And with that, he introduces himself in two phrases, spoken with not a hint of emotion behind them. "Van. Role is Scout."
Name and job. Little else is needed giving.
Bramble gave a nod as she took his papers, quickly scanning and adding them to her satchel. "Man of few words, huh? Well, the party will be glad to have you!" She eyed him up and down, surprised to see his lack of weaponry or armor. "Guess it's important for being a stealthy type, hmm?"
Head down, face to the floor, he introduces himself in a half mutter, half stutter, all ditz of a mess. "A.. Auxiliary here! I'm, er.. T-Tess! Glad to- Nice to meet- Be happy to help, Ms. Guild Handler Berry!"
The guild handler's eyes blinked as she watched this display. Seemingly oblivious to his infatuation, she happily took the offered files. "Of course! And no need for much ceremony here. It'd be a real pain if you had to bow like that every time you addressed me, huh?" She knelt down and hefted the fallen mace with a quick nod. "Oh, and keep this close at hand, ya hear? Monsters won't hand it back to you," she said, grinning and holding it out.
"Yska Kutani! Nice ta meet'cha" She cheerfully announces with a toothy grin. "I heard you've got a slight monster problem?" Her other hand reaches slightly behind her back to touch the large unstrung bow holstered on her back, reaching past wild brown hair that had been forcibly tamed into dreadlocks and pulled back into a tight ponytail. "As you could probably tell, I'm the hunter and tracker of the group."
"Oh, you don't know the half of it." She replied, sighing. "The recent logging parties have had to send more and more guards with them. At this point, there's more spears than there are axes!" Glancing at the papers, she hummed and stuffed them away. "That bow of yours will be put to good use, no doubt."
Taking a puff from his pipe the hunched-over form of Heith smiled as wrinkled and bony hands handed over the crinkled and clearly well-read papers to the handler already out and ready to be handed off. "Good to meet you, Madam Berry, I am Heith and I suppose I would be the scholar of this group." As he finished speaking he leaned back his other hand wrapped around the large staff with him leaning on it.
However, seemingly annoyed a fuzzy moth flapped down on his pipe causing the older man to cough slightly before offering the Guild Handler a soft smile. "It seems that Hei here is somewhat upset about not getting her own introduction," he told her gently running a finger across the moth's back as her wings fluttered.
"Oh, we wouldn't want that!" Bramble exclaimed with a grin, staring at the fuzzy little critter. Taking the papers, she pocketed them and nodded. "Well, if Hei wants this to be official..." The guild handler quickly withdrew a sheet and wooden pen, practiced hands charting up an official looking form. "Alright. Hereby the moth known as Hei is officially recognized as a member of the Guild. That should do it."
"Lawu, of the Fernyiges. You can consider me this group's sword and shield, I suppose." The dragonfolk is the last off the ship, tail swishing almost presciently to minimize time spent in the crew's way as she passes over the documents in a scroll-tube. "Has anything happened while we were en route that we should be aware of?"
Bramble gave a hum. "Well, we've had a few close calls. That, and several hunters have reported a migration of Beast-Type Monsters into the area." She gestured to the north. "Otherwise things are going fairly smoothly. Our proposed base of operations is still silent, but who knows what might be inside?"
Tucking away the last files into her bag, Bramble turned to address the group. "Right. Now that that's settled, we can head to the Liaison Office here in town." Sheepishly, she added, "Now, it's a bit of a work in progress, but I'm sure some stalwart adventurers like yourselves are used to roughing it?"
Guiding the party downstairs, they entered Woodside proper. Dodging busy-looking laborers, they swiftly moved deeper into the town. Now that they were on land proper, the sounds faded to a comfortable background noise. It was peaceful here. Colorful, too, with the season entering autumn now that the middle of Limestone had arrived.
Soon, the months of Sandstone and Timber would come and go, marking the winter and arrival of Moonstone. But for now, they had a pleasant environment, and the joys of the harvest season to contend with.
Following their guide through a mazelike streets and crossing over a lazy-looking river, the group arrived at a rather ostentatious, if run-down looking building. Not having been maintained for years, the large plaster and timber structure had started to experience quite a bit of wear and tear.
Clay-roofed tiles had begun to break off, and the shuttered windows looked to be swinging off-kilter in the wind. Someone must not have secured them a long time ago, and they'd merely broken their hinges when swinging for so long. Bramble turned back to the party with a sheepish smile.
"This here was once 'The Gilded Goblet', and was funded by some noble fellow. He had the idea of starting one of the most prosperous and
rich tavern in Woodside, and spared no expense." She tapped on the front door. "Of course, nobody told him that ten years ago there weren't going to be any rich clientele willing to travel a hundred miles and shacking it up in the boonies. So... It kind of ran out of money and shut down."
Opening the door, she revealed a dusty-looking yet warm interior. It definitely had the appearance of a tavern, with a large half-circle space for lounging and dining. Only the finest wood had been chosen to line the floors, with darker variants used for furniture and a nice looking T-shaped bar. There was a small stage that had been set up in the far-right corner. Windows let in plenty of light, but their shutters now cast strangely moving shadows.
Waiting for them was an older looking gentleman who had set up shop at the bar. Stacks of papers, books, files, and scrolls covered the bare surface and he was almost buried in them. Grunting, he brushed aside a lock of graying hair and looked towards the group. "Hm. So you're the lot they sent here?" He set down a scroll and stood up, quite tall.
"Yes sir," Bramble replied. "They've arrived just as scheduled." She gave a sad smile, looking towards the stacks. "I see the courier also delivered more papers?"
"Tch. They did. As if I'm not already swamped in work." He sighed, turning towards the group. "I am your Senior Guild Officer, call me Tabran. S'far as you're concerned, I'm the boss here. Fat load of good it does me. Rather be out in the field, but no, you're too old, Tab." He scoffs, stepping closer to examine the lot in front of him.
His eyes scan the group, face drawn up in an almost scowl. "I was expecting more... experienced members. Most of you are green as grass. Very well, it'll have to do." Tabran turned and gestured down a hall. "Pick a room to stay in before we can clear out the ruins we've chosen for the Guild Hall. I don't care which one, just decide it quick. Once you're done, report back here for orders. We're sending you out on a... test run, as it were."
