Our party woke up the next day and convened at the entrance of the guild. Milo came up fully clothed and geared out. Malachi came in from the forest outside the guild grounds and left a white wolf, his new companion, at the entrance. We noticed that we all had new weapons on us. My bard, Aleera, had a new whip. Kariss had a beautiful dark scythe. Malachi had a giant warhammer with notches in the hilt for every kill ever dealt with it. Milo had a dagger that glowed green and wraith-like. There were a few recruits around the entrance like ourselves. They were eager and ready to join the guild. Old Bill finally showed up and let us into the hall for the exam.
As before, there were many people going about business on the bottom floor but only a handful that were visible on the top floor. We were informed that they were the higher members of the guild and that only a select few proved worthy enough to earn the right to go up to the second floor. We were told that Lord Haven had founded the guild to provide protection for the area and opportunities for those that were strong enough to take care of themselves. Many of the recruits were local farm hands or stable boys that wanted a better life. Many younger people came to the guild to get away from the dangerous farming and to see adventure but not many of them made it into the guild. Still, the guild provided free food on a daily basis and was always looking for new members. So, many people that came just stayed and worked within the guild walls. Many would take apprenticeships with the local artisans and the cycle would continue.
Once inside we met Samuel Wormshadow. He wore studded leather armor with a black horn on the left side. He sported many old scars on his face and a permanent scowl to match. He Introduced himself as the leader of the guard for Lord Haven and his guild. He also let us know he would be proctoring the entrance exam. For the exam, we were separated into two groups with 5 members each. Since there were only 4 of us in our group we were given another member. He was a black dragonborn in dark robes with purple lining. He was timid and soft-spoken. He gave us all a little wave and then the exam began. Milo had to prove his thieving skills, Aleera had to dance with her whip and show she could fight, Kariss had to heal and dispel illusions, Malachi had to punch an iron dummy into a lump, and the new guy had to show his magical strength.
Our team passed and we were made members of the guild. The other team did not fare so well and were escorted out of the building. We were given the proper paperwork for our memberships and rooms in the hall. We also picked up a couple of quests so we could start earning gold as soon as we could. With that task complete we introduced ourselves to the new guy and asked after our two other party members. We were told they were not found, there was no one else where our party was found unconscious in the woods. With two members missing we needed new blood and asked the new guy to join us. He introduced himself as Kaladrax the Enchantment Wizard. He was a professor from Whistler University in the city of King’s Crest.
He explained that this part of the island was newer in development. The western side of the island was more developed and King’s Crest was the biggest and oldest city on the island of Novos. He was on a research trip to study the elemental disturbances popping up and report back to the University. We eagerly accepted his companionship and got ourselves ready to sleep in our new accommodations. Kariss was curious about the dragon’s tooth that had been left behind after Mithra transformed and she communed with it to see what she could learn. A voice joined her mind after a moment. It was the voice of a female dragon. She was once Arginvost’s brood mate. She could not remember her name and so could not move on to meet her love in the afterlife. Kariss vowed to find out her name and help her move on.
At the end of the night Kaladrax invited Aleera for a game of dragon chess and trounced her completely. They then retired to their rooms. They had rented a suite of rooms for all the members so that they could all sleep in one place. The only one of us that didn’t sleep in the guild hall was Malachi. He slept outside with his white wolf in a doggy pile. We went to sleep with hope and renewed vigor in our hearts.
The Adventure Begins: Stories from the Wife of a Dungeon Master 