It was a in the dark hours of the early morning when I first saw the glow of the Thornmouth guild house. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Yes I had seen other light houses in distant lands, but non like this. The thornmouth lighthouse was a behemoth. It towered high above the cliffs edge, with a fire that not only acted as a guide for its members, but as a warning for any who dare try and disrupt the peace. Thornmouth was strong. During the last leg of mine and Grangers (my dog familiar) trip aboard the boat named Lady Fate, I scanned through the forum for the Thornmouth guild, reading about my new home. I have to admit, the lighthouse was more grand than I had ever imagined. I wondered about my new guild mates. Would they be welcoming? Or would they be cautious of the new arrival? Maybe both.
Before I knew it, the pup resting her head on my lap darted her head up and let out a little bark, letting me know she heard people skuttering about on the deck. It brought me back down from my wonderings and I realized we were at the docks. I gathered my leather bag, filled with trinkets and books to help me feel closer to home when the inevitable homesickness would come. I attached Grangers harness to her leash and we made our way off of the boat and down the busy dock.
Even though the sun had barely started to rise, the docks were bustling with fishermen and traders alike. The smell of the morning catch mixed with the incense of the traders boats. It was interesting to say in the least. Granger was darting side to side in front of me, trying to greet as many strangers as she possibly could. The little pup was full of energy and I cant help but smile when I look at her.
As we made our way from the dock, the path headed up a beautiful cobblestone road, with aged bricks forming walls on the side, only reaching a few feet from the ground. As I got closer to the lighthouse my stomach began to do flips of excitement. It really was amazing. The sea breeze mixed with the smell of food cooking. It was certainly getting close to breakfast time.
When we made it to the doors of the guild, I noticed the symbol on the stone arch. The symbol I had only seen on pins and webpages, but now it was here. In front of me. Carved into the doors of my new home. I stood there for a couple of minutes not knowing what to do……do I knock?..…or do I just walk in?..…what were the proper steps for something like this? Granger decided for me and let out three loud barks of excitement. Thats when I heard the knob turning and a purple haired girl was peering at me through the opening. She laughed at what must have been an expression of fear and anxiety making my cheeks burn bright red.
She suddenly welcomed me with a very strong hug and gave Granger some welcomed attention and belly scratches, pulled me through the door and called everyones attention to the new guild member. I made sure to say my name loud enough for everyone to hear and then introduced Granger who was letting out whimpers of excitement. After the introduction the purple haired girl pulled me by the arm and led me to a hallway to the right of the entrance.
“The majority of the dorms are downstairs, but for our members with animal familiars we have a hallway close to the entrance so that the precious fur babies don’t have to walk too far to go outside and relieve themselves.” She finished her sentence with a giggle. The hallways was filled with the noises of barking, meowing, chirping, and some other noises I did not recognize. How was I ever going to get a moments peace with all of this noise? She stopped me at a dark purple door with the number 48 marked below a peephole.
“This is it! Your new home! I’ll let you and Granger get acclimated and you can join us when you are all ready!” Before I could even reply she had turned on her heels and was skipping down the hallway.
The key was already in the door handle, all of the empty dorms had keys in the handles. I guess thats the best way to keep track. I gave the key and turn and pushed the door open. It was heavy. Once I crossed the threshold and closed the door behind me, all of the sounds form the outside world disappeared. This place was truly magic. Inside there was a single bed and empty shelves waiting to be filled with books and treasure. There was even a bed in the corner for Granger, although she probably wont be using it since she likes to sleep in the bed with me at night. I tossed my bag on the bed and took it all in. I had made it. This was the beginning of a grand adventure.