Mangai
The Mangai is the federation of all guilds across western Lythia. Also known as the Mercantylers’ Guild when referring to its governing body. Guilds are communities of craftsmen and merchants who have banded together to control economic activity in specific trades. Throughout western Lythia and Kaldor, virtually all significant commercial and professional activities fall within the control of powerful international guilds whose monopolistic rights are protected by law.
The guild system emerged as a response to the need for economic security, quality control, and standardized training. By restricting competition through legal monopolies, guilds provide their members with stable income and professional prestige.
The Principle of Franchising
A franchise is a license granted to a qualified master craftsman or merchant to operate a business in a specific settlement or region. The number of franchises in any given market is tightly controlled by the guild to preserve the economic security of all members. This creates artificial scarcity and ensures that masters can earn stable incomes.
For example, a town of 1,000 people might be granted franchises for two smithies, three taverns, and one jeweler — numbers determined by the guild based on market demand and existing member security.
Obtaining a franchise is expensive (typically 2–10 years of a master’s income) and often requires customary bribes to guild officials. Once obtained, the franchise provides a protected monopoly and is a valuable asset.
Guild Organization & Hierarchy
The Chapter System
Members are organized into chapters based on tradition and geographic proximity, ranging from a single settlement to an entire kingdom. A chapter is the local manifestation of the guild, responsible for admitting apprentices, administering examinations, maintaining quality standards, and settling disputes among members.
Guild Ranks
Apprentices
A position of privilege usually granted to the eldest child of an existing master craftsman. Apprenticeships can also be purchased by others, though this is expensive.
- Duration: 4–7 years, depending on the craft
- Compensation: Room and board only; occasionally a token wage
- Conditions: Rarely permitted to serve under their own fathers
- Advancement: Promotion to journeyman requires demonstrated competence and approval by existing masters
Journeymen
Promoted from apprenticeship after demonstrating sufficient skill. Journeymen work under contract to masters and typically travel from settlement to settlement, serving different masters and gaining diverse experience.
- Compensation: 1/3–2/3 of a bonded master’s rate, plus room and board
- Duration: Typically 3–5 years before advancement
- Advancement: Requires references from at least three masters, often a practical or oral examination, and sometimes the creation of a “masterpiece”
Masters
The senior rank within the guild. Masters are of two kinds:
- Freemasters hold a franchise, own their own business, and employ apprentices and journeymen. They are the economic backbone of the guild system.
- Bonded Masters work under contract to a freemaster or to other organizations, earning stable income but without independent business ownership.
All masters pay approximately 10% of their annual income to the guild treasury.
Syndics & Guildmasters
In large chapters with many masters, the masters elect a board of syndics who oversee chapter administration. The board appoints a Guildmaster from among themselves, who serves as the representative to the Mangai and arbitrates disputes.
The Mangai Council
At the highest level, the Mangai is an association of all guild representatives. Its principal functions are:
- Regulating guilds and enforcing standards across settlements
- Settling disputes between guilds
- Organizing town markets and fairs — the Mangai holds a trading post at Oselbridge and maintains market authority in Tashal
- Lobbying governments for protection and favorable treatment
- Political neutrality: The Mangai explicitly stays out of secular politics; in return, governments limit their involvement in guild affairs
Guild Badges
Guild badges serve as symbols of membership and are distinctly different from heraldic devices. All guild badges are registered with the Enclave of the Golden Orb in Cherafir.
Strict limitations apply:
- May not take the shape of a knight’s shield (heraldry is reserved for the nobility)
- May not exceed six inches in diameter on garments
- May not be painted on shields or made into proper banners (sole exception: the Pilots’ Guild, uniquely allowed to fly its badge as a pennant)
- Must be registered with the Enclave; unauthorized badges are subject to confiscation
The Guilds of the Mangai
The following is a reference of the major Mangai guilds, their monopolies, badges, and relative influence.
| Guild | Monopoly | Badge | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| College of Harpers | Musical instruments | Gules, a harp sable | ★★★★ |
| Glassworkers | Glassware production | Argent, a saltire gules | ★★★ |
| Miners’ Guild | Metal & mineral extraction | Party per pale purpure and sanguine, a brock proper | ★★★★ |
| Weaponcrafters’ Guild | Arms & armor production | Gules, a sword and hammer or | ★★★★★ |
| Innkeepers’ Guild | Taverns & inns | Gules, a tankard or | ★★★ |
| Ostlers’ Guild | Horse care & stabling | Argent, a horse courant sable | ★★★ |
| Thespians | Theatrical performances | Vert, a tragic mask or | ★★ |
| Mercers’ Guild | Cloth & textile trade | Or, a bolt of cloth gules | ★★★★ |
| Masons’ Guild | Stone construction | Sable, a stone hammer or | ★★★ |
| Timberwrights’ Guild | Timber & wood products | Vert, a pine tree or | ★★★ |
| Leatherworkers’ Guild | Leather goods | Sable, a hide gules | ★★★ |
| Smiths’ Guild | Metalworking (general) | Gules, a hammer or | ★★★★ |
| Jewelers’ Guild | Jewelry & precious metals | Or, a crown gules | ★★★ |
| Perfumers’ Guild | Perfumes & cosmetics | Argent, a rose gules | ★★ |
| Potters’ Guild | Ceramics & pottery | Sable, a vessel or | ★★ |
| Bakers’ Guild | Bread & baked goods | Or, a loaf of bread proper | ★★★ |
| Brewers’ Guild | Beer & ale production | Sable, a barrel or | ★★★ |
| Tailors’ Guild | Clothing & garments | Argent, a needle and thread gules | ★★★ |
| Cordwainers’ Guild | Shoemaking | Sable, a boot or | ★★ |
| Coopers’ Guild | Barrel & cask making | Vert, a barrel or | ★★ |
| Dyers’ Guild | Textile dyeing | Argent, a pot of dye gules | ★★★ |
| Butchers’ Guild | Meat processing & sale | Gules, a cleaver or | ★★★ |
| Fishmongers’ Guild | Fish & seafood trade | Argent, a fish proper | ★★★ |
| Vintners’ Guild | Wine trade | Gules, a wine bottle or | ★★★ |
| Apothecaries’ Guild | Medicines & remedies | Argent, a mortar and pestle gules | ★★★ |
| Barber-Surgeons’ Guild | Barber & surgical services | Or, a lancet gules | ★★★ |
| Notaries’ Guild | Legal documentation | Argent, a scroll gules | ★★★ |
| Scribes’ Guild | Writing & calligraphy | Sable, a quill or | ★★★ |
| Cartographers’ Guild | Map & chart making | Argent, a compass rose gules | ★★ |
| Artists’ Guild | Fine art & painting | Argent, a paintbrush proper | ★★ |
| Alchemy Guild | Alchemical crafts | Sable, a crucible or | ★★★ |
| Astrologers’ Guild | Astrology & astronomy | Argent, a star gules | ★★ |
| Pilots’ Guild | Maritime navigation | Or, a ship proper | ★★★★ |
| Mercantylers’ Guild | Long-distance trade | Argent, a merchant’s mark proper | ★★★★★ |
| Guild of Arcane Lore | Magical scholarship | Sable, a mystical sigil or | ★★★ |
Economic Impact on Settlements
Market Control
The Mangai holds significant economic power in all major settlements. The guild franchising system means that:
- Prices remain stable (limited competition)
- Quality is maintained (guild standards)
- Employment is relatively secure for members
- Non-members are excluded from significant economic activity
Urban Economy
In towns and cities, the Mangai controls everything from basic commodities (bread, ale) to luxury goods (jewelry, fine fabrics). Unguilded workers occupy the margins — common laborers, servants, street vendors, and others who work outside guild monopolies.
Rural Economy
In smaller settlements and rural areas, guild presence is weaker. Many villages have only one or two franchised traders (a miller, a blacksmith). This creates both opportunity and hardship: opportunity for skilled unguilded craftspeople to find work, and hardship due to lack of competition and higher prices.
The Mangai in Kaldor
The Mangai maintains strong control in all major Kaldorian settlements. The Mercantylers’ Guild holds a major trading post at Oselbridge, which serves as a nexus for trade in the region.
The guild system is deeply integrated into Kaldor’s economy. Many nobles depend on guild cooperation for taxation, trade tariffs, and custom duties. The guilds, in turn, depend on noble military protection and legal enforcement of their monopolies.
The Mangai maintains official neutrality in Kaldor’s political affairs, neither supporting any noble faction nor involving itself in disputes between lords. This neutrality is protected by the crown, which recognizes the economic value of a stable, functioning guild system.
The Unguilded Economy
While guilds dominate formal commerce, a substantial unguilded economy exists in the margins. Unguilded occupations include:
- Common laborers and longshoremen
- Teamsters (caravan drivers, unguilded but tolerated)
- Ratters and pest controllers
- Scriveners and clerical workers
- Artisans who cannot afford franchise fees
- Street vendors and market hucksters
The tension between the guilded and unguilded economies is a constant feature of urban life in Kaldor.