“Would you like a tour?” the NPC asked.
I shrugged. “Sure, not like it’ll take that long,” I said with a wry smile.
He inclined his head in agreement, and moved to the room on the left.
“In here, we have a flexible 10 meter square room that can be used for gatherings, meals, or some light training. The Guild leader will have to configure the room to their specifications using the Control Module.” He led us through the room to a kitchen straight out of a medieval movie. “Another multi-purpose room. Most use this space for a kitchen or bar. For a monthly fee, a cook or bartender can be employed to provide food and drink to Guild members.”
“Actors?” I asked.
He looked embarrassed, coughing into his fist. He seemed hesitant to reply, but gave me the briefest nod before continuing through.
That had interesting ramifications. So we could pay to have an actor cook us meals, grab beers, and who knew what else. I wondered if that applied to training. Did they have actors that could teach us how to use bows, swords, and the like? I made a mental note to explore that later.
The rest of the tour was pretty mundane. There was a library - though I didn’t imagine many folks logged into a video game to read a book. There was also a cellar that was fairly large and looked like the best spot to set up a training arena. Upstairs were the rooms, and I eyed the bed greedily. I hadn’t actually gotten any meaningful sleep in something like 36 hours by this point. Reluctantly, I let the NPC drag me away from the rooms.
He led us back outside and we stopped to discuss prices.
“So lay it on me,” I said once we were outside. “What’s a level 1 lot and Hall gonna run me?”
His eyes glazed over as he accessed his menu, and a moment later, an inventory prompt appeared in front of me. I accepted, and the Guildhall options filled my vision. There were two tabs - one for the Hall, and one for Lots.
Guildhall (Level 1)
Recommended Capacity: 5 - 10
Available Amenities:
Kitchen
Dining Room
Training Room (Max 3)
Private Rooms (Max 3)
Contribution Shop
Exterior Courtyard
2 Stories (~3000 square feet/280 meters squared)
NPCs Available:
Cook (1)
Weapons Trainer (1) - Limited Capability
Skills Trainer (1) - Limited Capability
Guild Manager (1) - Limited Capability
Isabella Companion (1)
Mercenary-For-Hire (1) - Limited Capability
Cost: 50,000 gold
That cost was a pleasant surprise. I knew this was only a level 1, but my experience with this game had prepared me for much higher. I mean, my two mercs, Icalia and Jailen, had cost me almost half of that for 2 hours of play. I was also very curious about what the NPCs could do. There was the option to hire a single merc, which was interesting. I didn’t know what a Guild Manager did, but maybe they ran the CP shop or something? I noted the Isabella Companion with a wry smile. Was there going to be an identical model of my own character running around the Guildhall? That would be a little weird. I’d soon find out, I guess.
There wasn’t much else to see on this tab - the higher level Halls were grayed out. I would have to go on the wikis later to figure out what those would look like - and more importantly: what they would cost.
For now, I swapped over to the Lot tab. This one was different from the Hall tab, and had a basic level 1 Lot with not a lot of information. But even more interesting was the map present in this tab. It was zoomed in on Bastion, and I could see all the available level 1 lots in the player housing area. There were dozens available, so that wasn’t too interesting.
What was interesting, was the World map that opened up when I clicked on the button labeled ‘World.’ The map expanded to show the entire world of S&S, and all the special lots available outside of Bastion.
And none of them were purchasable.
“This World map is showing all the Guild Wars lots, isn’t it?” I asked the NPC.
His eyes sparkled as he nodded. “That’s right! You can’t buy those lots - they can only be taken by force.”
I zoomed into a random zone and looked at one of the lots that was directly over a dungeon meant for level 40s. The Guild that owned it was called ‘THE SW4RM’. When I hovered over the lot, it gave me more details.
Level 3 Lot (Raze-able)
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Owned by THE SW4RM (BUZZ)
Taken on July 2 from Butterface Inc. (BUTT)
Benefits:
Control over the entrance of the Dungeon: Joujin Den (Mob Level 42-45).
8% tariff on all gold looted from Joujin Den.
3% discount for Guild members on all NPC shops in the region.
+5% damage for Guild members inside Joujin Den.
+5% physical defense for Guild members inside Joujin Den.
First right of refusal on player shop in Joujin Den entrance.
I turned to the NPC and pointed at the lot. “This is awesome! How indicative of the other Guild War lots is this?” I asked.
He scanned the level 3 Lot, then smiled. “That’s a low-to-mid level 3 Lot. Probably not in very high demand.”
My eyes went wide. Owning a Lot like that could be so beneficial for leveling, and for making gold passively. “Can you point out one of the prime lots? Like a level 5 or something?” I asked.
He nodded and started moving my map around. After a moment, he zoomed in on a region I wasn’t familiar with. He pointed to a level 6 Lot, and my jaw dropped.
“This Lot changes hands quite often,” he said, smiling at my expression.
Level 6 Lot (Raze-able)
Owned by Nefarious Intentions (NIT)
Taken on November 24 from The Goonies (GOON)
Benefits:
Control over the entrance of the Raid: Chasm of the Void Eater (Mob Level 59-63)
15% tariff on all gold looted from Chasm of the Void Eater.
5% discount for Guild members on all NPC shops in the region.
+5% damage for Guild members inside Chasm of the Void Eater.
+5% physical defense for Guild members inside Chasm of the Void Eater.
+5% magical defense for Guild members inside Chasm of the Void Eater.
+15% Contribution Points for all Guild members in the region (including inside Chasm of the Void Eater).
72-Hour head start for any new wings added to Chasm of the Void Eater. (Regardless of entrance being set to open for all)
First right of refusal on player shop in Chasm of the Void Eater entrance.
Control over access to the Void Forge.
Control over access to the special NPC shop within the Void Forge.
Ability to purchase and configure portal system.
Special title for all Guild members: Void Soldier.
Special achievement for all Guild members: Stared into the Void.
“Holy crap,” I said after reading all the benefits. “That seems really awesome!” Some of the benefits I didn’t understand though. “What’s the Void Forge?” I asked.
The NPC nodded. “It’s an exclusive location where blacksmiths can create weapons and armor,” he said. “It’s in high demand, as certain high-level items can’t be made anywhere else. A max-level blacksmith might even pay a fee for access if another Guild has ownership.”
I wanted that! That sounded like a money printing machine! Not to mention the 15% tariff on what must be a very lucrative Raid already. And the increased Contribution Points! But one thing really caught my eye.
“This 72-hour head start,” I said, pointing at the benefit. “Is that what I think it is?”
“I imagine you’ve understood correctly. That particular Raid is one of the newer ones, and there are three more wings of six to be unlocked,” he said. “Whoever controls the Lot gets the first 3 days to attempt a newly-opened wing. Being World First in a new wing comes with its own perks and is very desirable for the high-end Guilds.”
“Yeah, I bet!” I could only imagine what a top-tier Raiding Guild could do with 72 hours.
“It does put a target on the Lot, obviously. When a new wing is announced, this Lot can change hands every week, and is usually only defended with the help of other Guilds in exchange for gold or sharing in the head start.” He shrugged. “Even then, I’ve heard of large alliances losing control of big Lots like this on the last day after bankrupting themselves in its defense. A failed defense has seen more than one Guild at the top of the pile disbanded within the week.”
“Wow…so it’s kind of a double-edged sword?”
“Can be,” he said. “Not all Guilds lose out, though. Some have been known to rake in gold hand-over-fist and cede the Lot when the defense costs begin to outspend the inflows. Just depends on your goals,” he added.
I nodded along, deep in thought. Could that be Damsels one day? If I could turn into a powerhouse in this game, would I be comfortable putting the Guild in a position where others would be gunning for us…more than they already were, that is?
For those perks? I could see it.
Of course, we had to be a level 6 Guild first, and that might be way down the line, if at all.
“Thanks for the information,” I said. “It’s been very enlightening.”
He shrugged and gave me a smile. “Happy to help.”
I pulled out a 100-gold marker from my inventory and tossed it to him. His eyes went wide, and he stared down at the marker for a moment.
“Is something wrong?” I asked when he didn’t immediately pocket it.
He shook his head for a moment, then looked up at me, his mouth hanging open. “No one’s ever tipped me before…”
“Oh, well then-” I reached out to grab the marker. “-give it back.”
He watched my hand wrap around the gold marker, his mouth still agape. I held it in my own for a moment, then let a wry smile touch my face. “I was only kidding.” I put it back in his still open hand, his face running through a gamut of emotions. I wiped my smile off my face when I realized that my joke had been taken poorly. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I was just messin’ around…”
“No, please,” he said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “I was just stunned speechless.” He bowed towards me, and I started feeling distinctly uncomfortable. “Thank you so much. I won’t forget this. If there’s any questions I can answer for you in the future, please do not hesitate.”
“Uh…okay, thanks. Can I add you to my Actor Roster?” I asked.
He gave a brief nod in the affirmative, then said, “It would be my honor.”
I scrolled through my menu to the Interactions tab. At the top was the NPC. His real name was Harold P. I marked him as a Favorite.
Something about his expression when I had tipped him was so endearing. I hadn’t planned on asking him this, but the fancy hit me suddenly.
“Harold?” I asked.
“Yes, Ray?”
“Are you qualified to be a Guild Manager?”
His smile filled his face.