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Guilds |
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Andrynn
Craft guilds have existed in Andrynn since about 795 A.L., but it is only in the past thirty years or so that they have become a true economic force. The nobility have lent tacit support to the guilds in an attempt to keep them within the bounds of the accepted social structure. The oldest and largest are the guilds of Smiths, Carpenters, Stonemasons, and Brewers. Other guilds, such as those of Locksmiths, Glaziers, and Jewelers, have appeared more recently and are growing rapidly. The Guild of Scribes and Treasurers has perhaps the most real influence in the kingdom. They were formed by Kendrick II in 816 to keep his nobles from cheating him on their tithes and are less a craft guild than a society of officials who keep records of births, deaths, taxes, and so on for the crown.
Dechaine
The Guilds of Dechaine have been steadily growing in popularity, wealth, and political sway. The three largest and most influential of these guilds are the Guild of Botanists and Brewers; the Guild of Wainwrights; and the Guild of Scribes, Treasurers, and Moneylenders. More than ever, guild activity has become a part of everyday Dechainais life. Nearly every market has a booth manned by a Guild member of some stripe, and many a town has a Guild House within its boundaries. Fully seventy percent of Dechaine’s common and civilian
population is employed by the Guilds. The lower classes struggle to purchase apprenticeships for their children with a local guild, hoping to offer them a chance at a better life.
In the past months, raids between Provinces have grown more frequent, and bloodier. It is sadly becoming very common for travelers to come upon a town in smoking ruins, grisly evidence of the lack of national identity that plagues Dechaine. With so many of the aristocrats focusing their energies on conquering each other, they’ve neglected their own lands. Banditry is on the rise, and the Guilds have taken to hiring more and more caravan guards to protect themselves against predation from these land pirates. Due to this, the Guild of Defense, which manages mercenary contracts, is gaining in strength.
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