When the Treaty of Thronehold apportioned Throneport among the surviving Nations, it made Trades Ward the responsibility of the Dragonmarked Houses, giving them virtual autonomy within their area of control. Conversely, it restricted the Dragonmarked Houses official activities and enclaves to Trades Ward, save for two Houses whose activities to Thronehold itself required them to have their enclaves elsewhere. This resulted in a mad scramble to relocate businesses to Trades Ward and divest themselves of their activities in other Wards.

House solicitors quickly realized they could keep most of their current businesses in place by spinning off their activities into entities ostensibly run by local citizens, resulting in dozens if not hundreds of businesses and guilds tethered to the Dragonmarked Houses but not restricted to the Trades Ward.

No aspect of life in Throneport goes untouched by at least one of its more than forty local guilds. Virtually every profession has an associated guild, and there’s hardly a citizen of the city who doesn’t belong to one or more guilds, or doesn’t work for someone who does. Guild Law isn’t technically in the civil code, but the rules of Guild Law are respected by anyone who wishes to do business in Throneport.

Guilds take their laws seriously, as do members of the City Watch and the magisters. If you flout a guild’s traditions, you can expect not only public scorn but also a visit from enforcers of the law. In addition, many guilds have their own codes of accusation, trial, and punishment, such as:

• A member of the Bakers’ Guild who sells bread baked in the wrong shape will be drenched with water and coated in his own flour.
• Heckling a member of the jesters’ Guild will result in the offending party being jeered at in public by no less than four guild members for a period of four days.
• Any ship that unloads its cargo without due observance or aid by the Guild of Watermen shall have its cargo seized or thrown into the harbor.

Many guilds have codes that entwine each other, complicating matters even more for the outsider. In a small town or village, if you want to construct a building, you simply purchase the land and hire workers to build it. In Throneport, the Surveyors’, Map-, and Chart-makers’ Guild must first be consulted upon designation of the plat, then brought in to draw or approve the construction plan. The Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild must then clear and prepare the site, only after which will you be able to hire members of the Carpenters’, Roofers’, and Plasterers’ Guild to erect the structure.

Moreover, the work will not be complete until members of the Guild of Fine Carvers and the Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters and Tile-makers design and craft any decorative elements of wood, stone, or ceramics, and after the Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metal forgers has manufactured and installed any door hinges. If the building is to be connected to the sewers or a city water supply, the Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild must be called upon again to do that work. Want glazed windows installed? For that, you need to hire members of the Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers.

If you do business in the city as anything other than a purchaser of goods and services, you are strongly advised to seek out a local solicitor and pay to be guided through the process. No guild of solicitors exists, so be sure your choice comes highly recommended by individuals you can trust. To learn the peculiarities of any guild’s rules, consult someone on duty at the guild headquarters or ask a senior guild member.

All that said, working at a guild-related profession without being a member of that guild isn’t illegal. Guild members have no lawful recourse to interfere in the business of someone who chooses to not join the organization. But if you practice a trade or operate a business without becoming a member of the appropriate guild, word spreads, and you’ll find that your coin isn’t good for purchasing the goods or services of anyone who is a guild member. Since that group includes virtually everyone who sells the necessities of life or offers shelter for a fee, the benefits of joining a guild swiftly become apparent to those who procrastinate in this regard.

These are the most prevalent trade guilds in the city and their historical Dragonmarked House affiliation. Being a member of the affiliated House may not allow you to dictate to a guild member or acquire goods or services for free, but it certainly helps.

Guild Name	House Affiliation
Airship Handlers’ Guild	Lyrandar
Baker’s Guild	Ghallanda
Carpenters’, Roofers’, & Plaisterers’ Guild	Ghallanda
Cellarers’ & Plumbers’ Guild	Kundarak
Coopers’ Guild	Kundarak
Council of Farmer-Grocers	Ghallanda
Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers, & Choristers	Phiarlan
Dungsweepers’ Guild	Jorasco
Fellowship of Bowers and Fletchers	Cannith
Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen	Orien
Fellowship of Innkeepers	Ghallanda
Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and Joiners	Ghallanda
Fishmongers’ Fellowship	Ghallanda
Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians	Jorasco
Guild of Butchers	Ghallanda
Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters	Medani
Guild of Fine Carvers	Cannith
Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers	Medani
Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers	Kundarak
Guild of Trusted Pewterers and Casters	Cannith
Guild of Watermen	Lyrandar
Jesters’ Guild	Phiarlan
Jewelers’ Guild	Tharashk
Launderers’ Guild	Jorasco
League of Basket-makers and Wickerworkers	Cannith
League of Skinners and Tanners	Vadalis
Longshoremen’s Guild	Lyrandar
Loyal Order of Street Laborers	Medani
Master Mariners’ Guild	Lyrandar
Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers	Cannith
Most Diligent League of Sail-makers and Cordwainers	Lyrandar
Most Excellent Order of Weavers and Dyers	Cannith
Order of Cobblers and Corvisers	Vadalis
Order of Master Shipwrights	Lyrandar
Order of Master Tailors, Glovers, and Mercers	Cannith
Saddlers’ and Harness-makers’ Guild	Vadalis
Scriveners’, Scribes’, and Clerks’ Guild	Sivis
Solemn Order of Recognized Furriers and Woolmen	Vadalis
Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths	Kundarak
Stablemasters’ and Farriers’ Guild	Vadalis
Stationers’ Guild	Sivis
Surveyors’, Map-, and Chart-makers’ Guild	Orien
Trusted Order of Artificers and Magewrights	Cannith
Vintners’, Distillers’, & Brewers’ Guild	Ghallanda
Wagon-makers’ and Coach Builders’ Guild	Cannith
Wheelwrights’ Guild	Orien