The Eisen Formation of Ceramics and Glassworks

Pottery, ceramics, porcelain, glassblowing, stained glass, tile, mosaics, and lampwork beads

The crafts included under the banner of the glassworks include pottery, ceramics, porcelain, glassblowing, stained glass, tile, mosaics, and lampwork beads.

Structure

Guildmaster

Norman Glazier, human
The Guildmaster of the Formation is Norman Glazier, a human. Norman is a glassblower of particular skill, and has perfected the use of several magical methodologies when it comes to the formation of glass by heat. He’s a down-to-earth specialist who acknowledges traditional techniques while making room for innovation.

Guild Representative

The Formation’s representative is an aasimar named Comfort Tiffany. Comfort is a stained glass specialist who has been the talk of Novandria and beyond since he began practicing his craft. He is currently considered the master of stained glass design not only in Eisen, but perhaps throughout Europa as well. His workshop is THE place to study stained glass, and works produced there adorn civic halls and the homes of the rich and famous worldwide. Despite having attained fame at a young age, he is known to be humble, with the visionary eye of a true artiste.

Guild Administrator

Vankas Grier, an ama’il half-elf, runs the administration of the Formation. Vankas is a potter who balances the administrative needs of the guild with time spent in the ceramics lab. Despite eletech advancements in production of ceramics, they are never happier than at their potter’s wheel, turning out finely formed vessels. Their work is in high demand by the discerning, and they are known for their colorful and patterned glazes.

Guild Structure and Ranks

Apprentice: Apprentices typically enter the Formation under one of the two arms, either ceramics or glass, and are trained in several different areas of that arm before choosing a specialty.
Journeyer: Journeyers most often work under a particular Master in their field, creating their own items and helping with large orders that their workhouse may receive.
Master: Masters of the Formation often open their own studios, allowing journeyers to work on their individual projects unless a large-scale commission or batch order is received. Some Masters sell everything that their studio makes, whether made by their own hands or a journeyer’s, under the studio’s name alone.
Mastery Exam: For Mastery, an aspiring individual must present at least a dozen small scale projects in their specialty. This would usually be a dozen vessels, or a meter square each of tile, mosaic, or stained glass. Large scale projects (entire floors, large windows, sculptures) can be submitted instead of 3-5 small scale projects depending on size. These presented works are judged by no less than three masters of the speciality, and the candidate's own master cannot serve in this capacity. After the works are judged sufficient, there is a pro forma oral examination regarding the techniques used as well as questions related to the craft to ensure there is a sufficient breadth of knowledge to teach. As a general rule, those whose presented works are judged sufficient rarely fail the oral.

Culture

There is an internal tension in the Glassworks between those who practice the ceramic arts and those who work in glass. Traditionally, this was a sort of friendly rivalry between the groups with a lively debate as to which was the greatest art, either in skill needed or cultural impact.
In recent years, however, this rivalry has gotten a bit acrimonious with the effects of the eletech revolution. Those who work in ceramics are disproportionately affected and resent those who work in glass for the increased appreciation of the craft in the public eye while their own fields suffer. On the other hand, those who work in glass see a larger portion of guild resources going to support those struggling in the ceramics trades and resent their brethren for being unable or unwilling to adapt to the times.
Patron God: Eriu

Guild Symbols

Members of the guild wear or display a vessel of some sort, made of the material of their specialty and in the color of their rank. A potter might wear a necklace with a ceramic charm in the shape of a grecian vase, or prominently display a ceramic bowl in their window. Ceramics are glazed in a coppery color for apprentices, silvery white for journeyers, and gold or yellow for Masters. Glass workers will wear a piece of jewelry with a vessel made of formed glass, or glass mosaic, in the same rank colors. A glassblower might display in their shop a large vase made of glass in the appropriate color. Jewelry displaying guild symbols for either branch always has metal tones to match the appropriate rank (copper, silver, or gold).

Guild House Description

The guild house in Novandria is in the industrial section of the city, and looks like nothing more than a large series of interconnected warehouses from the outside. As all arts practiced by the Glassworks are generally either hot or messy, the guild does not waste funds on interior decorations. Instead, the biggest feature of the guild house is space -- large open spaces within to work and a huge supply of materials at hand. There are workshops for every major art practiced, where guild members can collaborate and practice.
There are living spaces available to guild members on the upper floors and attics of the warehouses, but these too are utilitarian spaces where a working artist can rinse off the clay and soot of their trade before collapsing into a cot after an artistic bender. Because of the untidy nature of the main guild house, it is kept sacrosanct for members of the guild themselves, and visitors are not generally allowed. For patron meetings and displays, the guild instead maintains a public salon in a richer area of town (see other resources).

Public Agenda

The Formation is a guild at a crossroads. While many of the glass workers in the guild are in favor of the advancements the eletech revolution has ushered in, many of the ceramic workers are against the use of eletech because of the threat mass production poses to their trades. These two opposing forces within the guild pretty much ensures that the guild as a whole remains aggressively neutral on the subject in public discourse. While the Guildmaster is personally in favor of eletech advancements, Norman is skilled enough a politician to be cognizant of the wishes and needs of the ceramicists in the guild and is careful to never overstate the guilds support for such things.

Assets

The Formation maintains a public salon in the richer section of town, where clients can come view a rotating exhibit of curated works by guild members. This salon is half art gallery and half comfortable and richly appointed spaces where guild members can meet with clients.

History

The eletech revolution has affected different parts of the guild differently. For the most part, the arts pertaining to glass have remained either unaffected (stained glass) or eletech has been used to innovate and advance (fire elemental technology used in glass blowing).
However, those who work in ceramics have instead been negatively affected. The ability to use earth and water elementals to quickly mold and press dinnerware and tile from clay slip is severely impacting these disciplines and many masters of these trades have had to pivot their markets to tout the artistry and uniqueness of their products in some way.
Even sculptors of ceramics have been affected, as their works can now be easily copied and molds made for mass reproductions. These artists have lobbied strongly for copyrights of their original sculptures so that they can hopefully control or market their own reproductions.

Type

Guild, Craftsmen

Alternative Names

The Formation

Location

Novandria, Eisen

Patron God
Eriu
Guild Symbols
Vessel