Guilds

Furyondy does not have many large and powerful guilds. This is simply because the vast majority of people live off the land, as peasants and farmers. Furyondy has relatively few artisans and professionals. Its cities are not populous; Chendl, for instance, is the capital, but boasts only about 13,000 people. Thus, guild representatives in the Knightly Conclave are not politically powerful. There are a handful of exceptions to this general picture. For instance, the Guild of Master Shipwrights is powerful in the Willip Arsenal and given the members’ vital role as naval engineers, Belvor listens to their views carefully.

Guilds’ power lies in their internal regulation. Guilds protect their privileges jealously. A master artisan selects a young boy or girl he considers to have some worthwhile natural skill, and if the family agrees, the child becomes an apprentice. Training is hard and lengthy. An apprentice may labor up to seven years before becoming a journeyman. Only around a fifth of all journeymen become masters. When the master deems fit, the journeyman is asked to produce a piece of work to the master’s specification. This might be a fine illuminated manuscript, an exceptional set of saddling gear, etc., as befits the nature of the trade. This work is known as the journeyman’s “masterpiece.” If the guild masters deem the work good enough, the journeyman becomes a young master, allowed to apply for a license to set up his own workshop. Some guilds are dominated, in some cities, by one family whose members restrict master status virtually to their own kin.