setting:country:guilds [Labyrinth]

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====== Allied Guilds ======
> The masters of the Guilds of Glassblowers and Alchemists hereby agree to the following terms. That the Glassblowers may study the Path of the Crucible under the direction of master Alchemists, and may apply these methods commercially without supervision solely for creating the ingredients for Reed's crystal. That the Alchemists will not attempt to dicover the formula for Reed's crystal, or learn how to create it. And that the Alchemists have the exclusive right to supply the Glassblowers with casting powder.
--- //First paragraph of a treaty between the Alchemists' Guild and Glassblowers' Guild//

The Allied Guilds is the largest of the factions living in the upper floors of the Labyrinth, with several towns and some surrounding territory. The eponymous guilds play a central role in the faction's culture and governance, with practically every trade claimed as the exclusive juristiction of a guild. They place particular value on prosperity, professional pride, and loyalty to one's guild. In many ways this society is rather rigid and formal, but it has still been the main centre of innovation and trade in the Labyrinth since it sank.

===== History =====
Before the sinking of the Labyrinth, the current Guild towns were part of the undivided Tharenan Empire. After being cut off from the imperial power structure, the local guilds took over governance of the towns, expanding their scope, number, and power considerably over the following centuries.

===== Governance =====
Each guild governs itself largely independently, with no overarching structure beyond a shared set of traditions and a common concern for maintaining harmonious relations between guilds. In particular, each guild administers law in the following areas:
  * maintaining professional standards for its own profession,
  * enforcing its members' exclusive right to the guild's trade and livery,
  * regulating prices and competition within its profession,
  * keeping its trade secrets, and
  * punishing personal crimes against its members.
In cases where one guild intends to punish a member of another, the defendant's guild will often also involve itself, and try to come to an agreement as to what penalty may be imposed. In cases where an agreement cannot be reached, the Mediators' Guild is likely to be called in to offer their (non-binding, but almost always respected) opinion.

As those who are not members of a guild have neither a way to make a living nor any legal recourse if someone commits a crime against them, this is a situation that most would try very hard to avoid. If someone is unable to get anyone to accept them as an apprentice, they may prefer to defect to one of the other Labyrinth factions instead of trying to live in a Guild town.

===== Society and Culture =====
The Allied Guilds are happy to trade with both of the other Labyrinth factions, though they somewhat look down on both of them too. The [[setting:country:legion|13th Legion]]'s military focus is seen as wasteful and barbaric, and the [[setting:country:Collective]] is seen as disorganized and pointlessly sentimental. Both are considered to be relatively lacking in the main quality the Guilds pride themselves on, artisinal skill. The Allied Guilds mostly prefer to remain in the safe, tamed rooms which are their towns and farms, with a few exceptions like the Hunters and Miners who must venture a little farther out.

There are adherents to a wide variety of religions from across the known world, though a misotheistic rejection of religion is also rather common. This society, after all, has a particular focus on worldly things.

===== Characters from the Allied Guilds =====
In creating a character from the Allied Guilds, you should of course consider what their profession is and how they relate to it. Unlike in most other states, there is no separate role for nobility, and all of the leaders reached their position by advancing within a profession. It would be traditional for any member of the Guilds to take pride in their work and skill, but player characters need not be traditional. A more adversarial relationship with the guild system's rigidity is also an option.

^ Status Rank ^ Title ^ Position in Society ^
| 1 | Apprentice or tradeless | Apprentices benefit from at least the basic protections guild membership affords. They have a contractual obligation to train under and work for a specific master until their apprenticeship is complete. They often receive a substantial part of their pay in room & board, and live as part of their master's household. Those without a trade at all are much rarer. They have no obligations to anyone, but also no legal protection, and little way of earning a living. |
| 2 | Journeyman | Having completed their basic training, journeymen are given a higher degree of trust and freedom. They may practice their profession semi-independently within the business of any master they choose. The great majority of people attain at least this rank by middle age. |
| 3 | Master | Masters have the right to operate their own businesses and take on apprentices. They also, collectively, perform most of the work of running the guilds, and are trusted to uphold their guild's standards and reputation. |
| 4 | Guildmaster | Those elected by the other masters to the rank of guildmaster specialize more in the leadership and administration of their guilds, though in most cases they continue to practice their profession to some extent as well. |
==== Naming Conventions ====
Members of the Guilds have common nouns as first names, most commonly either abstractions (e.g. "Gratitude", "Strength", "Journey") or goods (e.g. "Wheat", "Tunic", "Pearl"). Their surname is based on their guild. For smaller guilds, it is just the profession name (e.g. "Musician"), while for larger guilds the name matching the guild's name is reserved for guildmasters, and everyone else uses variants on the title, hereditarily by apprenticeship (e.g. members of the Merchants' Guild might be called "Seller" or "Trader" instead). Those who are part of the culture but not currently members of any guild either take a parent's surname with the suffix "-child", if they are young enough to count as honorary members of their parents' guilds, or some variant of "Jobless", if they're adults.

In contexts where the full name is not used, it's always shortened to the first name, not the last. When using these names in other languages, it is traditional to translate their meaning rather than retaining the original spelling and pronunciation.
==== Clothing Styles ====
Clothing choices, like many things in this society, are to a large extent dependent on guild membership. Each guild has a particular livery which distinguishes its members and their ranks, and wearing livery one is not entitled to is a crime. The livery tends to include elements of dress dictated by the practicalities of the profession (e.g. several include some sort of apron), though it is worn as a mark of pride even when not at work. There are also parts with only a more symbolic or historical relevance.

The clothing of all guilds, even for apprentices, tends towards the elaborate with many specific decorations and accessories (within the constraints of practicality). For those whose work is more clerical than manual, who don't require a particular ease of movement, the clothing can be quite voluminous indeed. The quality of clothing that is common within the Allied Guilds is noticably higher than would be available for the lower classes in most of the world.

===== Notable NPCs =====
^Name ^Pronouns ^Social Rank ^Species ^Costume ^Description ^
|Precision Merchant | they/them | 4 | Genten | TBD | A loyal and ambitious guildmaster, looking to understand the potential threat and great opportunity the surface world presents on behalf of the Merchants' Guild. |