A guild is like a labor union. To work in
Lankhmar or any city for that matter, a person usually must belong to a guild. Some occupations are not guilded, but these are rare exceptions. For example. there is no guild for farmers.
To become a guild member, the applicant must pay an entrance fee. The size of the fee depends upon the prestige of the guild. Every season the members of the guild must pay dues to the guild. This money is to be used to advance the guild and the profession it represents. As one might expect, much of it ends up lining the wallets of the guild officials.
Most guilds provide training programs and facilities for their apprentices. This is in addition to working full time as an apprentice for a journeyman or master of the guild. The apprentices are usually youths.
Anyone caught working in a guilded profession that is not a guild member is dealt with harshly. Usually, a few rented bullies from
Slayer are sent to threaten the abuser and give him a chance to enrich the coffers of the guild. If that doesn't work, those same bullies might rough him up and damage his property. Failing that, the guild breaker is killed.
If a person only works occasionally at a guilded profession he might be left alone; it costs guild money to hire toughs from
Slayer. Some other exceptional circumstances are recognized. For example, if the guild breaker is a noble, the guild usually looks the other way. In
General, if it is more trouble to deal with the guild breaker than it is to leave him alone, the freelancer is left alone.
Most guilds are broken into four ranks: apprentice, journey man, master, and guild officials. A guild member must work his way up the ladder, spending several years at each rank. Each guild has its method of choosing its guild officials. Some do it by vote, others do it by personal competition. In
Lankhmar, usually, the most influential candidate gets the position.
Each of the four ranks has an associated
Social Rank. This is the minimum
Social Rank that a member with that guild rank has. These numbers may change as the guild's overall influence changes. The guild master is always one
Social Rank above the other guild officials. The guild master operates as the dictator or the
King of that guild.
Animal Handlers' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 1O GR/1 GR
This guild is a part of the
Society of Joyous and Sorrowful Comedians,
Rapturous Playactors,
Graceful Dancers, and
Melodious Songsters (Entertainers' Guild for short). They can train animals of any size or type. Every year this guild puts on a circus to raise money. Occasionally they are called upon to perform for the
Overlord.
Order of Apothecaries
- Entrance fees & dues: 20 GR/2 GR
Members of this guild are qualified to make balms, potions, and draughts. They are a part of the
Fellowship of Physicians. On occasions they have been known to make
Poisons for prestigious individuals or
Slayer.
Architects' Guild
- Entrance fees & dues: 50 GR/3 GR
As a part of the Stone Masons' Guild, they design floorplans for buildings and other structures. By
Lankhmarian law, any building higher than one story or larger than four rooms must have a floorplan designed by the Architects' Guild. The floorplan is not necessarily used, but the guild lobbied hard for this law to draw extra revenues.
Artificers' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 80 GR/5 GR
These skilled metal workers build intricate devices. Locks of all sorts and sizes are the majority of their trade. However, any type of mechanical device can be attempted. This guild is attached to the Blacksmiths' Guild, but occasionally works with precious metals.
Astrologers' Consortium
- Entrance fees & dues: 5 GR/ 1 GR
The members of this guild are very independent. It is difficult to get a decision from them as a group. Normally this would result in a very low influence. However, since their profession is to predict the future, they actually have tremendous influence. The guild master is usually the personal astrologer of the
Overlord. This guild is attached to the Sorcerers' Guild.
Beggars' Guild
- Entrance fees & dues: 1 GR/ 1 BA
The members of this guild have a sense of dignity that is unusual considering their profession. They practice and study the art of disguise and acting. Those under their employ are not beggars, they are spies. They watch every inch of the city streets and live pleasantly with the coin this gains them.
Blacksmiths' Guild
- Entrance fees & dues: 10 GR/ 2 GR
- Attached Guilds: Artificers' Guild
These smiths work with base metals such as iron and copper. They mostly make weapons, armor, and horse shoes. Most of the guild's members dislike those of the Whitesmith's Guild because of the Whitesmiths' arrogance and sense of superiority.
Carpenters' Cadre
- Entrance fees & dues: 10 GR/ 2 GR
- Attached Guilds: Shipwrights', Wainwrights'
By
Lankhmarian law, all wooden structures higher than one story and having more than four rooms must be built by members of the Carpenters' Cadre. They contract out to the Architects' Guild for floor plans. Many times in the past this has led to bad blood between these guilds. The carpenters would rather be able to make their own floor plans, but the law (see Architects' Guild) forbids it.
Deck Hands' Clan
- Entrance fee & dues: 2 GR/ 2 SS
This is a small guild in
Lankhmar. There are many deckhands in the world, but few of them claim a home in any single port. Those sailors that do belong to the Deck Hands' Clan. It consists of rowers, swabbies, rig setters, etc. The higher ranks are cargo masters, and helmsmen. This guild is attached to the Starsman and Navigators' Guild.
Embalmers' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 2 GR/ 2 SS
The members of this guild are grave diggers, pall bearers, embalmers, and funeral choreographers. They contract out to the Carpenters' Guild and the Order of Apothecaries for supplies. This guild is a part of the Fellowship of Physicians. All embalmers are considered unclean and low in the social order of the city.
Heralds' and Messengers' Gulld
- Entrance fee & dues: 1O GR/ 2 GR
This is a small, but useful guild. It was founded by an extortionist who forced wealthy people and organizations to pay him to leave their messengers alone. Anyone not complying had to deal with an irate partner when a false message was delivered. Eventually, it became its own guild. It no longer extorts money, but merely offers a service. In recent times neighborhood criers have been included in the guild.
Usually the messenger is protected against falsification by either memorizing the message or carrying it coded. The best codemakers and decoders in
Lankhmar work for the Heralds' and Messengers' Guild.
Jewellers' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 120 GR/ 25 GR
This guild consists of buyers and sellers of gems and jewelry. The Whitesmiths' Guild is a part of the Jewellers' Guild. They are among the wealthiest and most socially accepted guilds in
Lankhmar; money and
Social Rank go hand in hand in the city of the black toga.
Order of the Joyous and Sorrowful Comedians, Rapturous Playactors, Graceful Dancers, and Melodious Songsters
- Entrance fee & dues: 4 GR/ 1 GR
- Attached Guilds: Animal Trainers'
The name of the Entertainers' Guild was changed by a recent longwinded guildmaster. He had all signs and billboards in the city changed. Further, he required that the master of each troup have the new guild title painted and embroidered onto its equipment. To date, the cost of changing the title has not been worth the effort. That may change in the future. Entertainers are very popular in
Lankhmar.
Laborers' and Toilers' Brotherhood
- Entrance fee & dues: 1 GR/ 1 SS
- Attached Guilds: Taters' and Carters'
Groups of unskilled laborers are hired from this guild. Unlike other guilds, the brotherhood gets most of its money from outside sources hiring its members. Its member's dues are insignificant. Although they are not a powerful lobbying force, the brotherhood did manage to get a law instituted. It reads that any group of five or more laborers working for more than one day must be mem bers of the Laborers' Guild.
Merchants' Consortium
- Entrance fee & dues: 40 GR/ 10 GR
- Attached Guilds: Architects'
This guild is a very loose organization. It exists mainly to milk foreign merchants of their money and to provide legal protection for
Lankhmar's merchants. The consortium sets their dues and entrance fees so that they are slightly less than the city's tariff on foreign merchants. As a result, most of the incoming foreign merchants must join and pay dues to the consortium to avoid the city's price. The
Overlord is not pleased about this, which is why much of the guild's money is spent on legal protection.
There are several major factions within the Merchants' Consortium. They are organized by their type of trade. Some
Common factions are the spice merchants, silk and finery merchants, and precious metals merchants. These factions account for the looseness of the Merchants' Consortium. If they all had the same interests, they would have more influence in
Lankhmar.
Moneylenders' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 100 GR/ 25 GR
This wealthy and influential guild is
Lankhmar's equivalent of a bank. They loan money at high-interest rates, usually 10% to 30% a month. Any foreign currency can be exchanged for
Lankhmarian coin or vice versa by members of this guild. The price is usually 10% of the amount being changed.
The guild has an excellent working relationship with
Slayer to insure regular payments on loans through the Fences' Guild. Moneylenders are thought of as being dirty, despite their wealth. This is not helped greatly by their associa tion with the two guilds mentioned. The social ranks listed above reflect these facts.
House of Pain
- Entrance fee & dues: 1O GR/ 1 GR
As a division of the
Slayer, this guild is responsible for all tortures and public executions. In a future world, it might be said that they have a government contract. By
Lankhmarian law, only a guild member may perform official tortures or executions of prisoners. The city must, of course, pay for their services.
Fellowship of Physicians
- Entrance fee & dues: 25 GR/ 4 GR
- Attached Guilds: Apothecaries, Embalmers
Medical science in
Lankhmar is not very advanced. Most treatments are ineffective, although physicians always claim that other circumstances were to blame. A physician can remove an arrowhead or other foreign object from a person's body so long as it is close to the surface. They frequently use leeches and potions from the Order of Apothecaries. Unlike the other treatments, the potions can be remarkably effective.
House of Pleaders
- Entrance fee & dues: 20 GR/ 5 GR (x soc. rank)
This guild consists of professional pleaders. They perform the dual role of lawyer and lobbyist. Any case that needs to be pleaded to the government is done through a pleader. Most of them are experts at bribery. The street name for a pleader is a "mouth." The House of Pleaders frowns upon that term.
House of Red Lanterns
- Entrance fee & dues: 8 GR/ 1 GR
These people sell their bodies for the pleasure of those who can afford their services. The guild controls and protects its members very effectively. They have a good relationship with the Slayers which provides some of the protections.
Scribes' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 8 GR/ 2 GR
- Attached Guilds: Thinkers'
The only money-making part of the Thinkers' Fraternity, the scribes are the official recorders of the city. By law one must be present to record the happening of any official occasion, regardless of how trivial or silly. For example, the events of every parade in
Lankhmar are duly written down by the scribes, but not one has ever been used. The guild is responsible for the storage and upkeep of these records.
Shipwrights' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 16 GR/ 3 GR
All ships of any size are built by this guild. They are a part of the Carpenters' Cadre. Boats are an exception to the law that requires architects plans to build large wooden structures. Once, for a year, they were forced to follow the architect's plans. The resulting ships were so unseaworthy that few of them made it out of the harbor. The
Overlord allowed the shipwrights an exception to the law.
Slayer
- Entrance fee & dues: 40 GR/ 10 GR
- Attached Guilds: Extortionists'
This guild is one of the most powerful in
Lankhmar. Most of the city's professional ruffians belong to it. When a person or organization needs fighting men they call upon the
Slayer (since the
Overlord only lends his garrisons to nobles with extreme and legitimate causes).
Slayer is on good terms with the guilds in
Lankhmar, usually because of their sinister reputation.
Sorcerers' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 80 GR/ 15 GR
Attached Guilds: Extortionists'
Apprentice: 2nd
Social Rank
Journeyman: 3rd
Social Rank
Master: 4th
Social Rank
Guild Officials: 5th
Social Rank
This guild is hated and feared by most of the citizenry of
Lankhmar. The sorcerers in the guild are true black wizards. White wizards are not allowed into the guild. Since they spend most of their time practicing their spells and investigating ancient arcana, they leave
Lankhmar alone.
Once, hundreds of years ago, an ambitious guildmaster tried to gain political power in the city. The
Overlord and all of the larger guilds immediately hired top level assassins to eliminate him. Legend has it that 101 assassins were given the assignment. The bodies of 43 were never found, 27 others were maimed beyond recognition, 13 committed suicide, 7 were found insane. The remaining 11 assassins filled the guildmaster with enough poison to kill 30 men. It took him 14 days to die.
Starsman and Navigators' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 40 GR/ 10 GR
- Attached Guilds: Deck Hands
This guild actually extends its sphere of influence throughout the Inner Sea. Guild members are trained to use the stars and the weather to chart courses across the seas of Nehwon. Since they control the Deck Hands Clan, no sailor in the Inner Sea will work on a ship without a guild member at the wheel. This puts most merchants and military ships at a tremendous disadvantage. In one case, the guildmaster accepted an enormous bribe and determined the outcome of a battle.
The guild always has a few harbor pilots working at the harbor of
Lankhmar. No ship is allowed to guide itself in except for navy vessels. A harbor pilot goes out to the incoming ship and guides it into the harbor, for a fee. Harbor pilots are always Master Navigators.
Stonemasons' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 20 GR/ 5 GR
- Attached Guilds: Architects'
All stone structures over one story high or with four rooms or more must be built by members of the Stonemasons' Guild. Since stone buildings are more expensive than wooden ones, they often serve the wealthy citizens of
Lankhmar.
Tailors' Guide
- Entrance fee & dues: 2 GR/ 3 SS
Most clothing in
Lankhmar is made by members of the Tailors' Guild. The Gray Mouser has had many clever disguises made by guild members. On occasion they work with the Artificers' Guild to make leather garments to work with armor.
Thinkers' Fraternity
- Entrance fee & dues: 1 GR/ 1 SS
This is a poor guild, consisting of scholars and historians. Most of its members are also in the Scribes' Guild, although few scribes are thinkers. The thinkers are unusual in
Lankhmar in that they did not form a guild to protect themselves or make money, but rather to share information and ideas. Occasionally they commission adventurers to investigate lost histories. Any treasure is supposed to be divided equally with the Thinkers' Fraternity, but they are easily deceived.
Toters' and Carters' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 2 GR/ 3 SS
This guild moves large quantities of goods from one place to the other within the city and between the city and nearby agricultural districts. They use a variety of vehicles, ranging from horsedrawn wagons to wheelbarrows. Sometimes they even use backpacks or toting poles. This guild is affiliated with the Laborers' and Toilers' Brotherhood.
Wainwrights' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 10 GR/ 1 GR
A wainwright builds wagons, carts, and any other wooden vehicle. They are a part of the Carpenters' Cadre. Although they are not an influ'ential guild, they can exert some influence through their parent guild.
Whitesmiths' Guild
- Entrance fee & dues: 40 GR/ 10 GR
- Attached Guilds: Jewellers' Guild
A whitesmith works only with precious metals such as gold and silver. As part of the Jewellers' Guild, they are frequently contracted to make fine jewelry or other ornaments. Many whitesmiths receive stolen goods from fences and sell them in their legitimate shops. Some items are melted down and the gems sold to jewelers.
Other Guilds
There are many guilds in
Lankhmar that are not mentioned here. Most guilds do not influence the play of a role-playing adventure. We have only described those that might be used by the characters or interact with the characters. Below is a listing of some
Common guilds in
Lankhmar that perform the dull and ordinary functions of the city.
Candle Makers'
Carpet Makers'
Charcoal Burners'
Cheesemakers'
Coopers' (Barrel Makers')
Dye and Ink Makers'
Glassblowers'
Gravediggers'
Lamplighters'
Leatherworkers'
Net Makers'
Paper Millers'
Perfumers'
Potters'
Rope Makers'
Sail Makers'
Salters' (Food Preservers')
Sculptors' (Artists')
Shinglers' (Roofers')
Shoe Makers'
Soap Makers'
Spinners and Weavers'
Sweets Makers'
Tanners'
Taverners'
Toy Makers'
Vermin Catchers' (rats)
Vinters'
Guild members speak
Common when trading with non-guild members. They speak Low-Lankhmarian when speaking amongst themselves.
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