Sep 23 2020, 10:37 AM
This is a concept for a crafting guild.
WHERE: Leo (primary), Fornax (secondary), various pop-up locations.
Newcomers to the guild start out as Squires and must seek out an established Tradesman to apprentice beneath; if no such entity exists then they are to meet with the Minister of their chosen craft and be vetted for their abilities.
Once they have been a member of the guild for two cycles they are given a task by their mentor to show off their skills again. This involves the creation of a single item, the acquisition of supplies, or the trade of goods at a pop-up stall if applicable. It is to prove the Squire has learned enough of their craft to advance to their permanent new role - Tradesman (the crafter of things) or Merchant (the seller of goods).
Advancing beyond that to the rank of Artisan is slightly different. They must impress the Minister of their craft but also expand on their knowledge by seeking out rare materials (such as from difficult-to-reach caves) or studying beneath a master (such as making a deal with the Collector). Once every cycle there will be a Middenfaire during which time Artisans show off their master-work creations. It is also a time for Merchants to come together to trade goods from their respective fields of interest, while the rest of the guild celebrates their progress.
Each avenue is led by a Minister who specializes in a particular craft. These are well established experts in their field, or at least the individuals with the most skills at any given time, and they act as representatives of their fields. There are a total of seven and they form the backbone of the guild's counsel.
STRUCTURE:
Hawker OR Squire (Unskilled; Newcomers) [Unlimited]
Merchant OR Tradesman (Skilled: Level 1) [Unlimited]
Artisan (Skilled: Level 2) [Unlimited]
Minister (Crafting Leader) [7]
Tailoring (cloth goods)
Tannery (leather goods)
Metallurgy (refinement)
Toolcraft (utilitarian items)
Smithy (weapons and armor)
Alchemist (potions, brews, dyes)
Lapidary (gem hunting, crafting, etc.)
Ministers periodically send their merchants to pop-up markets to trade their goods with residents of the caves. The guild takes a small commission (an ingredient or material that the guild otherwise cannot acquire alone), but otherwise each merchant can set their own price beyond that. It would be commonplace for merchants to "hire" gembounds to do lesser hunting for their hides, or to employ characters with specific spell combinations that might help with acquiring small bits of thread, etc.
OKAY so I've been amassing all of this stuff as an idea, and I'd love input. If I were to go ahead and start something like this it wouldn't be for a while, but it would be really cool to put those hot regions of the cave to use. I know there are other crafting characters out there too - the builders in Eridanus come to mind - but hopefully this is different enough from that.
I would also really love it if members of other groups could simultaneously be a part of this guild, rather than choosing between multiple (does that even make sense?). For example: A member of the Voidcrawlers becomes a part of the guild as a Tanner, but would still be considered a VC and be sorted in to that group, maybe with a small note on the profile saying they're established in Leonis or something. Just as an option.