Guilds, Orders and Secret Societies in Karameikos - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 agathokles Jan 19, 2008 11:28:03	Hi all, following my first two writeups on Karameikos (Goblinoids and History), I've written a new article, this time delving into the knightly orders, guilds, and secret societies of Karameikos. I've got a last one in the pipeline, extending my earlier discussions on the Entropic cults, but I've still got to do the writeup on Orcus' and Leptar's cult, so it won't come up before one or two more weeks. Hope you enjoy this one, GP Societies of Karameikos This article describes the secret societies, guilds and orders of Karameikos. Apart from the Order of the Griffon, the Thieves' Guilds, the Merchants' Guild, the Loggers' Guild, and the Knights of the Three Suns, it's almost non-canon. I have kept all the professional guilds mentioned in Ville Lahde's Specularum adventure series, though. Knightly Orders There are three types of ranks of chivalry in Karameikos. In descending order of importance, these include: 1. The Knight Bachelors 2. The members of the greater orders of chivalry 3. The members of the lesser orders of chivalry Knighthood of the first type is granted directly by the Duke, while the second type is associated with membership in specific Knightly Orders. Currently, there is only one greater order of chivalry, the Order of the Griffon. These first two ranks are entitled to full knightly privileges, with Knight Bachelors having precedence over the members of the greater orders. The last rank does not carry privileges, though often these honours are associated with a Court Lordship, the lowest title of nobility in Karameikos. Order of the Griffon Knights of the Order of the Griffon are entitled to style themselves Sirs, and receive the respect due to other knights. The Order of the Griffon is a military order of the Church of Karameikos, quartered in the Church district of Specularum. The Order of the Griffon recognizes four internal ranks, based on the traditional structure of the Thyatian military orders of Vanya: 1. The Master 2. The Marshals 3. The Knight Commanders 4. The Knight Brothers The Master of the Order is Patriarch Olliver Jowett. Both Baron Desmond Kelvin II and Aleena Halaran are Marshals in the order. Knights of the Three Suns The Order of the Three Suns is a lesser order of chivalry, founded by Lord Arturus Penhaligon and quartered in the Castle of the Three Suns in Penhaligon. The Order is acknowledged by Duke Stefan, who acts as its Sovereign Head, but does not grant any social right to the members - i.e., Knights of the Three Suns are Freemen, and not entitled to style themselves Lords or Sirs unless they are also Court Lords or Knights. There are three ranks in the Order: Squire, Knight and Knight commander. In addition to these ranks, there are three high officers, the Grand Master, the Treasurer and the Hospitaller. Together, they form the Council of the Order. Aspirants are admitted by selection, and since the order is quite small, this process is handled directly by the Council. Aspirant squires must be recognized for their fighting skills (being Fighters or Clerics of 3rd level or more), though the requirement is less stringent than in the Order of the Griffon. Squires can be promoted to Knights (this generally happens as the Squire reaches 7th level), and Knights may be named Commanders (usually at name level or more). Knight are often recommended for a Court Lordship, which is generally granted, and Knight Commanders are usually considered by the Duke for a Knighthood. Fain Flynn, a veteran of Arturus Penhaligon's unit was the first knight, as well as the first Grand Master, while Sir Lyle Graybow, Penhaligon's castellan, has been the Hospitaller since the foundation of the Order twentyfive years ago. Secret Societies There are three criminal rings in Karameikos: the Iron Ring, the Veiled Society, and the Kingdom of Thieves. This section describes them, as well as other secret societies. The Iron Ring The Iron Ring is based in Fort Doom, and has resident agents in all towns in Karameikos, as well as in Jaibul, Sind and Thyatis. Other agents of the Iron Ring travel across the Grand Duchy, furthering the agenda of the organization. The Iron Ring has almost no influence on the criminal underworld of Specularum, where the major players are the Kingdom of Thieves and the Veiled Society. It operates openly both in the Black Eagle Barony and in Jaibul, as well as among several goblinoid tribes (especially of Bugbears and Goblins) in the wildernesses of Karameikos. The Iron Ring is protected by Ludwig von Hendricks - in return it works to further the interests of the Black Eagle, operating as a sort of secret service for the Baron. The members of the organization do not generally operate as simple burglars or pickpockets, and the Iron Ring does not have the manpower to run extortion rackets. The primary businness of the Iron Ring is slavery, followed by espionage and assassination. Goblinoid tribes are employed to help with guarding the prisoners along their route across Karameikos to Fort Doom, where ships are loaded with the new slaves and sent to slave markets such as Jaibul and Thyatis, but also Zeaburg, Surra-Man-Ra and the ports of the Alphatian Empire. Given the extensive amount of effort needed to hide the slave trade, the Iron Ring are also among the best smugglers in Karameikos, though they rarely work in this area, except to smuggle magical components and treasures to Fort Doom. The typical agent of the Iron Ring is the Reaver. Reavers are not allowed to operate independently, and are either attached to an higher ranking member, or are assigned tasks in the slavery operations, such as leading caravans, coordinating the kidnapping of people in an area, or spying on the rulers of a town. The typical Reaver joins the organization when he is already a skilled thief, warrior or priest - there are no apprentices. Due to the peculiar nature of the organization, thieves are only slightly more common than warriors, and several priests of evil cults from Jaibul are also present. The manpower of the organization is provided by goblinoid mercenaries as well as by brain-washed and conditioned slave warriors, called Hounds. The Iron Ring organization is ruled by the Masters, almost all of whom are highly skilled wizards - at least as far as Karameikan wizards go. The real power is in the end of a few Masters, but even lesser Masters are able to pursue personal agenda, commandeering Reavers and Hounds as well as resources. Joining the ranks The Iron Ring is only suited for the most villainous PCs, given its goals and methods. A PC Reaver should either be a plant in a group that is a known opponent of the Black Eagle, or a member of an Iron Ring-only party. Progression in the organization is very limited - new members are recruited from those who demonstrate skill or strength (being second level Thieves or Fighters), or from the ranks of the Entropic priesthoods. At about fourth level, the Reavers are assigned to tasks or posts outside the Black Eagle Barony, and operate independently or in small groups. At about sixth level, the Reavers becomes more a threat than an asset to the organization - thus, only the most loyal Reavers are retained past this point, and are usually subject to magical screening and control. All others, with the exception of Clerics, are assassinated by the Masters. Cleric Reavers, however, are allowed to leave the organization and return to their cult. The Veiled Society The Veiled Society is an old racketeering organization based in Specularum, and has only recently expanded into Kelvin, Threshold and Luln. Before the Thyatian conquest, there was a similar organization in Halag, which has been all but destroyed by the Iron Ring and Baron von Hendricks. The Veiled Society mostly runs protection rackets, though it also controls prostitution and illegal gambling. In general, it focuses on activities that require relatively little skill and produce a steady revenue. The Veiled Society also controls a number of legitimate businesses, using its thugs to reduce competition by targeting guildsmen and merchants tied to the Torenescu or Vorloi factions. The organization also tends to present itself as the champion of the Traladaran urban lower classes, thus gathering some support from the local population. It has also strong connections with several trade guilds, especially the powerful Merchants' Guild. The Veiled Society is organized as a family, with an elder (starosta) leading each gang and controlling a territory - usually a number of city blocks in the Nest or the Old Quarter in Specularum. The elders report to the upper tier of the organization, which is former of white collar mobsters, led by the Radu family. Joining the ranks The Veiled Society has strict rules, but respecting the rules is about the only requirement for joining. Some amount of brawn is also appreciated, but skill is entirely optional. This organization is very appropriate for the businness-oriented Thief - it can lead to power and wealth without too many risks. Fighters and Wizards can also join, but the latter are less common. The Veiled Society also aims at controlling its territory - freelance thieves are not acceptable, and many members simply grow into the district gang. The Kingdom of Thieves The Kingdom of Thieves is a new Thieves' Guild, having existed for circa ten years only. It strictly limits its activities to burglary, and is based in Specularum, though its members sometimes operate in Kelvin or Vorloi. Compared to the other Thieves' Guilds, the Kingdom is rather small, but is also composed of skilled members, thus focusing on high-revenue jobs, stealing mostly from the rich. The Kingdom as a strict hierarchy based on Darokinian, Traladaran and Thyatian aristocratic titles. The guildmaster, Flameflicker, is known as the King of Thieves, while his direct underlings are Princes. Dukes, Counts, Barons, Knights and Lords form the lower ranks of the membership, while apprentices are dubbed Squires. Members tend to act independently or in small teams, though the King and Princes assign jobs to specific groups from time to time. The Kingdom of Thieves does not condone murder and other violent crimes, and members are required to use weapons only in self defense. Joining the ranks The Kingdom of Thieves only invites professional Thieves to join. Former cutpurses, pickpockets, and small time burglars are accepted, as are adventurers with the appropriate skills. A new member starts either as a Squire, if he is a promising young thief (1st or 2nd level) or as a Lord, and can work his way up to the rank of Duke by proving his skill. Currently, all Princes are founding members of the Kingdom, and are all quite young. New Princes can be named only by the King, and this has not happened yet. The Brotherhood of the Woods This semi-secret society was founded by the Callarii elf Lathan Spearhand, after he came back from an adventurous journey across the Sea of Dread. Lathan had to pay a large sum to the Black Eagle Baron to ransom his fiancee, an elven maiden from Rifllian whom the Iron Ring had kidnapped. Seeing that the Duke's justice was not going to reach the Baron, Lathan decided to take the matter in his own hands. He soon discovered he was not the only victim of von Hendricks' misdeeds. Thus, he contacted many of those who had reason to take revenge on the Baron, and formed a society devoted to bringing down the Black Eagle and the Iron Ring, by whatever means were necessary. The Brotherhood is currently a small group, but is composed almost entirely of low to mid level adventurers. Lathan also has several contacts with other groups, including the Traladaran resistance movement in Fort Doom and Luln. New members are recruited by Lathan himself in Specularum. There are no fixed requirements to join, except a grudge against von Hendricks and the Iron Rings, and some fighting or magical skills. The Brotherhood meets at the Hippogriff Inn, in the north market district of Specularum, near the old city walls. The innkeeper is a friend of Lathan's, and relays messages left by other members of the Brotherhood. Joining the ranks Being an enemy of the Black Eagle Baron is the primary requirement. Adventuring skills of all types are appreciated, but the Brotherhood has a use for more mundane supporters. The Brotherhood is a fairly informal organization, with no ranks at all. The Ambassador's Men Outwardly, the Ambassador's Men are just a theatrical company led by Darokinian actor-playwright Emilio the Great. Emilio, however, is also an agent of Duchess Olivia Karameikos. His specialty, of course, is mixing with the upper class, but some of the Ambassador's Men are more at home in espionage and furtive activities. In addition to these spies, the Duchess can also rely on other agents - a well developed network with ears in almost every fief, and even in some of the neighbouring nations. Joining the ranks Joining the Duchess' network is easily done at the lowest level - one just needs to relay important information to Emilio or other agents. However, the real nature of the network will be kept hidden until the recruit has proven reliable. At that point, he will be inducted in the espionage network proper, and given assignments. The main requirement for admission are loyalty to the crown and a keen mind - skills and experience come a distant third. Trade Guilds Trade guilds (Arti, in low Thyatian) are a long-standing tradition in Specularum. Due to the usage of Thyatian to record official documents, the names of the Guilds were often reported in Thyatian even before the conquest, and all guilds have names in both Thyatian and Traladaran. History Five hundred years ago, the town, then Marilenev, lived its first rise to greatness as the capitol of the Duchy of Marilenev, as well as being the location of the Diet of the Traladaran League. Marilenev was a trading town, acting as the hub of trade from Harbortown, New Alphatia and Thyatis to the Traladaran principalities along the Volaga, Shutturga and Waterolde rivers. Furs and hides have always been the major exports of Traladara, and in Marilenev the merchants and craftsmen that worked with furs and leathers formed the first guilds, the Merchants' Guild, the Leathersellers' Guild and the Skinners' Guild. These first guilds mostly managed trade between Marilenev and Halavos, Volaga, Lugsid and Vaion, while foreign merchants from Thyatis and the Isles of Dread handled sea-based trade. After the foundation of Minrothad, and the Fourth Traladaran War of 493 AC, the increasing presence of foreigners and Traladarans from different principalities led to the formation of the Moneychangers' Guild. The Scriveners' Guild (Arte dei Notai in low Thyatian) was also formed to represent a new class of Thyatian-trained professionals who could read and write the Thyatian language, and were needed to prepare contracts, as well as to record the proceedings of the Diet of the Traladaran League. The Armorers' Guild (Arte dei Corazzai) developed during the Traladaran Wars, and was formally chartered at the same time as the Moneychangers' Guild. In the next century, several other trade guilds were formed, called minor guilds (Arti Minori) to distinguish them from the more powerful guilds. During the first decade of the VII century, the dissolution of the Traladaran League caused a major loss of political power to Marilenev. Duke Alexandr Marilenev was not able to cope with the social changes imposed by this event, and the anti-ducal faction within the Merchants' and Scriveners' Guilds took the upper hand. With large financing from the Moneychangers, as well as the guilds prepared and enacted a bloody revolution. The Duke was deposed and beheaded, and the six major guilds (Merchants, Scriveners, Moneychangers, Skinners, Leathersellers and Armorers) declared their guildmasters (or Priors) as the Town Council of Marilenev. In the City-State oligarchic system, which lasted up to the Thyatian conquest in 900 AC, the Guildmasters of the Major Guilds formed the executive board of the government (the Priorate), with a number of elective boards and councils that acted as legislative offices. Each Guild had full judiciary and legislative power for what concerned their own members, and boards composed of members of the various guilds served as juries when members of different guilds were involved in a dispute. The political system was not especially stable, however, and the Priors (often from the Radu or Torenescu families) were sometimes replaced with foreign governors (usually Minrothaddans, Darokinians or Thyatians) who were supposed to guarantee a less biased rule than the locals. This usually happened when the major guilds were weaker, and the minor guilds stronger. In 681 AC, the threat of war led the town government to undertake a program of fortification of the city. The increased power of the masons and bricklayers allowed them to obtain a charter for their own guild (Arte dei Muratori). The Vampire Wars of the VIII century threw the Skinners and Leathersellers guild in a crisis, as the northern trade was halted. These guilds lost their status as Arti Maggiori, and the Dyers and Taylors were able to form independent guilds. On the other hand, Marilenev had to rely more on sea-based trade, developing its own merchant fleet - and leading to the formation of the Mariners' Guild. Moreover, the increased availability of exotic spices and herbs from Sindh, Ochalea and other remote regions (via the Ierendian, Minrothaddan and Thyatian merchants) gave a major increase in power to the Apothecaries' Guild (Arte degli Speziali), which moved among the major guilds. After the plague in 802 AC, several dwarves of the Syrklist clan settled in Marilenev. These dwarves used their skills and their contacts with the Stronghollow clan of Highforge and the dwarven merchants in Thyatis to start a successful goldsmith trade. Unfortunately, the Moneychangers' Guild, which legally regulated not only the moneychangers and moneylenders, but also the jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths, set heavy measures against the dwarven craftsmen. In 902 AC, after the Thyatian conquest, the dwarven faction within the Moneychangers' Guild petitioned the Thyatian governor to establish a new Goldsmiths' Guild - a petition which was quickly granted by the Thyatians, who wanted to divide the guilds as much as possible. The Thyatian conquest removed most political power from the guilds. The division between major and minor guilds remained, but was not as politically important as in the City-State times. Another Thyatian decree aimed at reducing the danger posed by the guilds was the division of the Armorers' Guild in three sub-guilds, forming first the Bowyers' Guild and then the Cutlers' Guild. The Armorers' Guild was also reduced to the status of minor guild. A last governor's decree in 926 AC allowed the formation of three more guilds, Innholders', Vintners' and Fishmongers', and extended the authority of the guilds from the city of Specularum to the entire Province of Traladara. The Vintners' Guild (Arte dei Vinattieri) was a small and entirely Thyatian dominated guild, while the Fishmongers' Guild appealed to the smaller towns of Traladara, allowing them some representation in the government - traditionally, the guildmaster of this guild is never a Specularum native. When Stefan Karameikos traded the Duchy of Machetos for the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, he confirmed the existing guilds, but allowed his friend Teldon to form a small Magicians' Guild. This guild is considered a major guild, even though its economic power is minimal. The last two guilds, the Loggers' Guild and the Hunters' Guild, have been chartered by Duke Stefan in 980 AC, to help regulate the exploitation of the forests of Karameikos. Table: Trade Guilds of Karameikos

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

agathokles

Jan 19, 2008 11:28:03

Hi all,

following my first two writeups on Karameikos (Goblinoids and History), I've written a new article, this time delving into the knightly orders, guilds, and secret societies of Karameikos.
I've got a last one in the pipeline, extending my earlier discussions on the Entropic cults, but I've still got to do the writeup on Orcus' and Leptar's cult, so it won't come up before one or two more weeks.

Hope you enjoy this one,

GP

Societies of Karameikos

This article describes the secret societies, guilds and orders of Karameikos.
Apart from the Order of the Griffon, the Thieves' Guilds, the Merchants' Guild, the Loggers' Guild, and the Knights of the Three Suns, it's almost non-canon. I have kept all the professional guilds mentioned in Ville Lahde's Specularum adventure series, though.

Knightly Orders

There are three types of ranks of chivalry in Karameikos. In descending order of importance, these include:

1. The Knight Bachelors
2. The members of the greater orders of chivalry
3. The members of the lesser orders of chivalry

Knighthood of the first type is granted directly by the Duke, while the second type is associated with membership in specific Knightly Orders.
Currently, there is only one greater order of chivalry, the Order of the Griffon. These first two ranks are entitled to full knightly privileges, with Knight Bachelors having precedence over the members of the greater orders.

The last rank does not carry privileges, though often these honours are associated with a Court Lordship, the lowest title of nobility in Karameikos.

Order of the Griffon

Knights of the Order of the Griffon are entitled to style themselves Sirs, and receive the respect due to other knights. The Order of the Griffon is a military order of the Church of Karameikos, quartered in the Church district of Specularum.

The Order of the Griffon recognizes four internal ranks, based on the traditional structure of the Thyatian military orders of Vanya:

1. The Master
2. The Marshals
3. The Knight Commanders
4. The Knight Brothers

The Master of the Order is Patriarch Olliver Jowett. Both Baron Desmond Kelvin II and Aleena Halaran are Marshals in the order.

Knights of the Three Suns

The Order of the Three Suns is a lesser order of chivalry, founded by Lord Arturus Penhaligon and quartered in the Castle of the Three Suns in Penhaligon. The Order is acknowledged by Duke Stefan, who acts as its Sovereign Head, but does not grant any social right to the members - i.e., Knights of the Three Suns are Freemen, and not entitled to style themselves Lords or Sirs unless they are also Court Lords or Knights.

There are three ranks in the Order: Squire, Knight and Knight commander. In addition to these ranks, there are three high officers, the Grand Master, the Treasurer and the Hospitaller. Together, they form the Council of the Order.

Aspirants are admitted by selection, and since the order is quite small, this process is handled directly by the Council. Aspirant squires must be recognized for their fighting skills (being Fighters or Clerics of 3rd level or more), though the requirement is less stringent than in the Order of the Griffon.

Squires can be promoted to Knights (this generally happens as the Squire reaches 7th level), and Knights may be named Commanders (usually at name level or more). Knight are often recommended for a Court Lordship, which is generally granted, and Knight Commanders are usually considered by the Duke for a Knighthood.

Fain Flynn, a veteran of Arturus Penhaligon's unit was the first knight, as well as the first Grand Master, while Sir Lyle Graybow, Penhaligon's castellan, has been the Hospitaller since the foundation of the Order twentyfive years ago.

Secret Societies

There are three criminal rings in Karameikos: the Iron Ring, the Veiled Society, and the Kingdom of Thieves. This section describes them, as well as other secret societies.

The Iron Ring

The Iron Ring is based in Fort Doom, and has resident agents in all towns in Karameikos, as well as in Jaibul, Sind and Thyatis. Other agents of the Iron Ring travel across the Grand Duchy, furthering the agenda of the organization. The Iron Ring has almost no influence on the criminal underworld of Specularum, where the major players are the Kingdom of Thieves and the Veiled Society. It operates openly both in the Black Eagle Barony and in Jaibul, as well as among several goblinoid tribes (especially of Bugbears and Goblins) in the wildernesses of Karameikos.
The Iron Ring is protected by Ludwig von Hendricks - in return it works to further the interests of the Black Eagle, operating as a sort of secret service for the Baron.

The members of the organization do not generally operate as simple burglars or pickpockets, and the Iron Ring does not have the manpower to run extortion rackets. The primary businness of the Iron Ring is slavery, followed by espionage and assassination. Goblinoid tribes are employed to help with guarding the prisoners along their route across Karameikos to Fort Doom, where ships are loaded with the new slaves and sent to slave markets such as Jaibul and Thyatis, but also Zeaburg, Surra-Man-Ra and the ports of the Alphatian Empire. Given the extensive amount of effort needed to hide the slave trade, the Iron Ring are also among the best smugglers in Karameikos, though they rarely work in this area, except to smuggle magical components and treasures to Fort Doom.

The typical agent of the Iron Ring is the Reaver. Reavers are not allowed to operate independently, and are either attached to an higher ranking member, or are assigned tasks in the slavery operations, such as leading caravans, coordinating the kidnapping of people in an area, or spying on the rulers of a town. The typical Reaver joins the organization when he is already a skilled thief, warrior or priest - there are no apprentices. Due to the peculiar nature of the organization, thieves are only slightly more common than warriors, and several priests of evil cults from Jaibul are also present.

The manpower of the organization is provided by goblinoid mercenaries as well as by brain-washed and conditioned slave warriors, called Hounds.

The Iron Ring organization is ruled by the Masters, almost all of whom are highly skilled wizards - at least as far as Karameikan wizards go. The real power is in the end of a few Masters, but even lesser Masters are able to pursue personal agenda, commandeering Reavers and Hounds as well as resources.

Joining the ranks

The Iron Ring is only suited for the most villainous PCs, given its goals and methods. A PC Reaver should either be a plant in a group that is a known opponent of the Black Eagle, or a member of an Iron Ring-only party.
Progression in the organization is very limited - new members are recruited from those who demonstrate skill or strength (being second level Thieves or Fighters), or from the ranks of the Entropic priesthoods. At about fourth level, the Reavers are assigned to tasks or posts outside the Black Eagle Barony, and operate independently or in small groups. At about sixth level, the Reavers becomes more a threat than an asset to the organization - thus, only the most loyal Reavers are retained past this point, and are usually subject to magical screening and control. All others, with the exception of Clerics, are assassinated by the Masters. Cleric Reavers, however, are allowed to leave the organization and return to their cult.

The Veiled Society

The Veiled Society is an old racketeering organization based in Specularum, and has only recently expanded into Kelvin, Threshold and Luln. Before the Thyatian conquest, there was a similar organization in Halag, which has been all but destroyed by the Iron Ring and Baron von Hendricks.

The Veiled Society mostly runs protection rackets, though it also controls prostitution and illegal gambling. In general, it focuses on activities that require relatively little skill and produce a steady revenue. The Veiled Society also controls a number of legitimate businesses, using its thugs to reduce competition by targeting guildsmen and merchants tied to the Torenescu or Vorloi factions.

The organization also tends to present itself as the champion of the Traladaran urban lower classes, thus gathering some support from the local population. It has also strong connections with several trade guilds, especially the powerful Merchants' Guild.

The Veiled Society is organized as a family, with an elder (starosta) leading each gang and controlling a territory - usually a number of city blocks in the Nest or the Old Quarter in Specularum. The elders report to
the upper tier of the organization, which is former of white collar mobsters, led by the Radu family.

Joining the ranks

The Veiled Society has strict rules, but respecting the rules is about the only requirement for joining. Some amount of brawn is also appreciated, but skill is entirely optional.

This organization is very appropriate for the businness-oriented Thief - it can lead to power and wealth without too many risks. Fighters and Wizards can also join, but the latter are less common.

The Veiled Society also aims at controlling its territory - freelance thieves are not acceptable, and many members simply grow into the district gang.

The Kingdom of Thieves

The Kingdom of Thieves is a new Thieves' Guild, having existed for circa ten years only. It strictly limits its activities to burglary, and is based in Specularum, though its members sometimes operate in Kelvin or Vorloi.

Compared to the other Thieves' Guilds, the Kingdom is rather small, but is also composed of skilled members, thus focusing on high-revenue jobs, stealing mostly from the rich. The Kingdom as a strict hierarchy based on Darokinian, Traladaran and Thyatian aristocratic titles. The guildmaster, Flameflicker, is known as the King of Thieves, while his direct underlings are Princes. Dukes, Counts, Barons, Knights and Lords form the lower ranks of the membership, while apprentices are dubbed Squires. Members tend to act independently or in small teams, though the King and Princes assign jobs to specific groups from time to time.

The Kingdom of Thieves does not condone murder and other violent crimes, and members are required to use weapons only in self defense.

Joining the ranks

The Kingdom of Thieves only invites professional Thieves to join. Former cutpurses, pickpockets, and small time burglars are accepted, as are adventurers with the appropriate skills.

A new member starts either as a Squire, if he is a promising young thief (1st or 2nd level) or as a Lord, and can work his way up to the rank of Duke by proving his skill. Currently, all Princes are founding members of the Kingdom, and are all quite young. New Princes can be named only by the King, and this has not happened yet.

The Brotherhood of the Woods

This semi-secret society was founded by the Callarii elf Lathan Spearhand, after he came back from an adventurous journey across the Sea of Dread. Lathan had to pay a large sum to the Black Eagle Baron to ransom his
fiancee, an elven maiden from Rifllian whom the Iron Ring had kidnapped.

Seeing that the Duke's justice was not going to reach the Baron, Lathan decided to take the matter in his own hands. He soon discovered he was not the only victim of von Hendricks' misdeeds. Thus, he contacted many of those who had reason to take revenge on the Baron, and formed a society devoted to bringing down the Black Eagle and the Iron Ring, by whatever means were necessary.

The Brotherhood is currently a small group, but is composed almost entirely of low to mid level adventurers. Lathan also has several contacts with other groups, including the Traladaran resistance movement in Fort Doom and Luln. New members are recruited by Lathan himself in Specularum. There are no fixed requirements to join, except a grudge against von Hendricks and the Iron Rings, and some fighting or magical skills.

The Brotherhood meets at the Hippogriff Inn, in the north market district of Specularum, near the old city walls. The innkeeper is a friend of Lathan's, and relays messages left by other members of the Brotherhood.

Joining the ranks

Being an enemy of the Black Eagle Baron is the primary requirement. Adventuring skills of all types are appreciated, but the Brotherhood has a use for more mundane supporters.
The Brotherhood is a fairly informal organization, with no ranks at all.

The Ambassador's Men

Outwardly, the Ambassador's Men are just a theatrical company led by Darokinian actor-playwright Emilio the Great. Emilio, however, is also an agent of Duchess Olivia Karameikos. His specialty, of course, is mixing with the upper class, but some of the Ambassador's Men are more at home in espionage and furtive activities.

In addition to these spies, the Duchess can also rely on other agents - a well developed network with ears in almost every fief, and even in some of the neighbouring nations.

Joining the ranks

Joining the Duchess' network is easily done at the lowest level - one just needs to relay important information to Emilio or other agents. However, the real nature of the network will be kept hidden until the recruit has proven reliable. At that point, he will be inducted in the espionage network proper, and given assignments.

The main requirement for admission are loyalty to the crown and a keen mind - skills and experience come a distant third.

Trade Guilds

Trade guilds (Arti, in low Thyatian) are a long-standing tradition in Specularum. Due to the usage of Thyatian to record official documents, the names of the Guilds were often reported in Thyatian even before the conquest, and all guilds have names in both Thyatian and Traladaran.

History

Five hundred years ago, the town, then Marilenev, lived its first rise to greatness as the capitol of the Duchy of Marilenev, as well as being the location of the Diet of the Traladaran League. Marilenev was a trading town, acting as the hub of trade from Harbortown, New Alphatia and Thyatis to the Traladaran principalities along the Volaga, Shutturga and Waterolde rivers. Furs and hides have always been the major exports of Traladara, and in Marilenev the merchants and craftsmen that worked with furs and leathers formed the first guilds, the Merchants' Guild, the Leathersellers' Guild and the Skinners' Guild. These first guilds mostly managed trade between Marilenev and Halavos, Volaga, Lugsid and Vaion, while foreign merchants from Thyatis and the Isles of Dread handled sea-based trade.

After the foundation of Minrothad, and the Fourth Traladaran War of 493 AC, the increasing presence of foreigners and Traladarans from different principalities led to the formation of the Moneychangers' Guild. The Scriveners' Guild (Arte dei Notai in low Thyatian) was also formed to represent a new class of Thyatian-trained professionals who could read and write the Thyatian language, and were needed to prepare contracts, as well as to record the proceedings of the Diet of the Traladaran League. The Armorers' Guild (Arte dei Corazzai) developed during the Traladaran Wars, and was formally chartered at the same time as the Moneychangers' Guild.

In the next century, several other trade guilds were formed, called minor guilds (Arti Minori) to distinguish them from the more powerful guilds.

During the first decade of the VII century, the dissolution of the Traladaran League caused a major loss of political power to Marilenev. Duke Alexandr Marilenev was not able to cope with the social changes imposed by this event, and the anti-ducal faction within the Merchants' and Scriveners' Guilds took the upper hand. With large financing from the Moneychangers, as well as the guilds prepared and enacted a bloody revolution. The Duke was deposed and beheaded, and the six major guilds (Merchants, Scriveners, Moneychangers, Skinners, Leathersellers and Armorers) declared their guildmasters (or Priors) as the Town Council of Marilenev. In the City-State oligarchic system, which lasted up to the Thyatian conquest in 900 AC, the Guildmasters of the Major Guilds formed the executive board of the government (the Priorate), with a number of elective boards and councils that acted as legislative offices. Each Guild had full judiciary and legislative power for what concerned their own members, and boards composed of members of the various guilds served as juries when members of different guilds were involved in a dispute.

The political system was not especially stable, however, and the Priors (often from the Radu or Torenescu families) were sometimes replaced with foreign governors (usually Minrothaddans, Darokinians or Thyatians) who were supposed to guarantee a less biased rule than the locals. This usually happened when the major guilds were weaker, and the minor guilds stronger.

In 681 AC, the threat of war led the town government to undertake a program of fortification of the city. The increased power of the masons and bricklayers allowed them to obtain a charter for their own guild (Arte dei Muratori).

The Vampire Wars of the VIII century threw the Skinners and Leathersellers guild in a crisis, as the northern trade was halted. These guilds lost their status as Arti Maggiori, and the Dyers and Taylors were able to form independent guilds. On the other hand, Marilenev had to rely more on sea-based trade, developing its own merchant fleet - and leading to the formation of the Mariners' Guild. Moreover, the increased availability of exotic spices and herbs from Sindh, Ochalea and other remote regions (via the Ierendian, Minrothaddan and Thyatian merchants) gave a major increase in power to the Apothecaries' Guild (Arte degli Speziali), which moved among the major guilds.

After the plague in 802 AC, several dwarves of the Syrklist clan settled in Marilenev. These dwarves used their skills and their contacts with the Stronghollow clan of Highforge and the dwarven merchants in Thyatis to start a successful goldsmith trade. Unfortunately, the Moneychangers' Guild, which legally regulated not only the moneychangers and moneylenders, but also the jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths, set heavy measures against the dwarven craftsmen. In 902 AC, after the Thyatian conquest, the dwarven faction within the Moneychangers' Guild petitioned the Thyatian governor to establish a new Goldsmiths' Guild - a petition which was quickly granted by the Thyatians, who wanted to divide the guilds as much as possible.

The Thyatian conquest removed most political power from the guilds. The division between major and minor guilds remained, but was not as politically important as in the City-State times. Another Thyatian decree aimed at reducing the danger posed by the guilds was the division of the Armorers' Guild in three sub-guilds, forming first the Bowyers' Guild and then the Cutlers' Guild. The Armorers' Guild was also reduced to the status of minor guild.

A last governor's decree in 926 AC allowed the formation of three more guilds, Innholders', Vintners' and Fishmongers', and extended the authority of the guilds from the city of Specularum to the entire Province of Traladara. The Vintners' Guild (Arte dei Vinattieri) was a small and entirely Thyatian dominated guild, while the Fishmongers' Guild appealed to the smaller towns of Traladara, allowing them some representation in the government - traditionally, the guildmaster of this guild is never a Specularum native.

When Stefan Karameikos traded the Duchy of Machetos for the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, he confirmed the existing guilds, but allowed his friend Teldon to form a small Magicians' Guild. This guild is considered a major guild, even though its economic power is minimal.

The last two guilds, the Loggers' Guild and the Hunters' Guild, have been chartered by Duke Stefan in 980 AC, to help regulate the exploitation of the forests of Karameikos.

Table: Trade Guilds of Karameikos