The Guild Charter of Eisen

The Accorded Charter of the Twenty-Nine Guilds of Eisen

This document shall entail the laws and strictures under which the official guilds of the nation of Eisen shall abide. These laws are put into place to ensure that all guilds are treated equally and that none shall rise into prominence above any other. Outside of this document, guilds are free to set their own rules and standards, as long as they do not conflict with the rules herein.

Guild Leadership

Guildmaster

The Guildmaster will oversee the welfare of the guild, act as mediator of disputes between members, and serve as the deciding voice on votes within the guild.
The Guildmaster will serve for a term of five years.
The Guildmaster will be elected by majority vote of all Masters in good standing within the guild.
To qualify for the position of Guildmaster, the person in question must have been a member in good standing of the guild for no less than ten years, and must have achieved their Mastery no less than five years previously.

Guild Representative

The Guild Representative is the guild’s voice on the Council of Guilds. They will represent the guild’s interests to outside parties and act as the right hand of the Guildmaster.
The Guild Representative will serve for a term of three years.
The Guild Representative will be elected by majority vote of all Masters in good standing within the guild.
To qualify for the position of Guild Representative, the person in question must have been a member in good standing of the guild for no less than seven years, and must have achieved their Mastery no less than two years previously.

Guild Administrator

The Guild Administrator will maintain all records for the guild, including membership, accounts, and inventories, and acts as the left hand of the Guildmaster.
The Guild Administrator will serve for a term of three years.
The Guild Administrator will be nominated by the Guildmaster, and will be approved by majority vote of all Masters in good standing within the guild.
To qualify for the position of Guild Administrator, the person in question must have been a member in good standing of the guild for no less than seven years, and must have achieved their Mastery no less than two years previously

Guild Hierarchy

Apprentices

Apprentices are those who would learn the trade of a guild. Apprentices may begin their education upon achieving the age of majority, although younger apprentices may begin earlier with the permission of a parent, guardian, or sponsor.
To begin an apprenticeship, the person must either:

• Pay an apprenticeship fee of 100 gold marks to the guild
• Have a parent who is a Journeyer or Master in good standing of the guild, or
• Obtain the sponsorship of a Master in good standing who is willing to take the person on as an apprentice

The apprentice will learn under the tutelage of their Master for a period of time between five and ten years. They will work as directed, learning the intricacies of their trade; in return, the Master will house, feed, clothe, and otherwise care for the apprentice during their studies.
To advance to the rank of Journeyer, the Master will set the apprentice with both a written or oral examination of the fundamentals of their trade, and either a practical assessment of the apprentice’s skills, if in a trade guild, or a journeyer’s crafting piece, if in a craft guild.
The examinations will be given by a group of three members in good standing of the guild, at least one of which must be a Master.

Journeyers

Journeyers are members in good standing of the guild who have successfully completed an apprenticeship, but have not yet achieved the rank of Master of their profession.
The journeyer will spend a period of time between three and five years working under the patronage of Masters in their guild, learning new techniques and skills, and honing their craft. The journeyer should assist their patron Masters with their work or, if the supervising Master approves, the journeyer’s own projects. The Master, in return for the support of the journeyer, pays them a wage set by the guild itself.
To advance to the rank of Master, the journeyer must have worked under no less than three different Masters, none of which they apprenticed with, for a period of time of at least six months with each. In addition, the journeyer must also complete a Masterwork; the journeyer must file to perform a Master’s practicum, if in a trade guild, or complete a Master’s crafting piece, if in a craft guild.
A journeyer may only submit a Masterwork once every two years. The fee for a Masterwork submission will be 50 gold marks.
The Masterwork will be judged by a panel of five masters, which will be assigned by the Guild Administrator.
If a journeyer decides not to pursue the rank of Master, they can instead choose to become an adept journeyer. An adept journeyer is one who has completed their journeyer studies, and chooses to stay in the employ of a particular Master. An adept journeyer should receive a raise in their wages of no less than three percent every year in the same Master’s employ, to reflect their continued dedication and increased proficiency over time.

Masters

Masters are members in good standing of the guild who have successfully completed both an apprenticeship and journeyer’s study. A Master is considered an expert in their chosen field, and is permitted to manage their own enterprises, to teach apprentices and journeyers, and to vote in official guild affairs.
A Master will pay a sum of 50 gold marks per year to their guild as membership fees to remain a member in good standing. In addition, a Master will pay 10 gold marks per year for each apprentice under their tutelage, and 20 gold marks per year for each journeyer working in their employ.
Masters will do their utmost to maintain the integrity of the guild. Other members of the guild should be treated with respect and courtesy, while apprentices should be treated with a firm but gentle hand.

Guild Taxes

• Each guild will pay ten percent of their annual income in taxes to Parliament.
• Each guild will pay ten percent of their annual income in taxes to the Council of Guilds.

Special Circumstances

Membership in Multiple Guilds

Apprentices
Individuals may, on occasion, enlist in a double apprenticeship. Each of the apprentice’s Masters must be in agreement about the terms of the apprenticeship, including how the apprentice will spend their time, and who will be responsible for the apprentice’s necessities such as housing. The apprentice must meet the requirements for joining each guild, and a shared contract must be filed with both of the guilds in question.
Journeyers
After passing their journeyer’s exam, an individual may choose to start an apprenticeship in a second guild. Unlike a standard apprenticeship, the individual is responsible for their own lodging and other necessities. The journeyer and their Masters will work out a schedule for when they will study in their apprenticeship, and when they will work in their journeyer’s trade
Masters
Rarely, an individual who has achieved Mastery in one guild will choose to pursue another craft. Instead of working as an apprentice, the sponsoring Master in the second guild will set the individual with a customized, accelerated course of study, enabling them to test for journeyer’s status usually within a year. Afterwards, the individual will work with other Masters in the second guild, spending a day or two each week in studying their new craft while devoting the rest of their time to their primary trade. Double Mastery is exceedingly rare, but not unheard of; the exception to this is the Grand Society of Adventurers and Explorers, which welcomes double masters readily.

Special Advancement

Apprentices
A Master may make a written petition to their guild to allow a particularly talented apprentice to test for journeyer ahead of schedule. The apprentice must have completed no less than six months of their apprenticeship, and must receive a grade of 90% or more to advance to journeyer at that time.
Journeyers
A journeyer may submit a written petition, signed by no less than three Masters, to be able to test for Mastery early. The petition is judged by the Council of Masters of the guild, and if met with approval, the journeyer can present their Masterwork. A journeyer must have completed at least a year of study before applying for early Mastery.

Foreign Membership

Prospective guild members from outside of Eisen may present a letter of recommendation from their counterpart guild in their home country, to be verified by the Guild Representative. The Masters of the guild may vote to allow the prospective member to be transferred the same rank they held in their former guild. If the guild does not have a counterpart, or a letter of recommendation is not provided, the prospective member may petition to take an immediate journeyer’s or Master’s exam to prove their knowledge and skill.