The Guild of Printers

To Print is to live, and to live is to print. Do you ever wonder how many spellwrits are used each day? The number is in the hundreds. And we printers provide them all. You are entering a long-established guild, my friends, and we are lucky to have you.

Structure

The Guild of Printers is rigidly organised. The highest level of hierarchy comprises the Master Printer, the treasurer of the guild, and the resident spellwriters. Below these come contracted spellwriters, and below this come the print gang leaders and then the rank and file printers. The Master Printer is responsible for all deals of major import that the guild undertakes, and also responsible for what the guild prints at different times. The treasurer ensures that all the finances are sorted as they should be, and is in charge of taking tithes from the printing gangs and chasing up debtors. Resident spellwriters are paid for their work and write exclusively for the guild, allowing it to charge a premium for their work. Contracted spellwriters also write for the guild, but are permitted to write privately and for other parties as well. Typically they are viewed as lesser than print gangs, even though they are technically higher in the order of things. Print gang leaders and the rank and file printers make up the bulk of the guild and are the ones that do all the work, pumping out copies of spellwrits day after day. Print gangs usually work in franchises, operating out of their own properties and earning money based on their individual productivities.

Culture

The Guild of Printers extolls the values of hard work and businesswork, and publicly at least looks down upon those who would use spellwrits for nefarious purposes.
The Guild itself is so powerful now, however, that it is above the influence of the laws of Mythia.  Due to their monopoly on the mass production of spellwrits, they actually supply many of the law enforcement bodies and local healers with their base stocks.  This means that they exert a subtle influence over these bodies and can avoid some charges.  This is not openly acknowledged by the guild but is not condemned either, and influential print gangs also make use of this power.

Public Agenda

The Guild of Printers presents itself as a beneficial for-profit organisation, mass-producing various spellwrits in order to allow their widespread use. They take bulk orders from kings and commoners alike.

Assets

The Guild of Printers owns one hundred and fifty presses spread through all the corners of Mythia, and these have a combined estimated worth of several thousand gold pieces. The Guild of Printers's paper reserves are also valued at a considerable amount, and their combined savings and cash stores are in the tens of thousands. The guild of printers owns official premises in Cada Cratal, and its printing gangs own 170 properties in various settlements around Mythia.

History

The Guild of Printers was established in the late 4th century, after Diar's invention of the press. At this stage it was a very small group, comprising a few like-minded press users who decided it would be easier to negotiate paper and ink deals as a group. After landing several profitable printing jobs, the guild began to expand into the franchise operation it runs today. Its first spellwriter in residence, Kiyonis, gained the guild fame and a certain amount of notoriety due to the nature of his works.
The Guild of Printers has been in trouble with the law multiple times during its history, for various things ranging from being in debt to investigations into misuse of spellwriting.  However, these charges have always been dropped or shown to be fabricated.  Critics of the guild point to its extensive connections with officials in the legal bodies, but no concrete evidence of corruption or bribery has ever been found.

To print is to live, to live is to print.

Founding Date

397

Type

Guild, Professional

Alternative Names

Printers, Ink-monkeys (derogatory), Metal-mashers (derogatory)