A cool breeze blew ashore as I traveled quietly along the coast of New Magincia.  My heart pounded.  This would be my first interview as a reporter and I had been granted an interview with the leader of I4NI!  The distinguished house was well known in these parts – a wide assortment of vendors stood along one long side of the guild house, ready to sell their wares to any who needed them.

You have been made a friend of this house.

Inside, the guild house was well appointed – an ankh to resurrect those who might need it stood ready.   As long as I don’t need it, I thought. But the gargoyle Gladiator Sprago graciously welcomed me into his abode.  I took a deep breath, and began to ask my questions.

“When was I4NI founded?  Were you the founder?” I asked.

“It was founded about 2 years ago by my brother and myself,” he replied.

“Ah,” I replied, jotting down my notes. “And your brother is named . . . ?”

“T.K.”

At that moment, near the back wall, I spied an elf named T.K.

“Ah!  Okay.”

“Was there some guild or player who inspired you to start the guild?” I asked.

“Well, it was a group decision,” Sprago replied.  “Soon after we moved to these lands, our [rl] family decided to follow.  Even my aunt lives here now.  Before, we lived on Lake Superior, and the guild had first existed there.  When we moved here, we decided to continue it.”

“I see,” I replied.  “That’s very interesting.  Was there any particular reason why you chose to join the Council of Mages faction?”

“Well at the time it was the smallest faction,” he replied.  “We didn’t want to join a zerg – we just wanted to live our lives here, in our own way and in our own style.”

“What would you say has contributed to the success of I4NI here on Siege?” I asked.  I could see the great gargoyle think a minute before answering.

“Unity and working as a team,” he replied.  “I feel we are all like-minded people who enjoy all aspects of our world – from crafting and hunting to defending the Council of Mages base.”

“Do you think there is anything that particularly distinguishes I4NI from the other guilds on the shard?” I asked.  Can a gargoyle blush? I thought.  And if they do, how could I tell?  Both Sprago and T.K. seemed at a loss for words.  Finally, after taking a deep breath, Sprago began.

“I feel that we are very close-knit.  We stick by each other, no matter how perilous the battle.  I am humbled by the courage that everyone in the guild shows – no matter what.  And we try to fight with honor – indeed, we try to bring honor to all that we do.  You’ll not hear us whining in the markets or town squares.”

Nodding, I scribbled down my notes.  “I must say that I had noticed this, before our interview.”

“Have you had any challenges – say, recruiting, desertions, or spies?” I asked.

“Recruiting like-minded individuals has always been a challenge.  We are always looking for more to join us.  We will help those who are still young, but there is also plenty of fighting and challenges for those who are older.  To my knowledge we’ve not had any spies.  We have had a few quit to join other guilds.”

“Do you have any events planned for the future?”

“We keep a calendar,” Sprago replied.  [www.i4ni.abyssportal.com]

I knew that the interview was winding down – I just didn’t want to miss anything!

“What do you feel is your greatest challenge?”

“Lag,” T.K. supplied.

Laughter echoed around the room.

“Just getting all of our guildmates on at same time,” Sprago answered.

I glanced around the room.  By now, there were four members of the renowned guild in the room.

“I see,” I said.

The interview at an end, I carefully packed my notes away.  Those in the room all waved goodbye to me as I left.

“Bye, welcome back anytime,” Baby Doll called after me.