"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
Lord Veras Prad of Prad Ironworks
The Drakkellian Alliance is ruled by two hundred and thirty seven guild houses that are united in a political pact of common rules, laws and practices. Guilds vary widely in size. The smallest guilds have only a few dozen members while the largest employ several thousand. Average guild size is about one thousand members, including all staff and servants. While all guild houses have property and representatives in the capital city of Drakkel, most guilds have the bulk of the property and employees elsewhere in the Alliance.
Sigils - It is tradition that every guild have a sigil. This is an iconic representation and is often quite colorful. This sigil is uses the official guild colors and is worked into their coat of arms. This tradition is so well entrenched in the Drakkellian Alliance, that almost all groups, even underworld criminal organizations, social clubs and so forth will also adopt a sigil.
Guilds are owned and operated by noble families and go by the family name (House Xevani, House Amnithor, etc.). Some, though not all, have fanciful names, but these are always secondary and used in formal occasions. The official guild names are as listed above. On the rare occasion that a guild changes ownership to a new noble family, the guild house changes to the new family name.
The Drakkellian Guilds are known for scheming and cloak and dagger alley wars. The larger guilds are often composed of numerous departments and divisions, some of which may scheme on their own against other guilds or sometimes even other divisions within their own guild.
The Book of Guilds is the single most important book in the Drakkellian Alliance. This book is published once every five years by the government. It details all the guilds, their standards, colors, leaders, notes, history and much more. Usually several hundred copies are made (scribed by hand and spell). Typically every guild will have one copy. They are usually bound in leather and quite decorative. They are quite valuable as well. A current edition sells for about 50 gold pieces and is only available to guilds, nobles, city officials and certain other important people. Even editions that are out of date are still considered valuable and very old editions are collector's items.
Listed below is a small sampling of some of the guilds.
| Guild Name | Guild Master | Size | Sigil | Description |
| Amnithor | Sotan Amnithor | 26,400 | Sword and Spear crossed beyind a Heater Shield | House Amnithor is a "war guild" that provides the bulk of the armies of the Drakkellian Alliance. House Amnithor provides militia companies, individual trained mercenary soldiers, siege weaponary and more for anyone who can pay. |
| Xevani | Etian Xevani | 25,200 | Crystal | House Xevani controls most mining that occurs throughout the Drakkellian Alliance. It's products include quarried stone, precious stones, iron, copper, gold, methkari crystals, crafted glass products and processed orichalcum. |
| Tenney | Saeg Tenney | 24,900 | Ship | House Tenney is the wealthiest of all the Drakkellian guildhouses because of the sheer scale of its product. This guild produces sea going vessels - from sleek rowboats to full sized galleys. Lord Tenney is one of the wealthiest men in all the realms. Side businesses of this guild include fishing, seafood, transportation of goods by sea, fishing gear and other nautical equipment. |
| Prad | Veras Prad | 24,750 | Horseshoe, two nails | Also known as Prad Ironworks. Prad Ironworks produces a wide spectrum of military goods. Mostly iron weapons and armor. It also produces a miscellany of other iron goods (horse shoes, plows, nails) and bows, crossbows, arrows and bolts. Lord Prad is from Vorrik and brings a great deal of their metal work skill with him. Prad Ironworks began as one of the three copper guilds that gave Copperton its name. It still does a great deal of copper smithing. |
| Aldair | Nekari Aldair | 23,100 | Flowering bush | House Aldair's specialty is plants and plant based products. It's main products include vegetables, fruits, wheat, rice, barley, culinary herbs, spices and tobacco. It also dabbles in related products (cotton, dyes, rope, wicker products, lumber and flowering plants). Most of House Aldair's business is land-based, but it does have four ships which sail far and wide to obtain more exotic plant products such as sugar cane, coffee beans and cocoa beans. These rare delicacies fetch a high price. |
| Taragon | Zaus Taragon | 21,950 | Black hoof and claw prints on white. | House Taragon specializes in animals, animal training and animal products. Beef cattle and pigs are the staple of the company. Taragon also deals in other useful animals: cats, birds, sheep and wool, dogs and dog training, horses and horse training. Taragon beef is a well known brand name in Drakkel. |
| Kovosh | Aerin Kovosh | 20,600 | A green tree on yellow. | House Kovosh specializes in harvesting and processing lumber and producing wooden goods with that lumber. Trees are harvested from forests throughout the southern lands and transported, via wagon and ship, back to Drakkel. Kovosh merchandise includes wagons, chariots, wooden furniture, stout shields, log cabins and small wooden boats. |
| Dellecir | Keiken Dellecir | 19,450 | A dark grey boot on white. | Garments, footwear, cloaks, gloves, belts, leather goods, clothing accessories, jewelry, masks, saddles, saddle bags. |
| Kendrick | Samryn Kendrick | 18,225 | Two Grey Towers on Green | House Kendrick specializes in construction, architecture, masonry, landscaping, garden care, demolition of buildings, orchard maintenance and other large scale building/land projects. |
| Bresslar | Aen Bresslar | 16,000 | A gold mask and silver harp on black. | Art and literature, exotic pieces of art, fine wines, fine cheeses, musical instruments, entertainers, traveling troupes, bards, gems and jewelry, money exchange, plays, stage performances, musical compositions, commissioned art, sculptures. House Bresslar is small, but wealthy and caters to the social elite of Drakkel. |
| Barrolyn | Tarrel Barrolyn | 15,940 | A grey bull's head on light blue. | Specializes in cattle, particularly samassar beef. Trades with many nations including Anquar in Qeshir. Uses independent cargo ships for transporting goods |
| Dagrari | Kalryn Dragari | 14,000 | A green dragon on a field of black. | A wealthy and powerful guild that dabbles in dozens of products and forms of trade. House Dagrari has ties with the Drakkellian Guild of Sorcery. It is also rumored to dabble in various underworld trading. Kalryn Dragari's elder brother is a very high ranking member of the Order of the Vile, although few people know this. |
| Tyrilun | Ard Tryilun | 13,850 | A white trident on a green field. | Guild Tyrilun operates a large fishing fleet and has also purchased the rights to several exclusive fishing grounds in the sea. They are the only entity legally allowed to fish in these areas. Tyrilun also harvests crab and a variety of shellfish. |
| Danysus | Ashrane Danysus | 12,500 | A yellow wine cup on a blue field. | Operates dozens of orchards and vineyards. Is the single largest winery in operation in the Alliance. |
| Fieranoth | Keld Fieranoth | 11,200 | A yellow and orange phoenix on red. | Blacksmith guild. Specializes in production of steel weapons, armor and other iron goods. |
| Landry | Dran Landry | 10,700 | Silver snake coiled on a green field. | At the very heart of Guild Landry is a group of skilled alchemists. However, the guild also employs a number of crafts and arts that support alchemy. They have gatherers who collect wild alchemical ingredients from the forests. They have a glass blower subguild that manufactures bottles, vials and other glasswork. They maintain several large orchards and gardens and a large nature preserve outside of the city. The guild makes a fair bit of coin off of these tangent industries by selling fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, glassware and so forth. But the most famous products from this guild are its alchemical creations - medicines, poultrices, healing salves and a wide variety of potions, both magical and mundane. |
| Darrane | Darrane Brothers | 10,300 | White skull on black | Led by a pair of brothers known around the city as the Darrane Brothers. The elder brother is Kal and the younger brother is Heyn. |
| Aldrayun | Samrick Aldrayun | 9,800 | Three white stars on burgundy | This guild specializes in naval security, anti-piracy and shipping. They have a small fleet of twelve ships and are often hired to escort other ships. They are frrequently hired by the government to help deal with pirates. And, on more than one occasion, they have been hired by a lord or wealthy merchant for specific (and usually very secret) assignment that involves sea travel. |
| Cidian | Torr Cidian | 9,400 | Flame | Oil production, naptha, greek fire and acids. To a lesser degree, this guild also produces lanterns, torches and candles. This guild also harvests lumber and sells firewood. |
| Adena | Ragesh Adena | 9,000 | Spider | Publicly, this guild specializes in the healing arts and produces a broad number of healing ointments, salves and medicinal potions. They also sell herbs and certain foods that are believed to have healing properties. In this regard, Guild Adena competes somewhat with Guild Landry. However, Guild Adena specializes more on healing and even runs a hospital in the city that caters to anyone who can pay. Known to very few is Guild Adena's speciality... the study and manufacture of poisons and antidotes. This is the guild to talk to if you need a rare poison or an antidote to save your life. Of course, such products are quite expensive and this function of the guild is not advertised. |
| Elera | Jex Elera | 8,400 | Eye | Like most guilds, Guild Elera has a public face and a more private face. Publicly, Guild Elera functions as an security and investigative police force. This guild provides security officers and guards for a fee. For a larger fee, one can hire a professional investigator. Behind closed doors, Guild Elera operates an underworld network of information brokers, spies and informants. This guild pays well to know what is going on in the city and sells that information to interested parties for a fee. |
| Ormorand | Delryn Ormorand | 8,000 | Dagger and Chain Crossed | Slave trading guild. Chief importer and seller of slaves. Also, runs a debtor's prison in the city and processes indentured servants. Assists the city with paperwork involved with debtors, indentured servants, serfs, slaves and so forth. Does tattoo work for debt tattoos. This guild also runs a whore house in Drakkel where all the girls are slaves. This guild is run by Baron Delryn Ormorand, an obese man with curly red hair and a short cropped beard. |
| Qaigen | Alia Qaigen | 7,150 | Gold Sun, Green Island, Blue Sky, Blue Horizon | Kalimuran technology, exotic plants and animals, curios, relics, art objects. Qaigen is one of the few houses to consistently conduct trade with the other two continents. Its small fleet of ships risks the long and dangerous journey to trade with cultures far beyond Ithria. Each of House Qaigen's twelve ships is manned by a security team of 12 warriors, a healer and a sea mage to help deal with the dangers of such a voyage. House Qaigen is also the only house to regularly obtain rare items of technology from Kalimura. |
| Haegan | Tarik Haegan | 6,600 | Open Hand | Specializes in common and skilled labor of all kinds. Acts as an employment guild for skilled craftsman. Rents unskilled laborers out to other guilds. Also, acts as an agency for mercenaries, sellswords and adventuring companies. |
| Vordune | Tal Vordune | 6,000 | Hammer | Guild Vordune is a simple guild with a simple function... the quarrying and working of stone. They operate several quarries throughout Alliance territory and produce a wide variety of stonework. From new construction to complex repairs, from basic curtain walls and towers to finely sculpted statues, their work is unequalled. This guild has no underworld connections and is known for integrity and honor. |
| Winari | Alden Winari | 5,800 | Red Book and Silver Quill on white | Guild Winari is the academic guild of the lot. This guild employs a great number of scholars and sages. These men and women perform a variety of scholarly services for a price: maintaining and researching historical information, translation, transcribing, dictation, cartography and library services. House Winari also produces the tools of its trade: paper, vellum, parchment, ink and book binding. Finally, House Winari employs a number of sorcerers and manufacturers potions, charms, amulets of protection and other enchanted objects of limited power. |
| Athora | Jan Athora | 5,200 | Key | Guild Athroa specializes in physical security. That is, the physical walls, bars and locks that prevent unauthorized access. They have stone cutters, blacksmiths and locksmiths in their employ. They build and repair prison cells, barred doors, locks of every kind and strongboxes of all sizes. |
| Nyroth | Del Nyroth | 4,700 | Rose | Flowers and herbs |
| Suldar | Yissa Suldar |
4,100 | Wheel and Gear | Mechanical construction, specialty metalwork |
| Vanir | Thal Vanir | 3,900 | Castle | Specializes in construction. |
| Shagathar | Kaelin Shagethar | 3,500 | Fist | A high end security guild that specializes in highly trained, battle hardened warriors and gladiators. Prices vary, but some of their best warriors cost up to 50 silver pieces per day. Such elite warriors come with their own weapons, armor, gear and steeds. This guild is known around Drakkel as "The Iron Brigade". |
| Joagar | Gib Joagar | 3,300 | Bow | Specializes in the manufactuer of bows, crossbows, arrows and quarrels. Employs hundreds of arrowhead smiths, fletchers, bowyers and archers. Chief supplier of bows and arrows to the city. Also lends units of skilled archers to the city, mercenary companies and other guilds for a price. |
| Kyrandal | Lyster Kyrandal | 3,200 | Leaf, cluster of grapes and 3 seeds | Agriculture, orchards and wine. Run by an eccentric guild master who is a collector of many things. |
| Qualyn | Ned Qualyn | 2,800 | Chisel | Bricks and stone masonry. Allied with House Dragari. Ned Qualyn is only a lesser lord in Drakkel and runs a smaller guild, but he has a few powerful friends in the city. |
| Uskran | Nell Uskran | 2,700 | Sun and Moon | Jeweler |
| Jigar | Tori Jigar |
2,600 | Sword, Axe, Arrow | Weapon smith. |
| Darshyl | Iyamer Darshyl | 2,000 | Sextant | Navigation tools, maps |
| Beladra | Tania Beladra | 1,800 | Fishhook | Fishing industry |
| Merrill | Turley Merrill | 1,500 | Winged Sword | Produces the finest bows, arrows, crossbows and bolts in the Alliance. |
| Draycott | Aston Draycott | 1,000 | Hammer and Pick crossed | A small mining and quarrying guild. Also employs many stone cutters. Captain of the guard of this house is a man named Kelliran of Fynd. |
| Rathadon | Kaezar Rathadon | 420 | Black wolf and white sheep rampant on blue. | House Rathadon is a small guild that specializes in pelts, textile and products derived from those two sources including clothing, fine suits, tapestries, cloaks and so forth. It purchases and imports fine furs, bolts of silk, raw wool, cotton, hemp, flax and dyes from local sources, but also from lands throughout Ithria and Aggradar. It has a single ship, the Jester, that is always on the move and makes the voyage to Aggradar twice a year. House Rathadon has about 420 employees in total. It is not a wealthy guild. |
| Burkar | Marrek Burkar | 240 | A Horn over a Stylized Sea Wave | A very small guild, known locally as Burkar Imports, specializes in importing goods for Qeshir with a focus on spice and silks from the Padashan Empire and wool, steel, horses and marble from Anquar. However, Burkar Imports is actually the public face of a criminal organization known as the Sea Rakers. This criminal group makes its money through piracy, smuggling, kidnapping and extortion. Both the public face of Burkar Imports and the secret Sea Rakers group operate as one organization and have a total of about 240 members, guards and employees. |
Lesser Houses: Vaygor, Ardor, Drayer, Faldmor, Erlich, Rathadon, Syroth, Quandatha, Kallye, Ranalla, Warlore, Borada
This page last updated Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Copyright 1990-2009 David M. Roomes.