Guilds

Anvillers' Guild

Leader: Forgemaster Forgemaster Kelda Halrig
As the most powerful guild in Kovlar, the Anvillers’ Guild encompasses nearly every crafter and tradesperson whose trade involves metalwork, as well as those who work in glass. Kovlar has made a name for itself as a place to purchase quality weapons and armor, and the guild requires its members to pass stringent tests of skill before they are allowed to sell their goods on the public market. The Anvillers’ Guild asks its members to try to avoid the complications posed by interguild politics, an attitude that sometimes upsets members of other organizations.

Carpenters' Guild

Leader: Alljoiner Torra Garnis
As its name suggests, the Carpenters’ Guild represents craftspeople who work primarily with wood or paper. The guild has also expanded its reach to include those whose creations do not fit neatly into any other categories, such as potters. For centuries, the Carpenters’ Guild has maintained a friendly rivalry with the Stonemasons’ Guild. According to the taunts of the Carpenters’ Guild, the Stonemasons’ Guild is filled with inflexible people who work slowly, focusing on the distant future to the detriment of the present. Conversely, Stonemasons’ Guild members cite the relative impermanence of wooden crafts as a sign of their inferiority. The Carpenters’ Guild works closely with the Physic Guild.

Gamblers' Guild

Leader: Fortunate Algera Kord
The members of this guild are gamblers insofar as they undertake risky enterprises, and they like to think of themselves as daring risk-takers. While a few members make their livelihood from gambling, this guild includes thieves, thrill-seekers, and adventurers who believe that their members should be given a chance to prove themselves. Though the Court of Regents doesn’t trust the Gamblers’ Guild to make decisions for common welfare, members of the council acknowledge that the gamblers serve an important function in society. The guild regulates Kovlar’s underworld, both requiring its members to abstain from the most serious crimes, such as assault and murder, and helping the Guild of Arms capture criminals of all kinds operating outside of the guild’s auspices. While traditionalists may disparage them as merely an organized criminal organization, the Gamblers’ Guild is also a hotbed for new ideas. In addition to providing regular forums to discuss innovations in technology and thought, members of this guild take chances on investments that those from other guilds would not touch. An up-and- coming inventor with a spotty record is unlikely to receive a loan from the Guild of Coins, but the Gamblers’ Guild has a higher tolerance for risk.

Guild of Arms

Leader: Commander Grokar Hammersong
The Guild of Arms consists primarily of soldiers and guards. The guild’s members focus their efforts on protecting the city from within and fending off monstrous incursions on the roads connecting Kovlar to other settlements. They rarely venture out into Saggorak, as the guild’s traditional position is that moving out from the defensive advantage of the city’s enchanted walls is folly. Still, the guild believes that it is important for Kovlar’s citizens to know how to stay safe. As such, its members provide free self-defense training to Kovlar’s youth, with a strong focus on retreating to defensive positions where those with martial training can protect them. The guild also provides several programs of intensive training for adults. These programs are offered free of charge to guild members, for a small fee to other citizens of Kovlar, and for a hefty price to outsiders.

Guild of Coins

Leader: Goldhand Wuldi Irontemper
The Guild of Coins is responsible for matters of finance and trade within the city. Its members manage banks, issue loans, and regulate commerce. The guild welcomes merchants in good standing to its ranks. Outsiders looking to trade in expensive goods may struggle to find buyers if they do not first secure a permit from the Guild of Coins. This guild maintains far-reaching connections across the Inner Sea region among traders who have come to trust Kovlar’s reputation for high-quality wares.

Guild of Faith

Leader: Sentinel Frastin Stoneborn
Because guilds are virtually the only route to political influence in Kovlar, even groups that would not normally form such organizations do so here. The Guild of Faith includes priests, acolytes, and others whose primary occupation relates to their faith. Still, not all religious figures chose to join the Guild of Faith; for example, quite a few devout followers of Torag belong to the Anvillers’ Guild instead. Some people who favor the Anvillers’ Guild are motivated by a desire to express their faith through action, but the social standing of the Anvillers’ Guild also draws more ambitious individuals who might otherwise belong to the Guild of Faith.

Guild of Finery

Leader: Adorned Stosk Dolgindir
The Guild of Finery began as a guild of tailors and weavers. In a factional dispute several centuries ago, it also absorbed the Jeweler’s Guild from the Stonemasons’ Guild. Today, the Guild of Finery concerns itself with matters of fashion and style. Its members often wear their highest-quality apparel around the city to advertise their work. After all, even when it comes to high fashion, Kovlar’s customers have little interest in clothing that isn’t durable

Guild of Spells

Leader: Archmage Hromgar Nalruven
While the Guild of Spells’s charter ostensibly welcomes members from all magical traditions, almost all of its members practice arcane magic. The guild’s most advanced spellwork is predominantly defensive magic, such as spells and rituals of the abjuration school. Guild members are expected to freely share their knowledge and discoveries with each other, a practice that has enabled the guild to compile a considerable library of spells and magical lore over the years. The guild is not so generous in sharing its collection with outsiders, charging steep prices to anyone hoping to learn any of the uncommon spells found in their archives.

Physic Guild

Leader: Highphysic Natri Dolgindir
The Physic Guild is a union of many smaller guilds whose work pertains to health and the body. Its component guilds support alchemists, barbers, chefs, doctors, farmers, and herbalists. Because the interests of these disparate groups are sometimes at odds, members of the guild have an unspoken agreement to always select a regent who can present a nuanced view of the guild’s perspectives. As a result, the leader of the Physic Guild is generally skilled at resolving disputes. In the Court of Regents, the Physic Guild leader can often be counted upon to calm the court when tempers flare.

Stonemasons' Guild

Leader: Mountainheart Mountainheart Kolarun Chiselrock
Second only to the Anvillers’ Guild in size and influence, the Stonemasons’ Guild is responsible for most of Kovlar’s construction and renovation. Most of its members focus primarily on architecture, though a minority specialize in creating public decorations such as fountains and sculptures. The Stonemasons’ Guild works closely with the Guild of Faith to commemorate the dead, creating sanctified urns and grave markers to help Kovlar’s people remember the stories of their ancestors. This guild also maintains close ties to the Guild of Spells, which weaves defensive wards into the stonemason’s most significant creations at no cost as a collaborative effort to protect the city.