Artificers Guild

The Artificers Guild is an organization of scientists, technicians, and inventors dubbed as "Artificers" dedicated to developing arcane technologies. Although they claim political neutrality, they hold significant political influence in almost every county and have outposts in most major cities. Mixing magic items, spells, elemental power, and steam-powered tools, they are responsible for the creation of firearms, skyships, sentinels, railways, automatons, arcane prothesis, and various other magipunk inventions across Avalor.
The Artificers Guild is the largest artificing organization in the world. Not all artificers are part of the Artificers Guild—it can be rather difficult to obtain membership in some areas—but those who are have a vast network of like-minded individuals to aid them in their research and a whole structure to facilitate the funding of their experiments and projects.
The organization's main headquarters is in the gnomish city-state of Zwisterboorn, although it has guildhalls all over Eastern Vidrea, Northern Malidor, and Aberran. It was founded in 1005 PD by a like-minded group of rock gnome inventors and quickly grew in size as their creations gained repute. Scientists and engineers of many different backgrounds began to flock to Zwisterboon wanting to work alongside them or pitch ideas. The guild established its first branch in Port Cristo in 1027 PD, and in 1042 PD, began expansion overseas with the construction of its complex in Blackstone.
Artificers vary in race and origin. Although the majority of the Artificers Guild consists of gnomes, many dwarves and humans have risen among its ranks. Despite the name, not all members of the Artificers Guild are strictly artificers in practice. The guild's rankings consist of a whole variety of arcane practitioners, enchanters, and alchemists, and it employs a variety of smiths, carpenters, and other craftsmen to help with construction. Criteria for joining the guild differs depending on the branch. All Artificers are distinguished by an enchanted copper lily medallion.
The official language of the Artificers Guild is Dwarvish, as it is a nice middle ground for members; it shares an alphabet with Gnomish, which is spoken by the guild's founding population of rock gnomes, and it is an easy language for anyone who has mastered Common to learn. Although, most people would be hard-pressed to find an artificer actually speaking the language day-to-day. The majority of members speak Common, while others are enthusiastic to learn Draconic due to its arcane roots or Gnomish due to its vast backlog of unique literature.

Goals

The guild has two main rules: remain politically neutral and discourage the mass-production of weapons. These rules are somewhat controversial, and as a result, many artificers refuse to associate with the guild—some even loathe it. The guild's rules may seem simple, but they have proven increasingly more difficult to abide by as the organization has expanded and invented on much larger scales. Secrets behind the guild's innovations have a tendency to find their way outside of Artificers Guild doors (as was the case with firearms), and many of its own members defy its rules.
Public perception of the guild differs from place to place and person to person. Most nations celebrate the guild's inventions as being for the betterment of Avalor, while others revile the organization, denouncing its creations and brewing all manner of conspiracies revolving around constructing evil automatons, arming certain militaries with advanced weaponry, and slowly taking power in an effort to establish a new world order.
In reality, the Artificers Guild is a complex organization with no true overarching goal. It is much less centralized than people seem to think, and intentions vary from branch to branch. Some members may be crooked, but the vast majority merely want to exercise their brains and build something new. A thirst for knowledge and drive for discovery unites the guild, with most members seeking to invent for the betterment of Avalor.

Relationships

The Artificers Guild tries to remain autonomous and neutral, but this is hardly the case. Throughout Avalor, many branches of the guild have meddled in politics both directly and indirectly, forming all manner of relationships with local and national governments.
Government respect of the Artificers Guild varies. The Artificers Guild is warmly welcomed in Zwisterboorn, where its headquarters has remained since the organization's founding. Most of the nations of the Sea of Riches, from the Capsian Republic to the Edessan League, see the Artificers Guild as a net positive, welcoming their skyships and guildhalls into their borders with occasional regulations.
Aberran has had a lucrative relationship with the Artificers Guild, which has used the continent as testing grounds for a number of major projects. Miles Ironfist of the Blackstone branch of the guild built the first sentinels, and the governments of Kaldor and Tilly allowed the first lightning rails to be built between the cities of Blackstone, Vercourt, and Mistral.
Other nations have lesser views of the guild. The Xvimnian Alliance sees the importance of their technology, but is unwilling to allow the guild to establish a branch within their borders, instead hiring ex-guild members to replicate their inventions and only allowing the guild to operate skyports in Khaveran Dynasty territory. The nations of Cyril completely reject the guild, fearing its technology and banning it entirely.

Figures of Interest

Driven by curiosity and the desire to further technology, the diverse craftsmen of the Artificers Guild seek to innovate and advance humanity.

Councillor Julian Lysander

Male human
Councillor Julian Lysander is a member of the Artificers Council and head of the Aberran branch of the guild. He is young, bright, and cunning. Lysander has managed multiple projects in recent years that have led to some of the guild's most important innovations, and he has negotiated a handful of arrangements with local governments that have made the Artificers Guild a force to be reckoned with in Aberran. He is responsible for the construction of the guild's first lightning rails and providing the resources for Miles Ironfist to construct the first sentinels. Unbeknownst to many, he helped organize a coup in Blackstone and, with the cooperation of King Rutherford, institute democracy in the city. He holds a close relationship with Blackstone's mayor, Titus Scott, and helped facilitate the city's adoption of sentinels as guards.

Miles Ironfist

Male mountain dwarf
Miles Ironfist is one of the brightest minds in the Artificers Guild. A member of the Aberran branch and Julian Lysander's right-hand man, he has gained increased recognition in the last few decades for creating the first Creation Forge and constructing the first living construct, a sentinel dubbed "Wanderer Mark I". With the help of Lysander, he invented a means of mass-producing sentinels, who now populate various nations across Avalor in small numbers and work as guards, laborers, and craftsmen. In recent years, he has taken a particular interest towards explosives of varying elemental forms.

Founding Date

1005 PD

Type

Guild, Craftsmen