Gauntlet of Afir

The Gauntlet of Afir is a small, secretive organization of master craftsmen with outsized sway in the Shardscape. Ostensibly stateless and politically neutral, the Gauntlet was founded by five craftsmen of supreme ability in the later years of the Unkent invasion (ca. 331.30 NL). It was these founding members who were responsible for the creation of the Warden Arms, artifacts of incredible power that were instrumental in banishing the Unkent vanguard, Volugar, Thrice-Crowned, back to the void, thus preserving all of reality.
Despite their limited number, the Gauntlet of Afir has managed and continues to have a considerable effect on the economy, circumstances, and politics of the Shardscape and its many realms. This influence is owed to their unparalleled craftsmanship, which is envied and sought after by nearly every faction with even a scrap of renown in the Shardscape.

Structure

The Gauntlet has no known formal structure as it is more a partnership of convenience for all five members rather than a formal organization. The members of the group are given wide latitude to act in their own interests as long as their actions do not bring harm to the group as a whole, and no one member has the authority to speak or act on behalf of the others. In the event that collective action must be taken, all members of the Gauntlet must be present to establish quorum, and no course may be undertaken without the unanimous consent of the five.

History

The members of the Gauntlet of Afir came from very different realms and backgrounds. If they were aware of each other before the group's founding, they would have known each other only professionally. It was a common experience that brought these five master craftsmen together: the forging of the artifacts that would later come to be known as the Warden Arms.
In 331.30 NL, in the months leading up to the climax of the Unkent invasion of the Mortal Realm, the Wardens of the Wayward, an adventuring group embroiled in the building crisis, slew the primordial divinity known as the Grymmddraig at the behest of the then-bound fae-queens of Calanthis. As a reward, they obtained the Grymmdraig's bones, which were wrought of solid silver and so steeped in the Grymmdraig's primordial essence they radiated power.
The Wardens later sought the services of master craftsmen to forge the Grymmddraig's silver into arms that would aid them in forestalling the impending crisis. They found four such craftsmen in the Ekhenda and one in the Emberholt. These craftsmen, realizing the magnitude of what they had each accomplished, foresaw the ripples that their creations would cause. Seeking to preserve themselves against the trouble that was bound to come their way, they sought each other and entered a pact of mutual defense, knowing that they would have infinitely greater leverage against the factions that would pursue them if they were to come together as one group.

Type

Guild, Craftsmen