Organizations - The Navigator's Guild

The Navigator's Guild

There are many forces both natural and supernatural that divide the Three Worlds from one another, and divide different regions of the individual worlds of Ilkeas, Cærulus, and Midrun from other parts of those same worlds, often making travel over long distances difficult or impossible. This is the case only for "unskilled" travelers and not for the secretive and enigmatic cadre of arcane casters that make up the Navigator's Guild. Made up of a variety of factions that appear to have divvied up the Three Worlds into areas of jurisdiction, the Guild is comprised of experts in both mundane travel and transportation magic. The Guild is treated warily by nearly all of the peoples of the Three Worlds, but they are regarded as a necessary element if there is to be regular and reasonably safe travel across and between worlds.

There are several ways to contact the Guild, should one have the cash and the inclination to travel. Great monuments in the form of purple amethyst crystals, generally four feet square and standing twenty feet tall are scattered across the Three Worlds. Many are in large cities or towns - and in some cases are the reason for the city or town being located where it is - but others have been found deep in the wilderness. They are unmarked, and seem to be virtually indestructible. One needs only place a hand on one and say, in just about any language, something to the effect of "I require the services of a Navigator" and one will magically appear in relatively short order. He or she will then discuss terms and payment - almost invariably cash up front. Conventional transportation, such as riding animals or sea vessels, is never supplied by the Guild, and in fact such for the Navigator must be supplied by the client. The Navigator will advise an ignorant client on what mode of transportation would be most appropriate. It is sometimes possible to make much of a journey by arcane means, but long jumps, especially those involving many individuals, are tricky and correspondingly more prohibitively expensive. Regular clients may be rented personal beacons by the Guild, allowing them to call upon the services of a Navigator without the need to find a standing crystal beacon, but these devices are exceedingly rare.

All Navigators are masters of arcane magic, for not only can they guide ships and caravans along the safest route, but they are able to use teleportation and even plane shifting magic to move groups and sometimes even ships across vast distances. All Navigators use some sort of device they refer to as a compass in their trade, though its nature and appearance can vary tremendously from guild faction to guild faction. These items often look much like an intricate sextant, and are almost invariably decorated with purple gemstones such as amethyst, tourmaline, iolite, and so on. A single Navigator is invariably the guide for an entire journey. If a Navigator has ever failed to deliver his charges safely due to his own failure, the Guild has hushed it up.

As part of their code, the Navigators favor no one, instead charging all a high prices for their services. They steadfastly refuse to transport military personnel or items, whether the journey is for attack, espionage, or sabotage, and they maintain the right to immediately terminate any assignment should it become clear that their services are being used for such a purpose, even if it leaves their former clients in jeopardy. If any Navigator has been successfully bribed to betray their code in the past, the organization has managed to keep it quiet. On the other hand, there have been a few recorded instances in which some power hungry individual has attempted to coerce a Navigator, or worse yet, killed one and tried to use his compass, and the failure of such attempts ate well-known, and the vengeance meted out by the Guild has been swift and sure.

Navigators are businessmen and they are notoriously unsympathetic to people with no money in difficult situations, through they have been known to accept payment in kind - after criminally undervaluing the offered goods. In the event that an expedition accompanied by a Navigator is attacked, the Navigator will not fight unless he or she is personally threatened. This rarely becomes an issue, partly because of the famous vengeance inflicted upon those who attack Navigators, and partly due to the fact that Navigators wield very real power over the flows of arcane power in the Three Worlds. The symbol of the Guild is the color purple, and Navigators always wear at least some purple in their clothing, and many dress inclusively in that color. Informally, the Navigators are referred to by many as the "Purple Wizards".

Although little is known about the Guild, one thing that is clear to all is that they zealously guard their secrets, both mundane and arcane. The obvious reason for their secrecy is the desire to protect their monopoly, but some have speculated that the member of the Guild have a more malign reason for their secrecy. others have posited that the Guild maintains a tight hold on information concerning arcane methods of traveling about the Three Worlds out of a sense of altruism. The truth is, as all other things concerning the Guild, shrouded in mystery. No one outside the Guild even knows where they reside, although the most common theory is that they dwell in an extradimensional fortress.

Although they are renowned for their transportation magic, their extensive knowledge of the geography of the Three Worlds is at least as important to their profession. Navigators always seem to know of the existence of gates and hidden pathways along any route their client wishes to take, and have been known to even lead their charges through the Færie Realm, the Elemental Planes, or, more rarely, the Realm of Shadow if they deem that to be the best way to get to their destination. They will lead their charges on routes that wind through one of the Three worlds, into another, and back to the first if that is what they deem to be the best means of traveling. Though they have never been known to carry actual maps, they have a preternatural talent for understanding geography and a virtually all-encompassing knowledge of trails, pathways, and shortcuts.

In addition to their mundane skills as guides, the Navigators are also masters of transportation magic. Among the spells attributed to the Guild are Anticipate Teleportation, Astral Projection, Ethereal Jaunt, Etherealness, Plane Shift, Teleport, Teleport Object, Greater Teleport, and Teleportation Circle. The Navigators hoard this magic like miserly dragons, refusing to teach thse spells to those who are not members, and making efforts to dissuade others from trying to unlock these secrets for themselves. Universities that try to stock books on the subject find that the books go mysteriously missing. Scholars studying teleportation often arrive in their laboratories in the morning to find their notes destroyed and their work spaces ransacked. There are persistent rumors that the Guild has even killed mages who ignored their warnings not to pursue particular lines of arcane research further, although these are unconfirmed.

Home     Three Worlds

Organizations - Urdd Crefft

Urdd Crefft

After the fall of House Llud and the ensuing chaos that swept through the Freeholds, the wars of succession, the foreign invasions, and the rise of banditry in the countryside and piracy in the Heulwen and Galation Seas, many merchants in the towns and cities of the Freeholds where trading is common formed a loose knit organization. The goals of the organization are to combat problems with pirates and raiders as well as to facilitate trade by forcing local rulers to lower or eliminate tolls, duties and tariffs. This organization is named the Urdd Crefft. The Crefft, as they are commonly called, do many things: From placing bounties on particularly troublesome pirates, to handling currency exchanges, to negotiating with local rulers for tariff breaks and tax relief for members. The Crefft can also locate buyers or sellers for particular goods on behalf of a member and honor money notes for large sums of cash that members can transport across long distances without worrying about carrying large, heavy valuables.

Most importantly, the Urdd Crefft are a counterbalance to the power and authority of the nobility, giving voice and weight to the concerns of the mercantile classes. Because the members of the Crefft control so much trade, any ruler who ignores them does so at his own peril. Even more critically, because the Crefft includes so many bankers, and engages in some banking as an organization, a nobleman who turned a deaf ear to the organization's concerns is likely to find it exceedingly difficult to secure funds in the event that he needed them. And because every noble is always starved for cash, this is a substantial concern.

Members of the Urdd Crefft usually wear identifying gold brooches in the shape of a miniature ship. Becoming a member appears to require sponsorship by another member, plus an initiation fee and an audit The Crefft's endeavors are funded by its members who give ten percent of their profits to the organization, paying their shares at designated clearinghouses located in most trading centers. Urdd Crefft members in good standing generally get a variety of tax, toll, and excise breaks as a result of the agreements and concessions negotiated by the organization. Members also obtain access to a wide array of contacts through the organization as well as the benefit of a variety of commercial services and the ability to suggest (and promote) commissions and projects using Crefft funds.

Home     Three Worlds     Midrun     Freeholds

Campaign Design - Organizations: The Collegium

The Collegium

The Collegium is a powerful organization of arcane and divine casters whose members are commonly known as the Blue Mages due to their distinctive dress, and which rules over the city of Enslem from their imposing fortress of Caelantha. The Guild, as it is also commonly known, is ruled by the Magarchs, powerful students of the magical arts who have been promoted due to their power and connections to rule over the other members. There are several ranks within the Collegium, ranging from apprentices, to initiates, to full guild journeymen and masters, and then to the circles of the Magarchs. The Outer Circle is the lowest rung of the Magarchs, holding authority and the right to command other members and the forces of the guard. Above the Outer Circle are the seldom seen Magarchs of the Inner Circle who guide the political and diplomatic relations of the Guild. Beyond the Inner Circle, the structure of the Collegium's governance is a mystery to outsiders. If there are more ranks within the Guild above the Inner Circle, the Magarchs are keeping them hidden, as even the members of the Inner Circle are seldom seen outside the confines of Caelantha. Members have spoken of a High Magarch, but as no one outside the Guild has ever seen such an individual, there are many who dismiss the existence of such a figure as a fabrication.

The Collegium is also known as "the Guild". While there are many "guilds", there is only one "Guild", and when one refers to an organization simply as "the Guild", everyone knows what they are talking about. The Collegium is a secretive organization and appears to have only a handful of overriding aims: Expanding the arcane knowledge and power of the organization and preserving the independence of Enslem. All other concerns appear to be subordinated to this cause. Members of the Guild largely turn a blind eye to the activities of the Sang-Nuit in the city, unconcerned with the lives or welfare of the inhabitants except to the extent that disruptions would threaten the Guild's hegemony. Members quell unrest and maintain the defenses of the city as well as ferreting out any spies or agents unfriendly to the Guild. Members are also frequently found travelling in other lands ensuring that external political events to not impinge upon the independence and freedom of the city, spinning webs of alliances and and other agreements that the Magarchs consider advantageous to the Collegium and its position as the rulers of Enselm as well as whatever other hidden goals or agendas the Guild may have.

It is through the power of the Guild that Enslem retains its independence. The Collegium ruthlessly enforces its most famous law within their domains: No person who is not a member of the Collegium may ever legally use magic under the foreboding midnight blue sky of the Interdiction. This law is, in observed practice, inflexible and absolute. No matter how well-disposed the Collegium has been towards a non-member caster, the Blue Mages have always preserved their monopoly over the use of magic within the protected portions of the city. The ban applies to all arcane and divine spell casting, and the Interdiction de Magique affects all forms of magic and supernatural abilities equally well. No outsider, no matter how well intentioned, has ever avoided the Blue Mage's ban on magic within the boundaries that they consider to be theirs alone.

Almost all members are recruited as children. Adults who are admitted to the Collegium are vanishingly rare to the point of being virtually unheard of. This doesn't stop many of the poor and down on their luck from showing up at the gates of the Guild's fortress of Caelantha to seek membership, and once in a great while such hopeful persistence pays off. The Guild regularly searches the areas in which it has influence for promising students with magical talent. Once they locate such an individual they spirit him or her away to an unknown location or locations. It is presumed that the Collegium has a secret training ground on Poudre Island where its recruits are trained in the mystical arts and conditioned to be unswervingly loyal to the Guild, although as outsiders are forbidden to land on the island, this is merely conjecture. When apprentice members of the Guild return from their period of training, they appear to remember little of their childhood lives. The few times that a family member has recognized a member of the Collegium after he has returned, the apprentice has appeared not to recognize his family member. It is widely believed that members of the Collegium are somehow mentally conditioned to loyalty, and regard the Guild as their family.

Most members are gnomish, alvari, or human. There have occasionally been halfling and khülen members, but they are rare as halflings and khülen are generally not available for the Collegium to claim. Most outsiders also assume that the Collegium regards most of the generally wild and undisciplined khülen as being generally unsuited to the academic tenor of the group, although some Collegium researchers have devoted substantial time studying the unique spirit magic of the shifter-folk. Despite the substantial population of changelings living in and around Enselm, changeling members of the Collegium are rare, presumably because of a tacit agreement between the Blue Mages and the Night Siblings. There are few dwarven members due to the fact that most dwarven wizards follow their own race’s mystic traditions, although the Collegium has been known to work closely with the magical engineers of the Hartzstadt. many outsiders presume that the Collegium regards freidnly dwarven spell casters living in their own countries are more politically valuable to the Collegium than a handful of additional dwarven members would be. Even though the ironborn are created by the Blue Mages, there are only a handful of ironborn who actually join the Guild's ranks, most of whom were specifically created to address some specific problem, concern, or research project of the Guild.

In terms of total numbers, gnomes appear to make up about sixty to seventy percent of the known membership, while alvari and humans make up most of the remainder in a more or less even split. The remaining races are sprinkled here and there. Gnomes dominate the upper echelons of the Guild structure, comprising approximately eighty percent of the Inner Circle, highest government body known well enough by outsiders to determine the membership thereof. Most known members of the Guild are wizards, shugenja, or some combination of both, with a smaller number of sorcerers, favored souls, and clerics among the Guild's ranks.

Home     Three Worlds     Enselm