What mysteries await you?

[coldwave]

Nestled in the shade of the Great Tree, Yggdrasil, the shadowy city of Charon has flourished for thousands of years thanks to the rich farmlands and forests that surround it.

However, in recent years, the woodlands that embrace the town have turned sinister. A recent increase in monster sightings and attacks has pushed the local government to call for adventurers from across the lands to come to the city, explore its lands, and uncover the source of this increased aggression.

Although you are young and have little to your name but the clothes on your back and the weapons in your hand, you have answered this call along with several other adventurers much like yourself. Your journey has only just begun.

When arriving in Charon, the first stop for any new adventurer is to register at the Explorer's Guild. The building is expansive, and the stonework walls and tiled floors were well-worn even before the influx of adventurers. And right now, the main hall is full of people. Some might be natives of the city, but others wear clothing and carry weapons unique to their homelands.

Small groups - individual guilds - dot the room, planning their next expedition, while various individuals float around, hoping to find a group of their own.

Then there were the registration counters, tended by staff waiting to take down the information of any newcomers.

Comments

[tadoki]

A stranger from a far away land walks through the bustling streets and into what he hopes is the right building.
"Judging from the armed folks, this has to be the right place, the Explorer's Guild." The teal troll with a red fauxhawk waited eagerly in line with a piece of parchment that looks like its been through a sandstorm. The tanned leather with paint and pearls sewn into it is a clear sign the troll is not from here. He smiles meekly as onlookers throw glances his way.

"What can I do for you?" asked the guild member behind the desk.
"I'm here about the request for talented trackers and explorers you put out." Said the troll.
"Your name, troll?" The word troll rang through the hall, like a belch.
"Tadoki, sir. Of the Coast." And Tadoki slowly handed the guild mate the parchment."

[coldwave]

The guild member took the parchment from Tadoki and read over the contents before giving the troll a nod.

"Everything looks like it checks out," he replies with a smile before starts arranging other registration documents where he copies down Tadoki's name, race, and homeland. "Before we can formally enlist you, you'll need to undergo a trial in the forest to ensure you're able to meet the challenges inside. No-one wants their explorer registration to be the last thing leave behind."

He says all of this in a casual, jovial tone like it will lighten the mood. Behind Tadoki, a tall, seemingly human woman with mismatched eyes shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"There are plenty of newcomers waiting to attempt the trial as well. The Explorer's Guild suggests banding together. Safety in numbers."

His suggestion can't even be called a hint, but he returns Tadoki's parchment along with another slip: his temporary registration card.

[tadoki]

Tadoki frowns and steps out of line. He has never been good at mingling with people outside of his tribe. He looks around for incomplete groups, but all he sees are strange faces looking past him.

He straightens his vest and tugs it tightly to him, and begins to question why he came here.
Tadoki looks towards the exit, suddenly his last thought was overcome by a sense of duty and strength. "I'm not giving up. I'll go by myself if I have too, the elements won't ever leave me."
"I am a shaman from the coast, the elements have sent me here to heal this land!" He practically shouts over the bustling crowd, but no one seemed to have noticed his proclamation.

[coldwave]

It wasn't too unusual for people to start shouting here. That kind of behavior wasn't encouraged in Charon, but, well, people would always be noisy.

From somewhere in the crowd, as person called back, "You can't go alone! That's crazy!"

There were a few rumblings, something about not having space in their guild, not wanting to train a newbie, being shy.

As Tadoki is about to leave, though, a woman comes running up to him.

"Wait, you can't go yet! I'll go with you, too!"

[tadoki]

Turning around, Tadoki sees a tanned human in a button up shirt chasing after him.

"You want to come with me? What is your reason for helping a troll like me out?..."
Pausing a second, he realises how rude he just sounded and had a flashback to his great great grandmatron scolding him for being rude.

"Sorry" he said quickly, "My name is Tadoki, of the coast. I'm a shaman sent here to cleanse the lands. What is your name, ma'am?"

[coldwave]

Rhea doesn't seem to take offense, smiling calmly when he apologizes. She doesn't know Tadoki or his history; she's sure he has a reason for questioning her like that. That's what she tells herself, at least.

Of course, if he hadn't apologized, she would have wandered off, but thankfully, he had.

"I'm Rhea. I'm a summoner from the Pallene Mountains." She extends a gloved hand to him. "You must be very talented to have been sent here."

[tadoki]

Tadoki looks puzzled. Not only has he never heard of her homeland, but hes never heard of a summoner either.

Nevertheless, Tadoki put his parchment in his vest and extended a hand out to meet Rhea's hand.
"I don't know what a summoner does, but company will always make a journey better. Do you have shaman where you're from?"
He and Rhea proceed out of the building, all the while, Tadoki questions Rhea about her home and her profession.

By the time they make it to the city exit he realizes he doesn't know what to do for this preliminary trial.
"Do you know what our task is for becoming official guild members, Rhea?"

[coldwave]

"We don't," she answers. If they're going to become guildmates, then they'll have plenty of time to learn about each other. As they walk out onto the shaded street outside, Rhea thinks it's almost busier outside the guild hall than it was inside.

His question quickly draws her attention back to him, though, and he returns his earlier puzzled look. "Yes. There's a trial in the forest. Didn't they give you the details?"

[tadoki]

Tadoki seems embarrassed, "I didn't think to ask the person at the guild hall."
"Even if it were on this parchment, I could not read it. My little brother is the only one in our tribe that can read this language's writing."
"I practiced my speech the whole way here to myself just so I didn't stick out like a sore thumb."
Stopping his rambling, Tadoki looked at Rhea and asked, "So what is our task?"