The odds had always been stacked against them, yet he had always come out on top.

It was a humble place, Hephaestus' Workshop. The dome building wasn't dramatically large or intentionally attention drawing. It was simple. Simple enough, for a simple man. Though Khalfani had to admit, the structure was odd in comparison to most of Sieghart's architecture. That's what made this the perfect place to have Paradise's first official meeting. Khalfani had kept the location on the D-L if you didn't count the people he intentionally told. There were a few though, that the Panther didn't have enough time to approach in person, but he was absolutely certain that the message was received. "Leggro?" the small rabbit-like creature asked as she rode atop the glorious gryphon around the mountain behind her companion. Xena had a very unique way of communicating so Khalfani never knew what the hell she was actually saying, he just assumed based on the context of the situation they were in. "They'll be here." He said as-a-matter-of-factly, a slight curve of his lips appearing in a devilish way. "Leggro..." she said.

The weather in the North was colder than the rest of the country, yet truthfully out of every region it had to be the most vast. Vast and perhaps even the most dangerous. Monsters roamed aimlessly through the North, freely terrorizing villages and towns. It was one of the reasons why the Dragon Slayer chose the North to set up. It was the furthest away from the king, the most open region in the country, and the people here needed an entity that really stood with them. There was another guild in Orchidia called sleeping calamity. They were hardly going to be a threat. After all, Khnurn had beaten all of their members once upon a time. Khal couldn't imagine them playing with their lives like that again. Already, as the rogue prince stood on the edge of the mountain, equipped with all that he owned, ideas began to lay eggs inside his brain. Sparks of what could be flashed through his mind like fireworks.

The Gryphon walked up beside the spell sword, Xena the Leggro stretched out across his back as the one they had chosen to follow peered over the edge... waiting. Below him there were a thousands stairs for his comrades to climb. They'd likely hate him for it, but Khalfani had to see. He needed to know that they wanted to see Paradise come into fruition just as much as he did. All of the founders needed to be able to overcome obstacles, because one day soon, the obstacles would drop upon them like nuclear bombs, exploding into their lives and consuming all that they held dear if none of them had enough courage or grit to overcome. The blistering cold could be the most annoying part about climbing the stairs but if it wasn't a challenge at all, he'd hardly be surprised.

Above all else, he had hoped his lack of social skills and cold demeanor wasn't too off-putting. Perhaps he should loosen up, it was a good damn day.

Khalfani could only chuckle. Haru, of course, was the first one to arrive. The panther watched the feline make her way up the steps. She was a determined little cat, but it was funny to see her stride nonetheless. When she finally reached the top she hissed with sarcasm. Immediately Khalfani's face reddened as much as humanely possible for a black man. Embarrassed his cold resting bitch face warmed up with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "I had to be sure you were determined as I thought you were. It's good to see you, Haru." He said as Xena the Leggro propped up. The two animals slowly made their way towards Haru, the gryphon sniffing her.

Next to arrive was Azure. The spell swords attention reverted away from the steps since Haru's arrival so seeing Azure caught him off guard a little. The informant was a very important part of this. He had skills that could help them in the days to come. People all over the country had already been sending in requests for them to destroy beasts so Azure would have a lot to research, study, experiment, whatever he needed to do. Khal already had the idea of what Azure would do in mind. He was perfect for the task. When he joined the two, Khal nodded towards him. "Good to see you nonetheless comrade. Glad to see you're still alive, it's been a while." He said before nodding towards to extortion. Then a voice traveled through the air, a melody of perfection that came from none other than Amir. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.

The Commander's eyes widened. He knew that Amir would come, but he was excited to see him still. Work had made it hard for the two to see each other but united at last, they would embrace each other. With a smile, Khal casually made his way to his lover, planting a kiss on his forehead as he pulled him in for a hug- after his introductions, of course. "It's good to see you, my love." The panther pulled away to say. "Gooday to ye, all!" a gruffy like voice shouted. It was none other than the Dwarf known as Brone. Khal had learned a lot about him from whispers of town folks, plus he was always with Yuurei. One of the most famous mages in Fiore. "Good-" The slayer began. Before he could even properly introduce himself, the lively little man acknowledged his Gryphon who had been sniffing around Extortion with Xena. The rogue prince chuckled. "Aren't they? Haha, it's good to finally meet you Brone."


Welp. Khalfani's eyes widened as he turned to see Aeris. Boy was she pissed. In fact, Khalfani braced himself just in case she beat his ass right here and now. "Aeris. Glad you made it." He gulped as a droplet of sweat fell down the side of his face. The vampire was tough, a little bit of stairs wouldn't hurt her. She was immortal after all. As Khalfani watched everyone greet each other he kept his eyes on her. In time she would be formidable. Her potential was vast. Vampirism was a curse to some but a blessing to many. In that moment he hoped that she had been managing it well. Either way, he had dedicated himself to helping her. Last but not least, the most famous of the people here, Yuurei entered the fray. He, however, didn't look like the thousands of stairs did anything to him. The Dragon Slayer turned to watch him as he greeted everyone, saving the commander himself for last.

"The gods work in mysterious ways." he said coldly. After a passing moment, slowly a wide smile stretched his lips. "It's good to see you, my friend. It's been a while." Yuurei would be a great addition to the team. If the rumors were true, he was the strongest mage here. His power remained a mystery for the most part which made this all the more exciting. Khalfani, for a moment stood where he was, then would make his way towards the door of the large dome. "Alright, all of you are here so let's begin..." he cleared his throat with a gaze and demeanor no longer warm. Harsh and cold like the winters of Iceberg, his eyes lowered and he turned to face his peers.

"Throughout my life I've learned many things, not only about myself, but about this country...about this world. I'm sure there isn't one person here who hasn't been subject to the violence of a monster, whether that monster was a vicious beast covered in fur, or a vicious beast in the form of a human. Khalfani looked around, his golden orbs finding themselves glued to each of theirs. "The people of Fiore are bleeding. For years they have been crying out for the nobles and those in power to end this living hell. All they have received is nothing. No aid, no help...nothing. And so...I have created a Paradise here in the mountains." Khalfani's voice was filled with passion, a hint of rage, but mostly determination.

"It's name is Paradise Dawn and it exists to slay monsters and give the people the help they really need. Allied not to the king, not the nobles, only to Paradise and the people of Fiore. But, to really get started, Paradise needs your help. Each of you has qualities that sets you apart from others. Qualities that make you fit to lead. I've learned about you all, even you, Brone. So, if you all want to contribute to this new world in the North and kick some ass for humanity, I invite you in." Khalfani turned to push open the door, then stepped aside before facing his comrades again. "If you don't have the grit, the stomach, the passion, or the vision...then I ask that you leave now." With no other words, he'd nod before turning to enter the building. A medium-sized table with seven chairs would be in the center. There was a kitchen and fridge to the left, and a blacksmith's workshop to the right.

Like I said...a humble place.

Comrades poured into the dome building, filling the structure as they stepped in one by one. Khalfani was the last to enter, so he was able to see where everyone had decided to sit. Naturally most folks tended to sit where they thought they belonged based on either their own self importance, or how important they were to the facilitator. Here, that ideology was reflected- mostly in the fact that Amir had chosen a seat right beside the one at the head of the table, and Yuurei had chosen a seat directly on the opposite side of the chair at the head. The Dragon Slayer took his seat after a moment of silence. There was no time overlapping before Azure was the first to ask a question. In that little span of a moment Khalfani couldn't help but wonder...had Azure been listening? The speech that was given moments prior to this meeting explained exactly why the panther had chosen every person here. His peroration included the very reason why everyone was brought together.

Khal placed his elbows atop the table and interlocked his fingers, leaning on his hands. Amir gave a striking comment, one that may have been seen as impertinent, stony even, but it was a salient question at the moment. I Azure was indeed the informant, his job was to pick up on clues and search until he obtained a conclusion worthy of note. That required him to actively listen to detail. Ahead of anyone else's response, Aeris spoke up asking her own question. Now, that was a question Khalfani had yet to answer. The answer was something he had thought about long and hard after studying the people and the circumstances of not only Sieghart, but the entire North region. However, he waited before responding. Yuurei had his own question and unlike anybody else's, his question was about personal growth and power. It was a fair concern, granted it was more centered around himself.

"When I began piecing Paradise together I was required to think long and hard about what I wanted this new nation to represent. The conclusion was simple; Unity..." the spellsword began looking at Yuurei. "We slay monsters and creatures who would wreak havoc onto the north. That alone will strengthen you, the idea centers building strength, but more importantly...togetherness is key. There's power in numbers, so in order for you to become more powerful we all need to become more powerful, which I've no doubt everyone plans on doing, yeah?" Khalfani looked around into the eyes of everyone at the table with a nod asking for confirmation. "That's apart of the reason why you all were handpicked. All of you have the drive for success and the stomach for failure." A quick answer that would no doubt cover at least most of the concerns behind the questions.

With that, he addressed Aeris' question. Frankly, he was rather excited to answer this one. It addressed the politics of this land and forced the commander to be entirely transparent about his own endeavors for the direction of the guild. "Any remark is a valid remark in this space, Aeris. You've asked an important question." He began clearing his throat.

"The North is the biggest region in Fiore and it's the furthest from the capital being at the border of the country. It's important, but if you've seen how the people of Sieghart survive it becomes evident that they've been neglected and abused. In fact, in this very part of the region a dark guild once operated from the shadows and forced all of the citizens into slavery. The King has done nothin' about it before or after and he damn sure isn't doing anything 'bout it now. As such, the people have expressed their desire for liberation. They no longer want to be apart of Fiore's Kingdom, can you blame em?" He shrugged.

"In short, we defend the North and keep outsiders who seek to do harm out. We'll operate as our own nation, the entire North. With the peoples backin' there's no way we can't claim independence for the North. The King rules the nation, but the Lords have a say in what is allowed and not allowed in their respective territories. For now we don't allocate an enormous amount of bounty, remain peaceful, stay out of business that has nothing to do with the North and the nobles and royals will have no reason to bother us. Eventually the North will be its own nation- at the very least Paradise Dawn will be its representative." dourly said.

The Black Panther spoke up after a brief moment to allow his comments to settle in. "Thoughts?"

Why was Azure even here? That was the question Khalfani pondered on the most as he heard the man-child shout, completely pulled away from the meeting. With a Sigh Khalfani kept his composure, there didn't seem to be any more questions aside from Haru's, which by the way was a good question. The informant was not acting like an informant after all, and undisciplined etiquette turned the Desiertan all the way off. However, Haru's question was worth more than putting Azure in his place. Khalfani took note of his behavior, and certainly would never forget it. For the most part though, everyone else was attentive and here for business. Amir had nothing more to say, neither did Brone or Yuurei. Turning his gaze to the Neko, he opened his mouth. "I believe that if the people need it, it's worth it." He remarked. That was all he would remark as he stood up from his seat. "In any case, we'll have time to thoroughly plan out these things, for now..." Khalfani moved towards the kitchen. "Let's eat, I'm fucking starving." He smirked. "Anybody wanna help me not burn this place down?"