Miner's Guild
The Miner's Guild is responsible for over 90% of the precious metals and gems that come into Kureta, and a large percentage of regular metals too. They operate out of the Bounty Mine and are comprised mostly of dwarves.
The current leader of the Miner's Guild is a Dwarf called Troggon Rocksmasher, who holds the title of "Minemaster".
Structure
The leader of the Miner's Guild is known as the "Minemaster". This person is responsible for overseeing all activities within the mine, including both the industrial and mercantile sides of the business, as well as maintaining overall rulership of the town of Bounty Mine.
Underneath the Minemaster, various "Deep Wardens" oversee the day-to-day activities of the mine, reporting everything to the Minemaster.
The guild then consists of numerous miners, merchants and various other workers who keep the business going.
Also working within the mines, are several prisoners from across Kureta, who are sent to work for the guild as part of their punishment.
Public Agenda
The Miner's Guild provide over 90% of Kureta's rare metals and gems, as well as a decent amount of common metals like iron, copper and nickel. This alone makes the guild one of the wealthiest organisations in the country. The Miner's Guild is not allowed to mint their own currency, however, so must trade with other towns and cities to fill their coffers with spendable coins.
Above all else, the Miner's Guild is a mercantile powerhouse. With control over much of the country's rare metals and gemstones, they effective have a monopoly on the marketplace. For most of their time in operation, they have maintained a good relationship with the capital, and prices have remained fair. However, they have been known to inflate prices at times, particularly when the ruling Minemaster wants something they're not getting.
Assets
The full value of The Bounty Mine is known only to the Minemaster and the treasurer of the mines. It is estimated that the guild at any time holds over 250,000GP worth of raw materials, however.
There are estimated to be between 200-300 dwarves working as part of the guild, with an additional 20-30 humans who live in the Topside Apartments.
History
The Miner's Guild was established in 642 KCB, making it one of the country's longest standing organisations. The founders of the guild were the original discoverers of the mine, a group of dwarves who were searching for a suitable location in the mountains to build a new settlement. When searching for their new home, they found lumps of gold ore in what is now known as Bounty Lake. After a period of exploration, they continued to discover more and more veins of metals and gemstones, uncovering what is now known as the largest mining operation in the country.
The incredible volume and variety of produce from the mines has been a topic of discussion for some years. Many believe that the mine was a blessing from Afflencia The Goddess, as the only reasonable explanation for the centuries of wealth that have been excavated. Scholars argue that it must have been a result of the wild Magic in nature that is often seen across the land. It is hypothesised that an ongoing magical effect must be creating the rare metals and gems, as any natural mine would have depleted some time ago.
The mine has had a number of troubles over the year, including the discovery of dangerous subterranean beasts. In the 700's, a group of dwarves led by the hero Kelvir were mining a newly found platinum vein when they broke into a deep cavern. Their mining had disturbed a long-slumbering beast - now awoken - which threatened to destroy the dwarves, and potentially everything around them. Knowing that they couldn't let the beast leave, the dwarves did battle with the creature; and all but Kelvir were slain. The Dwarf dug down deep and woke a slumbering beast of his own - his berserker spirit. Clutching his great hammer - Earthshatter - the Dwarf crushed the creature's skull, seemingly destroying it. Upon closer inspection however, the beast seemed to still live as it possessed some self-healing ability. Not knowing what else to do, Kelvir used the power of his hammer to collapse the tunnels around him, sealing the creature - and himself - for good. Kelvir was never heard from again, but the deep dwarves remember his noble spirit for its bravery and strength till this day.
In 1768 KCB, the miner's uncovered the lair of an Earth Dragon, which caused several deaths until it was defeated by The Unlikely Association.
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