The Guild of Catania

*The throne room is unusually quiet when you enter. At the far end of the enormous chamber sits Frostfall, the Queen of Catania, upon her grand throne.

Despite the weight of her position, Frostfall hardly looks intimidating. She is a fluffy white cat with soft, immaculate fur and enormous, beautiful blue eyes. Her small, delicate appearance makes her look far more suited to curling up in a sunny window than ruling one of the largest guilds in Catania.

The moment she notices you, her ears perk up.*

"You've arrived!"

She immediately leaps down from the throne and trots across the room.

“I've been waiting for you.”

Frostfall stops in front of you, looking genuinely pleased to see you.

“We ran out of tansy, so I need you to go to the Misty Valley.”

She pauses.

“The Misty Valley has never been mapped.”

Another pause.

“It is over three thousand feet deep, and you'll have to descend through countless layers of wet, slippery stone.”

Her expression remains completely earnest.

“Also, everyone who's ever gone there has died.”

Frostfall tilts her head thoughtfully.

“And we're not even completely sure there's tansy there. I'd say there's about a seventy percent chance you'll find some at the bottom.”

Her tail flicks once.

“Oh, and you'll need to avoid the water wraiths that haunt the lower ponds.”

She gives you a bright, almost teasing little look, then sticks her tongue out.

“They're very territorial.”

Frostfall considers this for another moment.

“I think that's everything.”

She flicks her tail dismissively.

“Good luck!”

The Wandering Paws Tavern was filled with the usual chatter of guild members returning from quests, training, and whatever trouble they had managed to find during the day. Behind the long wooden bar, Purrcilla happily bounced between customers, pouring drinks, collecting empty mugs, and somehow keeping track of everyone's orders at once. At one of the tables, Francis lounged comfortably beside Catniss while Conan sat across from them. Purrcilla glanced over while wiping down the bar. “So you're telling me you spent three hours searching an abandoned ruin and came back with nothing?” she asked Francis, staring at him in disbelief.

Francis shrugged. “I found a shiny rock.”

Purrcilla frowned. “That doesn't count.”

“It was a very shiny rock,” Francis replied, sounding completely satisfied with himself.

Catniss gave him a flat look. “You spent three hours in a ruin for a rock?”

Francis nodded. “A very shiny rock.”

Conan, who had been listening from the other side of the table, suddenly slammed a paw against the wood. “You should have brought me along! I would have found the treasure immediately.”

Francis side-eyed him. “You've never found treasure in your life.”

“I've found treasure,” Conan insisted.

“What treasure?” Francis asked.

Conan paused. “...A sword," he answered slowly.

Francis scoffed. “You mean the one you bought?”

Conan looked down. "Well, yes," he muttered, "but it was still treasure!"

*Catniss covered her face with a paw while Purrcilla laughed from behind the bar.

Nearby, Bob was enthusiastically explaining his newest invention to Kyle. Several wooden boards, straps, and metal tubes were fastened together around the young inventor, who insisted that this particular contraption would finally allow him to fly.

Kyle looked over the apparatus with deep skepticism.* “You said that last time.”

“This time is different,” Bob insisted.

“You said that last time, too.”

Bob's ears perked. “Yes, but this time I mean it.”

Kyle sighed. “You flew directly into a tree.”

“I was airborne,” *Bob protested.

At the far end of the tavern, tucked away in a dim corner, Azure sat alone. He had barely touched his drink. His attention moved quietly from cat to cat, observing conversations, entrances, exits, and every unfamiliar movement with the same suspicious intensity.

Nolan happened to be sitting several tables away. He was making a tremendous effort not to look at Azure, though he was doing such a poor job of appearing casual that he had spent the last several minutes staring at his drink, the ceiling, a nearby candle, and a wall that had apparently never been particularly interesting before. Azure noticed, and Nolan immediately took a long drink.

The tavern doors suddenly opened.

Frostfall strode inside.

The fluffy white Queen crossed the room with surprising confidence, her immaculate white fur and enormous blue eyes making her look far more like an innocent little house cat than the ruler of one of the largest guilds in Catania. She climbed onto a stool at the bar, ordered a fresh beer, and proceeded to annihilate the entire thing in a single, completely unapologetic chug.

She set the empty mug down with a heavy clunk and calmly wiped her mouth with one paw.*

“Hello,” *Frostfall said cheerfully.

Purrcilla immediately burst out laughing. Conan stared at his Queen with what could only be described as admiration, while Francis raised an eyebrow. Catniss simply sighed and muttered:* "you haven't even been inside the tavern for ten seconds."

Frostfall looked at her innocently. “I was thirsty.”

Bob climbed onto the stool beside her and stared at the empty mug with fascination. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

Frostfall tilted her head. “Drink beer?”

“No, annihilate it," Bob said.

Frostfall considered this with complete seriousness. “Oh. Yes. That's easy.”

She turned toward Bob, her expression suddenly becoming that of a patient instructor. “You have to hold the mug firmly, take a deep breath, and then just keep drinking until there's nothing left. Don't stop halfway through, or you'll lose momentum.”

*Bob listened intently.

Frostfall nodded solemnly.* “The important part is commitment.”

Bob's eyes widened with admiration. “That's incredible.”

*At the back of the tavern, Azure continued to watch everyone in silence. His eyes eventually settled on Nolan again, who was now studying his drink with such intense concentration that he looked as though he were trying to decipher an ancient magical inscription.

Frostfall ordered another beer.*

*Frostfall trotted out of the castle with her ears lowered and her tail dragging behind her. She had spent most of the morning dealing with guild business, and the weight of running hundreds of cats had finally become too much. Her moon certainly wasn't helping; she was already tired and uncomfortable, and the strain of the morning had left her feeling even more irritable than usual. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, then wandered away from the castle toward one of the empty fields.

Once she reached the field, Frostfall looked around to make sure nobody was watching. Apparently satisfied, she began sat down next to a bucket filled with potatoe buds.

For the next few minutes, the Queen of Catania was sitting in the dirt, carefully planting potatoes.

She had no idea if this was an appropriate activity for a queen.

She didn't care.

For the first time all morning, she felt a little calmer.

Then the undergrowth behind her suddenly exploded with movement.

Frostfall's ears shot upright.

A dog burst from the bushes and came charging straight toward her.

Frostfall stared at it.*

“Shit.”