Once we had arrived in Etria, our first move, I argued, should have been to seek an audience with the Radha, but V just had to pen our guild in the ledger. There’s no stopping her when she gets an idea into her head, so we made the Explorers’ Guild our first destination. I didn’t mind too much, as the building is tucked into a corner of Verda Plaza, not far from Radha Hall.

I haven’t introduced myself yet; my name is Nathaniel, and I’m a good friend of V’s. She’s had me manage her mercenary work for the last couple of years. I’m not without field ability myself, but V prefers to keep me behind a desk. We make a good team, actually; I find myself well-suited to the administrative tasks that she can’t find the patience for, such as finding clients, setting up meetings, seeing to our assets, handling finances–and maintaining this record. And my most important job, of course, is ensuring that she doesn’t get herself killed. It’s even more challenging than it sounds.

Incidentally, don’t ask me what “V” stands for; I’ve no idea.

The Guildmaster had his eye on us as soon as we walked in; I suppose that the new adventurers who’ve come to check out the Yggdrasil Labyrinth stand out easily to someone like him. Once he had greeted us and explained procedure, we got right down to business. V and I had discussed our guild name earlier, of course. We decided to name it Echelon, after the infantry tactic of secondary lines replacing those exhausted in the front, leap-frog style. It represents our dedication to pushing on to the end.

Before we could begin recruiting, we needed to add our own names to the Explorers’ Guild roster of adventurers. V registered as a Landsknecht, of course. It’s not entirely accurate; she’s done most of her work as a close-combat fighter with smaller arms. But she’s taken a liking to the power and reach of axes, and, as I said, there’s just no stopping her.

The Guildmaster seemed skeptical about signing up a new guild due to the large number of adventurers who have taken up residence in Etria over the past few months; he expressed disdain for their satisfaction with the financial rewards gained by repeatedly trawling the safer levels of the maze. However, his attitude changed when V mentioned that our guild will be exclusively for novices. The force of her personality has always been quick to communicate her ambition to others, and I think that the Guildmaster is interested in seeing us through to success because we truly intend to investigate the Labyrinth. He may seem like a pretty scary guy at first, but he has already been very helpful, suggesting that we recruit from a variety of classes to ensure that a diverse skillset is available to our exploring parties.

Looking through the roster, V immediately wanted to meet a Protector named Celes. She’s the perfect choice for us, really; the defensive focus and precise swordsmanship of the Protector class is an excellent pairing to V’s berserker axe attacks. The Guildmaster tracked her down for us; Celes was relieved to finally be approached with a serious offer. She had been close to moving on after nearly a month of being ignored by the veteran guilds.

The Guildmaster also introduced us to our Survivalist, a serious young woman named Claire. He explained that her survival skills are essential for tracking, hunting, navigating, and foraging in the wilderness–sound advice, especially since the Labyrinth is no ordinary wilderness.

I would have liked to have an Alchemist on the team; their elemental attacks are legendary. Unfortunately, the class is uncommon, and the only ones in town have been idling away with more established guilds. I hope that a newcomer turns up looking for work before too long; I’ve asked the Guildmaster to keep an eye out, and he’s promised to alert me first when one does show.

Being a member of a guild means that you pool all of your resources with everyone else’s; it’s just a part of depending upon one another. These people will be working, eating, sleeping, and fighting to stay alive together for quite awhile if things go according to plan, so the only real type of possession for them is that owned by the whole group. Each member contributes what s/he can up front. Our initial budget came to about 1000 ental, which isn’t great–only enough for a modest outfitting, the day’s room and board, and some savings I insisted upon for our emergency medical treatment fund. We’ll need to bring back at least a little salable loot from our first expedition to the underground forest if we don’t want to sleep on the floor of the Explorers’ Guild tomorrow night.

Once we were done registering Echelon’s first members, the four of us visited the Golden Deer Pub to get acquainted over lunch. The food was good, and so was the mood; but it was presumptuous of me to expect the others to divulge their personal histories. Nonetheless, there are other ways to get to know someone. So, while Celes and V discussed the delicacy of fighting technique and began to carve out portions of attack and defense in their tactical recipe, I turned to Claire to find out what she had learned of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth during her time in Etria.

Claire told me four things then. I had previously only heard three of them:

1. No one knows why it’s there.
2. No one knows how deep it goes.
3. It isn’t a normal place.

The people around here always say that last one in hushed tones even though it doesn’t seem to mean anything. Not normal how? No one can say, and yet they all agree.

Then Claire told me about the dangerous creatures underground. I thought she was talking about the strange and aggressive wildlife I had already known of, but she shook her head and quoted: “There are things living down there that you can only understand because of the stories your mother read to make you good.” She paused when she noticed that the other two had stopped talking. Actually, the whole place seemed to quiet, but it might have been my imagination. I was thinking of the stories my mother had read. Claire reminded me that it’s only a rumor, but what she didn’t repeat was that it came from one of her fellow Survivalists, which sounds to me like an expert source. As serious as she is, I’m sure that Claire wouldn’t have repeated it if she didn’t think so, too.

When business started to slow, the publican, Valerie, came over to chat with our group from across the bar. Like the Guildmaster, she recognized immediately that we were new in town and guessed why we were there. She welcomed us kindly but apologetically explained that, although she had plenty of clients lined up, waiting for their jobs to be filled, all guilds must be officially recognized before they can work for the town in any capacity. I barely managed to stop myself from giving V my best “I told you so.” Valerie gave us a heads-up, too: in order to be seen as legitimate, every new guild must be tested–and that test takes place in the Labyrinth.

Since we now knew that the Radha would be sending us on a mission straight away, I insisted that we stop at Ceft’s Apothecary to pick up some field supplies. V wanted to skip it and head for an armory, naturally, but the others sided with me. As it happens, the shop doubles as a clinic, which is very good to know. I discussed fees with the man in charge, Dr. Hoffman, while the others stocked a light inventory of Medica. When the doctor and I began to chat about Guild Echelon, he strongly suggested that we keep a Medic with us for on-site support. Celes overheard and expressed her agreement; although the Protector class is privy to some curative abilities, they are apparently meager and only capable of light healing. We cannot depend upon her alone to fill that role in a pinch.

So I explained to Dr. Hoffman that Echelon is a guild for newcomers and asked whether he knew where we might find a Medic not already engaged. He frowned and thought for a moment before calling over a young girl whom he introduced as his daughter, Alice. She seemed shy to me, but she was confident in her skills. Her father explained that she is trained in field medicine and that, since its discovery, she has been eager to see the Yggdrasil Labyrinth for herself and to work with the travelers who have come to explore it. While he is of course concerned for her safety, the doctor did not wish to hold her back any longer.

I was about to welcome the girl to our group when V excused us and pulled me away. She refused to take someone so young onto a potential battlefield, and for a moment I nearly agreed; then I thought of the older, complacent guilds and remembered that Echelon was supposed to provide opportunities to the inexperienced. Besides, V wasn’t much older when she started fighting professionally, and Alice is trained specifically to provide treatment within that type of environment. So I told her that Alice would remain at the rear of the party, positioned directly behind Celes for maximum protection, and would not engage our foes. It isn’t often that I manage to persuade V of anything, but I could see that she was uncertain. My arguments won out, and Alice joined our group.

With a solid party in place, I suggested that it was time to see to everyone’s equipment. We found a small shop just off the main Plaza called Shilleka’s Goods. It seems that we’re stirring up the town already, because Shilleka had heard of us–well, she didn’t exactly know our names, but she knew we were “t’at guild wit’ only new folk.” It’s a start, I suppose. Unfortunately, while she’s eager to do business with new explorers, Shilleka has been short on supplies lately, which means that her stock is very limited. On the other hand, she’ll purchase and make new equipment from whatever materials we’re able to bring her, which should prove a stable means of income for Echelon; rarer goods will lead to the availability of more unusual and possibly improved gear at the same time.

For V, we were only able to purchase a large hatchet. Although easy to use, it’s not ideally suited for combat; V’s not happy with it, and neither am I. I don’t have a habit of sending parties into the field ill-equipped, but splitting a starting budget among fresh members for a new guild necessitates compromise. At least this hatchet has a hammer on the axe butt, which will afford her the option of inflicting blunt damage. We also bought her a pair of knit gloves. They won’t offer much protection, but it’s better than nothing.

Shilleka chose a simple targe of iron-plated wood and cowhide for Celes to try on. Its size and build offer minimal defense, but the light weight will spare her enough agility to effectively cover the front line. The store’s last remaining scramasax took the place of her old knife; it’s no match for a real sword, but the weapon is well-balanced and should do some damage.

Claire chose a common self bow of carved yew; there wasn’t much else on offer. Shilleka helped her to heat it under the back room’s canopy so that she could add slight recurving to ease its draw. She kept her knife, which wouldn’t have sold for much anyway, explaining that it remains useful as a basic tool for Survivalists even though it makes for a poor weapon. Claire also fashions her own arrows, if you can believe that; she certainly seems to know what she’s doing.

If the others do their jobs, Alice won’t need serious combat gear, and, unfortunately, we really can’t afford much for her at this point anyway. She’s brought her own wooden wand, which helps her to concentrate on her skills and can work as a weak weapon in a tight spot. However, she wasn’t properly prepared for a trek, so we purchased a pair of sandals woven of leaves from the underground forest; they’ll improve her agility, which means that those in need of healing will receive it more quickly.

As we were finishing up, Shilleka began to act antsy. It turns out that she had a favor to ask; her cousin is a budding adventurer who has been unable to test himself in the forest because the established guilds have shut out novices. His trade is a rare one; he’s a Dark Hunter named Lucian. Shilleka nearly begged us simply to give the boy a chance; everyone agreed, so we signed him up.

He’s a weird kid, but I’m curious to see what he can do. Lucian’s weapon of choice is the whip, which he can use to bind and disable his enemies. It’s a neat trick, but the whip is a lousy defensive weapon, so the other party members will have to provide cover and create opportunities for him to use his skills. Shilleka gave him the thin, light whip that he’d been using for practice at no cost because he’s family, which was a nice break for the guild, but I could tell that she was worried and felt badly about not having better stock.

With our preparations complete, it was finally time to visit Radha Hall. We were received by the Subaltern, a man named Quinn, who confirmed what Valerie had told us about the mission to achieve recognition. The initiation entails providing an original and accurate map of the Labyrinth’s first floor. It’s a sensible task; neither the government nor potential patrons among the citizenry should waste their time on guilds that cannot complete such a basic assignment. It also serves as a proof of strength; our party will need to explore B1F, and to do that they will need to survive B1F. The Subaltern provided us with a small parchment with an incomplete drawing to get us started and directed us to meet with the soldier stationed just inside the forest for further instructions. We expressed our appreciation and promised to return with results.

Upon emerging into Verda Plaza, we went over the party formation and checked our equipment. I bade my friends speed and luck and returned to the guild offices; V, Celes, Claire, Lucian, and Alice took the path leading to the underground wood.

This report provides a basic description of Etria and the events following the discovery of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. It is not intended as a complete history or record but merely serves as a backdrop to the establishment of Guild Echelon and its subsequent adventures.

Etria is a peaceful municipality that historically has functioned as a small but healthy market hub despite its relative isolation. The governing Radha mostly keep to themselves, but they always seem to act in the town’s best interest. Several months ago, the sudden discovery of a wide fissure in the floor of an outlying forest completely altered the town’s role, the lives of its citizens, and the fates of the many curious seekers and adventurous explorers who have been drawn from the farthest edges of the continent by its mystery.

This hole, apparently opened by the unusual geological tremors recently experienced by the area, reveals a perplexing Labyrinth of wooded ruins beneath the forest. Its origin, purpose, and size are all completely unknown. Since the discovery, the Radha have taken a much more active role in Etria’s functioning, rapidly assembling a modest but capable guard to map the maze and uncover its secrets. However, their unexpected encounters with powerful and aggressive wildlife seemingly alien to the known ecosystem have prevented most progress. In an unusual show of determination, the Radha have opened the town coffers and issued an official proclamation inviting unaffiliated adventurers to spearhead the soldiers’ efforts and lead the investigation of what is today known as the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

It is uncommon for Etria’s governors to so openly rely upon outsiders for help, leading to varied speculation that the ruins represent a direct threat to the townspeople or that the Radha see this discovery as an economic opportunity to be exploited. It may be that both are true: more than one citizen of Etria has disappeared into the underground maze since its discovery, and the influx of adventurers has brought a radical surge of energy to the marketplace. Not only do these foreigners pay well for housing, sustenance, and goods, but they also retrieve previously unseen materials from the Labyrinth, in turn introducing new products and fostering the interest of collectors, exotic merchants, and the fashion elite, who all represent new markets for the town’s previously mundane economy.

To date, according to the judgment of the Etrian Guildmaster, no party has yet adequately conquered the Labyrinth; its significance and full depth remain largely unexplored, and the various guilds and individual adventurers who have answered the Radha’s call are unrenowned, regardless of scattered reputations of veterancy. In only a short time, it seems that most have given up on the greater goal, content to live off of trifling economic fruits readily picked within the safest clearings of the underground forest’s most shallow levels. No major exploration has occurred since the first weeks of these travelers’ arrival. Newcomers, too late to establish financial footing, continue enthusiastically to arrive but, finding no guilds interested in their services, leave without even knowing defeat.

One such new arrival, a young mercenary calling herself V, intends to upturn this situation by organizing a new guild for other ambitious adventurers who have been shut out by the emerging oligarchy. She will find no shortage of recruits, and, while yet inexperienced, they will endeavor together to wrest Etria’s mystery from the hands of the complacent and carve out their own fame and fortune.