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Guilds
Dispite their pristege, talent, and resources, the Swordsmen and Explorer's guilds are not the only societies that exist in Theah. Indeed, a wide variety of powerful professions are organized into guilds that have provided the backgound for many a Hero.
Each guild has three levels of mastery, achieved only through blood, sweat, tears, and little help from Theus. Novices are trained in their profession, and have met the basic requirements to be counted among the numbers of the guild. Docents must have achieved at least 15 reputation specifically from their field of expertise, and have completed a rite given them by their guild. Experts must have achieved 50 reputation directly from their activities as a guild member, and have fulfilled a great quest beseeched upon them from their guild.
Among the guilds of Theah, there are the Merchants' guild, the Smiths' guild, the Culinary guild, the Bards' guild, the Rattoners' guild, the Hunter's Society, and far too numerous Thieves' guilds to count.
Rattoners' Guild
For now, let us explore the Rattoners' guild. A Rattoner, as we all know and love, is a great exterminator of pests, and can be found in every port. They are a looney bunch, using their arts of poetry, music, dance, or even paintings to drive the buggers out, but none can question their abilities when one finds an old bag of flour without a mouse in it.
Novice: As a novice, Rattoners are taught to drive away pests. By making a successful Artist skill roll, a specified number and type of rodents, insects, or even larger pests can be driven away.
| Type of pest | TN | Duration | Mod | Area | Mod | Type | Mod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insects, Roaches | 10 | A week | +0 | House | +0 | Exceptionally Large | +5 |
| Mice, Birds | 15 | A month | +5 | Castle | +5 | Dangerous, Intelligent | +5 |
| Rats, Bats, Snakes | 20 | A year | +10 | Village | +10 | Hive/Nest/Lair/Den | +5 |
| Coyotes, Buzzards | 25 | Permanent | +25 | City | +15 | ||
| Wolves, Children | 30 | Kingdom | +20 |
| How Soon | Mod | How Many | Mod |
|---|---|---|---|
| In a week | -5 | One | -5 |
| In a day | +0 | A few | +0 |
| By the next Scene | +5 | A pack | +5 |
| In a round | +10 | A swarm | +10 |
Expert: An expert has learned the very nature of the beast, and can control them with a succesful Artist Knack check as above, at a +10 TN.
The most famous Rattoner was Saint Sean, who was cannonized for driving out every serpent in the entirety of Inismore. More banal uses of Rattoners are on ships and in castles, for keeping out the vermin from the food.
Hunter's Society
Among the more eccentric guilds of Theah is the Hunter's Society. Originally started as a gentleman's club in eastern Montaign/western Eisen, the Vendel League has begun to recently treat it with equal status to its other guilds. The Hunters' Society regulates the hunting of game, beasts, and monsters in Theah for sport, honor, or profit. It has complete control over poaching laws and penalizes offenders with swift and terrible justice.
Novice: Upon joining the Hunter's Society, characters have full authority to hunt for purposes other than basic survival, and given license to punish poachers with lethal discretion.
Docent: As a docent, a hunter is given access to the society's library. By making an appropriate Lore roll (usually Research), a docent can learn of a beast's habitat, ecology, anatomy, and history. Each raise made on this roll gives one Hunting Die, which can be used like a Drama Die when hunting the specific beast in question. Note that these are not actual Drama Dice, and can only be added to rolls. They do not become experience, but do carry over from session to session, until spent.
Expert: An expert hunter can use Reputation dice as unkept dice for Initiative, Attack, Damage (either given or receiving), or any Hunter knack when on a hunt.
Thieves' Guilds
Throughout the Nations, and particularly in Vodacce, there are groups of the socially unacceptable who make their way in life via the loss of others. While each of these has distinct personalities, philosophies, and methods, they are collectively referred to as Thieves' Guilds.
Each Thieves' Guild is different, but commonly has a hierarchical infrastructure and county wide influences (some of the larger ones have state wide power). Membership costs 6 Hero Points at character creation, and is usually only earned after an arduous initiation rite, many of which require the would-be crook to risk life, limb, and name. After joining, the thief is trained in the guild's secret methods of larceny, defalcation, debauchery, or the ever popular highway robbery. The guild's philosophy and attitudes are ingrained upon the disciple (although the student likely agreed with them before joining), and soon the burglar is a full-fledged member of the institution's ranks.
Each Thieves' Guild has three Knacks attributed to them. Upon joining a particular guild, a character gains a bonus rank in each of these knacks. This may raise the character's rank beyond normal levels, allowing a rank 4 knack at character creation or a rank 6 knack maximum.
Goodfellow's Merry Men
Area of Control: Avalon proper
Description: Hundreds of tales about the famed Robin Goodfellow and his Merry Men abound throughout Avalon, but what the nobles fear most is true: his Merry Men are still around. Experts of the bow, these highway robbers are flippant, irreverent, complete ruffians - and the heroes of the people.
Philosophy: Goodfellow's Merry Men exist to right wrongs and bring about justice. They only strike at those who do not deserve what they have, and often use their resources to aid the needy. Anyone who is pure of heart but poor of luck is welcomed into their ranks, after showing himself trustworthy and fit.
Initiation: New members are usually tempted in some fashion with material wealth and worldly pleasures in order to test their values. A convincing actor is usually placed close to the prospective neonate who then befriends him or her. When the moment is right, the testee's loyalties and values are called into question by his or her new best friend. Those who choose right over their own wants are considered members.
Organization: All members are considered equal brothers, with no one member's say weighing more than any other's. This is the occasion for the most turmoil within the outfit, but there has often been a peacemaker of Goodfellow's fashion who keeps the flames low.
Thieves' Knacks: Ambush, Stealth, Survival
Black Orchid Gang
Area of Control: Most of Vodacce
Description: The mafia known as the Black Orchids are Vodacce's most powerful street gang. Rumors of which merchant prince actually controls the gang abound, but every Vodacce citizen knows not to go out at night in Black Orchid territory.
Philosophy: The Black Orchids are taught to pick their targets wisely, finding the most profit for the least work. Lower echelon members are told that only certain people are off limits, but they would know them when they see them.
Initiation: Initiation into the Black Orchid gang is simple: interrogation for three days straight, without food, light, or sleep. If the initiate survives and proves to be strong of character, he has passed his first test. The second test is survival within the Gang itself, which lasts a lifetime - however long that may be.
Organization: The Black Orchids are rigorously organized into tiers, with the upper ranks being obscured to all but the highest ranked members. Lower tier members are referred to as Boys, Thugs, or Blackjacks, while more prominent members simply have pseudonyms to protect their identities.
Thieves' Knacks: Attack (Dirty Fighting), Pickpocket, Shadowing
l'Oeil du Soleil
Area of Control: Occupied Castille, Southern Montaign
Description: Originally an unnamed espionage guild, l'Oeil du Soleil quickly became the most popular firm for dispensing invaluable courtly and otherwise information when Montegue began to use them for conducting his war against Castille.
Philosophy: Holding loyalties to no individual, house, or nation, a member of l'Oeil du Soleil has no problem for meeting with a client to both hoc his wares and pick up some new tidbits for future use. They hold fierce loyalty to each other and a policy of self-defense only, but all else is fair game.
Initiation: Initiation is a complex game that tests the initiate's wits, perception, guile, and ambitions. They are fed through a Montaign court ball, and later questioned upon their observations. If the answers are satisfying, the member is then asked to do a job freelance. If the job is satisfying to the powers that be, the initiate is allowed into the guild; otherwise, he or she is asked to remain freelance and never hears from l'Oeil du Soleil again.
Organization: The infrastructure of l'Oeil mirrors Montaign's feudal society, with the newest members being referred to as "serfs" until they can obtain a more noble title. The function is mostly for the filtering of the most sensitive secrets from the less established members.
Thieves' Knacks: Acting, Bribery, Unobtrusive
And there are many others...
Last updated:
April 1, 2004
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