The Society of Eisen Woodworkers
Logging, planking, furniture, parquet, wainwrights, coopers, charcoal makers, construction, etc
The Society covers logging, planking, furniture, parquet, wainwrights, coopers, charcoal makers, house and building construction, and any number of everyday objects crafted out of wood.
Structure
Guildmaster
Orben Gracemantle is a gnome toymaker of incredible skill. His small wooden creations have dazzled the children of Eisen for a generation. He is a kindhearted gnome, with a twinkle in his eye and a warm laugh. He truly delights in his craft and is a fatherly figurehead to the entire guild. Although newer technological marvels of toys have reduced his market share, this has not dimmed his enthusiasm for the trade or his dedication to the children.
Guild Representative
Halfling Vinster Ashfoot creates hand carved furniture and is considered the foremost master of the craft in Eisen. He’s a good balance for Orben’s gentle nature, a no-nonsense soul who likes to get things done.
Guild Administrator
Dhomin Zimmermann has been the administrator for the Society of Eisen Woodworkers for several dozen years, and it certainly isn’t because of his winning way with people. He is a dour old dwarf who barely speaks and mostly just grunts at people in acknowledgement. But, his paperwork is impeccable.
Guild Structure and Ranks
Apprentice: Apprentices are expected to study many different aspects of the woodworking arts, and are often set the most basic of tasks such as logging of trees and planeing of boards. Journeyer: Journeyers will usually dedicate themselves to a specific aspect of the craft, and start perfecting the ins and outs of that specialty. Journeyers who go into furniture or architecture especially can expect many more years of tutelage in their professions before they are ready to be considered for the rank of master. Master: Masters of the art are accepted in every area, no matter how simple, but many choose to go no further than Adept Journeyer as one does not need to be a Master to lay a wooden floor. For those who do seek the rank and prestige of Master, a certain level of artistry is expected. A Master of wooden flooring, for example, would be able to lay intricate patterns of parquet. Mastery Exam: To become a Master, someone must create a singular masterwork item which is then judged by 3 Masters of that craft other than the candidate’s own Master. The judging of this item is rigorous, and a millimeter can mean the difference between attaining the rank or being sent back to try again later.Culture
The woodworkers are a fairly traditional trade, but they tend to be as warm and nurturing as the material with which they work. Relationships in the guild tend to function more as adopted families, with everyone pitching in for the success of the workshop and milestones attained by individuals celebrated fondly.
Patron God: Rhemnys
Guild Symbols
The Society favors trees as a motif, but the actual guild symbol is a saw. This is usually displayed as a pin or necklace in a metal color commensurate with rank, copper for apprentices, silver for journeyers, and gold for masters.Guild House Description
The Society maintains one of the most unique guildhouses in the city, located at the end of Guild row near a public park where they maintain trees of many different varieties. The house itself is a masterwork of the art, every board hand smoothed, every joint fitted to perfection. The gables and support beams are all intricately carved, and every piece of furniture is hand constructed and donated by a master. The range of styles go back centuries, and a walk through the building is a walk through the timeline of the woodworkers arts. The building is mostly given over for guild use. A small few rooms on the first floor can be used to take public meetings but the rest functions as a large and cozy inn, providing lodgings, food, and camaraderie for members of the guild in residence or just passing through. A large court in back of the house is ringed with structures rather like three sided barns, protected from the elements but open to the courtyard in the center. This area is frequently swept of the wood shavings and chips of the trade which are then hauled away for mulch elsewhere in the city. The adjoining park is a civic space open for public use, and while the guild maintains the huge variety of trees there it is used primarily for teaching purposes.Public Agenda
The guild has, thus far, escaped many of the pressures associated with the eletech revolution. Toymakers are in a bit of a bind, but until eletech can mass produce furniture or precisely seal a bucket against water at a reasonable cost, the trades associated with this guild are still in high demand and the bespoke artistry of their craft respected.
Assets
The “Society Park”, as it is known, is one of the most beautiful greenspaces in Novandria, and the trees there are maintained by the guild. At one end of guild house row, this park is filled with an astounding variety of trees from all over Eisen and, in some cases, the world. There are decent sized stands of all the most common types of trees, and small handfuls of rarer varieties. Gravel walkways wind throughout, with waterproof placards describing the qualities of each tree in a particular grouping. The Union of Naturalists are often found taking a stroll there, and there is a small section set aside for rare and unique transplants, trees and other plants, found and brought back by both guilds to see if they will take to the climate of Novandira.
History
The Society of Eisen Woodworkers is one of the oldest and ‘well-rooted’ guilds in Eisen. Every small village in the country boasts at least one, if not more, members.
Type
Guild, Craftsmen
Alternative Names
The Society, Woodworker's Guild
Demonym
Woodworker
Location
Rhemnys Guild Symbol
Saw