the area of some pesky rocks, then you’re in luck. I’m feeling generous today, my friend. Just fifty - that’s right, fifty - solars for an hour of my time!”

They wiggled their eyebrows, as if to say, pretty charitable of me, eh?

Besides, how hard could rocks be to clear out?

Vail glances as Morrigan casually tosses their supposedly wondrous potion into the riverbed. It appears that his stoic demeanor was eating away at the fellblood’s facade just as he had planned. On the other hand, playing into their extravagant ego was working like a charm. All it took was a few honeyed words and the fellblood had completely fallen for his act. As the fellblood holds out their hand, he begins to inspect their gauntlets as if he was some sort of jeweler making an appraisal. It must be a bizarre sight to any normal citizen; as if someone who exudes his kind of darkly presence would ever have an interest in ornate jewelry outside of fencing it. Once their long-winded rambling had finally finished, Vail looked up from the gauntlets with a calm smile.

“Very interesting, do mind if I look you over one last time? I want to make sure I’m getting my money's worth out of this exchange.”

He takes several steps back, holding his hands together behind his back as he begins scanning the fellblood from head to toe. Not a singular thought about the fellblood’s grandiose claims pass through his mind as he looks at the absurd being in front of him. Trying to discern truth from fiction at this point is worthless, their ego was clearly inflated beyond the point of reason. He needed leverage, as well as ample bait, if he was going to get any value out of this partnership. To acquire the former, he simply needs the fellblood to realize just how vulnerable they really are.
He holds his calm smile as he finally breaks his silence.

“I have come to a conclusion.”

He dashes forward^[1], grabbing onto the fellblood's collar with an unyielding grip^[2].

"Morrigan Moonweaver, I do believe you are full of shit." He states sternly, staring into the fellblood's eyes with a deadpan expression.

He releases his grasp with a smile and takes several steps back once again. Luckily for the eccentric fellblood, this job was more annoying than their petty scams and flamboyant personality. Just barely.

"But that's fine, people like you have their uses. This is an opportunity that could benefit both of us. I will not be paying you however, we will simply split the profits."

---

[1] Bare Hands: Dashing enchantment
[2] Iron Grip

There was something Morrigan had learned after making a business out of conning people for a little over a decade. Sometimes you fuck around, and sometimes you find out.

This case, as Morrigan quickly learned, turned out to be the latter.

One moment they were pitching themselves to their rapt audience, the tall, pale man listening as if he believed every word of the veritable fountain of pure bullshit spewing out of Morrigan’s mouth. By the time they finished, Vail nearly offered Morrigan a serene smile before dashing forward and grabbing Morrigan by the collar, holding them in a tight, inescapable grip. His movements were so fast that Morrigan hadn’t been able to follow them, much less retaliate with their own defenses - the only thing they could do was activate the enchantment in their sandals, planting themselves firmly in the ground so Vail couldn’t lift them into the air.^[1]

They raised their hands above their head, half in the universal gesture of surrender, partially to cover their face from the inevitable blow. “Ah, ah, ah, not the face, that’s the moneymaker…”

But no blow came.

Morrigan cracked an eye open, confused, as Vail released his grip and took a couple of steps back. They didn’t release the enchantment holding them still just yet, just in case Vail decided to make another attack. While they smoothed out their shirt, their tail flicked behind them thoughtfully while listening to Vail’s proposal.

So he wanted to make use of Morrigan’s skills, huh? Morrigan couldn’t say they expected the afternoon to take this particular turn, but they couldn’t say they were upset about it. Pride severely injured, they retrieved their fan from their belt, cooling themselves off after all that excitement. “Look, good Sir, I meant no harm. I was merely trying to make a quick buck on my vacation. You want me to sell something? You want me to put on a grand show, make coin? I’ll have them offering me their firstborn. Just please don’t dispense with the pain and the punching and the ow.”

---

1. Rooted Boots

Vail resumes the stoic pose he held before, holding his hands behind his back as he speaks to fellblood with a cold tone.

"Morrigan, do you know what happens to scammers when they earn a reputation in every civilized part of Charon? They end up in Darkveil. There they either fall in line with the status quo, using their silver tongue to benefit an Ashen Father, or their ego overrides their sense of self-preservation and they quickly find themselves rotting in the Deadwood after pulling a scam on a less than ideal target."

He grins at the fellblood, his eyes filled with an intense glee stemming from the scammer's shaken demeanor.

"I do hope you don't befall the latter fate. It would be awful for your complexion." He remarks sarcastically, despite speaking from experience.

He calms his breathing, his thoughts drifting to the almost therapeutic talks he’s had recently. Perhaps there was still a chance for this eccentric individual to make a good impression. There was no need for violence, albeit, he wasn't ruling out the possibility.

Vail dons a small smirk as he holds out his wrapped right hand to the fellblood. "You can settle down; I have no intention of harming you. I believe we got off on the wrong foot, but I hold nothing against you. An ash lander like me has no right to judge someone with, shall we say, flexible morals. That being said, I do seek your assistance in gathering these rocky critters; they are necessary for the grift I have planned.”

It’s quite been a while since Vail had pulled a scam like this, not since his gang days in Darkveil, but right now he was rather annoyed, both at the troublesome job and the fellblood. This could effectively solve both his issues, all he needed to do was stay calm.

"I've worked with your kind before, serving as a bit of extra coercion when a potential customer was particularly stubborn. Coincidentally, I happen to be on vacation as well, I only took this contract to make some money on the side. It's turned into quite the headache however but do I see an opportunity to make some good money here, we simply need to skirt around the wishes of these foolish archaeologists."

His brow furrows as he looks at the scammer with a questioning glance. “You weren’t completely lying, were you? You do have some talents outside of your silver tongue, right?”

Morrigan’s tail flicked behind them, listening intently to Master Vail’s threat. They’d been to Darkveil a few times before - even made powerful connections there - though they were entirely aware of how easily that goodwill could dry up if they crossed the wrong person. They were regarded as funny and charming by most they worked with there… a harmless nuisance. That would not always be the case.

Morrigan’s first instinct was to offer rebuttal that they simply wouldn’t be caught, but their overconfidence had led to a few too many close calls in the past. Instead, they swallowed, trying not to look to nervous at the prospect of meeting a pathetic and untimely end at the hands of some criminal in the Deadwoods.

“… The pale sting of death would be very bad for my sun-kissed Zeinavian complexion indeed.” They agreed.

The hand extended, an olive branch, took Morrigan by surprise. Morrigan enveloped his between both of their palms and shook it with far too enthusiastic movements for someone as outwardly calm and stoic as him. “It’s a grift you’ve got planned, then? You’ll have to forgive me for stepping on your toes - you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, after all.” That much held true even in a scam, and that was a principle Morrigan held steadfastly too. It took gumption to stand in front of titans without a drop of magic and hardly any self defense in one’s body and continue a con… or stupidity. But it had worked out rather splendidly when they’d conned the Witch of Moonglade once upon a time, yeah? They’d ended up with a friend and ally in an her.

Perhaps this incidental meeting with a Darkveil scammer of the same ilk would prove much the same.

“Well. I can certainly help you out in that department… what might you have in mind with these little critters?” They didn’t blink at the prospect of scamming a couple of researchers. It was, in this case, finder’s keeper’s. And if Vail had been hired by scientists to recover these geonids and intended to flip the product for a profit, then they doubted he was getting paid very much by them.

Well, Morrigan could maximize those profits.

They huffed when Vail questioned their talents - an utterly valid and justified level of skepticism when confronted by a compulsive liar, but Morrigan could only see it as a personal affront.

“I wasn’t lying about most of it.” Just the magic. “I am truly a member of the guilds…” Even if their talents in spellcasting were greatly exaggerated. “And you’d be hurting to find a better alchemist around these parts than I, especially when it comes to explosives and odd tonics. Potions are my bread and butter.” They said with a smirk. “Get the sucker’s in the door with the promise of the real stuff, then peddle the crap.”

Now that they were a little more unguarded, Morrigan’s unpleasant personality was beginning to shine through. But it was at least a little more honest than the bravado and the affixed kindness and flattery. The rampant love of anything glitter, Vail would learn, was entirely real, though.

“And the reputation is real. I’m quite well established in Zeinav, and I’ve sold product down here - my name alone should draw customers in. I’ll put on a show. It all depends on what you have in mind.”

Vail held his stoic stance as Morrigan eagerly shook his hand, while internally, he felt somewhat conflicted. The fellblood’s radical shift in attitude had admittedly caught him off guard; their eagerness to reconcile was so sudden that he couldn’t help but hold some doubt. On the other hand, he wondered if this was just how the con artist always acted, approaching every situation with an overzealous energy, eager to leave a lasting impression no matter how the situation may play out.

 

Strangely enough, he was a bit envious of them, although it was something he would never admit to. After living for so many years as nothing more than a mere ghost, he often wonders if there was anyone out there who would remember him when he does finally pass, or rather... when becomes something he could no longer describe as himself.

He looks to the fellblood with a soft smile as he replies, doing his best to not show any strong emotions considering their overcompensating handshake.

“I assure you it’s fine, I am used to working with those who are lacking in self-preservation skills, despite my attempts to work from the shadows. Luckily for you, the most dangerous being in this grift will likely be me.” He looks outward across the lake, still pondering the execution of his plan as begins laying it out. “The archeologists hired me to round up all the escaped geonids, but they never said that I had to return them to their nest. Considering your prior mix-up, I assume that you are unaware of how rare geonids actually are; the archaeologists wouldn’t be so desperate for help if you could just find these critters everywhere. With scarcity comes value and after burglarizing quite a few upper-class homes, I can confidently say that the rich love their exotic pets. Eclipse City isn’t that far from here and I’m sure multiple members of the city’s high society would be eager to purchase an endangered species native to Frost Gale. Do you see where I am going with this?”

Morrigan’s rebuttal to his doubts did little to reassure the ash lander, although he did feel rather confident that their sales pitch would work on the airheaded elites. “The main problem we face is breaking the creature’s camouflage. The sales part will be easy, if your silver tongue fails us, I’ll be there to add some more forceful coercion. Geonids are rather intelligent creatures, so they will no doubt be more of a hassle than our customers realize, but we’ll be long gone by the time they come looking for a refund.”

He looks to the water’s surface as he contemplates how to get these creatures out of hiding. He thought about asking the fellblood if they knew any Sea Domain magic, thinking the rock creature may take poorly to water, but Zeinav isn’t exactly for its moisture. His thoughts are suddenly interrupted when he finally notices his reflection, revealing the blotch of glitter adorning the scars below his right eye. With a grunt of frustration, he brushes the sparkles aside, sending them cascading onto the stones resting along the shoreline. He nearly flinches in shock as several of the rocks suddenly sprout legs and begin running in circles, seemingly in a panic.

With a devilish smirk, he turns to face his fellblood companion. “Morrigan, you wouldn’t happen to have any more glitter, would you?”

Morrigan remained silent as they listened to Vail’a explanation of what this grift was. Loathe as they were to admit it, he was right - they actually had no idea what in the world geonids were, but if there was one thing they understood, it was rarity. And exploiting the naive, thrill-seeking minds of the elite into believing they were purchasing something worthwhile.

“I do see.” Their eyes sparked with interest - it was obvious that this Vail fellow knew what he was talking about, and was used to taking adventure of suckers. “You want to flip the geonids.”

Ooh, a pet native to Frostgale? Morrigan could net a pretty penny from these assholes. Morrigan liked the way this plan was coming together…

“One thing. How do you plan on breaking the creatures’ camouflage?”

Vail seemed to contemplate something then, grimacing as he wiped off some of the glitter Morrigan had sprayed all over his face. The sparkly substance flittered to the ground. At his feet, several small stones dislodged themselves, skittering back and forth in agitation as it touched them. The thought struck Morrigan as the same time it occurred to Vail. They returned his smirk with the same devilish ferocity, pulling something out from their pocket. At first, Vail would be able to see something fuzzy, almost like a black caterpillar in their hands. But in seconds, he would quickly find that it was something entirely different - a fake, curly mustache that they slapped on their face for the express purpose of twirling it with a conniving laugh.^[1]

“Oh, my friend… you don’t even have to ask.”

They barely waited a beat before dashing to their wagon. A few moments later, they returned with a large jar of glitter that was almost blinding when the sun hit it, and a young elven girl following at their heels like a lost duckling. Morrigan stopped in front of Vail, holding up the jar of glitter for Vail to see. “This is but one from my collection… you’d be surprised how necessary glitter is for a potion!”

Vail might find this fact quite surprising, as this glitter didn’t look like it was safe for consumption at all. They tucked the glitter under their arm and clapped their hands together to get the young woman’s attention. “Ceres Celestia! Come come, this is a good learning experience for you!”

Ceres Celestia clutched at her staff before giving Morrigan a two-fingered salute. “Yes, Master Moonweaver!”

Morrigan turned to Vail with a bit of a warning look in their face - not that they could actually threaten him, but the message in their tone was implicit. She doesn’t know what’s going on, don’t tip her off. The Arcane Academy student made her way to the ground surrounding the lake, raising her staff while Morrigan popped open the jar of glitter in their arms. Grabbing a handful, Morrigan tossed it into the air, allowing it to rain down on the geonids. A second later, when the glitter hit the ground, Geonids started scattering every which direction - Morrigan turned to Ceres Celestia with a grin.

“Now!”

Ceres Celestia twirled her staff, earthen magic springing to her aid. The earth shifted around the Geonids, trapping them in makeshift cage of dirt and river clay.^[2] Vail would quite easily be able to capture them now, with Morrigan and Ceres moving on to the next patch of land and repeating the process - admittedly, with Ceres Celestia doing the brunt of the heavy lifting.

---

1. Mustache of Deceit
2. Mold Earth - Ceres Celestia

Vail simply stares in disbelief as the fellblood unveils some manner of fuzzy creature, or maybe another fashion accessory, before running off. He holds his face against his palm, trying to rationalize how this charlatan could possibly think they needed an accessory that exaggerated their eccentricities beyond what their present state. His eyes wander to the idle lake, wondering how much of this strange character was actually a facade. Something about his parting words felt more genuine, whether it be his obsession with glitter or the term ‘friend’, he couldn’t tell. He didn’t have to debate it for long however, as the fellblood quickly returned with a companion in tow.

He raises an eyebrow at the young elf's presence, wondering what cruel twist of fate landed her in the company of this deceitful fellblood. Before any introductions commence, Morrigan begins a grandiose display, presenting more glitter than one person could possibly ever need. Their exaggerated act only justifies Vail’s caution; there was no amount of bullshit that could convince him that drinking glitter was healthy. He meets Morrigan's gesture with an eye roll; he had no plans to break whatever facade they presented to the young student in order to keep her in their service. The kid was healthy and uninjured, a lot better than most of the wayward young souls back in Darkveil; that was good enough for him.

He shields his eyes as Morrigan casts a handful of glitter into the air, grumbling to himself as the shiny debris rains down. While this may be an effective method of exposing their prey, he just knew he would be picking bits of glitter from his attire for multiple days if not weeks. The sudden movement of soil surprised Vail; for someone so young, the el seemed to have a tremendous amount of magical talent. Perhaps Morrigan kept her around to make up for their own shortcomings, not unlike a mob boss far too timid to do any actual fighting themselves. He approaches the trapped geonids, before quickly darting his hands into the improvised cage^[1], catching one the creatures with ease.

“Good job kid.” He gestures to the young elf with a smile. “This will do nicely; I’ll go grab the cages I brought.”

He lets the fellblood and the elf continue their work as he retrieves the fishing cages he bought from the local townsfolk. While too big to hold the creatures individually, there were enough cages here for a relatively even split of the five hundred critters. Selling them might be an issue, but that’s what Morrigan was for. Surely they could spin them as a family pack or some buy one get one free deal. He returns with several cages in hand as they continue their work. He gives the fellblood an enthused look as he begins to load the geonids into the cage. “So Morrigan, lay your pitch on me. What honeyed words are you going to use to sell our product?”

---

[1]Steel Catch