The Lavigerien Guild
Ailhedenneg
Structure
Throughout years of upheaval and attempts to wrest control of the Guild, control remains largely in the hands of the faction that controls Ailhedenneg of Menez-Mikael. While some chapters of the guild are under the political control of others such as the Kindgom of Gallia control in Gallia, Akitainia and Anjev, various Sidhe lords in the Fortunates Isles and the thumb of the Faith in Tolosa and Arle, the Archimago still holds a vast amount of influence and power, controlling the largest and most operational facility in the network, as well as the techniques and secrets for the operation of the machines and the data they generate.
The Archimago serves as a largely managerial role in the day-to-day operation of the Ailhedenneg of Menez-Mikael, served by an ever-changing number of subordinate Ailhedenner (Ringkeepers), who actually run the machinery and administer the information network. Large satellite facilities, such as those found in Roazhon, Rouan and other locations are operated by appointed Ailhedenner equal in rank and experience to their counterparts at Menez-Mikael.
The Ailhedenner are supported by an army of servants, soldiers, book-keepers and stewards who are delegated tasks to support the monestary like Ailhedenneg complexes. These are trained in their respective occupations, but rarely merit the special education granted to full members of the guild.
The Arvestourien (Observers) rank below the Ailhedenner, often serving as observers in towers and lookout points. These individuals watch the skies and coastlines, recording the movement of the stars, as well as ambulatory landmasses such as phantom islands, as well as ships and windships. These are recorded and relayed to central hubs, and eventually to Menez-Mikael in an effort to keep the models updated and track movement manually. Found in remote towers as well as crowded port towns, the Arvestourien is considered a particularly dangerous branch of the guild, prone to sometimes violent interference and extortion by those who seek to take advantage of the network. As such, many of this level are Arkanists or have a small detachment of mercenaries at their disposal.
The most numerous of the guild's ranked members are the Lavigerien (Navigators), who accompany the ships and windships within the guild's control. By Gallian law, every Windship above a certain crew capacity is required to have a guild Lavigerien aboard, who handles all navigation through areas of Bleed or Faerie. These low-level navigators are paid directly by the ship's company.
Culture
Since the fall of Ys, the Lavigerien Guild has steadily built up a monopoly on the maritime and aerial navigation into Faerie and through the Bleed, squeezing out rival navigators with ruthless efficiency, while also making their services invaluable through an increasingly unstable reality. While some maritime companies attempt to travel without the aid of the Guild, it is rare to find windships who do not have some connection to it. Having a fully bonded guild navigator on a crew is seen as a symbol of prestige and legitimacy, and is required by law in most of the sovereignties of the Western Realms.
Smaller navigators guilds do exist, but these are often destroyed by the Lavigeriens if direct competition is attempted, supported by an army of arkanists and paid mercenaries, as well as sizeable political and commercial influence. The Guild has good relations with many adjacent organizations, such as the Merchantmen.
The majority of the Guild are Bediz , often Boermerzh, with the Tuatha de Danaan and Tempestarii making up significant smaller groups in Faerie and the Bleed. Korrigan are rarely granted full membership, although the Jetin Kriores and some Gargoul troupes have managed to obtain non-ranked positions within the Guild, and have consistently lobbied for full membership. To date, no other Korrigan or Formorian individuals have successfully entered the Guild's roster.
Public Agenda
The Lavigerien Guild is established to administer the Ailhedenneg network, a collection of observatories and complex mechanical maprooms dedicated to recording and predicting the movement of both the stars, phantom islands, and "ambulatory" landmasses, such as the floating islands of Faerie, as well as the movement of ships and windships in relation to these locations. The Guild assists in the navigation of these vessels, establishing routes, avoiding obstacles and reporting on conditions and locations. In addition to the vessels themselves, the Guild will also sell this information to those who seek it, earning a constant flow of income and influence.
Assets
The Ailhedenneg hubs, such as the one at Menez-Mikael, are the primary asset of the Guild, operating similar to self-sufficient monestaries, allow the Guild a significant leg up over any attempted competition, granting them a virtual monopoly over long-range and Faerie navigation. This in turn, has allowed the guild to grow quite wealthy, furthering its own knowledge base and assets, constructing observatories, relay posts and windspires throughout Alvez, as well as sumptuous guildhalls in major cities.
The largest facilities, built during the Empire, are found in Akitainia and Tolosa, although only a small portion of these complexes have been made operational or safe for habitation.
The guild itself controls several small and medium ships and windships to maintain its records, and creates a number of tightly regulated navigational devices that assist its bonded members in navigating on their ships or observing movement from observation towers. Horses, carriages and large stores of supplies are also owned, used in the furtherance of the Guild's mission.
History
The first Ailhedenneg network was created before the Tearing of the Great Veil by the Remusan Empire, with a massive facility in the capitol of Qurṭuba serving as the center of the empire spanning network. With a combination of alchemical and arkane magiks and advanced technology, the Empire was able to track the navigation of its ships in real-time, each outpost and hub synced up with each other. During the First Bleed and the destruction of the Empire, this network was severed, leaving regional hubs crippled and cut off from each other. The ability for real time tracking was lost, although the machinery of many outposts and regional hubs continued to operate unattended.
Protected by alchemical guardians and arkane wards, many facilities were protected against the raiders and unrest in the early centuries of the Secundum Imperium. Numerous attempts were made to reestablish control over the facilities as time went on, with varying degrees of success. The Kingdom of Kernev, under the reign of Gradlon Mwar was the most successful, establishing a new Ailhedenneg facility in Ker-Ys and reactivating the facility at Menez-Mikael. Gradlon's Armillairium network was limited compared to the Imperial model, but was able to track the movement of Phantom Islands and other ambulatory landmasses in the Bleed and Faerie with some level of precision. The ability to track ships was done manually via a system of observatories and smaller facilities, reactivated and rebuilt across the Armorican and Contentin Peninsulas. The Ailhedenneg of Ys was destroyed during the Fall of Ys, with only the facility at Menez-Mikael remaining.
The Ailhedenneg allowed the Arkanists of Menez-Mikael to obtain significant authority and political power, holding a monopoly over travel into faerie and across Bedouar. Their influence spread across Alvez, dominating smaller guilds and maintaining autonomy from the powers of the Sovereigns and the Church. This was not without opposition, with numerous attempts to seize control of the network meeting with varying degrees of success.
Our Rings Open the Skies
Founding Date
32
Type
Information Network
Alternative Names
The Armillairium
Demonym
Lavigerien, Ailhedenner, the Ringkeepers
Leader Title
Location
Controlled Territories
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