Factions

The major kinds of Factions are Houses, Guilds, Circles, Posses, Syndicates, and Orders.

Guilds and Posses form the most generally well respected and well-known groups, devoted to their respective efforts, while Syndicates (concentrated and based around Durango) seek to corrupt and empower themselves and the Circles strive to stay relevant and in power (that is, outside of Aztlan).

It should be noted that nearly all of them derive their initial basis from Guilds, and so Guild is what they are often called (particularly in Guild Cant). All of them follow the apprenticeship model, as well, even the Syndicates.

All of these factions and assorted groups compete and struggle with each other, sometimes not entirely legally, and often using people they have hired for things that they need to wash their hands of. Renown has a direct impact on one’s standing in any of these.

The Guilds

The second most common and obvious of all the factions on Wyrlde (after Houses) are the Guilds, who operate as a kind of private enterprise entirely on their own, limited and structured only by the powers of Nobility and basic laws.

Guilds are everywhere that there is a sizeable enough group of people, and their influence stretches across the Empire. Guilds have little influence in Hyboria or Kahokia and are said to lack a presence within the Sea Realms.

Guilds are taxed independently of the members, as well, and so all of them charge dues to help cover those taxes, as well as to help cover expenses.

Guilds act as a governing body and a kind of union, essentially having control of direct trade throughout the realms, while the Nobility taxes and set policies and laws that govern it, enforcing most of their restrictions on the Guilds, who then in turn enforce the on members.

Membership

In order to obtain either a Mark of Trade or a Writ of Commerce, both of which are necessary to be able to sell in a market, you must be a member of the Guild. The penalties for lacking such are stiff; legally, one faces confiscation of all of one’s goods, and extralegally there are the sanctions that a Guild may put upon someone.

The one exception to this is locals: local sellers who are residents are usually free to set up a stall or shop with little impact, but often they will need to pay a market fee to do so, or they will be selling out of their homes.

The good news is anyone engaged in the activity the guild is over can join a guild, and many people are already part of one. The only thing they have to do is keep up with their dues.

Seasonal Dues

Dues are paid seasonally and are based in several factors: the degree of mastery, the level of success or wealth of the member, the guild itself, and the assorted graft beholden to a particular area.

As an example, the Dues for the Adventurers Guild are 1 Crown every season. The dues for each of its subguilds vary and are an addition to the Adventurers Guild’s dues.

Structure

All guilds follow a common structure that is said to date back to before the God’s War. Nearly all guild activity takes place within a Guild Hall, often a large building that will include the ability to house and provide for members.

Apprenticeships

On Wyrlde, children are Apprenticed out of their home at the age of 15. This is part of why they are called such at that age.

Degrees of Mastery
Apprentice	(-3) to 0
Novice	1 to 4
Yeoman	5 to 8
Adept	9 to 12
Master	13 to 16
Grand Master	17 to 20

Apprenticeships are usually an arrangement, sometimes contractual, and is normally until the age of 20, but could be up to the age of 21. To be taken on as an Apprentice, a Keeping Fee must be paid, and an Escrow set aside. This can often leave people unable to leave a trade, however, if the fees are too great, and so they are usually formally set, typically around a Shilling a year for the fee and 10 shillings for the Escrow. The Escrow becomes a part of the Apprentice’s starting wages when they move to Novice. After apprenticeship, one is a Novice. A Master has their own shop and wares and trains Apprentices, usually after proving themselves to the Guild to which they belong, with the aid of Professionals and Adepts.

Apprentice

Novice

Maven / Yeoman

Adept

Master

Grand Master-

For nomadic cultures, a similar structure is in play, though it tends to start younger. This is due in part to having been the system that was established in the Age of Legend, and it has worked extremely well. Individual Tribes tend to have their own terms for this. Nomadic groups tend to also have fewer roles. An individual can and do apprentice to their own parents, but usually one seeks to apprentice out, even if it is within the same trade or profession, in order to improve the skills one picks up or expand possible family trade opportunities.

All young adults who are Juvenal – or Apprentices — or those who appear to be this age are generally called ‘prentices, as the guild system in place reinforces it, and the long-held traditions of preparation and defense that have been baked into the culture over the years make it a necessity. It is during this time that a young person is prepared to take their place in adult society. Marriages are arranged, one’s future is bargained for, the trade or craft you will enter is laid out for you. Most impactful is the Guildwage, a fee that will be used to pay some Master to take you on as an apprentice and teach you the things you will be doing the rest of your life.

A typical apprenticeship is five years, but it is not uncommon for Apprentices to find a way to buy out of their original and buy into a different one that fits their needs and goals and desires. Most Apprentices with earnest effort will complete theirs in three years, but struggle with the two years they are not considered an adult afterward. It is a hard time, full of competition, often filled with great cruelty or incredible kindness. There will be Dances and masquerades, and of course there are the flings and fresh loves – and for many, getting married in this period is a thing that is desired and happens – while others will only look forward to earning enough to begin forging their own path and becoming Grand masters. For apprenticeships that involve research and great knowledge, such as scholars, antiquarians, sages, physics, and similar, the time is usually five years.

Guilds – as well as Circles, Posses, and Syndicates – control most aspects of life, and the only ones who can escape it are shepherds and farmers and such. For many, who cannot take the normal process, there is the goal of Apprenticing to a Master or Grand Master of the Adventurer’s guild. Save for Wizards, who will take them but be very grumpy about it because nearly all of them trained at Akadia and think that such should start while one is still a child, or a Youth at the worst, because there is simply too much to learn and so many bad habits to unlearn, many who set forth on the path will begin in such a manner – but some will come to it later. Coming to it later can grant additional skills that may be of value and use when one least expects it.

While not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to move to a guild, the vast majority of people of means do enjoy such, often leaving their small Steading, Hamlet, or Village to apprentice in a Town or City. In doing so, you can take a background that reflects your time as an apprentice – but only if you completed the five years of apprenticeship and became a novice within the Guild.

Advancement

Advancement within a guild is determined by what is essentially a combination of practical effectiveness and overall popularity (or, as some would describe, overall desire not to have to take on the job). The Guild Lord is the head of the Guild, the executive that is essentially in charge of the guild itself, on top of whatever other concerns they may have.

Advancement as an individual is dependent on the skill and practice one can put forth, combined with experience and time. The typical path from Apprentice to Novice is as much as 3 years, and then generally it takes about four years to move forward for every degree of mastery, although this can change through recognition and renown of one’s workmanship and quality; the tales have been told of those who were recognized for outstanding contributions to the craft.

In Akadia, Aztlan, Dorado, and Qivira, the Guild Lord is appointed from a list provided to the rules of each land. In Sibola, Durango, and Lyonese the Guild Lord is selected by the Grand Master membership in a secret lottery.

In either case, to be eligible for the position, one must be at least a Grandmaster, and one has to have served within the guild for at least one year.

Beneath the Guild Lord is usually a Council that meets seasonally, typically in the middle of the season. The Council is made up of all the Grand Masters in the Guild, and sometimes includes the Masters within the guild. The Guld will often have Masters and Grand Masters who have either lightened their personal workloads or retired, and moved into the administration of the Guild as a full time effort. This is made possible often because they have several adepts and yeomen or professionals working for them and are able to continue to pay their taxes.

The typical life of a Guilder is that they go into an Apprenticeship and remain there, gaining experience and honing their craft until they are at the very least a higher degree of yeoman before they step out on their own, but ore commonly this happens after they reach adept mastery, and then only if there is a good reason for them to do so, and there is enough of a market to support them and their former masters.

Ther are, of course, stories of Yeoman who seek to destroy or undermine their prior masters, but that is one of the factors of import to a Guild: The Guild Lord has the power to revoke and issue marks of Trade and Writs of Commerce under the will of the ruling noble. They also often act as Arbiters unless forced to consult a magistrate or arbiter by an outside agency.

This means that often the rebelling guilder will find themselves removed from the guild, denied the ability to practice their craft, and all but ruined locally through the inevitable whisper network.

Types of Guild

There are several different types of guild, but it is also important to recognize that there are certain categories of creating that fall under certain segments of the guild and determine how they are named. The major ones are the Smiths, Swains, Wards, and Wrights.

A Wright is someone who deals primarily in fashioning a raw product into a given shape or form – A Wheelwright bends the wood to make a wheel, for example. Carts, wagons, ships, locks, clocks, and more.

A Smith is someone who uses a forge to fashion ore into a useful item – and they are divided according to the kind of ores they work with (with iron being the Blacksmith, Brightsmith’s specializing in silver, Redsmiths in Copper, and so on).

A Swain is someone who fashions processed material, such as fabric, into a particular shape as a product. Boats need repairs and upgrades, lights need mending and fashioning, sails need creating and nets need making.

A Ward is someone who protects and looks after something. The Greycoats are an offshoot of the Reeves, who represent the guild of guardsmen.

Guilds are then generally divided between Common and Master Guilds. Common guilds generally only have themselves as a guild. Master Guilds will often have several subguilds beneath them. A Subguild is a narrower focus guild that is run the same as any other guild but has banded together with other guilds that share a common interest area and so created a Master Guild that is a guild that sits above them all. Master guilds are not widely liked, because they mean a double set of dues each Season, one to the gild proper and one to the master guild.

In most cases, the “field of endeavor” or occupation is a “-ry”; so, an artist engages in artistry, a Chandler practices Chandlery, a Plumber does Plumbery, and so forth. The Smiths, Swains, Wrights, and Wards are similar in nature.

Guild List

The most often encountered and used Guilds in a single list are:

(Miscreants)	Actors	Adventurer’s	Alchemists	Ambassadors
Antiquarian	Apothecary	Arbiters	Armorer	Artisan’s
Astrologer	Author	Bakers	Barbers	Bards
Barker	Beadwright	Bellsmith	Blacksmith	Boatman
Boatwright	Bookward	Borer	Bowright	Breeders
Brewers	Brickery	Broom	Buckler	Builder’s
Butcher	Carriage	Cart	Carver	Castellans
Catchers	Chandlery	Chefs	Chimeswain	Claywright
Cleaners	Clerk	Clockswain	Clothier	Coalswain
Cobblery	Cooper	Counters	Couriers	Criers
Crofters	Crystalsmith	Cunnings	Cutler Smith	Dance
Deckhands	Diplomats	Dishwright	Distillers	Dollswain
Draftery	Draper	Druids	Drumery	Dyeswain
Embroider	Enamelwright	Envoys	Faithward	Farmers
Farrier	Feltwright	Ferryfolk	Fieldward	Fishers
Flowerward	Fodges	Framery	Furnisher	Furwright
Game	Gardenward	Gardeners	Glass Smith	Gloveswain
Goldsmith	Greyman	Grocery	Gunslingers	Hallward
Hatwright	Healer’s	Hearthward	Hearthswains	Heralds
Herbalist	Hornwright	Horseward	Hostelry	Hunters
Inkswain	Innkeeper’s	Innry	Jewelswain	Juggler
Knitswain	Laborer’s	Lacewright	Lacquerwright	Lathery
Launderers	Lawyer	Lightswain	Limner	Lockswain
Luthier	Mages	Manorwards	Mapwright	Mariner’s
Mason	Merchantry	Merchants	Messenger’s	Messengers
Midwife	Miller’s	Miner	Minstrel	Mongery
Music	Mystics	Navigators	Netswain	Noble’s
Oracle	Oration	Orewright	Painter	Paperwright
Pastrier	Peddlers	Perfumer	Physic	Pigmentwright
Pilots	Piperswain	Plasterery	Plumbery	Poet
Porters	Potsmith	Provisioner	Pubry	Purlswain
Purser	Rangers	Ratter	Redsmith	Reedwright
Reeves	Riverward	River Pilots	Road	Rug Makers
Saddleswain	Sage	Sailswain	Saloonry	Scribe
Scrimswain	Sculptor	Seaward	Seneschals	Shepherds
Yuzuras	Shipwright	Shopkeepers	Silversmith	Skyward
Smith’s	Song	Spicery	Spinwright	Stage
Stewards	Stonewright	Stringwright	Surveyor	Swain’s
Tanner	Tavernry	Teamster	Thatchery	Tinkers
Traders	Traveler	Treasurer	Trusty	Tumbler
Tuneswain	Upholsterer	Vanguards	Vintners	Wards’
Warriors	Watchward	Water Mill	Weaveswain	Wheel Mill
Wheelwright	Whitesmith	Wind Mill	Wizards	Wood (Carpenter)
Wood (forester)	Wordwards	Wright’s

This list is broken down as follows:

Common Guilds

Arbiters	Astrologer	Bakers	Barbers	Breeders
Catchers	Chefs	Cleaners	Crofters	Farmers
Fishers	Gardeners	Hunters	Launderers	Miner
Pastrier	Porters	Ratter	Shepherds	Yuzuras
Teamster	Tinkers

Master Guilds

Adventurers	Innkeepers	Messengers	Merchantry	Artisans
Builders	Smiths	Swains	Wrights	Wards
Healers	Millers	Laborers	Mariners	Nobles

Adventurers Subguilds

Bards	Mages	Faith	Envoys	Mystics
Vanguards	Warriors	Reeves	Rangers	Druids
Gunslingers	Wizards	Cunnings		(Miscreants)

Colonies

Colony	Perspective	Focus
Onisaman	Way of the Open Hand	Defensive, non-lethal
Eridian	Way of the Shattered Heart	Offensive, weaponry
Thunderheart	Way of the Peaceful Hope	Self defense through effective offense
Diaspore	Way of the Brilliant Mind	Development of mind and body

Colleges (Bards)

Dance

Music

Oration

Song

Stage

Artisans Subguilds

Clothier	Carver	Painter	Sculptor	Author
Actors	Perfumer	Barker	Minstrel	Poet
Tumbler	Juggler

Builders Subguilds

Bricker	Drafter	Mason	Surveyor	Framer
Thatcher	Plumber	Hearthswains	Plasterer	Lather

Hearthswains specialize in making fireplaces and foundries.

Drafters are what we would call architects.

Healers Subguilds

Physic

Herbalist

Apothecary

Midwife

Alchemists

Innkeeper’s Sub-guilds

Inn	Tavern	Hostel	Pub	Saloon
Brewers	Distillers	Vintners

Mariners Subguilds

Pilots	Navigators	Ferryfolk	River Pilots	Deckhands
Boatman	Provisioner

Messenger Subguilds

Couriers

Traveler

Messengers

Wordwards

Wordwards are people, primarily women, who take the words of an individual along with the sentiments therein, and craft from that a letter that is then delivered to the person if they are within the realms.

Merchantry Subguilds

Mongers	Traders	Peddlers	Merchants	Shopkeepers
Chandler	Grocer	Spicer

Mongers are the folks who operate a stall, booth, or cart in the community markets, often specializing in a single kind of thing, but covering a vast range of possible goods. They are akin to shopkeepers, but don’t operate out of a fixed building location, and may even travel from city to town to village.

Millers subguilds

Wheel

Water

Wind

Mills are one of the major industries of Wyrlde. Grain is delivered, ground into various flours, and returned, all for a fee. Recently, some ills have started using clockwork applications to create looms that fashion fabric. These are located in Lyonese, and are generally expected to be a failure.

Nobles Guild

Trusty	Fodges	Manorwards	Criers	Treasurer
Ambassadors	Diplomats	Stewards	Seneschals	Heralds

Scholars Guilds

Counters	Sage	Scribe	Limner	Book
Clerk	Lawyer	Antiquarian	Oracle

Smiths subguilds

Armorer	Bell	Black	Buckler	Crystal
Cutler	Farrier	Glass	Gold	Pot
Red	Silver	White

Bucklers deal with bucklers, button, and fasteners of all sorts.

Crystalsmiths work with the assorted crystalline materials of Wyrlde.

Whitesmiths work with cold metal and handle more delicate finishing and polishing work. They might make pie tins, cookie cutters, candlesticks, coffee pots, and similar stuff. Often found working with Enamellists.

Redsmiths work with copper, brass, and bronze.

Farriers are traveling or local blacksmiths who focus on horseshoes, nails, and similar basic needs.

Swains subguilds (Processed)

Bead	Boat	Borer	Bow	Chime
Clock	Color	Cooper	Doll	Draper
Dye	Embroider	Furnisher	Glove	Ink
Jewel	Knitter	Light	Lock	Luthier
Net	Piper	Purl	Purser	Rugswain
Saddle	Sail	Scrim	Shoe	Tune
Upholsterer	Weave	Wood (Carpenter)	Drumery

Coopers create Basins, Barrels, Tubs, Chests, Casks, and similar items.

Pursers make purses, sacks, backpacks.

Chimeswains make the small bells for harnesses and chimes and doors.

A Luthier makes stringed instruments.

A Piper makes reed instruments.

A Borer make pipes for plumbing.

A Drumswain is a maker of drums.

Wards Subguilds

Castellans	Field	Flower	Game	Garden
Greyman	Hall	Hearth	Horse	River
Road	Sea	Sky	Watch	Wood (forester)

Castellans are household servants, usually for the nobility and the wealthy, roughly equivalent to house managers, maids, butlers, and the like.

Wrights Subguilds (Raw)

Broom	Butcher	Carriage	Cart	Coal
Disher	Drum	Enamellist	Felter	Furrier
Glass	Hat	Horn	Lace	Lacquer
Map	Ore	Paper	Pigment	Potter
Reed	Ship	Spinner	Stone	String
Tanner	Wheel

Chandlers deal in Candles, Soaps, Bleach, and Detergents

Distribution of Guilds

Every one of the Seven Cities has a Guild Hall for all of the guilds shown, and their counterparts can be found in the Sea Realms major cities (Islandia and Keris) as well. Antillia has no Guilds in the traditional sense, but does have Unions, which resemble guilds, and there are many more of them, for each job has a union, and there are no master Unions.

Towns typically have the Master Guild Halls but will lack the subguilds beneath them as stand-alone halls. Common Guilds are also likely in a town, each with a Hall of its own.

Villages, Hamlets, and Steadings are unlikely to have a Guild Hall, but larger Villages may have a combined Guild Hall that will serve the local region of hamlets and steadings and make arrangements for getting goods to markets.

Notable Guilds:

The Adventurer’s Guild

The Adventurer Guild Motto is “We fight just a little harder”.

To the best of their ability, the massive, somewhat frightening Adventurer’s Guild has a branch in every town, and there is one found either in or just outside of every city. Rare few villages have a Common House run by a Guild; though, lacking lodging, but enabling storage and usually cheaper food and drink than a guild run pub or inn. Dues are 1 Quid a month or 1 Crown a year and joining has a fee of 10 Shillings plus Dues upfront. Members of the Guild can stay for free in greater comfort at a Guild House, as well as find opportunities. AGs can be contracted for bounties, escort jobs, and more. They work closely with several other guilds, at excellent rates, including those who operate in the shadows. It also serves as the Mercenaries’ guild, taking all manner of jobs for listing.

Adventurer is a job, in and of itself, and considered to be a calling. Adventurers are weird; that is, they have been touched by the Powers in some way that has made them suitable and interested in that field, and so are considered dangerous and risky and short lived.

Note that the Adventurer’s guild is composed of several smaller guilds. Associated with them are the Merchanters, Antiquarian, Physic, Sage, Oracle, Delving, and (Miscreants). One offshoot of the Adventurer’s Guild of the adventurer’s guild, without contact between contracting parties. Of note is that the Guild is inclusive of the Syndicates – all of them are members, reportedly.

One of the key aspects that is often forgotten about outside the Adventurer’s guild is that many adventurers will group together for mutual aid and benefit in a formally recognized team, called a Company or Corps. These companies will typically establish some form of headquarters, called a Bastion, and from there they will make their names and lead their lives. In some cases, a Company will be granted a special dispensation by a local lord to establish a settlement, and thus become a Noble Corps, though they do have obligations as a result (and they are handled collectively). A company is a formal arrangement, and has rules for formation, for disbanding, for turnover of members, and some have become famous while others have become infamous.

The Circle of Lanterns

The Circle of Lanterns claims to oversee all sex work on Wyrlde. They are known to compete somewhat with the Innkeeper and Tavernhost Guilds and will often operate in opposition. Their Saloons are very popular in Dorado.

The Circle of Crossings

Provides guards for traveling caravans and mercenaries not affiliated with a guild. They compete with the Vanguard guilds, as well as the Adventurers Guild. They do not get along well with the Hovewards.

The Circle of Dreams

The Circle promises all a very good time, albeit with perhaps an uncontrollable interest to return after.

The Circle of Spells

Originally out of Lyonese, and merged with a couple others, it is considered one of the finest organized groups providing imbued and ingrained items to the public (for a price).

The Messenger Guild

One of the oldest three guilds (Dreams and Lanterns being the other two), the Messenger Guild has existed in some form or other since well before the God’s War. Within their secretive Guild Halls, they have people who are capable of some startling things, and there have long been rumors and suggestions and third- or fourth-hand evidence that they are involved with one or more of the Illuminati groups.

The Messenger guild is exactly that, a guild whose business is the recording of, transport of, delivery of, and care of messages and packages from one place to another. There are several different roles within the messenger Guild, which is essentially the equivalent of what was once called a Post Office on one of our Befores, or a Courier, or something called a runquail. Rafael’s world was weird.

Messengers serve in many different roles throughout the Empire, as they are also records keepers on par with the Bards and Envoys. A Messenger will go anywhere, and nothing will stop them from delivery short of their death, which for those assigned the greatest priority roles, is nothing short of immensely difficult.

The One thing to keep in mind about them is that one of the groups they have within the guild is that of the Mystics, whose powers are peculiar and grant them additional abilities. Other professions are employed by the Messenger Guild, but Mystics are a unique group within them, and the source of the linkage to the Illuminati groups.

Miscreants

There is one guild where you can find fences, padfoots, con artists, and more, and it is called the Miscreant’s Guild, and no one knows how extensive it is, how connected it is, or usually where it is located unless one is a member. The Miscreants Guild in Durango is known to change location every month. This Guild is usually written in parentheses and operates without oversight and beneath the law. It is known to exist, however, but the operations of the guild is always questionable, for it is hidden from any who are not members. They are known to consort with Envoys, Corsairs, and others to achieve specific goals and aims, and to have a very strong opposition to Paladins and Reeves from ever finding them. Rumor has it there is some kind of Thieves Cant that members use.

Alcohol Guilds

Alcohol is overseen by Brewers, Distillers and Vintners. Most alcohol is enjoyed warm, even slightly heated. Those who can afford it will speak of how it improves when cold, using assorted magics, but I think the magic strips something from the alcohol, myself.

Brewers create Beer and Ale. These are a thick, low alcohol beverage that is usually the main beverage everyone drinks during the day, instead of water. Beer can be made by most homes in villages as a side effort, which is then sold in small batches to ale peddlers that collect it, and most places will serve a beer or ale made either on site or formed from a mix of local well-known ale and beer makers.

Distillers create, transport, and market hard liquors. Of the dozen or so major liquor types, the ones produced most often by the most places are Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Rye. All distilled liquors have very tightly guarded secrets for how they are made, and usually have support for charges from the local nobility to exposing recipes or processes. The greatest secrecy concerns the workshops, but in general it is known that most of the beverages comes from some form of mash, often tweaked with some form of extra element. Imperial liquors are all very white, perhaps having only the faintest of shades of color.

In terms of highest popularity and desirability, Aztlan produces something called Uzo, Akadia has several varieties of Gin, Dorado produces Tequila, Durango makes Rye, Lyonese makes a popular form of Whiskey, Sibola is famous for a Vodka, and Qivira makes a sweet liquor called Virale, enjoyed in tiny glasses, as well as a clear liquor called Shoju. Antilia produces some potent Ciders, and Exilians produce a peculiar liquor called Makushmur that varies in flavor and potency constantly as it is rarely made from the same things, being distilled from whatever they happen find in their travels. The Sea Realms drink an immense amount of Rum, which is the primary alcohol there.

Doric whisky isn’t very popular outside of Dorado, being bitter, dry, and very strong, but is considered the most affordable whiskey that is made, and they make a lot of it. Rum is so popular there are ancient children’s songs about it, that Rum has been adopted by Mariners pretty much everywhere.

Mead, made from Honey or syrup from a tree, is typically made in Temples and Shrines, and sold during festivals. Wyrlde Mead is sweet, dry, and potent. Temples and Shrines are the unofficial Beekeeper’s Guild but are generally called the Faith Guild and tend to be very strict about people trying to make their own Mead.

Vintners make, market, and promote Wine. Wine on Wyrlde is mostly made from a kind of berry called a Grape. However, it is not the only sort of berry used, and there are five very broad categories of wine as a result: Red, White, Green, Pink, and Yellow or Olive. Within each broad type are several kinds of wine that highlight certain aspects of certain fruits. Green Wines are more akin to ciders or some forms of rum, but considered lighter, though why they do that is beyond me. Ting says it has to do with a combination of dryness and sweetness, whatever that means. I like my ales, thank you.

In any case, Wines are grown, pressed, aged, and then sold. Wines are sold by the Jug to the common folk, but by the Drum in bulk. Wine is heavy, and Vintners seem to have learned something several hundred years ago that allowed them to create something called Brandywine. It is basically a very strong form of wine, very much like a Liquor, and strong and highly scented. It is the most sought after of beverages and considered a drink of indolence and wealth. It is considered a major offense to sell Brandywine if you are not a member of the Vintner’s Guild – many tales that Tink likes to tell show that selling Brandywine without being a Vintner can result in death or Prison.

Brewers are the oldest of the Alcohol related Guilds, followed by Vintners. The Distiller’s Guild is relatively new (shortly after the last Skyfall), by comparison, and there is a great deal of bad blood between Distillers and Vintners for some reason.

InnHost Guild (InnKeepers)

Inn

On Wyrlde, the Innhost’s Guild controls the Inns and Taverns through subguilds. They do this with what is regarded as a velvet glove drenched in blood around an adamantine fist with spiked steel knuckles built in. Given the constant encroachment of the Syndicates, the Royal vagaries, and the flat-out defiance of the Posse of Rails, it may well be that they must. There are, then, some Inns and Taverns that are not Guild linked. At least two Powers are known to set up Inns in the middle of nowhere from time to time, moving them around.

An Inn is a building that has a walled area, stabling, pasture, offers food and drink, and has both a communal sleeping area and 4 to 24 private rooms that sleep two.

There is an Inn located typically 30 miles out along any road where there is not already a village, town, or city. There is a network of Inns within a given region defined by ethnicity, and they will all be similar within it and ultimately controlled by the Guilds.

Inns commonly have 2 to 12 Wardsmen, and Innkeepers are usually capable of at least some magic, even if most of it is meant to keep the place running and clean. They have stable hands, cooks, assorted help, and, yes, servers that are most likely women in patriarchal regions, men in matriarchal regions, and both in less rigid regions.

Inns are “signs of civilization in the wild” as well – many a small hamlet has been built up around an Inn located in the middle of nowhere. A good Inn is like a small private compound, able to take care of visitors and travelers from wandering Monks to adventuring parties to entire caravans or Noble entourages. As a result, they have many of the features that make the stays of their guests and the lives of their staff easier.

Taverns

Taverns are Guild-run establishments that will serve food, beer, and possibly wine. They are usually near a Public House or on a Shop Street, and the two may be owned by the same person or family, but they are always careful not to cross the guilds by combining the two. There is usually a carriage house nearby, or the site will have a stable, but is unlikely to have the ability to deal with a wagon. In many Cities, though not all (Sibola, Aztlan, and Durango come to mind) Taverns are often found near the Markets.

Taverns usually have a Host, a few cooks, some servers, and a few ancillary staff.

Public Houses (Pubs)

A Public House is a place of short term, temporary residence, usually near a gate. They usually can handle horses and wagons. They are often considered seedy places, but continually prove themselves of strong value, especially to Adventurers. The guild will often have arrangements with a better class of one for their members and are always happy to recommend one or two depending on the purse size of the party.

In a Village, Town, or City, Pubs usually have housekeeping, a pubkeeper, and a stable hand.

Saloon

A Saloon is an establishment that just sells strong, hard liquor, wine, and of course beer, ale, and mead. Saloons are often rowdy places that are controlled by the Innkeeper’s Guild and are often one of the earliest establishments in Camps. Saloons are pretty much everywhere except Cities and Towns though they will usually allow a scant few to operate near the Gates and the Watchhouses.

Saloons are frequently segregated spaces, either by gender (the most common, or by some other aspect (such as heritage). When they are such, Saloons will be located in a tight cluster of competing ones, often owned by the same person or group of people. Open Saloons are fairly rare, but do exist, mostly in remote Villages where there is a defacto segregation of those who are locals and everyone else.

Dorado has a great many saloons, and the largest number of open saloons. They are becoming almost synonymous with the realm – there is an outpost said to house a Patrol beside which has sprouted two dozen saloons that serve the merchants coming up from the Sand Sea to the City.

Some Saloons are operated by The House of Dreams. They do not serve drink and are frowned upon as their clients find themselves unable to avoid returning.

A Saloon will typically only have servers and a bartender, possibly a bouncer. The saloon often doubles as the residence of the saloon keeper. Most saloons will have a cluster of 4 to 24 chairs around a smattering of tables, a piano or stage to one side where they have entertainment, and a very long bar that is standing room only, usually with a rail running ankle height at the base of it. They are dimly lit.

Knightly Orders

Many who rightfully call themselves “knight” earn that title as part of one of the knightly orders.

These knighthoods are secular and nongovernmental organizations of warriors who follow a philosophy, or consider themselves a kind of extended family. Although there are organizations, such as the Knights of the Black Lotus, that use the trappings of knighthood without necessarily being warriors, most folk of Wyrlde who hear the word “knight” think of a mounted warrior in armor beholden to a code.

Below are a few knightly organizations.

Knight: Black Lotus	Knight: Red Masque	Knight: Round	Knight: Silver Chalice
Knight: Unicorn	Knight: White Rose	Knight: Wild Heart

The Knights Of The Unicorn began as a fad of romantically minded sons and daughters of noble families in Sibola. On a lark, they took the unicorn as their mascot and went on various adventures for fun. The reality of the dangers they faced eventually sank in. Over time the small group grew and spread, gaining a following in places as far as Durango. The Knights of the Unicorn are chivalric adventurers who follow romantic ideals: life is to be relished and lived with laughter, quests should be taken on a dare, impossible dreams should be pursued for the sheer wonder of their completion, and everyone should be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses. The Knights are always men.

Long ago, the Knights Of White Rose were a famous adventuring band, and Dove Falconhand, one of the famous Seven Sisters, was one of them. The band took its name to honor the legendary Ancient City, just as the new Knights of White Rose do today. With the city in ruins, Dove Falconhand decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized Bloodlines of the world and goodly people to combat evil. Their members, each accepted by The White Rose herself, are above all valiant and honest. Today, they are both a Syndicate and a Clan in Durango. The Knights of the White Rose are always women.

The Knights Of The Silver Chalice was formed by edict of the demigod Siamorf in Antilia a century ago. Siamorf’s ethos is the nobility’s right and responsibility to rule, and the demigod is incarnated as a different noble mortal in each generation. By the decree of the Siamorf at that time, the Knights of the Silver Chalice took it upon themselves to put a proper heir on the Council and reestablish order in the region. Since then, they have grown to be the most popular knighthood in Antilia, a region that has hosted many knighthoods in fealty to the Council. A side note: Siamorf is thought to be Urisha, one of the Powers That Be.

When it comes to the Knights Of The Black Lotus, little is known about this group of mostly older, retired people with military backgrounds other than their love for a complex strategy game with arcane rules and strange piece, the rarest of which is the Black Lotus.

The Knights Of The Red Masque are one of the more popular orders for when you need things done that the others would find distasteful, this order is famous for the blood red masks they always wear, carved in grimacing and horrible faces. These masks are worn any time they are out in public.

The order of the Knights Of The Round, created in honor of a find in an ancient ruin, always follows the Code of Chivalry, but they are also among the cheapest to hire. While they do have Paladins among their membership, they are not the main body.

The Knights Of The Wild Heart serve the interests of Antelle and Paria, who often partner up on whatever the latest machinations of the Powers That Be are at that time. Founded 23 years ago in Qivira, it has a distinct Code that is kept secret and known only to members. The Wild Hearts are said to be entirely without gender.

Circles

Chance	Lanterns	Dreams	Crossings	Spells
Songs	Sweets	Skirts	Home

The Circle of Lanterns: The Circle of Lanterns claims to oversee all sex work on Wyrlde. They are known to compete somewhat with the Innkeeper and Tavernhost Guilds and will often operate in opposition. Their Saloons are very popular in Dorado.

The Circle of Crossings: Provides guards for traveling caravans and mercenaries not affiliated with a guild. They compete with the Vanguard guilds, as well as the Adventurers Guild.

The Circle of Dreams: The Circle promises all a very good time, albeit with perhaps an uncontrollable interest to return after.

The Circle of Spells: Originally out of Lyonese, and merged with a couple others, it is considered one of the finest organized groups providing imbued and ingrained items to the public (for a price). They are engaged in direct conflict in many locations with the Mage Guild and Wizard Guild but are often on friendly terms with the Cunning Guild.

The Circle of Songs: The Aztani equivalent to the Bards Guild, with a focus on those who use music as performance.

Circle of Home: A collection of places that provide care for infants, Children, and youths during the workday. Strictly found in cities, except for Sibola. Popular in Akadia.

Circle of Sweets: Candy makers, sugar growers, sugar sales folk. They have a practical monopoly on Sugar.

Circle of Skirts: Clothing makers. Originally focused on mending and adjusting existing clothing, an unpopular Guild Lord in the Clothiers Guild gave rise to it becoming much more. Currently, only women are allowed to be members.

Syndicates

Syndicates compete with Guilds in Durango and at the same degree, using less savory tactics and with a more criminal bent. Syndicates are headed by a Syndic, who achieves their position through violence and subterfuge, removing the prior person for the most part, although in more internally peaceful times, there will be a designated heir. Syndicates are considered criminal organizations but tolerated because they do compete with and give pause to the Guilds, even as they will prey upon the same people and focus on their criminal activities.

Syndicates do not tolerate Circles in their territory, as it is seen as a threat to their business and competition, and syndicates do not want competition.

Copper	Fashes	Ford	Kamora	Kells
Kosa	Kudjel	Kuza	Lantern	Monsanto
Muskay	Nostra	Riders	Shovay	Sinola
Skythe	Treypers	Triskelion	Trumps	White Rose

Syndicates openly and explicitly state themselves to be organizations dedicated to trade and public welfare, yet appear to specialize in fraud, extortion, gambling, prostitution, drug use, robbery, kidnapping, theft, and graft as normative aspects of their operations.

Most Durangans tithe a Syndicate of one sort or another because they know that the bonds of a syndicate are stronger than blood in many cases, and the Syndicate protects its own; at least in theory. They are also aware that if they don’t, they will be brutalized, suffer startling misfortunes, and other bad things.

While based in and around Durango, they have influence which spreads throughout the world, and they seek to keep it going at any cost. Small Syndic outposts are said to exist in every major city.

The street murders that Durango is famous for are the work of Syndicates, who often disagree about territory, business, and loyalty. The Syndicates are very wealthy, overall, though the Syndics themselves may come from very humble or impoverished beginnings. One interesting thing is that the syndicates do not harm their targets usually; for example, a shopkeeper who tithes to one syndicate and is desired by another won’t have to worry about the syndicates causing his place of business harm (unless he misses a payment), as they will fight among themselves. They will also fight any of the assorted police, and the reputation of a Syndicate man as a murderous thug with little heart or morality is well earned.

Syndicates have a strong internal discipline, rigid codes, and expectations of those who are members, and often competing middle management. They do, however, keep their promises – for woe or for weal, they always keep their promises.

The most influential Syndicates currently are the Cosa, the Triskelion, the Kuza, the Sinola, and the Kamora. It is notable that the Lantern syndicate and White Rose Syndicate are indeed related to the Circle and the Order of Knighthood that share their name.

Posses

Dorado is the home to many new and different ways of doing things that are already done perfectly well elsewhere, but this has given us such thing as the Pistols of Eld and the Train and more. Among the reasons for and the examples of this trend are the Posses.

Rails	Eld	Nym	Ism	Apel
Cattlemans	Marms	Lights	Monsanto	Jind’r
Gigle	Natjeo	Ponderosa	Surkel Bar	M’klintok

A Posse is a formally confirmed business arrangement among many diverse people who pool their resources, people, and effort towards a business purpose. Posses are formed by a Charter that is registered with the Kinhouse and operated in a strange way.

They are created by the pooling of resources by several different people who each have an interest that is considered property all by itself. This interest is recorded by Deed and has a value that determines how much of the Posse’s left-over revenue in each season goes to that person. These people are called Members, and while they collectively have oversight and are in charge, the day-to-day affairs of a Posse are run by a Leader, who is himself employed by the members and in turn employs the people needed to achieve their goals, as that is the Leader’s job: to make as much money as possible for the Members.

The Train is the work of the Posse of Rails, and the Leader of the Posse is Hariman, who is both a Member and the Leader. His father was the person who designed and created the first Dynamo, and they have kept the secret of that process ever since while building the vast rails that connect the Bright lands along the traditional trade routes. It is estimated that out of every ten gold pieces the Train brings in, one falls to Hariman.

Posses, then, are essentially an alternative to the Guilds, though several guilds are members of the Posse of Rails, making it less a competitive model and more a way of achieving things that no one person or small group can do on their own.

The Illuminati

As befits them, they are secret societies so as I have never been a member, I cannot tell you much about any of them. It is known that they are frequently found to have Bards and Envoys as lead agents, and they have mysterious rituals.

To hear them talk, the world is trapped in a secret war has raged on since the end of the God’s War between powers and forces that seek to overthrow the leadership and bring in the Dread powers as a part of the whole, with themselves at the leadership. A few Scholars think there may be something to it, particularly if the Dread Powers are active.

The Illuminati is divided into three aspects: The Duskdanceers, The Dawnbreakers, and The Euphonium.

• Duskdancers focus on magic and spycraft,
• Dawnbreakers are more operational and leadership, and
• Euphonium are the warrior caste of the Illuminati.