“Vex's Minor Wonders & Arcana occupies a narrow, two-story shop on a lane of the market known for exotic wares. Shelves of labeled jars and scroll tubes crowd the floor; a smoky lavender scent and the faint tang of ozone linger. Thalara Vex — a trim half-elf wizard with ink-stained fingers and an eye for the curious — runs the stall. She keeps a well-fed gray cat named 'Figure' that will bat at coinpurses left unattended and occasionally 'approve' a purchase by curling atop it. Thalara prices items fairly but not cheaply; she offers small discounts for apprentices, trades in curios, and will barter knowledge (a single identify or cantrip lesson) for unusual ingredients. She refuses to sell certain items to obviously chaotic or criminal types and keeps a ledger with arcane seals that sometimes scratches out a price if the buyer appears dangerous. The backroom contains a modest workbench where she repairs small items and produces most of her shop's common scrolls and potions — rare or unique artifacts are acquired through favors and are not always on display.”