The door to the new guildhall was freshly painted, so recently in fact, that the dark red paint was still tacky to the touch. Arnor pushed it open and stooped slightly to avoid hitting his head on the door frame overhead. The guildhall entry way was somewhat empty, save for a man at a desk and a Halfling nursing a pipe in the corner.
“May I help you?” asked the attendant who had just looked up from his paperwork and spotted the massive Ulfen man.
“I’m here for work” Arnor replied.
“Ahh yes, I see. I am Derik, assistant to the Guildmaster. Prior to interviewing with the Guildmaster we ask all candidates to fill out some routine paperwork. Here take this” and Derik handed Arnor a small stack of papers.
“Please be seated and fill out these forms and return them to me when you are done” and with that Derik went back to looking down at the stacks of papers piled deep on his desk.
Arnor was a bit taken aback. He had not expected this. He was anticipating something like an axe throwing contest to gain admittance…maybe some sort of drinking contest….not paperwork. Arnor looked down at the row of chairs, which were each entirely too small for his massive frame. He took a seat and looked down at the form. Letterhead at the top very fancifully stated, ‘Application Form for Entry into the Heroes of Miras ™ - Stagfell’s only Officially Licensed Adventurer’s Guild. All Rights Reserved.’
Underneath the heading was a series of very odd and personal questions. They started off simply enough…Name, Race, Date of Birth, Next of Kin, Class, Alignment, Armor Class, Special Abilities, etc… Then there were a series of medical questions, one of which, ‘Have you ever been cursed with lycanthropy’ caused Arnor to shift uncomfortably in his chair. There was even a place where they expected him to make a small sketch of himself and another where they asked for a brief life summary. Arnor stared blankly at the forms for several minutes.
He then looked up at Derik and cleared his throat… “Are you serious?”
Derik looked up with a sheepish grin “Yes, quite serious, the Guild takes the membership application process very seriously. Please fill out every section of the form” as he finished his sentence he immediately stared down at the paperwork on his desk again.
Arnor heard the Halfling snicker in the corner.
“I am an Ulfen Ranger, son of the great warrior Riksgaard Bjorn. I have roamed the Fey woods and know them like I know my own beard. I have…..skills and abilities…which may be of great use to this kingdom. Allow me to speak to the Guildmaster!” Arnor now rose to his feet and the small chair crumbled into a pile of kindling as the Ranger stood up.
Again Arnor heard the Halfling snicker in the corner.
“But Sir, it is a simple process we just implemented in order to collect personal data to help facilitate ideal matches on assignments and to be able to easily notify the next of kin in case..”
At this point Derik looked up to see Arnor’s face morphing into that of a feral beast. The thick blonde hair of the Ulfen’s beard began to cover his face…his eyes, once green, now had pupils of deep yellow. A primal growl escaped the Ulfen’s throat.
“Ok.. ok…, I think we will just implement that app..app…application form process tomorrow. It was in beta test anyway. No need to keep a man such as yourself waiting….Hansel the Guildmaster looks like he has an open slot to meet you right n..n..now” Derik pulled the paperwork from the Ulfen’s hand and dropped it dramatically into the waste bin beside his desk. He then rang a tiny bell on his desk.
Arnor heard some stirring in the room behind Derik and the door popped open suddenly. In the doorway stood a man, obviously Taldoran, who was eying Arnor carefully.
After a moment of silent observation the Taldoran spoke, “hmmmm Ulfen Ranger….looks to be a shifter as well. I see that holy symbol of Desna around your neck. I love hiring her followers, always a bit flakey but good at heart. Yes this looks promising. Pardon me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Hansel the Guildmaster of the Heroes of Miras ™ - Stagfell’s only Officially Licensed Adventurer’s Guild. All Rights Reserved. I do believe I could make great use of your services. Say you know the Fey woods? A Ranger...by the looks of you….yes that’s it, you must have selected the Guide archetype, perfect! I have just the job for you. We need to track down a big, dumb religious zealot who may be a threat to the kingdom. No killing though, we just need recon at this point. You in?”
The fast talking Taldoran was obviously not to be trusted, but this did sound like an opportunity to help the kingdom and gain some recognition. Hansel must be speaking of Lord Zuhair, who Arnor knew had been recently exiled as a traitor. His fey contacts had let him know there were rumors of this man building an army. He could be a potential threat to the kingdom. Gathering intelligence on such a man was a worthy first adventure in the guild Arnor concurred.
“Yes I am in” replied Arnor as he shook Hansel’s hand.
