Amber
The expanding Amberverse from dkap-amber
17 Major Guilds of the Courts of Chaos
- Ambassadors Guild - Guildmistress Rose Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Branier (missing after Shadow Purge). Very similar to the Etiquette Guild but for those from not Chaos.
- Assassins Guild - Guildmistress Princess Chandra Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Tirellian.
- Bards Guild - Princess Harp Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Leareth. Historians, storytellers, entertainers. Often hired by the Dancers Guild and the Ambassadors Guild.
- Beastmasters Guild - Guildmaster Snarscht Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Trinock (demon). The guild has been misplaced after the Shadow Purge.
- Crafters Guild - Guildmaster Qrelon Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Morganthe. The guild staff are almost precisely identical massive cubes. The reason for this is unknown. As far as anyone knows, Dworkin has never taken that shape.
- Dancers Guild - Guildmaster Rainbow Old Lord of Chaos, Guild second Silver Lyra.
- Etiquette Guild - Very similar to the Ambassadors Guild, except focused on all the beings in Chaos. Currently held in a pocket stop on the Fringe by King Osric, because the are widely being impersonated.
- Healers Guild - A guild of long history, helping and healing bodies and minds that have become broken. They believe in restoration, not crafting anew, but have been known to smooth over some bumps when necessary. Due to actions of the Poisoners Guild, was newly re-founded and re-formed, under Snarsht’s supervision.
- Herbalists Guild - Guildmaster Cress, guild second Alexia Much to their suprise, recently promoted into the place of the Poisoners Guild, due to politics, and bad choices on the Poisoners Guild members part.
- Mages Guild - Guildmistress Amaranth, guild second the Bear Mage Old Lord of Chaos. Rebuilding, and reconnecting to their roots.
- Mathematicians Guild - Guildmaster Gauss Old Lord of Chaos, guild second Teague. For more information see the power Mathematics.
- Philosophers Guild - Guildmaster Sea of Thought, guild second Eudiche. A backbone of understanding beyond the reasoning of most, and a level of patience beyond even that.
- Psionicists Guild - Guildmistress Miryam, Guild second Lothien. They are in the midst of adjusting the guild to their new patterns.
- Rimfishers Guild - Guildmaster Bochor Old Lord, Guild Second Osric Old Lord. Now a major guild again after the Shadow Purge, because rim-fishing is the way to get stuff again, due to the whole “Lack of the Abyss” circumstances, so pit diving is no longer an option.
- Shifters Guild - heavily restructuring after suffering the wrath of Cyndia. Secretly run by Rainbow pretending to be the old guild head, Riscorian. Guild second Wyndham.
- Torturers Guild - technically empty, one false member. Not formally demoted. Only one actual member survives, Lord Talos, but he is on Corwin’s Promontory and his location is not known to the Courts. Apparently it’s not in your best interest to piss off certain Amberites in combination with certain members of the Courts.
- Warriors Guild - Guildmistress Cyndia, after much turnover. Guild second Raven. Both by inheritance, although this is not commonly known.
Tirellian, Dalmas, and Wyndham are sisters, and often are mistaken for triplets, or each-other.
Minor Guilds of Chaos
- Concubines Guild - subsidiary/spinoff guild of the Dancers Guild. Guildmistress Aphrodisia, guild second Mark. (It is rumored they are married, and fight a lot.)
Defunct or Missing Guilds of Chaos
- Poisoners Guild - Bronelle was Guildmistress, with Dalmas as guild second.
- Slavers Guild - Mikail put in a bid to be Guildmaster, perhaps unknowingly. One of the cross-shadow branches was run by Raven and K’rin.
- Pit Divers Guild - Traders with the Demon Houses on the walls of the Abyss as well as diving deep into it to get things not common, or not sought after by the Demons House members. Now that the Abyss is no more, the guild (and their guild-house) are defunct and gone.
More information on certain Guilds: (More is always welcome.)
Ambassadors
The Ambassadors Guild is known for being outreach for Chaos and often it’s current King.
Possibly the only reason, initially, that might making right was not the only order of the day, Rose has a fasination with diversity, and cultures not her own. Rose, Branier, and the rest of their guild have spent lifetimes building bridges, working out treaties, and throwing parties with the help of the Dancers Guild.
Knowing and learning the forms of new cultures drives the members of this guild to achieve great things.
Assassins
The Assassin’s Guild of Chaos is led by Princess Chandra.
The guild can be contracted to kill targets, fees negotiable by the Guild. The Guild sets its own fee structure and makes its own decisions about whether to accept or reject targets. Guild members are sticklers for making sure there is a witness to the assassination to sign a receipt.
Guild contracts are available for viewing at the Guild itself, but there is wide speculation that if the subject to a contract arrives at the Guild, they would be shown their contract and then killed.
The order of the Sith are a cadet branch of the Assassins Guild, and share their fondness for black uniforms.
Cassandra is a member of the Assassin’s Guild, and was Princess Chandra’s apprentice for a time.
The Guild is currently undergoing some structural issues, after Llewella abducted most of the physical guild.
Beastmasters
One of the seventeen Major Guilds of the Courts.
Beastmastery involves altering something’s base form, as opposed to Shapeshifting, which involves altering the surface form. It appears that Shapeshifting is easier to do to yourself, and Beastmastery is easier to do to someone else.
It appears that few people are skilled in both Beastmastery and Shapeshifting. Exceptions include Norton and Mikail.
Dancers
The Dancers Guild is where all high-class entertainment comes from. From consultants, to people at your event, the Dancers Guild is a full-service bureau.
They pride themselves on change, and style, knowing just the right touches, who can be seated near whom, the right music, the right costumes, the right shapes, to make (or break) your event. They have tiers of services, for various prices and costs.
They have even been known to, on occasion, get the Assassins Guild to put temporary stays on contracts to ease and allow for contracted activities to happen.
Rainbow has been Guildmaster since it’s founding, and has been known to take personal interest if the occasion is grand enough.
It is rumored that Flora got some of her training at this Guild.
Etiquette
Known by their badge, and their impartiality, the Etiquette Guild is often the means of settling disputes, communicating between, and striking deals with other guilds, houses, and individuals in the Courts.
They are the arbiters of duels, the proof of agreements, and their records are available for the appropriate perusal by effected and interested parties.
They hold all the proper forms, for those who need or want to know them, how someone of the rank and position of the person asking is to properly approach pretty much anyone of consequence across the known spectrum of beings inhabiting Chaos. Including several “you don’t” (most individuals and the Serpent for example) or “Scream and Run” when “approaching” Pharaban as another example.
Recently they were infiltrated and became impersonated by a malicious force, and the real guild was being sheltered by the then King Osric.
This means that much of the business of Chaos is currently on hold, and there can’t be a council meeting at Thelbane until they are restored, or visited.
Healers
Rumor has it that Snarsht formed the Healers Guild.
The Healers Guild was fairly completely subverted by the Poisoners Guild, and destroyed by the PCs. As part of their subversion, the Healers Guild substituted a disguised Bronelle for an unconscious Natasha. Much wackiness ensued, especially when Caelin unintentionally proposed to Bronelle, his grandmother’s greatest philosophical opposite and political opponent.
The Healers Guild was re-founded under Snarsht’s tutelage, by ten members of House Chanicut chosen by King Osric. The Healers Guild is currently missing, as is the Beastmasters Guild. They are presumed to be in the same place.
Mages
One of the most populated and indiscriminant guilds in Chaos. They don’t require exclusivity and are willing to accept anyone who wants to learn and has any talent for what they teach whatsoever.
Recently there was a bit of a turnover due to the actiosn of the past Guildmaster, and the continuing necessity of his replacement.
Jenoir managed to pass the guild meaningfully, and successfully to Amaranth as Guild Master and the Bear Mage as guild second.
The new guild heads are currently rebuilding, with some help from Ferethyn the Realms Mage, and some of the folks from Cobalt.
One of their ongoing tasks is to hunt down and eliminate any taint of the former Guildmaster.
Philosophers
The Philosophers Guild is a guild devoted to philosophical questions, and as such the PCs know very little about it.
The Sea of Thought is composed of many former members of the Philosophers guild, and a few former guild heads. The sea is currently the Guildmaster after a motally wounded Duchess Ilarion joined the Sea withhelp from some folks including Ilk.
Jance, former King of Chaos was the guild second for the Philosophers guild after Pattern Fall, until replaced by Eudiche, upon the discovery of his death.
Psionicists
The Psionicists Guild has recently had a fairly bumpy past.
For many reasons, they are not overly popular, and yet, folks don’t want to get on their bad side.
Previous Guild Heads include:
- Imagio, who was very much known for his ability to create seamless and completely believable illusions. Spun out of an imagination with a depth and attention to detail beyodn compare, some of the favorite places in Chaos evaporated upon his death. One of the few ways people know he is really dead, rather than this just being another illusion.
- Andron, one of the strongest mental presences known in Chaos he could reach depths of mind almost unbelievable, and manipulate both minds, and objects on micro-levels untracably. He and his long-time love Jenoir, then head of the Mages Guild, both gave up their lives in OldCatan so that the Realms Mage Ferethyn might live. Out of a sense of duty to the lost lives of Andron and Jenoir, Ferethyn now is spending some time making sure that what was left behind by them is given the support it needs.
- Miryam is currently the Guild Head. She seems to be very likable, even after you have left her presence. This has disturbed some people, but she claims that it is not anything she is doing.
- Lothien, often confused for anyone else, seems to have a “somebody else’s problem” field up for the last little bit. This is a deliberate action after some problems with the imposter members of the Etiquette Guild otherwise, was one of Imagio’s strongest apprentices and was following in his studies.
Warriors
The Chaosian guild of combat, martial arts, and the like. Guild promotion is done by single combat. The token of the guild master is the stone sword, a primal weapon thought by some to be the first weapon. The token of the guild second is the stone dagger, a slightly less primal weapon perhaps created after the wielder of the stone sword got tired of lugging it around.
The Warrior’s Guild fought against Amber as part of King Borel’s coalition in the Pattern Fall war.
The known Warrior’s Guild guild heads are:
- Marial, now the Warlord
- Someone, killed by Benedict during Pattern Fall
- Benedict, who eventually found out that he was the head of the guild. Mostly by guild members trying to win the position randomly challenging him and attacking him with witnessess.
- Corwin was automatically promoted (from Guild Second) after Benedict was trapped in another reality.
- Cyndia, after Corwin and Caine disappeared and were thought killed. It is still unclear to most folks how Cyndia was picked, although she has since proven her mettle to many of the guild members. It was by inehritence, and testing of those who were known to be of Benedict’s line.
Warrior’s Guild seconds have included: