Guilds of Tharbad

A recent history of the Guilds of Tharbad is virtually a history of the city itself. The Guilds date back to the arrival of a dissident faction of the glassblowers from Fornost Erain in 840 T.A. The glassblowers soon divided again into guilds more concerned with alchemy and with artistic merit. The lesser guilds, in turn, languished as fraternal organizations that did little more than march at Fairs and High Festivals; that is until King Tarandil reorganized the political and economic structures of his realm beginning in T.A. 1079. Tarandil was burdened with his father's massive debts from a fourty year strife with the Dunledings of Minhiriath. Tarandil realized that his authority had to prevail, and that some form of commodity export was needed. Tarandil determined that sheep (who already outnumbered the people in his kingdom) were his best option. He restructured the law regarding both the lord's and the peasant's ability to own land, and provided subsidies for the guilds that worked wool and mutton and the merchant's who sent it abroad. The guilds soon came to rival even the power of the Hiri (S. "Lords, Barons") The devastation of western Cardolan and the Battle on Tyrn Gorthad led thousands of refugees to migrate to the nearly impregnable bastion of Tharbad. They gathered in Caras Gwanoth, the Shanty Town beyond Tharbad's walls, though there were not enough jobs, residences, or food for them. During the widespread peasant rebellion led by Lamril in T.A. 1234, the guild militia provided the bulk of the forces that defeated the peasant army. The victorious guildsmen also fell upon the Shanty Town on their return, burning it to the ground while massacring most of the unfortunate inhabitants. This led the Canotar to disband the militias but protection has remained one of the primary functions of the guilds.
CURRENT GUILD POLITICS With the tensions that have been growing in Tharbad since the Plague Years, the guilds have obtained an unprecedented popularity. The guilds control all economic activity in the city, and guild membership is virtually a necessity for the common folk. The old triumvirate of the Weavers, Dyers, and Salters/Packers Guilds remain the most numerous in Tharbad; but for that very reason they are desperately poor, and their power has greatly waned from the time they dominated the city. All three of these guilds are fractured into rival factions which makes them quite susceptible to outside influence. The newest, and largest guild is that of the Laborers. They are mostly refugees from the south who came during the Plague Years. They had the sense to organize in proper Tharbadian fashion, and were granted a district to live in that had been gutted in the Great Fire of T. A. 1334. Though numerous, few of the Laborers are wellfed or well-armed, a fact which curtails their influence. The most powerful guilds are those of the Merchants and the Traders; for though relatively small, they control a great deal of money. The Merchants Guild is largely controlled by Dwarves from Moria and Gondorian ship owners. They, of course, have the greatest interest in the stability of the city. The Traders Guild has become so strong that they march in the parades of the cities during the High Festivals. Though quite rich, the Traders Guild is not all that effective. It has come to specialize in the comparatively victimless crimes of smuggling (especially drugs), gambling, and prostitution; a certain degree of complacency has crept in. Of the lesser guilds the Bargemen Free Association and the Seers Guild are probably the most interesting. The number of bargemen in the city varies greatly from week to week and from season to season, and they generally disdain involvement in local politics. However, the Association is actively courted and deferred to, for its robust, brawling members are probably the most decisive and uncommitted factor in the local balance of power.