Jhudora's Cloud Uncovered

Like her sickeningly sweet counterpart, Illusen, the infamous dark faerie (though not so infamous as her unnamed predecessor simply known as The Darkest Faerie) sends those neopets brave enough to offer her their services on random quests in exchange for rather worthless rewards (unless one has managed to reach the higher levels of her quests, in which case the rewards are nearly worth it). But what the citizens of Neopia do not know is what Jhudora does with these items once they’ve been retrieved. After all, what good is a yoyo or balloon to one as dark and evil as Jhudora? My goal in researching and writing this article was to find out, and what I discovered will certainly surprise you.

A fact that most people do not know or do not acknowledge is that dark faeries, as a general rule, are very vain. And the best way to appeal to their, ahem, gentler side is to inflate their already large egos. It is quite obvious to anyone who has had dealings with any of the dark faeries flying around that they consider themselves stronger and far more superior than any of Neopia’s other inhabitants. That is why before approaching the foggy purple cloud, I had searched Neopia Central for something that would appeal to Jhudora’s extreme vanity. I had found a small, gilded hand mirror which I placed in my bag along with the rest of my equipment. When I met the dark faerie face-to-face she was glaring at me from a large green and purple throne. Bowing, I placed the mirror at her.

“A gift so that you may admire your beauty,” I explained and waited patiently to see if she would accept.

“Why are you here?” Jhudora asked guardedly. “You weren’t on a quest and people seeking a quest don’t usually bring gifts.”

“I’m a reporter with the Neopian Times... or I’d like to be. For my first article I wanted to interview about your quests. Would you consent to answer a few questions?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “I suppose I could spare a few minutes. You may begin.”

I decided to begin with the most obvious questions and work my way up to the more intriguing ones. “You’ve been doing this quest thing for a while now, but I guess what most people want to know is why did you begin sending pets on these ‘quests’?”

The faerie gave me a look that clearly stated how stupid she thought the question was and how dumb I was for asking it. "You can't expect me to go flying down to Neopia Central every time I need something. I’ve better things to do with my time. Such tasks are beneath me and should be designated to lower species,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Such as yourself,” she added with a cold smile down at me.

It should be noted that this reporter managed to reign in her temper at the calculated insult and continued on with questioning as if it hadn’t happened. The response, after all, was typical of a self-absorbed dark faerie.

“The majority of the items that you ask for seem to be useless and cheap – at least for the beginners in your quests. Why do you ask for these mundane and boring items?” I continued.

"Even dark faeries have to eat," she replied with an exasperated sigh. She obviously thought my line of questioning showed a certain lack of intelligence on my part. "I could fly over to Faerie Foods, but the less I have to deal with my goody-goody sister faeries, the happier I will be. Besides, why should I spend my NP when I can get others to buy them for me? As for the non-food related items, they have... uses."

“What sort of uses could they have?”

"If you must know,” the faerie quipped, “I use them as rewards for tasks. With a little of my magic even the most mundane item can be transformed into those things I give pets for bringing me the things I seek."

“It seems an endless and useless cycle,” I commented.

“I thought you were asking questions, not giving unsolicited opinions,” Jhudora snapped, and I decided I’d best finish as soon as possible.

“As you know, Illusen has a set up similar to yours. She asks for various items and Neopians are rewarded for bringing them to her. How do you feel about that?”

Jhudora’s posture straightened and she clenched her fists. "Illusen is a snotty little copycat," she sneered. "It was my idea long before she packed off to Meridell and good riddance to her! She'll get her dues one day..."

“What do you mean she’ll get her dues one day?”

"None of your business!” Jhudora exclaimed, standing from the throne and pointing a finger at me. “I'm through answering questions. Stop wasting my time!"

And with those words I was ‘escorted’ out by two of Jhudora's minions. However, this was not before I beheld a sight most in Neopia would pay millions of NP to see. As I was carried out, I passed a room filled with playthings and the dark faerie herself was sitting in the middle of the room, cuddling a green Cybunny plushie.

And that, my fellow Neopians, is the secret of Jhudora's quests.