Guilds of Martapa

The guilds which populate Martapa encompass many things. There are guilds for virtual every trade, there are Finder's Guilds, and even Mage Guilds. Their size and scope depend on where they are located and which trade they belong to.

Trade's guilds cover everything from carpenters to merchant businesses. Most require dues in the form of five to ten percent of what ever the person or business makes. This money goes to training apprentices, paying for guards (if applicable) and paying for bribes if needed in certain areas. They also pay for housing and medical help if the person is injured on the job. Some guilds also give a benefit to the spouse of a guild member if they are killed on the job. Those who come to an area and are not part of the guild are severely frowned upon and may be asked to leave by not so pleasant means. The guild has a simple hierarchy, one leader per guild, who reports to one overall leader of all the guilds of that type in Tridon. In Tridon, most main guilds are in Stormvale. I should clarify that there are associations in Ariella which might be construed as guilds, but they are all overseen by the Emperor's people, so they aren't as free as the northern guilds. Their structure is similar, but tightly monitored.

The two most numerous and powerful guilds would most certainly be the Finder's Guild and Mage Guild. The Mage Guild has a presence in every major House and their main hall is in Stormvale. Their primary purpose is to train up and coming mages and to make sure they are not abused by people of power, since magic can be used improperly by these political figures. But, of course, politics does wrap itself around the Mage Guilds and if the leaders of such guilds want to stay in power they sometimes give into the political pressure. Most mages train for five to ten years, depending on their ability and power. They come in at around the age of majority, maybe a little sooner. There are exceptions, of course, like Duncan the farmer from my series who goes when he's about forty. Their normal dues is 10% of any income and in most places being a guild member is mandatory, though there are always those who refuse to participate. For the dues, members get training, a safe place to research and a place to retire if need be. Most senior mages are required to teach at the guilds to pass on their knowledge.

The Finder's Guild is the respectable front of the Thief's Guild. These people can be hired to find a person, object, or information and retrieve said object or person if need be. This arm of the Thief's guild is very reputable. In fact they go to great pains to ensure they stay within the law and satisfy their customers' needs. Sometimes they use the information the obtain to help with a heist, but they never mix the business of the Finder's Guild with the theif and assassin end of business. These members pay low dues, usually around 1 to 2 percent, because some of the information they find for customers bring large pay offs for the Thief's Guild later on. But their fees are high because they have such a high success rate. A Finder's Guild can be found in every major city all over Martapa. The guild provides information and lay over places for both theives and finders. Retirement is in the form of food and clothing, as long as they help train up and coming finders and maintain their network of sources.

Your players can come into contact with any of the guilds for various reasons. They need information, one of them is mage. Maybe they have a skill that requires membership in a guild. The number of guilds is limitless and can be good background group for any adventure.
Tomorrow: Houses of Martapa, Part I