Vashau's Variety

Being an investigator meant a lot of travelling! And a lot of the places you travel to are, admittedly, not the most interesting.

This place, Mullalara, is… well, small. It’s not the tiniest, but it’s a remote village in central Woodveil, by far its most untamed wilderness. The people here get by alright, thanks in part to the regular Lantern-Bearer traders that roll through and the half-decent soil, but they’ve not managed to clear much of it thanks to how densely packed the trees are, and the roads out this way are pretty rough.

As you’d imagine, there’s not a lot of sight-seeing to do, much less anything else, for an outsider. Which is why, on a sleepy spring morning where you’ve nothing to do but wait, you’re both puzzled and happy to see… a cart.

It’s brightly colored; you couldn’t possibly miss it even if you tried. The exterior is painted with a dark but vibrant shade of purple, dotted with large stars that glow brightly enough to cast visible light on the nearby trees. On the side of the cart that happens to be facing the village is what’s… probably a merchant’s window, though veiled by a colorful curtain of blue beads. A sign above this window announces the name of the cart: VASHAU’S VARIETY.

There’s no… horse. Which is curious. The cart appears to simply have been left here, but you feel like you can sense the presence of something at the front of the cart. Maybe an astral beast? No matter; you’re not going to be rude by snooping. Instead, bound by your curiosity, you slip through the beads and are greeted with the smiling face of the eponymous Vashau, who seems to have heard you coming.

“Hello, hello!” she chimes, clearly eager to have a customer. Behind her just beyond the window, you can’t see much… it’s almost as if a dark shroud of magic hangs over her, to prevent your prying eyes from catching on anything she doesn’t intend to sell you. “What can I do for you, my friend? And here I thought bats were nocturnal—or are you just doing a bit of late-night shopping?” She laughs at her own joke, and it’s… kind of infectious, so you laugh gently too.

“Nah, nah… of the traits I held onto, diurnality was one of ‘em. Most of the time, anyway. This is a mighty… well, visible shop you’ve got here, miss. What’s on offer?”

“Why, everything your heart could want, my friend! Well, not everything. But some things your heart could want! I could start listing things, but I find it better to… ask you what problems you need solved, and work from that angle, yes, yes.” This woman is… animated. She leans heavily out the window, elbows propped up on it and chin nestled into her hands in a look of intense interest. She’s almost… appraising you.

“Well…” You rub the back of your neck, glancing back towards the town—or at least, the beads that are currently obstructing it. “Fella’ here said something about a storm coming in soon, and I can’t exactly let myself get marooned in Mullalara of all places, so I might have to ride on through that storm.”

“Not a local, huh? Hmhmhmhm. You’re right, Mullalara’s a dreadfully boring place, isn’t it? But not you. You look fun, and also like you might have a lot of coin. What’s your budget, my discerning friend? Are you looking to keep dry… or simply tolerate the rain?”

A leading question, and one that implies something… curious. You tap your chin, giving her a slightly suspicious look, and shrug. “Let’s say I was well-off—now, don’t get too excited, because I’m not that well off, but… let’s just say I was. What’s your top-of-the-line weather gear, huh?”

She grins at you like a shark, slipping back into the darkness of the cart to re-emerge into the window’s spotlight with a… little pin. She shows it to you; it’s an elegant thing, and one that positively radiates with magic. Trained as you are to pick magic up, it registers immediately, prompting you to quirk a brow…

“This is a Stormseer Pin. The Verdant Grasp’s Stormseers use these very same pins, made by their in-house enchanters, and give only a scarce few out to… enterprising merchants such as myself! It’ll keep you and aaaall your friends dry no matter how violent the rain gets, and nice and steady no matter how strong the gales. The enchantment doesn’t wear off… ever.”

You’re intrigued, and then she says the price.

“Fifty thousand gold; or, more sensibly, something equivalent in value!”

You burst out into awkward laughter, a crooked smile on your face. “Ah, miss… not quite that well off.”

“Really…? You know, Gail, that bell on your hip is worth more than most of the things in my cart combined. And you wouldn’t know the kinds of treasures that are in my cart right now! Not to mention that gun on your back…” Wait, how’d she know your name? “You’re walking around with all that and you mean to tell me you don’t have anything to spare for permanent immunity to the elements…? You must travel a lot to be all the way out here in Mullalara… wouldn’t it be nice to never have to wait for the weather to clear up again?”

You stare at her dumbfounded. “Ah… ha. Let’s call these both gifts. I’m really not all that well off. And they’re gifts I can’t give up.”

“Psh… alright.” She withdraws back into the cart, surely returning the Stormseer pin to its case, to return with something else. This time, it’s a shawl of sorts, woven with warm, almost flame-like colors and out of a very soft wool. She lays it out on the counter in front of you.

“This is a much simpler solution, though… certainly nowhere near as elegant or prestigious~. Strong enchantments that’ll keep the rain off you, and try to stave off some of that cold from the wind. You’ll just need to keep an eye on your horse and your compatriots, too. I’ve got a couple more if you’ve got traveling companions…” She says that with a knowing voice… or, maybe you’re just starting to get paranoid about how much she knows about you.

“Two-hundred gold each.”

That’s… a really good price for the enchantments on this, which you come to realize as you look it over with a keen eye, putting a bit of your magical sight to work. Strings of warm animus hang off of it, and a strong current of Arcane force rolls through it, in such a way that it would deflect the rain away from you. You sigh, digging into one of your pockets and withdrawing a small bag containing a few gemstones packed in cotton. You offer it, and she almost snatches it out of your hand…

She looks through it, and nods thoughtfully, slipping back into the shadows of the cart. She comes back with another shawl and lays it out on top of the other, and pushes them both forward to insist you take them. “Here you are, mister Clarke! And… ah, before you go. Would you happen to like fireflies?”

You start to gather the shawls, stringing them over your arm, but blink as she asks that question. “Quite a bit, actually. Why do you ask?”

She digs around nearby the window, and withdraws what appears to be a little unmarked packet of matches with green heads, alongside a striker. She urges it into your hands. “A gift for a first-time customer! Light your lantern with these little matches, and you’ll attract plentiful fireflies.”

Aw… that’s kind of cute, actually. It puts a smile on your face, much to her grinning delight. You take it, nodding. “Well, thank you, miss Vashau. You have a fine day now, alright?”

She nods. “You as well, mister Clarke!”

You slip out through the beads with your spoils, happy with them but also… curious. You glance back at the cart, wondering what else she has in there…

Maybe you’ll see her another time.