Guilds of the Elaphaea Archipelago
While most guild headquarters are based out of Helmfirth, guild members are found all over the archipelago, and enrollment into these guilds is open to all who wish to join. Some are a little more exclusive, or have certain trials that one must pass to join, while others welcome all into their ranks with open arms.
All members of guilds based out of Helmfirth generally earn themselves titles if they are there, and every chair holder and guild master will earn one by association of being on the land more often than not.
Wayfarer’s Guild
A guild of dedicated mariners and ferry phae, the Wayfarer’s guild is the oldest guild in the isles. It may not seem like much at first, but every phae who has ever sought to travel across the isles has more than likely needed the help of a phae who runs a ferry. All phae aspiring to host their own ferries must be a member of the guild, or else have the brunt of the guild bearing down on them for dues. In this fashion, they work much like a union, protecting and teaching their members, and making sure they get their fair keep.
Aside from ferries, the Wayfarer’s guild is host to sailors and fishers who use boats. If ever a phae has a love of the sea, they need look no further than this guild to broaden their horizons.
Guild Master
Wayfarer Guild Hall
Wayfarer Charris the Tidebringer
A serious doe from Mirroweld, Charris has been the guild master for almost a decade. She has sailed all over the isles and knows most of the waterways by heart. She is a fierce and shrewd businesswoman, but fair to her guild members and encourages those who have a love of the sea to pursue it.
Guild Chairs
Stonemire Seaport
Lizz the Treasurebound
A short and smart doe from what is now the Lowland herd in Stonemire, Lizz used to sail with Kalvar, but followed him to the guild instead. She has a keen sense of adventure, and likes to spend her time looking for treasure throughout the isles when she is not helping with the guild.
Vinelocke Seaport
Kalvar Leafblade
A trans stag from Vinelocke, Kalvar once ran with pirates before deciding helping other phae learn how to sail and set out on their own journeys was more his speed. He delights in watching young sailors experience their first time at sea– a feeling he is never soon to forget and that he enjoys seeing in others.
Dawnspire Seaport
Jarrin Windscraper
A thin and lanky stag from Dawnspire, he is nonetheless gifted in the art of charter. He seems to have a sixth sense for when the wind will turn, and sails swiftly and elegantly based on these predictions. The undisputed champion of sail races.
Mirroweld Seaport
Svaltr Saltbeard
A wiry, shaggy stag with a large belly and bellowing laugh from Helmfirth, he knows the waters around the isle better than anyone. Only not Guild Master because he doesn’t want the responsibility. He took over the Mirroweld port when Charris became the Guild Master.
How to Join
Charris has set forth a small sailing course, and any phae who wishes to join must reliably sail through it – alone. It isn’t altogether too difficult, and is designed to be navigated solo. The guild provides the ship for the trial.
Guild of the Glinting Coin
The Guild for merchants and crafters, they have smaller outposts on most of the other isles (or otherwise have contacts there.) These phae help merchants price their wares and help crafters either sell their wares or find merchants to carry it. A hub of commerce, they act as middlemen to coin passing between those who make the goods and those who peddle them. They take small dues from these transactions, but don’t need a lot– they handle so much business that the small odds and ends add up fast.
Guild Master
Master Trader’s Guild Post
Treasurer Mahra the Coineyed
A taffy trans doe with one silver eye and one gold, she oversees the majority of the guild’s dealings and enjoys a cushy life of luxury. Discerning and perhaps a bit draconic, she only enjoys the finest things in life that her absolutely brutal business tactics have gotten her. She sees her guild members in a sort of familial light, and woe betide anyone who hurts her family.
Guild Chairs
Stonemire Trading Post
Vati the Knifefanged
A non-binary phae who is as cunning as they are shrewd, Vati has done business all over the isles. They don’t say where they come from exactly, and it doesn’t really matter anyway. They have dealt specifically in the market of small arms and armor, and have extensive dealings with Stonemire for their metals and ores.
Vinelocke Trading Post
Marpesia Greenhoof
Tall, slightly thicker, with a dark bay hide and kudu markings, Marpesia is a highly respected doe from the Life tribe and has proven herself in many negotiations. She is a shrewd bargainer, and has a specialty in the plants, her own special skill in flower arrangements, and dyes that only thrive in her jungle homeland.
Dawnspire Trading Post
Alia the Sunfavored
A golden doe from the desert, Alia belongs to a noble house, although outside of Dawnspire, she refuses to state which. She’s a fairly sweet and happy doe, but will laugh lowballs right out of the room. She’s far more pleasant to deal with than perhaps some of the other ranking guild members are.
Mirroweld Trading Post
Tsumitai Silkspinner
A doe from Mirroweld, Tsumitai is older and has seen a great deal. She mostly specializes in textiles and helps other members price their wares accordingly. She is kind and mild-mannered, but her gentleness belies an incredibly sharp wit and sharper tongue.
How to Join
Be a merchant or a crafter! Becoming a member of the guild means your goods are insured against theft and burglary, and a phae is compensated for it. All one needs to do is locate a guild branch, or otherwise make it to Wolfengard in Helmfirth to sign up, and they’re good to go!
Guild of Unending Song
Otherwise known as the Bard’s College, it is the place for entertainers to come to hone their skills. Located in distant Landfall in Helmfirth, there is a secondary guild location in Dawnspire for those unable to make the journey. Lending itself to singers, storytellers, actors, and all other sorts who entertain for a living, they ensure that their guild members are treated well and find good places in which to perform. They also facilitate the safe travel of their members from land to land. It is said that this guild has some shadowy ties to other, less savory factions, but there is no proof to substantiate these rumors
Guild Master
Unending Song Guild Hall
Loremaster Goldfinch Longstrider
An extremely countershaded golden stag with black markings, Goldfinch is in his older years, but has wandered the archipelago innumerable times. He never has a shortage of stories to tell, and his repertoire of songs seems never-ending. If someone’s been somewhere, he has a story to tell of it. No one, not even him, remembers where he’s from.
Guild Chairs
Unending Song Guild Hall
Svenjari Longtooth
An elderly stag from Helmfirth, older even than Goldfinch, Svenjari has memorized nearly every myth, legend, story, fable, and tale in the isles, and can recite them all from memory. It’s the only part of his memory that’s still good, in fact; his mind seems to be deteriorating by the year, but ask him to tell a story, and he’ll tell it verbatim the same as he’s always told his stories before, without missing a single word or faltering on a single cadence.
Hana Watersong
A delicate doe hailing from Vinelocke, Hana has a voice almost unparalleled in the isles. From ancient hymns to upbeat folk tunes, there isn’t a genre of music she hasn’t been able to match in tone. She is a bubbly and energetic doe who likes to make friends and sing for anyone who will listen. She’s a bit excitable and sometimes overeager, but her heart is in the right place.
Bard’s College (Dawnspire)
Maralie Petaldancer
A young doe from Mirroweld whose movements in dance are unparalleled, she is humble, gentle, sweet, and generous. Finicky in intrapersonal relationships, but an icon to those who seek to learn from her, she is better suited to parasocial and professional relations than anything else.
Deverin the As-Of-Yet-Untitled
Deverin basically runs the guild out of the desert, as he’s not quite hale enough to make the journey up to Helmfirth to the guild quarters up there. He’s a brilliant storyteller and has a beautiful voice for singing, but he cannot stand the cold. The farthest north he’s gotten is Stonemire, and even then, he nearly shivered himself to death and spent most of the season parked in front of a fire under furs. He’s been told his unofficial name is ‘frostwarbler’ by his guildmates as a joke that he rolls his eyes at. He’s fairly good-humored about it.
How to Join
Any phae seeking to join must perform in front of one of the guild chairs or guildmaster. To gather the courage and overcome any stage fright to do so is proof enough that a phae is worthy of joining! They aren’t terribly exclusive, so long as one works as an entertainer, they’re free to join!
Guild of the Crossed Tines
The place to be for warriors and those who seek the thrill of combat, the Guild of the Crossed (Cross-ed) Tines is host to those who are proud of their abilities and want to learn more, to become better, and seek to be the strongest they can be. Situated in the farthest, most inhospitable corner of Helmfirth, only the strongest and most capable phae may become guild members.
Guild Master
Crossed Tines Training Camp
Warlord Aesgir the Unbreaking
A mountain of a stag with scars aplenty, he’s missing an ear and part of his lip, giving him the appearance of a perpetual sneer. Despite this, he’s actually quite kind– he knows when it is appropriate to fight and when it is not. He used to be Val-Tivar before he stepped down to lead the guild, and was a Knight Errant before that. He works with the phae he comes in contact with to best gauge their abilities and how to make them stronger. He is wise and warm, but doesn’t tolerate guff from anyone.
Guild Chairs
Crossed Tines Training Camp
Skadi Glacierborn
A very stocky doe with a wicked sickle for a horn, Skadi has served as Val-Tivar, retiring to be a guild chair after she was defeated for her position. Hard, cold, but able to determine what force is appropriate when, she is a brilliant tactician, and knows that physical strength isn’t everything– one must also possess inner strength.
Fumari Darkblade
Supposedly, he’s from Mirroweld, although he doesn’t talk much and keeps his past a mystery. He is quiet, observant, and offers pointers rather than training with guild members outright. He bears no physical scars and seems to take pride in his elegant appearance, but survives the bitter cold of Snowstead year ‘round nevertheless. When in combat, his swift and elegant strikes confound and leave none in his way.
Morari Treebasher
As it says on the tin, Morari knocks down trees for fun. A bit of a lughead but boisterous and friendly, Morari is best friends with Kyr in Chillbarrow, and hails from Vinelocke. He’s hardier and larger than most of the native phae from there, so it’s sometimes a joke to call his true lineage into question. He laughs it off with his earth magic, but says he doesn’t quite know for sure, and even so, it doesn’t matter. A handsome bay with black tattoos and a mane he keeps braided back, he’s also earned a reputation as a bit of a heartthrob, though he apparently has eyes for Maralie in another guild…
How to Join
Make it to the guild and fight one of the chairs. Whether or not you win is irrelevant– making the journey and having the gusto to challenge another is proof enough that a phae wishes to get stronger. It is no easy task to get to the headquarters, and to still have the energy to fight afterward is proof of conviction.