The Guilds & Orders of New-Santhala

Overview
The royal will of the Santhran of The United Kingdoms is at times carried out by the Orders of Santharia, whose influence extend across much of Sarvonia. The Orders are collections of men and women who are sworn toward a cause they have deemed noble, in ultimate service of the Santhran. Not all Orders are recognised by the Santhran, nor are all righteous. In this we are only concerned with those Orders that have been awarded a Writ of Patronage by the Council of Linked Hands. Nor do all of the Orders of Santharia hold chapterhouses in New-Santhala, such as the Order of the Fallen, for example, and so will not be found here.

Furthermore, the citizens of Santharia are free to form collectives of their own that do not directly swear fealty to the Santhran. These are the Guilds of Santharia. They hold rigid the spine of much of the city's - and continent's - industry. Their pursuits are varied, and perhaps at times unsavoury. But all are sworn to the Guildhall, itself a company holding homage to the Santhran himself. It is to this elective that the numerous guilds of Santharia must answer to, in their conduct and fealty. All those that wish to do business under the protection of the Santhran's peace must register and bow before the Guildhall and the Santhran.

Orders

Order of Armeros - A militaristic brotherhood of knights sworn to the righteous cause of keeping the Santhran's peace throughout Santharia. Dedicated to the solemn god of war, Armeros, the young men that call the Order home are known for their driven diligence and boldly stoic approach to justice. The Order of Armeros maintains a temple in the Banner District; spartan and well-kept. Adjacent to the temple is the somewhat more lived-in chapterhouse, where new acolytes and travelling knights are often found beside the hearth, in both prayer and meditation.

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Order of the White Knights - Clustered in a the northern corner of the Blue Towers, the ubiquitous White Knights maintain an estate of hospitals, storehouses and dormitories, centered around the grand fixture of their ecclesiastical monastery. A bold edifice of white marble and wrought iron, the capital monastery is a testament to the rich public support (and deep coffers) that maintain the Order of the White Knights. These knights, monks and healers are sworn to the ethereal goddesses Eyasha and Nehtor, and provide charitable services across Southern Sarvonia.

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Order of the Wings - Perhaps a rare sight to the earth-bound citizens of the city. The intrepid women of the Order of the Wings gather in two primary locations: a crumbling stone redout hidden deep within the rolling folds of the Hinterlands known only the the Order; and perched upon the knife-like Refuge Tower that soars boldly above the city from within the Palace precinct. The Order of the Wings hold a patriotic place in the hearts of the people, and the sight of the great birds carving through the shimmering blue sky is a cherished one.

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Order of Seyella - The martial tribe of the Serpherlorians, found in great numbers around the home province of Sanguia in which the Ring and New-Santhala lie, maintain a major chapterhouse and training facililities in the city. The women of Seyella, or Seyelites, are a wandering force dedicated to safe-guarding the realm and specifically Sanguia. Off-duty Seyelites can be found in great numbers wandering the Ring and the city in search of work as mercenaries. The presence of these wandering women is ubiquitous and welcome; they adminster the northernmost Warden alongside the Order of the Towers (where joint exercises are commonly held in the adjacent mountians).

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Order of the Towers - Formed in the year 401 a.S. by Santhros Athaelath, the Order of the Towers is a sect of soldiers who maintain a stance of readiness year-round, as an immediate-response measure against potential threats from outside of the Ring. The men-at-arms of the Order are well-trained in rapid-reaction military tactics, and train year-round in the mountains and Hinterlands. The Order does not allow new recruits to join, only taking in those with some combat experience.

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Guilds

The Royal Guildhall

The Royal Guildhall is located in the Seller's Quarters, close to the Bastion walls. A mighty structure, it is composed almost entirely of a single vast hall. The room is furrowed down the center by a risen hearth, with long tables running parallel. Adorning the walls are a hundred hanging pennants: the arms of every guild registered with the Royal Guildhall. At the head of the room, far opposite the vast, iron-banded timber door, is Ledger of Writs, a vast book detailing the registry and history of very guild in the Kingdoms. The legacy of the Ledger stretches to the distant mists of Tharania, where it found itself recording the traditions of ancient Tharian armed companies. The purpose of the Guildhall is to maintain the various guilds and companies around the Kingdoms, and to act in service to the Santhran by ensuring their proper conduct. The Royal Guildhall respects those who have been awarded a writ of patronage by the Santhran, and polices them accordingly. Every guild thus has a seat and banner in the Guildhall; disgraced or outlawed guilds are struck from the book and their banner burned; those that decline and go extinct are remembered solely within the Ledger, there banners consigned to Guildhall cellars. Residing within the Guildhall itself is the Provost, his clerks and a contingent of armed servicemen who protect the sanctuary of the Guildhall.

The Fymbel Association

An association of artisan guilds, whose members work throughout the Kingdom of Santharia. The Fymbel Association was founded by a group of female stronemasons in 100 a.S. and have since expanded the purview of their crafts to include a number of professions such as wood-wrights and luthiers. The Fymbels are renowned for paving the way for women who seek to work in traditionally male domains, such as stonemasonry, and have helped to normalise their presence. The guild is renowned for its demands of quality in the crafts for all aspiring and existing members, ensuring a high standard of work and an admirable reputation across the Kingdoms - not to mention their highly recognisable emblem, the fuzzle mouse. The Fymbel Association has a chapterhouse in the Seller's Quarter south.

The Capital Guild of Nerthers

The Capital Guild of Nerthers is a small yet stupendously prosperous company of Nerthers, or dwarven waste collectors. A very young guild, founded in 1329 a.S. by an entrepreneurial dwarf hailing from the Mithral Mountains. The guild in New-Santhala refer to themselves as the Capital Guild - a title they might feel is more prestigious than it is, considering that most Nerthers, an exclusionary population at the most congenial of times, have yet to hear of them. Regardless, being the principle waste collectors of the Kingdoms' capital city has brought the now sizable company immense riches, and royal acknowledgment. As per typical Nerther arrangement, the guild is headed by a guildmaster who directs his cohort through subordinate specialist orders. The Capital Guild's guildmaster enjoys the ear of a few mayors seeking to improve the sanitation of their districts - a power not to be scoffed at. It is policy that the Nerthers remove all trace of their typical uniform before entering the Guildhall...or any hall, for that matter.

The Drunk & Golden of Santhala Theatre Company

After a drunken night in a half-sunk tavern by the Wharves, three of New-Santhala's less reputable residents knocked their heads together and formed the infamous maudlin, slapdash enigma that is the Drunk & Golden. Renowned for their hazardous and contentious performances, wine-soaked antics and general debauchery, the Drunk & Golden maintains a permenant place in the Banner Districts, putting on nightly shows to a packed crowd. They also maintain quaters at a plush inn in Blue Towers, where the troupe are able to refresh. It is said that the noblemen from the Purple will don masks and hooded cowls to seek a stool in the theater. The performances of the Drunk & Golden are known to be unpredictable, dangerous and an entirely outlandish experience. The directors make use of exotic magic drawn from rigorous research, animals of a hundred shades and grotesque mutations, and an utter disregard for theatric integrity; indeed, the cast are considered as much a part of the show as the audience, and the safety, humility or sanity of all is the least of anyone's concerns. The company notably keeps a small army of brutes and bruisers at hand, and it is said that the captain of the Banner Districts militia (himself an admirer) keeps his guards close at hand by the theater.

The Quios Shipping Guild

A sprawling company of merchants, pirates and mariners, the Stormcloaks, as they are known, is perhaps the largest independant shipping and trading company ever to have set sail. Ferrying goods between continents, the reach and power of the guild is near unmatched. Some say that they are able to put a fleet to water that could rival the United Kindgoms, that their dark sails would enshroud the sun and sky upon their approach. The guild makes it home on the free isles of Quios, where it maintains near complete sovereignity, as if it were a nation unto itself. For regulatory and diplomatic purposes, the Stormcloaks also maintain a chapterhouse in the center of the city, near the Palace itself.

The Violaceous Coven

In a flurry of stern scowls, angry objections and bitter, guilty lamentations, the long-standing collection of courtesans known as the Violaceous Coven were given full patronage by the Santhran and inducted by the Guildhall. In 1322 a.S. the great fire that swept through much of New-Santhala, gutting swathes of the Banner Districts, the Wharves and the Rafters, left the city on its knees. The city's hospitals and chaplaincies were unable to accomodate the weight of the wounded and so the city's inhabitants responded by offering whatever aid they could. Many heroes where made in the weeks that followed but most notable where the efforts of the House of Pearls; a brothel resting against the banks of the Yellow Wanderer, stilted above the water. The proprietor succeeded in mobilising the city's sheetworkers, from common whores to the sunburst-draped, rent boys and specialists alike. It was with great chagrin to the proper class of New-Santhala, and even those from beyond, that such a profession was being illuminated and lauded. Despite the impact of their work - as nurses and healers - they were met with hostility. It came as a shock to many when the Santhran, two months after, awarded many of the courtesans with riches and honours for their service. Within the next ten years the House of Pearls had become a haven for young women across New-Santhala; within fifteen it was renowned across Sanguia for being a place of innovation in healing without magic, utilising inventive and highly successful techniques. And in 1351 a.S. the Violaceous Coven, a guild of skilled healers born out the ashes of the fires of New-Santhala, was given a writ of patronage by the Santhran. The Coven is large, spreading across much of the southern territories of Southern Sarvonia, although they are less numerous in the typically prudish north.

The Royal Guild of Engineers

Perhaps one of the the most prestigious and successful guilds in New-Santhala, the Royal Guild of Engineers has a much lauded past. Founded in the ancient and expansive realm of the Kingdom of Tharania's war efforts, the engineers that followed Thar and eventually Santhros the Wise were instrumental in enabling the civilisational progression of the races of Santharia. Their skills were unparalleled by any other human tribe, and remain so today. Fully endorsed by the Santhran, the Royal Guild has been behind many of the mechanical marvels that power New-Santhala and other major cities. In the capital, their efforts saw the construction of the spiderlike canals that serve to sanitise and water the city; the great cranes that bristle from the Quayside rooftops that ensure the constant flow of waterborne traffic is kept. They recieved exceptional patronage during the reign of Lysarian and Lysmarin Hammersfeld, who were interested in the expansion of the city.

The Daran Bottleworks Guild

Hidden within the sprawling Uderzameph Compound, beyond the clustered dormitories, laboratories and warehouses, lies the core operation of the Daran Bottleworks Guild. Owned in communion by the Daran gnomes of New-Santhala, and the Amberflog family in particular, the Bottleworks has grown to be an irresistable force within the alchemical trade throughout Sanguia. Standing in direct competition with the Royal Santharian Apothecarium, the two groups have fought over the liberal cashflow of New-Santhala's needy rich for nearly half a millenia, ever since the great Gnome alchemist Botter Amberflog parted ways with the nascent Royal Apothecarium. The Bottleworks inherited the great undisclosed body of Gnomish alchemical research, lending to their atmospheric rise to the top of the New-Santhalan elixir trade, forcing out competitors.

The Royal Santharian Apothecarium

Founded as the successor to the alchemists of Tharia, the Royal Apothecarium holds court in the Blue Towers and runs a number of outlets within the city, as well holding trade contracts with much of the rich north. The Royal Apothecarium have fought bitterly with the Bottleworks. In the royal court that have twisted and turned, hunting for any legal recourse that might enable them to have the impetuous gnomes expelled from the city.

The Archivists and the Royal Librarian Attendants

This guild is responsible for the daily maintenance of one of the single largest collections of knowledge in the known world. The small army of scribes and librarians maintain the enormous Archive, copying precious tomes and compiling scripts. Most notably, the ambitious Compedium is being written within the halls of the Archive; hundreds pass through the writing rooms to offer their aid in the construction of the greatest encyclopedic text of our age.

The Quellers Company

The Quellers are a renowned travelling company of mercenary spellslingers. Mages hailing particularly from the midlands and southern parts of the realm, they are perhaps infamous for their braggadocios character, unbridled ferocity, particular rudeness to tavernkeepers and eccentric character. Based in New-Santhala for publicity reasons, the Quellers move in small companies primarily out of Marcogg, where the authorities are somewhat more lax; they have been outlawed from much of the northern Kingdoms, where the land is tightly policed. Perhaps most famously, the Quellers are known for the combative magical tournaments they hold across Santharia. They use the events for recruitment and to practice their battle magic (the Quellers are particularly skilled in fire magic).

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