Merchants Guild
The Merchants Guild is a professional organization of Rharnian business owners. The breadth of businesses is wide – everything ranging from taverns to market stalls to herbal shops are welcomed into the guild without prejudice. They wield a significant amount of influence in Rharne thanks, in part, to their collective wealth, and they are one of the three most powerful factions in the city. The guild’s Trade Master is a member of the Council and frequently petitions them to makes decisions or changes that are in the interest of the guild’s members.
Any citizen who hopes to start their own business in Rharne is expected to join the Merchants Guild. Those who attempt to create businesses without first joining the guild tend to find themselves facing a myriad of problems: poor quality product, a lack of suppliers, absentee employees, an inability to build a regular customer base, and various building-related woes (for example, lease increases, structural concerns, unexpected fires). Not once has the Merchants Guild ever been directly linked to these problems, but there is such a significant pattern that some aspiring business owners request membership simply to avoid becoming victims.
The Merchants Guild runs the prestigious Rharne Bank and makes significant contributions to Rharne’s coffers. The guild donates nel to the Thunder Priestesses and the Lightning Knights in times of need, constructs public buildings and roads, and contributes to the city’s overall maintenance. It publicly employs people to work in their administrative offices at the Guild Hall, and privately employs mercenaries and guards to accomplish tasks ranging from guarding shipments to quiet intimidation (though, again, this has never been proven).
Any citizen who hopes to start their own business in Rharne is expected to join the Merchants Guild. Those who attempt to create businesses without first joining the guild tend to find themselves facing a myriad of problems: poor quality product, a lack of suppliers, absentee employees, an inability to build a regular customer base, and various building-related woes (for example, lease increases, structural concerns, unexpected fires). Not once has the Merchants Guild ever been directly linked to these problems, but there is such a significant pattern that some aspiring business owners request membership simply to avoid becoming victims.
The Merchants Guild runs the prestigious Rharne Bank and makes significant contributions to Rharne’s coffers. The guild donates nel to the Thunder Priestesses and the Lightning Knights in times of need, constructs public buildings and roads, and contributes to the city’s overall maintenance. It publicly employs people to work in their administrative offices at the Guild Hall, and privately employs mercenaries and guards to accomplish tasks ranging from guarding shipments to quiet intimidation (though, again, this has never been proven).
Credit: Rumour