The city of Champa lies on the southern coast of the continent of Esper, bordering the Eastern Ocean. To the north is the Misty Mountains, and past them lies the Sundra Desert. Champa's main source of trade is the fishing business, as the fish seem drawn to the unique type of coral which grows about an hour time of sailing off the shore. Champa and it's citizens are well supplied with their own fish, and there is enough to trade all around the Eastern Ocean.

The city is also dominated by seven guilds: The Umbra Guild, The Black Raven Guild, The Arborus Guild, The Silver Tower Guild, The Vento Guild, The Nekros Guild, and The Dripping Tankard Guild.

The Umbra guild mainly consists of spies and thieves. The King often calls on this guild in times of war to locate important items or people crucial to an enemy's success, and take them out.

The Black Raven Guild believes strongly in unity. A guild focused mainly on exploring, they often set out to sea, bringing back wonderful maps and detailed accounts of what is out there, and often sells such goods.

The Arborus Guild is an expert on herbalism and alchemy, using natural elements for medicinal purposes. The guild is also famous for their spices, and they are in very large demand outside of Champa, and very valuable to some.

The Silver Tower Guild is the all about being able to tackle any situation by relying on the diverse skill set of their members. This guild was famous for defending Champa in the Age of Reckoning.

The Vento Guild has undergone many experiments, and recently have had a breakthrough - the airship. It's an incredibly fast form of transport, and able to land anywhere on land. Unique to Champa, they take any concept and experiment with it.

The Nekros Guild is the guild which protects the dead. Many of the townsfolk avoid them, thinking them to be morbid and disturbed. However, they are the holiest of people, holding a direct connection to the gods, sending the dead to their final rest. Occasionally, a request is denied...

The Dripping Tankard Guild is in charge of the entertainment of Champa. They control all the taverns and are the sponsors of the traveling group, "The Go-go-gos." Well liked and well known in foreign countries, emissaries often bring a fine bottle or two of their wine as a gift of goodwill.

The guilds dominated over the city, and kept plenty of their secrets to themselves, lest the other guilds attempt to take advantage of a certain aspect. The council of seven, having been second only to the King, is arguably the best ruling system known to man.

Then, one day, the King calls together the council of seven. As it turns out, the fish have suddenly disappeared. And not just fishing is sparse, and hard to come by - the fish have actually disappeared out of the water. Divers went out to investigate, and found the coral that had once attracted them was still there, but the waters seemed warmer. The king, seeming to know something, asks each guild for a rookie to represent them.

The Umbra Guild chose a short halfling, who was introduced as Efferi Buckold, of the Umbra.

The Black Raven Guild chose a dark warrior, with hints of elven blood, Drizzt do'Urden, of the Ravens.

The Arborus guild put forth an elf in wild clothing, who was revealed as Elendara Autumnleaf, of the Arborus.

The Silver Tower guild took a long time to discuss, due to their adversity, when finally, a choice is reached, and a towering man with a brutish look comes forth, introducing himself as Braxtue Gnarlgun, of the Silver Tower.

The Vento Guild discussed among their master machinists, and called out a name, Lenwë Helyanwë of the Ventos. Seconds later, a humanoid with very bird like features - and even a pair of wings - came forward.

The Nekros guild was uninterested by a matter of living fish, as more dead would mean that they've got more business.

The Leaking Tankard Guild attempted to put forth two representatives, but both were denied, as they were attempting to gain more notoriety, and were forbidden to choose one.

The king then speaks to the five champions.

"Champions of the five guilds! You would do best to get to know each other very well. You will be doing your guilds an honour, and will be aiding me in something very special. But you will be sticking together for quite some time. I suggest you five get resources from your guild that you may need. As soon as you have done so, report to the castle, where you will be given further instruction."
With that, the king turns around and walks into a carriage, which rumbles off in the direction of the castle. You five should return to your guilds now, and speak with your head masters and mistresses.

"I'm heading out now. You guys should do the same."

Drizzt walks towards his guild while looking at houses along the way.

"Funny place this is. Where I came from we had no houses. We only sat in corners in our worthless kingdom of a cave. I always hated that wretched place."

Arrives at guild and searches for supplies.

"This place brings back memories." Drizzt stares off into the distance.

"I remember when a few friends and I fought off that ugly old hag and that other time when we killed that ogre that smashed or captain. Good times.........."

Drizzt continues searching for supplies.

As the short Halfling stepped out of the council chambers, he squinted in the rays of sunshine. Champa had that bright coastal sun which could always blind someone who had just been inside. He walked down the street market, and looked in all the various vendors, looking for anything crossed his eye. He was wearing a simple travelers outfit at the moment, and he wore his shortsword at his side. He figured this whole thing might take a little while, so he decided to purchase a fortnight's worth of meals. The shopkeeper, an older human, shrugged at him. "You know, we aren't allowed to sell you fish anymore? Only salted pork. I hear the King is hiring a small force to try to solve our problems. We pray they succeed, eh?" Efferi nodded to him, paid for his meals, though they were poor in quality. As he turned on his heel to leave, he laughed to himself. It was nice to hear himself in the rumor mill.


As he arrived at the Umbra guild house, he walked to the audience hall. "I seek an audience, good sirs." The door opens, and Efferi Buckold waltzed in.

Elendara stands to the rear of those who gatherd at the KIng;s summons. She listened politely her ears catching everything said and done in the room. When the King is finished she bows and waits until her departs. Looking carefully at the other four and takes mental notes of each and then turns to leave.

Once outside she heads straight for her guild hal. Arriving they she enters, there is little formally for members to enter the Guildhouse.

It was an honour to be pick by the master machinists to represent the guild, the greater honour was not that he would be serving the king either, it was the thought that his flocks livelihood was in fishing and that a raptoran would be getting to the source of the problem. Allegiance to a king or guild didn't matter, when the flock was in some sort of trouble they are what mattered.

He stood and listened to the kings speech in line with the rest, he felt uncomfortable about being forced together with these people, he didn't mind the elf, the true, raptorans and elves had always been friends, even if they are a bit detached from the worlds. He didn't know what to think of the dark elf, raptorans and drow had a racial hatred as old as, if not older then, the elves and the drow.

He turned to leave and made for the Vento guild house, once he arrived he made his way to his supply cabinet and gathered his personal equipment before heading upstairs to the head's office, he'd ask for some extra supplies, maybe one specific item and a rather more exotic item.

As Drizzt started to walk away from the area he was currently looking in he remembered something very dear to him: his scimitars.

Drizzt's scimitars were the only ones of their kind and he loved them very much. One was blue with a red trim and the other was green with yellow trim.

They both glowed with a strange aura that illuminated him.

"Hello, old friends." he took his scimitars and he walked to another cabinet and searched more.

Braxtue looked up to the king as he spoke, and then grunted.

"Of course, walk all the way out here just to get sent back to where we came. Bah!"

He lazily walked back to his guild and started to gather up supplies, taking the best of what his fellow guildmates would let him take. He was mainly looking for things that would help in a pinch like thunder stones, tanglefoot bags, caltrops, things like that. But he did keep an eye out for any weapon that he might like to grab up also.

After Efferi's breif dialogue with his Headmaster, he walked out of the audience hall with even less doubt than he had before. As his small frame moved up the stairs to collect his supplies, he pondered. What wasn't being told to him?

Efferi grabbed his padded armor from a spot he had under the floor to hide his valuables. His hand crossbow followed shortly. As he grabbed the backpack off the bed, he opened it to make sure all he needed was there. Sunrods, theives tools, food...check. He even loaded the extra fortnight in there, just in case.

Okay, so I have three weeks of food, and most of my utensils.

After loading his caltrops and bedroll, he donned his quiver with extra bolts. Feeling prepared, he strapped on his shortsword and headed out the guild.

He was walking around the City, trying to get a feel for his armor. He pulled an apple out of his pack, and began munching on it. As he strolled through the park, he began his favorite activity: people watching.



((OOC: if anyone wants to RP with me, I'm cool with it.))

Having talked to the diminutive gnome he'd managed to get one of the items he'd asked for, an insect bane candle, it didn't seam that she grasped the idea of going outside the city at all. He'd also been promised a Ring of Sustaining as well so that was a huge success, he'd get it as soon as she'd finished it as the King funded the guild when they did things 'right'. It would have to do.

After his strange meeting with this woman he returned to his quarters where he'd only just been woken up from and felt instantly tired seeing his nest. He carefully slipped on his leather armor, making sure to fold his wings through their slits in the back, and strapped his belt on, his longsword and dagger hanging from baldrics, a quiver of arrows next to them. He then packed his sack, a downside of having wings is not being able to ware a backpack so he had to use a drawstring sack, making sure to include his billhook and hunting knife in metal tin in an internal pocket. One man tent and bedroll at the bottom, no blanket, if it ever got cold enough to need one his wings folded around him would do the job just as well, his craft's tools, a flint and steel and messkit went in as well.

Deciding breakfast was far more important then anything else now he took off his belt and made his way to the kitchen where he eat a sort of portage mixed with wild berries or nuts and honey. Returning to his room yawning, he decided he'd have to get used to staying awake at sun-up if he were to live with the other champions, he strapped his belt back on, picked up his shortbow, failing to decide where he can put it resigned to carry it, and left the guild house for the town where he met Efferi eating an apple.

Efferi took a bite of his apple as he watched the Raptoran walking towards his way. He looked interesting, maybe he could get some conversation out of the man. He stood up and strode over to where the Raptoran was walking to.

"You would be the Raptoran selected by the king, correct?"

Looking down at the little guy, it's not like he had much choice being 6 foot and halflings averaging 4 foot, he found he had great respect for him, more so then any other landbound. Efferi was accomplished enough to be chosen as his guilds champion over all others, the halfling race was plentiful but he had no doubt had to live with being the little guy in a city which could be a difficult situation. Something they might have in common, raptorans were tribal people, small tight communities, even his flock which was so close to the city shunned the city for their own way of life and it was difficult for Lenwë in such a situation. To have to walk, although not an embarrassment, felt strange to him.

"Yes, you must be Umbra Guild's choice. Efferi wasn't it?"
This wasn't a question that needed answering, he knew but he though he would ask so that he could at least try a conversation. In truth he pitied the halfling, no more so then any other landbound race and those who had to fly n his guild's contraptions, it wasn't true flight. He respected that many people had no wish to fly but still found dwarfs odd for choosing a life underground away from the sky and the wind and the moon.

He then decided to add that they should get moving to the castle. It's not courteous to keep your superiors waiting so he tried to steer them in that direction.

"We should walk towards the castle, we shouldn't keep the King waiting."

Drizzt walks out of the guild feeling good with himself.

"Is this what being proud feels like? I've always felt so insignificant until now. I didn't do very much but I have this feeling........"

He unsheathes his scimitars and stares at them.

"My best friends." He puts Icingdeath and Twinkle back in their sheathes and continues walking back to the castle with supplies in hand.

Efferi started walking alongside the Raptoran. "Very true. A man like him shouldn't ever be kept waiting."

Efferi's obvious disregard for royalty came through in the sarcasm in his voice. Nevertheless, they began their walk towards the castle.

"So I don't know if it was me not paying attention or not, but I don't think I ever caught your name. Care to fill me in?"

Names, his name was Lenwë Helyanwë but it wasn't custom to reveal it to people out of his flock. It was customary to use your nickname outside the flock so he was annoyed when his guild had used his real name instead of his nickname, not a name exactly chosen but rather one that had stuck with him since childhood.

"Just call me Hunter. That was my nickname in my flock."
Respecting elders and superiors was something a lot of importance was put on in his flock and although it wouldn't be right to try to get other people to do this he still speak his mind.

"We should respect superiors regardless of our own opinions."

Elendara jogged back to her guild, Spoke briefly to the GUildmaster telling them what the mission was. in a brief concise summation. Then she went to collect her things.

Elendara check out her pack and rearranged a few things and added so others not knowing how long this mission would take. She check her arrows and smoothed the fetching and check each shaft for straightness and to made sure the tips were on tight. She adds 6 new of new bow strings. It would not be good to run out at an inopportune moment. Sharpening her longsword and dagger she oiled them both and her scabbard. She would pick up fresh trail rations as well, perhaps some trail mix of dried fruits, berries, and nuts as well. and some dried meat as well.

When everything she needed or had was packed she headed out of the Guildhouse.