Guilds
Merchant & Craft Guilds Craft Guilds
As Hyborian specialisation of industry became more and more prominent, the city’s bakers, cobblers, stone masons and carpenters associated with one another and banded together for protection and mutual trade. As these associations, or guilds, grew larger and more important in Hyborian nations, the guild leaders petitioned the kings of that era for more rights and these rights were granted to them in order to protect Hyborian nations against outsiders so long as the craftsmen upheld some measure of civic service and duty. The guilds protect themselves against outsiders by barring or restricting trade, forcing merchants and traders in foreign goods of a type made by a local guild to pay a stipend or tariff for the right to sell the goods in that particular Hyborian city. The tariff is then split between all the relevant craftsmen in the guild with a portion given to the feudal lord for the right to charge the tariff. The only exception to this is on annual fairs or on established market days, when anyone can buy and sell to the public. Women generally join guilds when their fathers or husbands join. They become independent guild members at the death of the applicable male. Guilds often use secret signs to communicate basic information to other members, as well as mysterious gestures to identify fellow guild members and their ranks. Many guilds incorporate religious and philosophical concepts and traditions into their meetings, making them mystery cults of a sort. During festivals the guilds often put on trademark plays to emphasise their preferred themes and religious stories. For example, the Goldsmiths may put on a complex play illustrating the creation of gold myths present in the religious traditions of Mitra.
Guild Craftsmen
The craftsmen usually live in neighbourhoods of similar skilled craftsmen, although this may vary somewhat depending on the size of the city. Often the master craftsmen of a particular craft all belong to the same family. They share apprentices between them, working together to regulate competition and promote prosperity for the entire family and, by extension, the prosperity of Hyborian nations as a whole.
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Apprentices: Throughout Hyborian nations, the basic economic assumption is that everyone is employed by the time they are 14 or 15, an expert in their craft. Becoming an expert is difficult, as is entering any select inner circle of a group or cult. A craftsman begins his life as an apprentice to a master, working in exchange for food, clothing, shelter and an education. It is illegal in most of Hyborian nations to apprentice anyone older than 12 who has been working in agriculture prior to age twelve to prevent mass migrations to the cities. Usually the parents of a youth pay the master a fee to entice him to take on the child as an apprentice. An apprentice is not paid money in any circumstance and this position lasts for about five to nine years. During his apprenticeship he is not permitted to marry, as the master would then be required to feed and house additional people without due compensation. Some girls negotiate the ability to marry provided some sort of forfeit payment is made to their master or mistress. Also, trips to taverns, brothels and inns are often regulated or banned as well. Most apprentices live in the attic of the master’s house, furthest away from the valuable tools and raw materials of the shop located on the ground floor. Apprenticeship is not without its dangers, especially for girls. Female apprentices are easy prey for the sexual advances of their masters and they might even be sold into prostitution by their mistresses. Journeymen: Once the master has given his approval of the apprentice’s overall work and skill level, the apprentice leaves the home of his master and goes out into the world as a hired hand, carrying a letter of recommendation from his apprentice master. He is called a journeyman because he journeys from town to town, working for master after master to learn different techniques. A journeyman is allowed to work for any master he wants and is paid with wages for his labours. He also collects letters of recommendations from all the masters he has worked with. Only a journeyman or master may use his Profession skill or Craft skill to earn an income. He works six day weeks from sun-up to sun-down. Most journeymen live on the third floor of a master’s house. This stage of his career as a craftsman lasts around seven years. In order to rise above the status of journeyman to master, the journeyman must choose a specific town to settle in, then he has to produce a masterpiece. This masterpiece must be created on his own time with his own materials and tools, both of which are difficult to procure on their modest wages. This is further made more difficult to accomplish as most journeymen work for various masters six or more days
