The Protection Guild

The Protection Guild

Location

The Protection Guild is based in an otherwise non-descript warehouse district close to the docks. Most of the guild’s work takes place in the dock and surrounding entertainment and hospitality districts which is why this place was chosen. There are guild annexes across the city in prominent positions including the Gate, the Top and Redfields (where most of the embassies are).

The Building

The main guild headquarters is a squat unassuming building made of cheap, tough, dull stone. The guild has a very efficient, businesslike approach and their headquarters represent this effectively. Look closely though and you will see it has been meticulously designed. Surrounded by an open space, devoid of obstructions, the windows of the building are little more than arrow slits and an unadorned parapet runs around the roof. There is only one door to the building which is heavy and reinforced and the guild mages place charms and booby traps on the building every week.

Inside there is a main hall with a reception desk, a desk for prospective guild members and a guild lounge where new work is posted. The rear of the guild houses members’ facilities including a dormitory, a strong room that contains the contents of the members deposit accounts (see below) and a shop with discounted goods. On the upper floors the high ranking guild members have their offices and there is a ceremonial hall for guild addresses.

The Organisation

The Protection Guild has a reputation to uphold. In a city with no law, protection is a commodity that can be sold for a high price, if it’s reliable. To this end the Protection Guild has become the dominant security force in the city by, as far as anything can be in Port Blackheart, guaranteeing a service. The entry requirements are strict and the code of conduct for members is very specific about its expectations. There is a special arm of the guild employed for dealing (harshly of course) with those who break this code.

Guild members pay a monthly subscription dependent on their rank. This subscription is quite hefty but guild members get many services for this money. Firstly and most importantly, the guild pin that all members wear is a sign of their allegiance and affords them a certain level of respect in the city. The guild protects its own and the guild badge gives a certain level of shielding from the casual crime of the city. It is also a guarantee to prospective employers that the wearer has met the guild’s stringent standards and as such, guarantees a certain level of work. Guild members also enjoy use of the guildhouse facilities that include a basic level of food and shelter as well as a unique thing in Port Blackheart, a deposit account. Guilders can pay money into this account and earn interest on what they put in. There is almost no-one else in the city that can offer the kind of security the guild can and in 300 years of existence it has never been broken into (though many have tried). The guild also runs an arms shop that sells high quality merchandise to its members at a reduced fee.

Politically the guild is a powerful force. The money invested into it is spent on mercantile affairs and it has done well in the market, becoming very wealthy. It wields a great deal of financial and military clout as, if necessary, it can call on the services of hundreds of well trained fighters. Other factions in the city are at pains to avoid crossing the guild normally (or at least, crossing it in a way that can be traced back to them).