Guild Meeting

[swallowtale]

Who: All Ad Libitum Members (and gatecrashers?)
What: A guild meeting
When: Midday after all events currently going
Where: Blessenwood Guild Office
Why: It's time to get organized!
Status: Open

Comments

[anythingforsis]

[Mithos casually entered the room. He had smelled food ever since he arrived; while it was no doubt a pleasant smell, Mithos had never been one to part with his angelic gift of no longer needing to eat. How long had it been since he had eaten anything, anyway? Centuries? Millenia? If he were to eat now, he would no doubt become very sick to his stomach due to it likely being atrophied, or at least shrunken to a deflated sack. That still didn't mean Mithos didn't like the smell of turkey - he definitely did - but eating it? It wasn't worth the pain and suffering that would follow.

Mithos had been appointed to Guild Leader of the Wuldorwurth Chapter two days before leaving on the quest with Chat, Arche, and Keele. He had no members to speak of, nor a building in which to house the guild. He hadn't even been to Wuldorwurth yet. While he wasn't afraid of the crime there (drunken, drug addicted brigands would drop like flies against him), he felt that there was no point working to build a guild office if he didn't have a guild to speak of. He would wait until he had at least three members, or until Kratos or Yuan kicked him out of the door.

As Mithos sat down on a far end of the table, he placed his childish arms on the table, folding them over one another. His youthful face and bright blue eyes looked from Yuan's face in an unspoken, half-assed greeting down to the table, patiently waiting for the others.]

[singsnonsense]

[To be honest, Mao wasn't really looking forward to the guild meeting. He'd been too busy searching for peach pie and members for Port Merrium, but it was pretty obvious now that he needed to leave empty-handed. He could always recruit local members of Port Merrium for the guild, and besides: he would have that peach pie when he left!

Casually glancing over at Mithos, Mao cocked an eyebrow before he sat down in a nearby chair. What was there to say when he was stuck with Grumpyface and this new... guy? Girl? (What gender was this kid, anyhow?) Sighing, Mao impatiently tapped his hands against the chair's seat.

It'd end soon, and then he and Jade could continue their business. Or he could just go bother Genis afterwards. That always worked when he was bored.]

[petapetakapu]

[Oh dear. Jade thought he might have been the first one there, but alas, with Mao and a newer face waiting along with Yuan, clearly he was not. An apology came to mind, which he quick dismissed upon noting that they had yet to begin. In any case, he was not one to make a scene or draw attention to himself in such a manner unless courtesy called for such a response.]

[Strangely enough, Jade did not boast his seemingly permanent smirk. Instead, he entered with a rather sober expression, which betrayed neither happiness, nor sorrow, nor frustration--nothing, yet given his alert and calculating gaze, several thoughts were occurring behind his unreadable expression. Adjusting his glasses, he stole a glance at the unfamiliar person, presumably a member of the guild, given the current setting.]

[Pulling back the chair next to Mao, he slid into his newly claimed seat and waited.]

I don't believe we have met.

[solemnity_crux]

[Kratos stood silently in the corner. He might as well be one of the beams supporting the guild building for all he had moved or spoken since claiming the position. His eyes wandered towards the door, silently taking note of each person as he or she entered through the doorway - no doubt it would start to get cramped before long.

This meeting would no doubt prove to be a drawn out, tedious process.

In addition to the matters most likely to be debated, Kratos had a number of topics which he felt necessary to bring to the attention of the others - not that he was a conversationalist by any means. He found being left alone perfectly acceptable. Meaningless chatter was a waste of time anyway.]

... [/obligatory ellipsis.]

Can Paneer enter here?

[pink_and_flying]

[Paneer fluttered out from the back rooms just then, pushing a trolley laden with refreshments. She smiled as she spotted the arrivals and greeted them.] Welcome back Yuan! Hello Mao, Jade, Kratos! And you must be Mithros.

[Placing tea, cakes, biscuits and other such things onto the table.] I'll leave the refreshments here, everyone just help themselves okay? There's plenty more where they came from.

[swallowtale]

Thank you, Paneer.

[Though he thanked her, he ignored the cart entirely.]

It seems we're all here. Before the members arrive, I'd like to hear of the situation in each of your areas.

[anythingforsis]

[Mithos nodded. He blinked several times, and then composed himself in the seat, sitting up straight. The table was a tad high, as Mithos was only 15 when he became immortal. His bright blue eyes glanced from Kratos, to Yuan, to the two others that he didn't know.]

I suppose I should introduce myself, then.

[He began, clearing his throat quietly, he blinked again, and folded his hands in his lap.]

My name is Mithos Yggdrasill. As two of you know... Martel is my sister.

[He didn't feel the need to hide an important fact like that. He was not in Aselia, and it was in his best interest to earn the trust of these people... both in his interest, and Martel's.]

I was recently promoted to Guild Captain by Kratos. I will be supervising the chapter in Wuldorwurth. My goal there is to earn the trust of the monarchy. Because they are the greatest military power on this continent, I believe they will be an invaluable asset to us in gaining intelligence on Goede and the missing Summon Spirit.

[Mithos concluded his monologue, and sat back in his chair.]

[singsnonsense]

[Ooh, sweets! Mao happily thanked Paneer as he helped himself eagerly to a chocolate chip cookie. Of course, business came first, but how could he not help himself to something to eat?

Tearing off pieces, Mao quietly ate the cookie throughout most of Mithos' speech. If it weren't for the food, he would've made some kind of outcry at Mithos being related to Martel - how could someone be related to a summon spirit? - before he remembered that he himself was in a similar predicament. Swallowing the last bits of cookie, Mao now sat up as he brushed his bangs out of his hair.]

I'm Mao, Port Merrium's temporarily guild leader.

Thankfully, there hasn't been much chaos in Port Merrium, other than the usual problem of fishermen drinking too much alcohol. I've talked to the governor, but I'm not sure how long it'll take for the new laws to settle in. That's... about it, really.

[He bites his lip, not exactly sure what else to say. So, instead, he reaches for another cookie.]

[petapetakapu]

[Jade tore his attention away from the meeting at hand to nod at Paneer with a smile. He wondered if he would eventually have the urge to stop by the bar after this meeting, but given the time of day, it was far too early to do such a thing. In the meanwhile, he did hope to sip at something during the meeting as well. Given that, if anything, it was in his best interest to become more alert rather than less so, he took note of the tea.]

Ah. Thank you, Paneer.

[The colonel helped himself to the tea, then, wrapping one hand around his glass, placed the beverage in the palm of his other hand. After a moment, he took a sip, then returned the glass and then gave all attention to Mithos' introduction.]

I see. Yes, it might be in our interest to expand our guild to more populous cities on this continent.

I am Jade Curtiss. I lead Ouin's Ad Libitum chapter. My greatest concern is the city's attachment to something termed "magitechnology." I have been testing alternate energy sources, but there are some who are reluctant to switch from a reliable and functioning technology to something unknown. Of course, Ouin has been far less vivacious than has Blessenwood in the last several months.

[solemnity_crux]

[Kratos didn't bother with an introduction, and why should he? Two individuals in the room he had known for well over 4,000 years, and the others were at least aware of his name and position within the guild. The food, too, he disregarded. Kratos took only the slightest pace forward, letting his arms drop to his sides, and, though the tone sounded impartial, began speaking in what could only be described as a narrator's voice.]

Prior to the recent episode with Goede and the negativity... I was in the process of exchanging information with the elves in Unicia. Unicia itself is nearly impenetrable by normal means, being surrounded on three sides by thick forests and guarded on the last by high mountains, much as is the case for Heimdall back in Aselia.

Most humans on this planet are unaware of the existence of elves, and therefore seem to harbor mere curiosity towards both elves and half-elves as opposed ill will or hatred. The elves themselves are the only native individuals whom I have yet met that are well-versed in magic. However, it would seem that there stance towards the recent global crisis is neutral. While they bear no grudge towards Martel or the humans, they do not wish to involve themselves by offering assistance.

Unicia itself suffers no immediate concerns. However, forest fires in the surrounding area have become increasingly frequent and increasingly more difficult to control. If this trend continues as it has been, and if a conflagration were to approach too closely to Unicia, the elves themselves might become unable to escape. Though they claim neutrality, their knowledge of Atlas is doubtless invaluable.

[pink_and_flying]

[Paneer frowned slightly as each of the guild leaders talked. She knew she sould be of some help, but whether they wanted her help or not was another matter altogether. But nevertheless she spoke up tentiatively when Kratos' report ended, clearing her throat before she did.]

I-I might be able to help with some of that. I can talk to birds, they can let me know if they see Goede... or anything else out of the ordinary. Even for Unicia, I might be able to ask the birds here to pass messages to the birds there. Then maybe the birds living close to Unicia could warn the elves when they see a forest fire getting to close? Surely the elves will take notice if the birds, and even other animals act strangely.

[swallowtale]

[Surprisingly, Paneer's offer of help promised to be quite useful.]

That would be appreciated. It isn't efficient to have someone guarding the World Tree at all times, and there are plenty of birds there already. It will also help with communication between the branches.

[He nodded to her, then turned back to everyone else.]

It sounds as if things are mostly under control, though I agree with Colonel Curtiss about the magitechnology. There just isn't enough mana right now to be using magitechnology. You all probably already know the situation here in Blessenwood. However, I've learned a few more things while guarding the tree. The creature known as Goede appeared before the tree. He seemed to be in some sort of daze and persisted in getting closer to the tree despite frequent warnings. As I moved to attack him, Martel appeared.

[Yuan rubbed the bridge of his nose. Martel was too kind-hearted, she was the one who would have been in danger if Goede had done something.]

She said that the original Tree Spirit is somewhere in this world. I believe if we could find and communicate with this Spirit, we would be much closer to figuring out what's causing the mana shortage. That being said - there are a lot of members in the Blessenwood branch and few in the other branches. There are no clues to the Spirit's location, so we need to spread out. Before they all get here, does anyone have some requests regarding who they would like to bring back with them?

[anythingforsis]

[Mithos's interest was piqued. So, they were using magitechnology, which was harming Martel. He had split the world in half in Aselia to prevent this from happening there, but Mithos fixed the angry expression on his face, and tried to calm himself. No... no, he couldn't afford to ruin the good standing he had now. Not if Martel's well-being depended on it. Besides, Yuan sounded like he was going to assist with the problem anyway through diplomatic means, so Mithos held his peace in that regard.

Mithos had regained his composure when Yuan had asked for suggestions as to who to send with each respective Guild Leader. Mithos leaned forward in his chair, and folded his hands together on top of the table. He had ignored the food this entire time.]

The Wuldorwurth monarchy will likely be wanting assistance in maintaining the peace, as well as assistance with military service. I need people who have some experience leading others, as well as experience in political affairs.

[Mithos paused for a moment, taking a quiet deep breath through his nose.]

I have a feeling that most of our clients will be either the Wuldorwurth nobility or royalty. I'm not looking forward to selling myself out to a bunch of stuck up rich people, but it's necessary to gain their help with locating Goede and the Tree Spirit. That's why I need at least three people who are used to dealing with such clientele.

[singsnonsense]

[Still finishing off the sweets (it seemed he was the only one who was still a kid), Mao listened to the rest of the reports with interest. The Karegia military had had its fair share of problems, though never anything on the scale of Atlas's with the elves and half-elves and humans. What was it with people and racism? Some days, Mao just wanted to silence it all. How come everyone couldn't get along?

It was frustrating, but at the mention of bringing people back, Mao knew definitely who he wanted.]

In Port Merrium, we don't have much trouble beyond the sailors' alcoholism and how it's affecting the economy. I'd like to bring back anyone who thinks they could help out with it, but to be honest, I think I can deal with their problems with just one more person.

So if people want to move out, I'd be more than willing to take them with me.

[petapetakapu]

[Jade noticed Mithos' expression darken for a moment at the mention of magitechnology before the younger guild leader imposed a new-found composure. The colonel refrained from staring or asking. He quietly sipped some of his tea while Mithos and Mao made their requests, contemplating his own. It was exactly at this time, as he was thinking of the ideal skills of his recruits. Luckily, a certain member with engineering talents had yet to join the guild. As much as he wondered on occasion if he would be forced to collaborate, he could not bring himself to trust that this individual would not cause more harm rather in pursuit of foolish dreams. Besides, with such a runny nose, that person would be hardly sanitary.]

[Despite his mental forming of a request, the colonel did pay attention to the others and, setting down his tea, responded appropriately when it was his turn.]

As I mentioned, Blessenwood has been far livelier than has Ouin in recent times, so I wouldn't need a terribly large number of members. However, I have yet to hear word of Kanonno in recent times, which gives me reason to think that I may need to take a small number of Yuan's members with me to Ouin.

In any case, I would appreciate the help of members who might aid in the research of alternate energy sources. Engineers in particular would be helpful, but really, anyone who won't thwart the research will do.

[Sorry so short.]

[solemnity_crux]

Yes, it is a wise suggestion, Paneer, and could prove itself useful. If you could discuss the situation with your avian friends, I will proceed from there.

[Kratos gave the inquiry a moment of thought before resuming.] It would be beneficial to gather those in Unicia that are both responsible and capable of carrying out orders in a group environment. The elves will need some convincing before they even consider lending Ad Libitum or the humans aide, and I sincerely doubt that success will be possible if we do not handle our relations with them diplomatically.

However, for the moment, the situation in the forests concerns me more than forming an alliance with the elves. The latter will take time and must be handled with care.