[i]Eternity was stretched out before him here. Where was not important anymore. The specter silently gazed upon what looked like opened windows stretching out around him. Each one showed him hundreds if not thousands of places, people's, things, realities unmade and universes remodeled. At first it had been chaotic and disorientation to view these scenes, unbearable to discern what was real and what was just a memory of the universe stuck on what felt like an endless repeat. How many times had he watched that dragon corner the orc horde that had raided it's home? Or.. had the dragon raided the orcs home. The scenes were rarely as they seemed at a glance. Sometimes the spiders hunted men for food. Sometimes sport. Other times the spiders were nowhere to be found. The mountains of his homeland had been burned away, destroyed, frozen over, suffered plagues too numerous to remember, been raided by every race in the universe. Keeping track was impossible. Viewing them all happening over and over was impossible. Trapped in his prison of glass with the same scenes for eternity. That was this creatures fate.. or was it. That thought had always clouded it's once brilliant mind. If anything could happen, any event be changed or cease to exist, was it possible for his imprisonment to be reverted? Maybe the being had escaped. Perhaps it had been set free? Or most likely.. he would continue to ponder the infinite. Every option was weighed and thought out. Indeed he could even in vision such a thing happening. But what race would set him free? The dwarves? Humans? Elves could do it if they wanted to. Naga were powerful casters in their own right so perhaps one could convince their elders to try.. The dragon corned the orcs and the scene unfolded as it always seemed to. The dragon unfolded it's wings and unleashed a cone of death. This time with fire. Usually it was fire. But most of the time it was acid. Or freezing cold. Maybe next time it would be lightning again? The being watched it all unfold again and again. Thousands of times. Never satisfied with the outcome. It wasn't until the scene of.. what was this? An armored human had felled the dragon? The windows all showed scenes like that now, it realized. New outcomes were springing up! New things sprouted from the old scenes. What did it all mean...[/i] -------------------------------------------- GUILDHOUSE MEETING ROOM #24 Guild party creation Mediator today: Artemis Lemont, Lead organizer of wood/bronze decision adventurers [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/07/00/e7/0700e7e61f2e01e264ee4c49e073e197.jpg[/img] Light flooded the large open room, rich with the various smells of the kitchens on the lower levels wafting into the meeting rooms. An enchantment upon the room itself kept the temperature cool even on hot summer days like today. Doused decorative lamps and impressively carved columns decorated the rooms polished wooden floors and high ceilings. To say that a king would feel welcome was an understatement. Artemis sat comfortably in her padded seat, arms resting on her legs, as she smiled politely at the seemingly mismatched group of relatively young adventurers seated around the large circular table. Refreshments had been placed on the middle. The standard layout for such an event was tea, with or without milk, sugar in its own porcelain bowl, a batch of cinnamon cookies rested within easy reach. There was also an assortment of fresh cheeses served with an equal assortment of crackers. For those who partook of such things, there was a bottle of sweet red wine available as well. The Iron host had supplied the wine and cheese platter in honor of their Lupine associate who was attending the gathering. A high ranking silver member of the guild. Artemis raised her hand to her lips and issued a light cough tof clear her throat and gain everyone's attention. When they turned their gaze, it was all she could do to keep the smile up. The orc and the werewolf were scary! "Hello everyone. My name is Artemis Lemont, as I'm sure some of you who already have dealings within the guildhouse know." The young woman stood up and offered a polite bow, her thick Auburn hair covered her face until she ceased throat one bow, gently moving in behind her ear before returning throat hehe a seated position. "On behalf of the guildhome, i would like to offer my apologies for the sudden change of policy that created this situation. The Infinity bridges havery become far too dangerous lately and thus solo travelers are no longer allowed. Until the issue is resolved we have no choice but to create parties for added protection against any further strange developments." Artemis clapped her hands excitedly, though not over enthusiastically, as a compliance associate passed around a sheet of paper. A standard registry form they had all filled out when originally enlisted within the guilds folds. The difference here was this had become something of a contract. Each party was asked to fill out a secondary form that would be placed with the new official file. Though it was not stated specifically, it was all meant to make assigning quests faster. Rather than assign 8 people to one question all the a time, they could assign a party name instead. The form further detailed the tax agreement on rifts. Normally a single Adventurer was taxed up to 30% of their earnings, excluding weapons and jewelery, but the rate was now being lowered to 20% across all party members from a total earning calculated upon completion. These costs and expenses were explained to be used to keep up repairs on the city, pay the guards for protecting the streets, and the rift masters for allowing them access to the gateway. "Once everyone had signed, you may return to the rifts whenever you like. The party name you choose can be updated at at later time if you cannot decide."