The World of Avarath

Guilds

 

Adventurer's Guild

As the name implies, the guild is set up as an official organization of adventurers who are hired out for all kinds of dangerous tasks - monster hunting, treasure seeking, exploration, bounty collecting, and any other work beyond the means of common folk or city guards. The Adventurer's Guild has locations in most major cities and larger towns. The Guild Headquarters are situated in Heavensreach, and the Guild Master is a retired Dwarven Warpriest named Gurrik Orcsbane.

 

Arcane Order (Mages Guild)

While there are several magic-based groups in the world, the Arcane Order is the only one recognized internationally as an official magic guild. Members of the order are bound by certain research and practice laws, which include the outlawing of necromancy and abyssal summoning.

The main order complex is located in Ilymer. The Archmage serving as head of the guild is Kemuria Ravensong, a Sky Elven (Aegisar) Wizard.

 

Calder's Children (Thieves Guild)

This widespread organization of thieves is "officially unofficial", so to speak, in that its existence is no secret, but it doesn't exactly advertise nor flaunt itself openly in city streets. Named after the dark god of thievery, the guild has established itself it many prominent cities, working in the shadows as pickpockets, con artists, burglars, cutpurses, and, only occasionally and for good money, assassins.

Those in the know, know that the guild is run out of its headquarters in the Reach Below, a sprawling, maze-like dungeon complex situated beneath the streets of Heavensreach. The identity of the Thief Lord is unknown, even by the highest ranking thieves.

 

Champion's Guild (Fighters Guild)

Joining this guild is the best way for mercenaries and sellswords to get work. Jobs often include things like guarding caravans, working as personal security for nobility, joining armies as hired muscle, etc. The guild is often in direct competition with the Adventurer's Guild when it comes to things like hunting/killing monsters or bandits, and the two even had an all-out war once, leaving both organizations reeling with heavy losses. An uneasy truce - more of a 'ceasefire really - currently exists between the two.

Grand Champion Hexalia, a fierce Dragonborn Fighter, runs the guild from her headquarters in Siguldur.

 

Seafarer's Guild (Sailors)

Any sailors or ship hands looking for work can register with the official Seafarer's Guild, which operates out of many of the major ports of call in the region. The main guild office is in the exotic Port of Sands in the Broken Isles. Kergan Stormrider, a retired pirate-turned-honest-captain, is the current head of the guild.

 

Sendorian Order (Merchants/Trade)

While not the only organization of merchants and traders, the Order is by far the largest and most organized. The Sendorians effectively control most of the major shipping and caravan routes throughout the Shattered Sea region and have the ability to set and control taxes on importing and exporting in many cities. Smaller merchant organizations often get swallowed up by the guild, if not willingly, then under great pressure.

Chief Coin Lord Gilligum Thrawn, a human merchant, presides over the order's main office in Kangellan.

 

Factions

 

Celestial Enclave

An enigmatic group of masked individuals from all walks of life who look to patterns in the stars for guidance instead of following the gods. The Enclave believes that the gods themselves are pawns, subject to the raw chaotic nature of the universe. They have no real goal unless it is to open the eyes of the devout to their folly and "free" them from serving helpless beings who would call themselves 'gods'.

 

Children of the Light

Made up of Paladins and others in service to the gods Dohmardun and Haroun, the Children of the Light seek to extinguish threats invading the world from the Shadowfell, as well as any undead they come across. They are the sworn enemies of the Order of Shadow and they patrol the borders of the Shadowscar, battling the forces of Szalitharr at every opportunity.

 

Crimson Wave

The kingdoms along the coasts of the Shattered Sea and the Broken Coast regions all boast naval fleets tasked with guarding their borders and their merchant ships, but rarely will a kingdom spare resources and ships to hunt down pirates unless they are posing a direct threat. The Crimson Wave does nothing but hunt pirates and smugglers. With a small but growing fleet of fighting ships, the Wave patrols the sea in hunt of the galleons of the Redwater Pirates.

 

Cult of Undying Fire

The worshippers of Protheros, the Demon King, believe that their 'god' can purify the world through chaos and destruction, and seek to help him in his efforts to wreak havoc on the world of mortals. They summon demons and spread destruction and despair anywhere they can, hoping to one day summon Protheros himself and unleash his fury on all of Avarath.

 

Fleetfeet

The best network of spies anywhere in the Shattered Sea region, the Fleetfeet is a group made up primarily of halflings in service of the halfling god Kirbo Fleetfoot, patron of trickery and stealth. Spies for hire, they serve whoever is willing to pay the most coin. Once they've committed to a job, however, they display a trustworthiness seldom found among others of their profession.

 

Koharian Order

Inspired by but not directly associated with the old Kohari Empire, the Order believes that it is the destiny of humans to inherit and rule all the world. The group of racists sees all non-human races as inferior to men, with elves and halflings being tolerable while other races deserve nothing short of slavery or death. Their reach is small but growing in human-dominated towns and regions.

 

Lightbringers

A peaceful organization that seeks to spread the teachings of Haroun, Lawful Good deity of light and the sun. The Lightbringers preach hope, peace, and overall goodness wherever they can, refraining from violence when at all possible. They view Haroun, not Dohmardun, as king of the gods and believe that he should be worshiped above all other deities.

 

Oakheart Rangers

Prowling the forests and wild places of the world, the Rangers seek to protect nature from evil forces that would corrupt it. Made up primarily of humans and elves, the rangers pay homage to the elven goddess Karabrae, Lady of the Forest. The rangers hate kobolds and orcs above all else and will go out of their way to track their despised foes down.

 

Order of Shadow

A cult devoted to the dracolich Szalitharr and his quest to cover the world in shadow. They will stop at nothing to bring the world to darkness and ruin. There are two fronts to the Order - the forces of shadow that pour forth from the Shadowscar to corrupt the land, and the cultists who infiltrate cities and organizations in an attempt to sow discord.

 

Order of Virtue

An order of Paladins and Clerics devoted to delivering justice in the name of Dohmardun, the Lawful Good deity of justice and virtue. Members of the Order often travel to remote villages to serve as temporary judges when no official court system is present. They also track down rulers who abuse their people, bringing swift judgment on the heads of the oppressors.

 

Red Hand

Believing that those who enforce the law are corrupt in most kingdoms, the Red Hand seeks to serve vigilante justice when the 'law' fails to do what is necessary. In most cities, they are hunted as outlaws, but in smaller towns and villages - where they often take care of bandits that guards don't bother with - they are praised as heroes and protectors.

 

Ruhnians

Legends of Ruhn, the All-Father, God of the gods and creator of reality have persisted throughout the ages, though his existence has never been fully confirmed. The Ruhnians believe he is real, and that he is the only true god - the only one worthy of worship. Rather than spread the word of Ruhn's existence, the group prefers keeping to themselves and believing that only Ruhn himself can and will reveal his existence to those he wants to follow him. Followers must come to believe in Ruhn for themselves.

 

Sorrow's Children

Lead by a woman who has lost three husbands and twice as many children in her lifetime, members of this faction believe that sorrow in life is inevitable and is to be embraced rather than shunned. They believe that sorrow and pain bring out a person's true nature, while happiness is only an illusion. They worship no gods, believing only that pain brings enlightenment, and enlightenment can be achieved without the aid of divine beings.

 

Soulwardens

The Soulwardens serve Hypereda, the Queen of Souls, as ushers of death. The Queen's followers believe that death is natural and necessary and should not be avoided, and thus seek out any who have cheated death in order to bring it to them. They hunt the undead mercilessly, often working together with the Children of the Light wherever the undead gather in large numbers. The undead aren't their only targets, however. Any being who has extended his or her mortal life beyond what it should be has reason to fear the Soulwardens, who are just as likely to hunt down a mage benefiting from a fountain of youth as a lich or vampire.

 

The Watchers

Worshippers of the god Sendor, The Watchers believe in order and balance above all else and seek to maintain balance in every kingdom they are able to establish a presence within. They believe neither the blinding light of goodness nor the oppressive darkness of evil should triumph, and that each needs the other in order to exist. They'll do whatever it takes to maintain what they call balance, believing that the end justifies the means.

 

Other Groups

The following groups are not officially organized in any way and typically have no purpose or leader. Members of these groups are joined by things they share in common rather than by a common goal.

 

 

The Exiles

Not all Dragonborn follow Bahamut, the king of dragons. In the past, those who refused to worship him were exiled by the Queen and stripped of their clan names. Technically, they are still a part of the kingdom but now live in the remote village of Exilas, unable to enter the capital city of Drakenmoor upon pain of death. Dragonborn can be stripped of their clan for other reasons, but their plight is different than the exiles who were 'purged' because of their beliefs.

 

Ba'atharri Nomads

Members of this ancient people group are natives of the Ba'Thar region. Nomadic by nature, they refuse to settle in any permanent towns or cities. They reluctantly submit themselves to the rule of the Sage King in Siguldur but hold on to their independence, their culture, and their shared heritage above all else.

 

The Earthbound

Sky Elf society is heavily bound by tradition and by what they consider to be perfection - namely, themselves. Any Aegisar born with physical deformities, defects, or degenerative conditions are unceremoniously cast out from society and are "thrown" from the race's floating earth motes to the ground below, forbidden from ever returning.