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| * [[The Berrecha Guild of Mercenaries]] Cerlain * [[Obsecum Warriors Guild]] |
Warrior Guilds
At the very heart of most communities, the art of the warrior as defender has always been held in high esteem. Skill in and prowess in battle is one of the oldest crafts in the world; men have always needed to protect themselves against predators of nature and against others of their race.
To reflect this, the warrior guilds have existed in Arthea since the first civilisations re-emerged after the Great Disaster. They had always been there to help the new, growing communities and supported those in power. In later years their role has changed. As Kingdoms merged and grew larger and stronger, the warrior guilds became pawns of those powers, providing the training and manpower for the wars which have been fought.
This position of providing service to the monarch or power in the land as well as supporting warriors everywhere has continued through to recent times. It was not until the lands were unified under a single King that their roles changed again. With no more power struggles between nations, there was no longer a need for huge armies. The training standards have improved as have techniques as fewer people stretch the resources of these guilds.
The guild network had not changed substantially for hundreds of years, they still carry out training in the fundamental skills of weapon use, but there have been some big upheavals recently for some of the guilds. More new warrior guilds have begun in the last 80 years than in the whole of the previous 500, and the latest emphasis seems to be on training for combat as individuals rather than for large pitched battles. This is perhaps a reflection on the growing peace in Arthea. There is no formal army any more, other than a few select units - the feudal powers rely upon the guild network to provide trained men when they're needed. The guilds are settling down too, and the rate at which unpopular guilds have gone out of business has continued to fall in the last few years.
The warrior guilds themselves tend to be local institutions, often based in a single city or region, and supporting a small warrior base nearby. This model provides little protection from financial hardship, and causes the guilds to struggle and occasionally to close down. There is very little money to be made in running guilds of this nature, and most of the smaller ones seem to be owned and run by a single patriarchal warrior, who would expect to close the guild if he retired or moved on. The larger warrior guilds are generally those sponsored by the major religious sects (provided for the use of their own worshippers) or by those who were once sponsored by a national monarch, and were large enough to survive the unification. The smaller guilds have taken to banding together for mutual protection into loose associations and larger groupings
Although the guilds network is poorly organised, the individual guilds are, for the most part, the complete opposite. Tight margins and expensive trainers mean that they have to run on a sound economic basis. If the guild cannot organise its affairs efficiently, then it will not survive.
Most guilds have more than one tier of membership, to allow prestige to their members and to raise extra income. The additional ranks are both more expensive and normally they must be earned, separating the experienced from the inexperienced or from those who have barely learned to lift a sword. This also provides attainable aspirations for guild members, and provides an incentive to achieve as a warrior. Ordinary memberships are open to all, provided the individual can afford the fees, and in general even this is not cheap. Higher ranked memberships are usually available to fourth level warriors and above (although individual guilds differ), and most have insist on a minimum time spent as a member, often a year. Higher levels of membership tend to be significantly more expensive, but to many of the warrior classes (fighter, rangers and barbarians) their own ego drives them, and these memberships become a status symbol. In times of strife, where the crown (or the feudal masters raising troops in the name of the crown) need troops, such higher level memberships provide a direct route into becoming an officer.
Although membership is costly at any level, it always comes with advantages. If a warrior requires training, then their own guilds will charge substantially less to their members. For higher level fighters, this can save more than the membership fee alone. There are no limitations to joining multiple guilds if one can afford it, but most guilds require a probationary period, so warriors cannot just join guilds on the fly to avoid paying the full price for training.
The guilds outlined here cover the main campaign regions. There are, of course, hundreds of other such guilds spread through the whole of Arthea.
The National Warrior Guilds
The Warrior Guilds of Ticetia
Central and North Ticetia
Warrior Guilds of the Former Empire
Large guilds
Berrecha, North Amastus
Cerlain
Jorlinum
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CategoryGuilds
CategoryOrganisations