Moneychangers' Guildhall
by Giampaolo AgostaNested well into the Torenescu territory in the Hill district is the hall of
the Moneychangers' Guild. The building dates to the last century before the
Thyatian conquest. At that time, the Moneychangers were at the peak of their
power, holding the balance of power between the merchants and the landowners.
Their hall -- a venerable building dating back to the times before the
foundation of the Guild -- was in the Bricktop district.
To show their power and wealth, the Guildmaster of that time, an ancestor of
Emmet Torenescu, persuaded the Wardens' Council to build a new, majestic hall,
hiring a foreign architect -- a Glantrian expatriate who designed a massive,
square building, fully covered in rusticated stone (thought to be showy but
elegant in Glantrian architecture), with large windows opening on the two upper
stories to give light to the inner rooms. The original plans included four
bronze-covered turrets, but the design was considered extravagant by the
Wardens and the turrets were removed.
In recent times, the somewhat dwindling fortunes of the Guild -- with the
creation of a Thyatian-aligned competitor in the Goldsmiths' Guild, the major
heist single-handedly accomplished by Annius Helianthus and the run-ins with
the Veiled Society -- have led to decreased maintainance and increased
security. About 15 years ago the Wardens' Council voted the purchase of
guardian constructs from Glantri, which are said to guard the lower vaults were
the Moneychangers' Guild gold reserves are held. A large contingent of private
guards is also present to deter thieves and Veiled Society assassins.
The Guildhall also includes an archive, offices for the Wardens, the
Guildmaster and other guild officers, and meeting rooms. There is also a
renowned ballroom on the first floor, where an annual ball is held to celebrate
new magnates of the guild.
The Moneychangers are still trying to recover the stolen money from Helianthus'
heist, which is thought to near the mind boggling figure of one million royals
-- probably mostly in gems and Thyatian Emperors. A guild officer, Libor
Matejevic (NM, Lawful) is in charge of screening the curricula of
adventurers, looking for candidates to investigate the heist. The Guild has two
non-exclusive standing contracts with such adventuring parties to provide
access to all the known facts regarding the heist in exchange for a large share
of the treasure, should it be recovered.