Unathi Guilds

Contents

History of Unathi guilds

The 1600's saw a new phenomenon develop, originating within the divided kingdoms of the former Kres'ha'nor Hegemony. When merchants found they could accomplish more as a group rather than through individual effort, they banded together to form guilds. Guilds formed for bakers, butchers, grocers, millers, smiths, carpenters, weavers, mason, shoemakers, in fact, nearly every trade had its own guild. Standards such as just weights and measures evolved from the guilds, and guild inspectors would inspect shops to ensure rules were being followed. Guilds would help members that were sick, or in trouble, and would sometimes take care of families after the member died.

A map of Moghes before the Contact War.

Apprenticeship was how most started in a particular trade, which they would follow for the rest of their lives. After completing an apprenticeship, the appropriate guild would examine his work and see if he could be elevated to a Craftsman. A Craftsman was required to create a "masterpiece" in the presence of judges to be elevated to Master status, which would allow him to join the leadership of his guild.

Guilds also built and ran the first universities on Moghes, the first known being the University of Ma'ha'rem which opened in 1612. Originally trade schools, they slowly expanded to become centers of learning for apprentices of every field. A doctor would have to first become a "Master" through a university to be allowed to practice his trade within towns or cities controlled by a guild of doctors, and the same for any other brand of skilled work. A Master's certificate also distinguished someone as a professional with few peers, giving their holders immense prestige and trust. A fully accredited and certified doctor on Moghes would be (and are still) known as a Master Doctor. Typically they are known as [Rank] [Craft], so you can also be a Master Weaponsmith or Master Engineer.

Eventually these guilds managed to form powerful monopolies and they spread their trade and influence across Moghes. Most of the landed elite feared the growth of the guilds, who were creating a new middle-class of urban workers. That a peasant could rise to gain prestige and vast wealth with no land, titles, or martial victories under their belt was an idea bewildering and frustrating. The late 1600's and the beginning of the 1700's saw many Kingdoms across Moghes cracking down on the power of guilds, stripping them of privileges or banning craftsmen from meeting in groups. Other nations ruthlessly suppressed private enterprise. Many laws were passed that strictly limited how many members a guild could possess, as well as requiring all craftsmen to register with their local Lords before being allowed to sell any goods or services. This resulted in these kingdoms falling quickly behind their peers, and more were invaded, or if they managed to hold out while still cracking down on the guilds, destroyed during the Contact War.

Guilds also developed another innovation: minting and issuing coinage. Because it was rather difficult to do large transactions with giant piles of dehydrated fish, the first Guilds in the 16th century began minting coins made of steel that would be backed by that amount of fish, similar to banknotes. They could be turned in, theoretically, at any time for an equivalent amount of salted fish. This saw Moghes begin to gravitate away from measuring wealth by fish stocks, and towards a more familiar economy, though the Fish Standard remained for quite some time.

In 2465, after a recession caused by a spur-wide scarcity in Phoron which eventually collapsed into a downward economic spiral threatening to leave the Hegemony destitute, the guilds were absorbed by Hephaestus Industries as subsidiary companies after the megacorporation took on all of their debt in order to save the Hegemonic Economy. This expansion would mark a new age for guilds, one where Hephaestus now has a complete and total monopoly over the economy of the nation, under the direction of the Guildmaster Yukal T’zakal and CEO Titanius Aeson

Guilds on the SCCV Horizon

Following the events of The Titan Rises Arc, leading to Hephaestus's ownership of most of the guilds listed on these pages, many guild workers working with human corporations found their positions shifted, terminated or otherwise changed. Hephaestus was able to work out deals with its rivals and partners in the SCC, allowing many of the guilds that do not work in Hephaestus's main industries to subcontract with other corporations. Some chose to resign their guild positions in protest of Hephaestus's acquisition, and have since taken full positions with other megacorporations.

Current guild members working in Engineering or Operations must be employed by Hephaestus Industries - working for another corporation would require resigning guild membership.

Outside of these departments, guild members may work as subcontractors for any other corporation. The healers of the House of Medicine often subcontract with NanoTrasen or the PMCG's medical divisions, and the mercenaries of the Fighters' Lodge have been hired by several of the latter's private military groups - with the Dagamuir Freewater Private Forces being a particularly common choice.

Members of the Hearts of Industry are not permitted to work for Hephaestus, or the SCC directly. They may still work for any other corporation. A Heart of Industry working for Hephaestus or the SCC would be required to keep it secret, and if exposed would be at risk of losing their job.

Guild Founding and Operations

Pre-Hephaestus expansion, Hegemonic guilds operated off of a charter system, where a group of tradesmen could request official recognition from the Hegemon as an organization which can hold members, instruct pupils, and generally work in their field. Different Hegemon's have different requirements for what needs to be done by a group to obtain this recognition, however Hegemon's have almost always used the following criteria; having a certain number of tradesmen ready to join the guild, a few thousand is normal, be of a different craft from other current guilds, and show ability to find work for your members. Due to the very interconnected nature of the Hegemony following the contact war and Hephaestus expansion, no new guilds have been made since, and are unlikely to ever be made as long as Hephaestus holds its monopoly over the remaining guilds it absorbed.

Charters

Guilds operate off a charter system, with charters issued by the Hegemon. Charters establish the rules and regulations of the guild, punishments for violating these regulations, guild structure, and the limitations of the guild. Information about guild structure can be found in the Structure and Personnel section. Rules and Regulations for guilds tend to be rather simple for all the guilds, focusing on ensuring that works get done the way the guild wants it to be done, and guildsmen compensated without any issue. Interpersonal disputes are not mentioned on any guild charter, and solving them should they arise is left up to the Chapter Administrator. The biggest impact of charters is how they limit guilds. With the notable exception of Hephaestus Industries, no guild is legally allowed to work the same trade as another, meaning that guilds will hold a near monopoly over their specific trades. This has led the guild system to be very rigid, and unable to change rapidly should it be necessary. The biggest rigidity is seen in the Merchant’s Guild and their charter. Hephaestus Industries is the only guild allowed to sell goods outside the borders of the Hegemony to the rest of the wider spur. Not even now, can their subsidiaries export any goods.

Structure and Personnel

Each Guild is run by a Guildmaster, a position which is usually passed down similarly to noble holdings, from Father to First son, so on and so forth; or in the case of Hephaestus, chosen by its board of directors. Children of Guildmasters will normally be at least a Chapter Administrator, so that they learn how the guild functions, and how to run it smoothly. Guildmasters are assisted by a large staff of clerks and elder guild members, who help the Guildmaster in the day to day running of the guilds. Most landed nobles are not powerful enough to directly contact a guildmaster, so if they wish to contract a guild for their trade, that communication is normally done through these Elder Guild members, who then will contact the appropriate chapter once an agreement is reached. Guildmasters will personally handle the bigger contracts a guild may receive, such as a contract from the Hegemon or one of the Overlords, or a customer in which the guild does a vast majority of its work. Once an independent title, following Hephaestus’s expansion and reorganization of the Guilds under itself, there is only one true Guildmaster within the Hegemony, Yukal T’zakal. All other Guildmasters regularly take direction from him, as he speaks with the authority of Aeson himself. Many don’t believe the propaganda that T’zakal is Aeson’s equal, but nevertheless, they listen well.

Guildmaster Yukal T’zakal has elected to keep this structure in place for the time being, as all guilds now operate under the umbrella of Hephaestus Industries. He has done this to reduce the impacts of the drastic change the entire Hegemonic economy is undergoing, minimizing change to keep profits steady as he consolidates his new position. It is unclear if he will eventually change this structure to something more modern, but only time will tell.

Guilds are further broken down into individual chapters, and their own Chapter Administrators. Chapters represent smaller, more focused attention to specific parts of their guilds trade, such as the sailors' chapter of the warriors guild, who are experts at naval combat. The vast majority of guildsmen are in a chapter, with only those administrative staff for the Guildmaster not having a chapter. Guildsmen will usually join the chapter of their tutor from apprenticeship, as it was their primary education. Chapters are run by Chapter Administrators, who send their guildsmen around the Hegemony from their chapter halls in each city, per the instructions and deals reached by the Elder Guildsmen and Guild Master. Chapter Administrators are considered to be the Sinta in charge of making sure things actually get done within their chapter, and spend much of their time moving from city to city checking on their individual chapter halls and their work. Chapter Administrator is an elected position, with votes cast by the guildsmen of that chapter. However, Guildmasters reserve the right to discard the results of an election, and force another one, or sack their Chapter Administrators and call for another election. Sometimes, a Chapter Administrator will appoint a skilled guildsman to run a specific chapter hall, mostly in big cities where the guild gets a lot of work. These skilled guildsmen are known as the Chapter’s Fisher, as they will most likely be working an incredible amount of jobs, pulling in a large number of credits. They hold limited power to order their fellow guildsmen around, with their main job being to coordinate jobs and ensure the work gets completed.

Regular Guildsmen interact daily with their specific chapter hall, represented by the number built at the time. For example, Wirers Chapter Hall 1 of Junzi Electric would be the original wirers chapter hall in the city of Skalamar. Guildsmen may be transferred to different chapter halls should more workers be needed in that city, or be called away for a guild-wide project, but this is a rare occurrence, and not the day to day work of a guildsmen. The size of the chapter will also change this, as the more specialized a chapter is, the fewer members it will have, which will inevitably cause members to be pulled away from their chapter halls to work in places where there isn’t one. The more specialized a chapter, the more of a likelihood this occurs.

Apprentices are pupils under a guildsmen who has proven themselves enough to be giving the responsibility of passing on the guilds teachings to another generation. Different Sinta will have different expectations for their apprentices, and none are the same. Apprenticeships end when an apprentice proves themselves skilled enough to be considered a member of the guild to the Chapter Administrator. Noble-born Unathi or those whose Clan has been in the guild for a long time are known to be judged considerably less harshly, with “good enough” being a common theme.

Lastly, guilds will often employ peasants for menial work. This could be the peasant janitor of a chapter hall, personal assistants to guildsmen who need a lot of extra hands or muscle, or any role which is too menial or dangerous for a proper guildsmen to do. Peasants will often jump at these opportunities as it may give their children an opportunity to become an apprentice for the guild, or give them the opportunity to be noticed by megacorporations, who will often hire out well-performing peasants from guilds. This work is done in addition to the obligations the peasantry has to their landed lord, and pay from the guilds is taxed at a heavy rate.

Notable Hegemonic Guilds

Merchants Guild

All cities are connected by the Merchant's Guild - and by its wealth.

At one point, the Merchant’s Guild was unmistakably the most powerful of the Hegemonic guilds. In 2465 the Merchant’s Guild was the only guild not absorbed by Hephaestus Industries, instead left to wither into bankruptcy as the megacorporation consolidated its monopoly over the Hegemony. With hundreds of years of ancestry, the Razi guild had been a powerful ally to Hegemon Not’zar Izweski, who married Guildmaster Razi’s daughter Hizoni. While the name suggested all Merchants within the Hegemony belonged to this guild, in reality, the Merchant’s guild had little interest in single shop owners or stalls, which remained nominally independent. Instead, the Merchant’s guild was primarily a transportation enterprise, purchasing goods in bulk from all around Moghes, and either selling them to further away cities and towns or to the wider spur. Having been one of the only two guilds with a charter allowing them to sell goods outside the borders of the Hegemony, they moved a sizable percentage of goods out of the Hegemony, including all of Idris’s Mohegan jewelry, and a majority of the precious metals and gems Idris uses to make other jewelry. They also used to move significant amounts of resources for other non-Hephaestus megacorporations, as they were restricted from taking goods out of the Hegemony. They also brought in a large number of regular goods for the nobility, who had the money to purchase off-world products.

The scarcity hit the Merchant's Guild the hardest of any guild. Requiring a constant flow of goods and credits through Moghes for profit, the limited trade and lack of quick interstellar transport has caused a steep dive in the profits of the Guild. Eventually, they were unable to remain solvent and were forced to declare bankruptcy and dissolve. This dissolution led to the Hegemonic economy entering a downward economic spiral, as trade with the outside spur decreased dramatically. Unlike the other guilds, Hephaestus did not move to absorb the Merchant’s Guild, ensuring their monopoly over exports in the Hegemonic export focused economy. Today the Merchant’s Guild is merely remembered in two distinct ways. Some view it as almost having potentially started an economic collapse, only narrowly avoided by the invention of Hephaestus. Others see it as the last domino that fell in the steady decline of the traditional Izweski economy, its dissolution signifying the end of Hegemonic Independence from the whims of Megacorporations.

Some remnants of the Merchants’ Guild persist underground, engaging in illegal trade. They have come to be known as the Silver Scales, and they have rapidly carved out a significant stake in the Hegemonic underworld. The Scales lack the power the Guild proper once had, but they have endured and persisted through its collapse, and show no signs of slowing their operations down. More information on the Silver Scales can be found here.

Hephaestus Industries

The primary logo of Hephaestus Industries.

Some sinta have often viewed Hephaestus Industries as one of the only honest corporations in the galaxy— whether it be simply the fact other corporations had one chance and failed or a simple preference of aesthetic. Hephaestus is one of the two corporate entities still operating in the Uueoa-Esa system, following the phoron scarcity and introduction of stricter tariffs by the Hegemon. It currently also holds 1/3rd of mining rights over the moon Chantarel, as payment for their assistance in an undisclosed project, now believed to be the expansion of aquaculture patties and farms on Ouerea which is being spearheaded by Hephaestus's Hegemony department.

Hephaestus currently holds an undisputed monopoly over the Izweski economy, having achieved near total control after the phoron scarcity and “saving” the economy from an uncontrollable downward spiral(while also vastly increasing its assets in every way). Being less affected by the phoron scarcity compared to the other guilds, due to their assets across the spur, Hephaestus bided its time until all the guilds besides itself were on the verge of collapse, before promising bail-outs and continued business on the condition that they become Hephaestus subsidiary companies. Now controlling every Hegemonic Guild as subsidiary companies and holding the only guild charter which allows them to export goods outside the Hegemony, Hephaestus is moving to consolidate its new position; making the Hegemony a cornerstone of its galactic structure.

Before its expansion, and due to circumstances presented by the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, Hephaestus moved nearly all of its resource extraction to the Hegemony, as previously it was centered in the Solarian Outer Ring, which had become the home of anarchy and warlordism. This resulted in an explosion of Unathi working under Hephaestus Industries, as they raced to replace the workforces lost to the Wildlands. Hephaestus primarily mines on asteroids within Hegemony space, as many lords view them to be a dangerous group of Xenos and refuse to lease their lands. However, since their expansion, Hephaestus has been moving more and more operations into the Hegemony, where their complete and total domination over the economy makes these operations cheaper to run, and removes the potential for the disruption that was seen in the Industrial Reclamation Mandate.

The expansion of Hephaestus was a masterwork in planning, timing, and patience. After having been let in the door following NanoTrasen’s exit, Hephaestus(partly by accident) did not repeat the mistakes it’s predecessor made trying to rapidly assert it’s monopoly over the small nation, instead biding it’s time, slowly working its way into an advantageous position from where it could enact its plan. Both within the halls of power and within the public perception, Hephaestus slowly pushed itself to become more and more accepted by the Unathi, until they were as Hegemonic as Not’zar. When the Hegemonic Economy was entering a downward spiral in 2465, and Hephaestus was the only guild assured to remain solvent, they approached the other Hegemonic Guilds with a veiled deal; accept an offer to become a Hephaestus Subsidiary and have debt paid off, bankruptcy averted, or wither as the megacorporation consolidated the others, and eventually be forced into dissolution. The stark contrast of this choice left little option for the rest of the guilds, so all who were offered it accepted Hephaestus’s offer. It is unknown if without the scarcity Hephaestus would have ever been able to become the monopoly it is now, as the scarcity was the main reason for the significant weakening of the guilds. However, knowing the corporation, they would have found a way, even if it was messier in the end. Hephaestus now uses its newfound subsidiaries to increase its own profits, getting resources, propaganda, and all manner of industries from them for a fraction of what it might cost, while maintaining enough distance to keep the traditionalists of the Hegemony from calling it alien interference. By this expansion, Hephaestus has become a powerful megacorporation in a way very few others, besides perhaps NanoTrasen can claim; they now effectively control a state, though the state may not realize it.

While the vast majority of Hephaestus’s manufacturing still takes place within the Solarian Middle Ring world of New Hai Phong, where it will most likely remain, Tret has seen itself become a large secondary manufacturing center for the megacorporation, as cheap labor and it’s proximity to resources make it ideal for labor-intensive factory work. Tret's “all-factories” that work closely with Hephaestus are primarily tasked with producing small, easy to pack consumer goods or further refining materials from raw resources, as distances to consumer bases make mass production of bigger goods too expensive. The Neutron Forge in orbit of the planet is also one of Hephaestus’s biggest accomplishments despite its cost, managing to produce nearly a large percentage of the spur’s plasteel and borosilicate glass, materials that are normally unable to be mass produced.

Hephaestus also has many irregularities within its Guild Charter. While its interactions with the Guild System themselves are the topic of an entire subsection to their entry, the charter itself is also one of a kind. The charter only applies to Hephaestus workers within the Hegemony, and to upper management such as the Board of Directors and CEO. Hephaestus’s Charter states that the position of guildmaster is an elected one, with every member of the board of directors getting one vote. The position is not, however, synonymous with being the CEO of the corporation. This means that should the board of directors choose, they could elect a guildmaster separate from the CEO of Hephaestus, the consequences of which are uncertain. Hephaestus’s rules and regulations per their charter also forbids attempts at unionization or worker collectivization, stating that they are grounds for expulsion from the guild. Lastly, Hephaestus has no limitations on trades it can pursue forced upon it in its charter, as every other guild does.

Hephaestus and the Guild System

As a human owned and operated megacorporation, Hephaestus was never intended to integrate through the archaic guild system, and their attempts to emulate guilds, while limitedly successful, have created a bureaucratic nightmare of corporate management. With Aeson himself as the Hephaestus Guildmaster, and spanning a massive amount of different industries within the Hegemony, when Hephaestus attempted to integrate the chapter system into their operation, they neglected the role of Elder guildsmen in securing contracts and work for guild, instead setting up a small staff of primarily humans to manage the corporate sector. Issues arose almost immediately, as the limited staff were flooded with contract requests, and being primarily human, were poorly equipped to negotiate with Unathi. In addition, Hephaestus set up chapters by city rather than trade, meaning on several occasions a chapter would be contracted for work in their city, only to realize that they did not have the specialty required for the job. Every company employee was also considered a guildsmen, meaning chapter administrators had to manage several different types of trade, with no management below them.

Attempts to fix these issues only made the situation worse, with many managers being blamed for the outbreak of rebellion on the colonial world of Ouerea, or accused of extreme negligence. An increasingly annoyed Aeson weighed heavily on Hephaestus' management for the Hegemony. Quotas were falling short, the expansion of the company was becoming an ever increasing credit hole, assets were being attacked by rioters and rebels on Ouerea, and profits remained non-existent. The final straw was the company losing a contract with Lord Mizao of Jiz'zart for the construction of several new high-end chemical refineries on his lands, due to an inability to get workers there for construction. Aeson reacted by transferring all Hephaestus management within the Hegemony to other posts, and appointed Yukal T’zakal a respected Unathi chief engineer who had been working in the shipyards of Ceres to the new position of Hegemonic Sector Administrator. T’zakal would prove to be an apt administrator, understanding the intricacies of feudal governance and Unathi ways better than any human could. He slashed the bloated bureaucracy Hephaestus had become known for within the Hegemony, streamlining the process around himself and a handful of other seasoned Hephaestus workers. While this means his hours are long and responsibilities high, T’zakal sees this as an improvement for the company, and a burden he can bear.

Today, Hephaestus within the Hegemony still bears the scars of its introduction to the guild system. While T’zakal has greatly improved the productivity of the hegemonic assets, he has done so by basically throwing out the chapter system, and instead shuttling around employees as chapters need them. Chapters are still symbolically in every city, but very few Hephaestus employees will remain at the same chapter hall for longer than the duration of their work. This has resulted in those Hephaestus employees who have worked in the Hegemony to not spend much time at home, and primarily have a family within the company, leading to higher levels of the “corporate culture” Hephaestus is known for. Feelings similar to nationalism towards the company have arisen from this workforce, and some of the most loyal Hephaestus workers have come from within the Hegemony. Many more however, have failed in this environment, and been transferred out, wanting to settle down in one place for longer than a few months.

Eventually Hephaestus would take advantage of the irregularities within its Guild Charter, appointed T’zakal to the position of Guildmaster in order to give the appearance that its massive expansion was not an alien take-over of the Hegemonic economy, instead just another Unathi ascending to power. While this appearance has held up, and Aeson and T’zakal appear to be of one mind on most issues, the majority of real power over the company’s operations still lies with the CEO - despite Hephaestus heralding T’zakal as holding equal authority. Though its salvation of the Hegemonic Economy, even if for personal gain, has only increased the nationalistic feelings for the megacorporation felt by its Sinta employees, who now see it as a pillar of the Hegemony itself.

Holdings

Hephaestus Industries holdings within the Hegemony encompass more than the rest of the guilds combined, using surface area as a measurement. While their training facilities, schools, factories, refineries, oil derricks, orbital shipyards, the Neutron Forge in orbit of Tret, chapter halls, and offices total up to a large amount of land owned or rented by Hephaestus, it is a tiny fraction of their holdings within the Hegemony. The vast majority of Hephaestus's holdings is in space, on asteroids set aside for mining, and the moon of Chantrell, where it holds 1/3rd of the entire surface of the moon to be used for mining operations. Hephaestus extracts more from these holdings then they do anywhere else in the spur, with billions of tons mined every month, before being packaged and shipped across the spur to factories in far away lands, or refined further within the Hegemony.

Korgak Mining Outpost

Located in the hegemonic frontier, Korgak is a barren planet that orbits a small red dwarf. As the result of some unknown event, the planet has several system sized rings worth of asteroids and other space rocks within its orbit, stretching from the atmosphere to about a light year away. These asteroids and other orbiting debris range in size from pebbles to small moons, and are dense in mineable minerals. Upon discovering the planet Hephaestus almost immediately set up a mining outpost, both on the surface and within orbit, intent on extracting the easy to get to wealth.

The outpost today is undergoing massive expansion, as Hephaestus moves nearly all of its resource extraction to the Hegemony in the wake of the Solarian Collapse. Working at the outpost is not without danger, as miners and other pilots must weave their way in between debris in order to land on the surface, or make it to the station in orbit. The lack of atmosphere and meteor showers also means much of the outpost is constructed deep underground, where no natural light can reach. Managing the mental health of employees working at the site is a constant challenge, one even Hephaestus struggles with. Still, the amount of minerals and their new found importance ensures good pay for the workers, and many flock to apply for every open position as the outpost expands. However due to the mental strain of working on the Outpost, Hephaestus has taken to hiring a larger than average percent of K’lax Vaurca to work there, their cultural and mental attitudes making them a better choice for long periods of time underground. There have been minor clashes as a result of this however, as many non-vaurca workers at the Outpost resent their strange new coworkers.

Neutron Forge

Once used on Sedantis by the K'lax Hive to supply resources to the entire planet, the Neutron Forge is a technologically advanced refinery capable of disassembling phoron and reconstructing it on a molecular level into other objects; material laying and hardened atomic weaving result in a stronger end-product than other methods. Despite hard times during the scarcity, it is one of the main holdings of Hephaestus Industries and the K'lax Hive within the Uueoa-Esa system, and has taken over production of nearly a fifth of the Spur's plasteel and borosilicate glass since its opening in 2461. It is currently in orbit above Tret where more can be read about its function..

Hegeranzi Starworks

An abstract painting of Hegeranzi Starworks with Omgolo in the background. It currently resides at the Hephaestus Branch office in Skalamar.

The Hegeranzi Starworks is a massive orbital station and shipyard near Omgolo, a large gas giant on the edge of the Uueoa-Esa system. Despite being a Hephaestus Subsidiary, it is the only primarily Unathi run shipyard in the spur, though K’laxan Vaurca are also present in large numbers. Hephaestus has been under fire for this workplace make-up, as critics imply the few humans working in the starworks is due to its horrid workplace safety record, and that Hephaestus would rather risk the lives of “lesser” species. Its main products are Civilian ship hulls, which dwarfs anything else produced at the starworks by two orders of magnitude, Weaponry, and Ship Components. It is an extremely rare occurrence for anyone other than the Hegemony, and the Merchant’s Guild to be allowed purchase of their high-end products or military hulls. Outsiders however are more than welcome to purchase civilian vessels, have repairs done, refit hulls, or store vessels at the starworks. Born out of a prominent clan in the shipwrights guild, clan Hezin was the first group to complete an Unathi-adapted Space Ship Hull for the Hegemony, and received a large grant to build a shipyard within the Uueoa-Esa System. Hephaestus Industries was contracted to assist in the construction of the facility, largely due to the Unathi’s lack of experience with station construction at the time. Hephaestus agreed to assist in construction for a relatively minor fee, a surprise to most observers. As the years went on, and the Hegemony’s demands for vessels increased, the Starworks could not keep up with production, being relatively new to the industry and Hephaestus refusing all contracts to assist the starworks in learning the ropes. Eventually, after its ascension to a Hegemonic Guild, Hephaestus would outright purchase the starworks in a deal, incorporating it as a subsidiary company. The subsidiary was set up to be run by the Hezin Clan who formerly led the guild, with all high-executive positions being filled by clan members. While Hephaestus Industries itself generally flondered attempting to incorporate the Guild System, the starworks remained a bright beacon of hope and prosperity for the company within the Hegemony; massively expanding under the leadership of the Hezin clan as contracts became more and more common, until it became the primary shipyard for Hephaestus Industries within the badlands. It is now regarded as one of the largest shipyards in the Spur, behind only the Ceres Shipyards and those in the Nralakk Federation. Much of the success of the starworks can be attributed to the invention of the Hezin platform. Originally thought of by Guildmaster, now CEO, Sarutizn Hezin, these platforms are designed to move freely throughout space surrounding the shipyard stations, allowing for much easier construction and repairs compared to conventional shipyards. None of these platforms were constructed until the acquisition of the Starworks by Hephaestus Industries, after which they became the staple of the shipyard. However, Hezin platforms are notoriously dangerous for workers, as the freely moving slabs of plasteel are a pain to control, coordinate, and remain on. Construction sites orbit the stations, and have been known to crush workers on the platforms, or cause them to fly off into space where rescue can be difficult. As a whole, the starworks is considered the second most dangerous workplace in Hephaestus and its subsidiaries for the average worker, with only the volcanic moon of Io being more dangerous. Those Sinta who leave for brighter pastures tend to fall into two groups; Sinta who believe that while the work was dangerous, the pay made up for the risks, and Sinta who believe that the Starworks is nothing more than a meat grinder with uncaring management. The latter will normally end up being fired from Hephaestus or leave themselves, going to work for other megacorporations who value their experience such as Zavodskoi. Primarily focused on the production of civilian hulls and industrial ships such as mining vessels and freighters; the starworks ships are used throughout the spur by all types of companies, guilds, and nations. The Merchant’s guild uses ships built in the starworks for nearly all its business, and post-collapse, many of Hephaetsus’s haulers, freighters, and other industrial ships are produced at the starworks. Nanotrasen also purchases many hulls for the transport of raw materials off of Adhomai, and throughout the badlands. It is not an overstatement to say that the Starworks is in the process of becoming a cornerstone of galactic trade, as their vessels are starting to be found from Qerrbalak to Xanu Prime. Though, they are definitely not without competition.

Controversy

Many within the Hegemony see Hephaestus Industries as an alien corporation who should never have been given a guild charter, especially the very generous one it currently holds. Hephaestus’s struggles with the guild system did not help its reputation, as many nobles and their lands began to view the company as bureaucratic and indirect, therefore prone to dishonesty in dealings. This reputation combined with Hephaestus’s focus on labor-intensive, low-skill industries and poor workplace safety within the Hegemony has led many to view the company as deceitful exploiters, who want nothing more than to squeeze the Hegemony dry. Nowhere is this view more pronounced than with Overlord Azui Hutay'zai, Master of Rivers for the Hegemony. Hutay'zai has done nearly everything in his power to curtail the rise of Hephaestus Industries within the Hegemony, but is still many times forced into concessions by the corporation. This has become more common, as many guilds struggle to complete work orders as the phoron scarcity and new taxes force lay-offs and constrictions. In the end, Hutay’zai could not stop the ascension of Hephaestus to the monopoly it now holds within the Hegemony, having to concede to the corporation or face the utter destruction of the Hegemonic Economy. Still, a hotbed of resentment remains within the Hegemony about the corporation, and the future is unclear as to what it will breed.

Miners Guild

Before first contact and the subsequent contact war decades later, the mining guilds were incredibly spread out, with more guilds dedicated to mining than any other industry. Modern day scholars don’t believe that this is due to there having been a constant amount of mining work done in the Hegemony’s past, but more due to distances and speciality between the guilds. When they eventually conglomerated as all the other guilds did, they found themselves with the 3rd most guildsmen in the Hegemony, and as human megacorporations were eager for the resources Moghes could offer them, a vast market for their expertise. They would grow to become a very influential guild until the creation of Hephaestus’s Industries guild charter.

The introduction of Hephaestus into the Hegemonic economy as a full guild significantly weakened the miners guilds, as Hephaestus’s more advanced technology and ease of mining throughout space gave them a significant edge in extraction. The mining guild only held onto their position, and most of their workers, due to Hephaetsus’s incompetence integrating into the Guild system. This grace-period where Hephaestus’ was floundering gave the miners guild the time it needed to shore itself up, and strike long term deals with many Hegemonic Lords, most notably, Azui Hutay’zai. These deals will continue for decades to come, even after the expansion of Hephaestus. More traditional lords will often also contract the miners guild on their lands rather than Hephaestus Industries directly, seeing the miners guild as a better option, being based on Moghes and fully Sinta despite the fact the Miner’s guild now operates as a subsidiary of Hephaestus.

The scarcity caused a litany of issues for the miners guild, primarily the statements by all megacorporations bar Orion Express and Hephaestus Industries that they will no longer do business within the Hegemony, or with Hegemonic Guilds. While many other corporations, guilds, and third-parties such as nationstates still had a demand for the miners guilds resources, they still battled a significant shortage of contracts compared to pre-scarcity. The miners guild had always paid its members in wages, with extra commissions added on for reaching quotas in the amount mined by a guildsmen. This pay system and now a lack of funds has resulted in unprecedented “lay-offs” where in order to stay legal, the guild had to cut many of their guildsmen as they could not ensure they would have a steady stream of work for them to do. Hephaestus Industries snatched up many of these skilled workers for themselves, taking the best and promising them pay above what the mining guild can offer. On the other hand however, Hephaestus seems to be working harder than the guild itself to keep it afloat, buying massive stocks of ore and other resources from the miners guild. Experts attributed this to the fact Hephaestus was still expanding its operations within the Hegemony and had not yet reached a point where they could comfortably mine the materials they needed themselves. So, the miners guild provided much needed resources to Hephaestus, and Hephaestus provided contracts and work for the miners guild, keeping it afloat. Once these purchases stopped suddenly during 2465, the extent of Hephaestus’s plan was revealed. By forcing the Miner’s Guild to rely on them, once all the pieces were in place for their acquisition of the Hegemonic Guilds, Hephaestus could cease the contracts and present the miners guild with a choice; join them, or wither before being forced to dissolve.

Besides its mining operations, the Miner’s Guild after becoming a Hephaestus subsidiary has seen itself become a school of sorts. They have opened themselves up to the peasantry, and those who wish to become Hephaestus miners normally start as members of the Miner’s Guild, being educated by them before then being passed to Hephaestus itself for work. Many still remain within the Miner’s Guild forging their own paths that may take them anywhere, but for the best and the brightest, Hephaestus offers much above what the Guild can pay, as well as abundant opportunities across the spur. Still, these pupils never forget those who educated them and will always hold the Miner’s Guild in their hearts.

The miners guild has its guildhall located in the City of Kutah, just outside the T’za prairie. It’s proximity to the mineral rich mountains to the north and wasteland of the torn cities to the south makes it a perfect place for their center of operations. It is a grandiose structure, built a decade after first contact with the contracted help of the Qerr'Zolvq Industries. With three spires on the points of a triangular base, it takes up much of the city center, a shining steel towering over the rest of the city. It is the third largest structure on Moghes. Unlike other guilds, the miners guild has very few chapter halls scattered across Moghes, only using the guildhalls of previous mining guilds who were absorbed following first contact as chapter halls. Those cities or towns that do have a miners guild chapter hall will be situated closely to mines, and most likely have mining as a primary industry. The guildhall is the residence of Guildmaster Gortuz Sekieyz, one of the youngest Guildmasters within the Hegemony. His father Runtuz oversaw the merging of the disparate mining guilds into their current form, before resigning a year prior to his death in 2461. The young guildmaster still rides the successes of his father, and has had to do very little to keep the guild afloat. However, his reputation is that of a hotheaded spoiled child, generally unfit for the position, which was proved in 2465 when Runtuz almost picked the dissolution of the guild over it’s continuation as a Hephaestus subsidiary, before relenting in the face of the senior guild members who pressured him into accepting.

While being the 3rd largest guild in terms of members, the miners guild also employs a large number of non-guild peasant workers. Unlike Guildsmen who are paid fairly on a salaried system, these workers are used as poorly compensated menial laborers working under the guild structure in mines where a large amount of manpower is needed, or where chance of injury is incredibly high; causing peasants working for the miners guild to have one of the highest rates of injury in any workplace within the Hegemony. These peasants are also sometimes criminals, sentenced to forced labor for crimes committed on any lord's land, though this has become less common as forced laborers are instead sent to the Fishermen’s League to work on the planet of Ouerea.

Holdings

Kutah Extraction Center

A picture of the land that would become the Kutah Extraction Center from a ridge above it.

A very bureaucratic name, the Kutah Extraction Center is a massive open pit mine located just north of the City of Kutah within the mountain range. It is one of the largest mines in the spur, and digs up a considerable portion of the Hegemonies exported heavy metals, such as lead, chromium, and thallium, as well as radioactive elements like Uranium. It is considered an enjoyable place to work, with a week on week off schedule for guildsmen, and the city of Kutah a quick train ride away. Many guildsmen have taken to riding trains hauling ore back to the city, and it has become something of a joke within the community of workers assigned to the mine; new members are dared to ride holding onto the edge of a ore car for the several hundred mile journey. The Extraction Center is famous across the spur for having some of the only naturally occurring steel found, veins of the alloy appearing deep within the pit. Modern day scientists believe at one point the mine sat on an active volcano, whose temperatures alloyed carbon and iron into steel millions of years ago.

Tak Gemstone Mine

Located just north of the Torn Cities, the Tak Gemstone mine is the miners guild's most dangerous worksite, both in terms of job-specific threats and those that come from being located in the wasteland. Raids from Gawgaryn are common, and radiation pervades through everything not lined with lead. For this reason most of the workers at the Tak Gemstone mine are peasants hired by the Guild, with minimal guildsmen overseers. Conditions for the peasants are terrible, with virtually no safety equipment distributed to them, and housing being open barracks. However the precious gems the guild pulls out of the sandblasted mines make the whole endeavor worth it in their eyes, credits more than making up for the lost lives and dangers.

Notable Chapters

Gemstone Cutters

While not the largest chapter within the Miners Guild, the gemstone cutters are one of the most influential due to the amount of credits they produce for their parent guild. While they work all of Moghes, their most famous area of operations is the Tak Gemstone mine, located in the wasteland just North of the torn cities. The Gemstone Cutters pull hundreds of tons of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious gems from their mines every month, which are then sold to every corner of the spur. Primarily, they are purchased by Idris Incorporated or their subsidiary Caishen Jewellers via the Merchant’s Guild, before being transported to other markets or made into high-end jewelry.

Stonemasons

The stonemasons chapter of the miners guild are experts in cutting and moving chunks of all types of stones from quarries around Moghes, before taking them to be further cut and making them into any number of items; from walls to tables and benches. The weight of stone bricks and Moghes’s position within the spur, combined with the fact quarrying can occur on most planets has resulted in the Stonemasons chapter rarely interacting with outside entities, only sometimes exporting finished tables, countertops, or other cut stone products to the wider spur. Nearly all of their quarried material remains within the Hegemony, where it is used to build castles, other government buildings, and even sometimes regular homes, in more traditional areas of the planet. The Stonemasons employ a large number of peasants to assist them, as moving massive chunks of quarried stone requires concentrated effort from dozens of Sinta.

Metal Miners

Mining the most of any Miners Guild Chapters, the Metal Miners specialize in extracting any type of metal from the earth, whether it be radioactive Uranium or regular Iron and Copper. Most of their haul is exported outside the borders of the Hegemony, with some first being refined before exportation. Their most famous worksite is the Kutah Extraction Center, but they have mines scattered all across the surface of Moghes. Due to technological limitations however, they do not mine much in space, unlike their competitors in Hephaestus Industries.

The Construction Coalition

When it comes to the construction guild of the Hegemony, no word describes it better than coalition. While other guilds merged into large single organizations, the construction guilds located in every city of Moghes did not. Instead, they opted to form a loose democratic esque federation, still headed by a guildmaster, but with significant power granted to chapters and their chapter administrators. Because of this, the Construction Federations Guild charter is one of the most unique within the Hegemony. Originally denied by Hegemon S’kresti, when Not’zar became Lord-Regent, he approved the Guild’s charter, the first ever of its kind.

While most other guilds have their guildmaster position as a title which is passed down similarly to lands, the construction coalition does not. Instead, the position of guildmaster is an elected one, with every chapter administrator getting a vote. In total there are 34 chapter administrators across Moghes, and their positions differ from most others in that it is an inherited title, one that the guildmaster cannot remove without the consensus of all other chapter administrators. In the event of a tie for any vote, the vote is redone until a majority is reached. The current Guildmaster of the construction coalition is Turiz Gurnitiza, who has been leading the guild for the past 15 years. His tenure as guildmaster has been a prosperous time for the guild, where in the aftermath of the contact war much of Moghes needed to be rebuilt, and the construction guild was there every step of the journey, rebuilding the decimated territories of the Hegemony. While Hephaestus also had a hand in this rebuilding effort, due to the company floundering until recently, a vast majority of projects were handled by the Construction Coalition. While this has given the construction guild significant income, the labor intensive building and scope of their operations has resulted in them not truly becoming rich, as much of their wealth goes directly back into the millions of workers under their employ.

The runner up in number of guildsmen throughout the Hegemony, the construction guild had so many members underneath its banner that before becoming a Hephaestus subsidiary, without taking hundreds of jobs a month, the guild would not have enough credits to pay its members. In a strange turn of events then, after being reorganized as a subsidiary, the Construction Coalition has begun to turn its reputation around. With the backing of Hephaestus, the Coalition has been able to properly pay its guildsmen for the work they complete, allowing more time for jobs to be completed. This has resulted in a pressure to complete jobs by an unreasonable deadline being removed from the Chapter Administrator’s shoulders, and slowly the quality of work done by the construction coalition has been going up. Extra funds for training has also contributed to this, but mainly, it is that they no longer truly need to worry about ensuring all guildsmen are paid. Originally competing with Hephaestus Industries, the construction coalition and its bulk forced Hephaestus to take specialized contracts that require more technological aptitude and training, while they stick with plentiful, basic contracts that do not need the same degree of skill. Since their incorporation as a subsidiary however, both have found that this system works rather well, and have continued with their good natured rivarily. Though not unlike the Miner’s Guild, the Construction Coalition finds itself slowly shifting into a teaching role, where it instructs new engineers and specialists, before they go on to work for Hephaestus directly.

Holdings

Being a guild which builds things, the Construction Coalition has no notable holdings of its own, and very few holdings in general. Their holdings are limited to scattered warehouses and administrative centers across Moghes, not really in one place.

Notable Chapters

Builders of Nations

The Builders of Nations is a very aloof sounding title to one of the most simple chapters within the Construction Coalition. As surely as Sinta require food, they need housing, and the Builders of Nations construct housing. The biggest chapter of the Coalition, they suffer the most from the results of their size, cutting corners to finish contracts early and ensure there is enough to pay its members. Shoddy workmanship has become the norm for the Builders, and it’s unclear if any of their structures will stay standing more then a few decades without maintenance. Still, a constant need for housing on post contact war Moghes ensures that the contracts keep coming, despite the reputation the chapter is gaining.

Castle Constructors

The polar opposite of the Builders of Nations, the Castle Constructors build the homes of the Hegemony's Nobility, and do it well. With fewer contracts to keep up with, the Constructors have no need to cut corners to finish by deadlines and can merely extend the work if need be. It also helps that their contracts are lucrative, being paid top dollar by those in the Hegemony who can afford the best. In more recent times as the demand for seats of power has lessened, the Constructors have turned to helping the Hegemony project power; constructing military bases, outposts, and all the buildings an army needs to function with the same level of skill they applied to castles. They can be found aside Kataphracts or Watchmen putting up barricades or walls, and are responsible for most of the fortifications built since Not'zars ascendancy to Regent, then Hegemon.

Junzi Electric

Founded by the Junzi clan under the Second Hegemony, Junzi Electric is the oldest current guild still in existence. Dating back more than 400 years, it has remained a constant throughout the turbulent history of the Unathi species. While much of its history was lost in the fires of the contact war, the farthest back evidence of its existence dates to 1934, when the Junzi Clan was asked by the ruling Hegemon Azyi Sarakus to assist in his great endeavor by managing the construction of coal power plants around the Skalamar area, and hydroelectric dams within the Tza Prairie. It is debated by modern day historians if the Junzi managed a guild at this time, or were just landed nobility, as the guilds were repressed by the Sarakus. Several other records have been found from that period, contracting the Junzi Clan, sometimes referred to as Junzi Electric, to construct and lease further power plants across Moghes. The first real document that has been found in recent years referencing Junzi Electric is a decree from the Izweski clan, signed shortly after the ceasefire that ended the war with the Honored Alliance. It stated that the Izweski would continue to recognize and work with Junzi Electric as the primary electrical provider within their lands, leasing a majority of power plants to them as part of their reforms to empower the guilds. Since then, Junzi Electric has been definitely present within the Hegemony, supplying the ever increasing demand for electricity as the Hegemony advanced. By the time of first contact, it was Junzi Electric who ran and oversaw the first of the fusion generators constructed on Moghes, and the first power plants installed into Hegemonic Vessels. Today they hold a deathgrip monopoly over electricity within the Hegemony, running nearly all power plants, and holding the knowledge of how to distribute it close to their chests.

The current guildmaster of Junzi Electric is the hot-headed Rakul Junzi, but he is guildmaster in name only. Never having worked with the guild, and only having the position due to his inheritance, the decision maker for Junzi Electric is a senior guildsmen, Takon Eduruk. Born a peasant, Takon worked his way up through the guild hierarchy through hard work and some guile, becoming a trusted assistant of the former guildmaster, Rakul’s father, in the early 2450s. Though Takon was never seen as a true leader, following the death of the former guildmaster and Rakul inheriting the position, Takon used the young guildmasters inexperience as a weapon against him, and with the help of many chapter administrators, fearful of losing profits or their positions, managed to center decision making power within the guild around himself and several other senior guild members. While much of the nobility gag at the thought of a peasant having as much power as Takon, Junzi Electrics position within the Hegemony makes them a necessary partner for most lords, even the more traditionalist. The cover for this open secret is that Takon is simply another trusted advisor to Rakul, as he was for Rakul’s father, however, when push comes to shove, Takon can do what he likes with the Guild, and Rakul can only fume.

Junzi Electric holds a monopoly as the primary electricity provider for Moghes, from the plants, to distribution, to the wiring in a house. Due to the massive scale that power generation entails, chapter administrators are given significantly more freedom to find work for themselves than with other guilds, essentially each administrator running his own chapter with minimal input from the guild. Even further down, the Fishers for each chapter halls are given significant power within their own cities, able to freely negotiate work with other guilds, or the inhabitants of the city. This means that a Halls Fisher is free to price electricity as he likes, manage his own power grid, and ensure that power is brought to the people within his city. The Guild instead focuses on the Hegemony-wide power grid, managing the plants, constructing new generators, and ensuring power flows across the lands to where it is needed. This has led to a divide within the guild, where chapters based within cities or areas and focused more on the minutia differentiate themselves from those who work closer with the guild administration, managing the larger power-grid. Many have taken to calling this divide the “city-guild split” referring to a chapter as a city chapter or a guild chapter depending on their specialization. No matter which chapter a guildsmen falls into though, each is paid on a salary system, earning credits for the total amount of hours worked bi-monthly, with minimal yearly bonuses.

The scarcity has barely impacted Junzi Electric, surprisingly. This is attributed to the more primitive means of electricity production, unlike most highly developed cities and planets, Moghes has no Phoron Fusion plants to be impacted by the scarcity, instead relying on the less technologically advanced fission, or fusion plants. Junzi Electric even still has many coal fired power plants in operation around Moghes. This near zero impact has been a blessing to the Hegemony, currently struggling with many other issues resulting from the scarcity. Takon Eduruk is not blind to the fact the scarcity could have been a massive issue for Junzi Electric, and so has since thrown much of the guild's credits into ensuring a reliable power grid in the event of any scarcity affecting the spur. One part of this effort is his attempts to give guildsmen more experience in electrical matters, striking deals with both Hephaestus Industries and Zavodskoi Interstellar to contract his guildsmen out to them for work outside of the Hegemony. These guildsmen can belong to any chapter, and tend to work as engineers for their temporary mega corporate bosses. Until, eventually, they became their permanent mega corporate bosses.

Junzi Electric, the oldest guild in existence, had finally fallen to another. Now a subsidiary to Hephaestus Industries, Junzi Electric found itself in a strange position. They had a monopoly over something that not even their parent company did on Moghes, and yet relied on them to bail them out of a rapidly deteriorating situation only because they could no longer transport the fuels needed for their power plants. So, unlike the rest of the Guilds, Junzi Electric barely even noticed the shift from independence to becoming a subsidiary, the only real difference for the guild being access to more funds to further fortify the Hegemonic power grid, making it into a reliable and effective system. Hephaestus has not yet had the time to truly utilize Junzi Electric, and only time will tell if they can find a way to do so.

Holdings

Skalamar's Light Bulb

A name coined by Unathi peasants shortly after its construction, Skalamar's lightbulb is a set of fusion power plants constructed shortly after first contact in close proximity to one another which provide power to the capital. They were constructed with the help of outsiders from the Solarian Alliance and Nrralakk Federation, but have since been run by the guildsmen of Junzi Electric. While not as advanced as the Phoron Fusion plants used by much of the spur, the Hegemony’s relative lack of power consumption has made them reliable and sufficient power generators. They have run without significant incident since their construction, the only scare being during the contact war where they were shut down as atomic fire bathed the planet. Today they still provide power to the capital of the Hegemony, and are seen as a choice assignment for any Guildsmen within Junzi Electric, overseen from the Fusion Controllers Chapter Hall 1.

Oket's Remains

Named after the now destroyed city of Oket, Oket's Remains is a fission power plant that was in between Razir and the now destroyed city. It was damaged during the contact war, and has since been constantly repaired in order to ensure it remains operational. It provides much of the power used in Razir, as well as portions of the power used in the cities of Jaz'zirt and Teht; Junzi Electric calculated that replacing it and all the powerlines for those three cities would be more expensive than simply constantly repairing the plant. However, as a result of these constant repairs, the plant is notoriously unstable, prone to swings in reactivity and temperature. It is unclear if one day the plant may have a melt down, and spread the wasteland even further.

Ura Dam

Located in a pass just to the north of Ura'Mastyx, the Ura dam was one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by Junzi Electric, with work believed to have started shortly after the ceasefire with the Honored Alliance. It was completed in the early 2200s, and has since remained one of the largest sinta-made structures on the surface of Moghes. It blocks one of the primary rivers that carries snow melt down from the peaks surrounding the Tza Praire, though in recent years this river has been shrinking as climate change from the nuclear holocaust of the contact war infringes on it’s cycles. The dam is well known outside of the guild for carrying the only rail-lines that cross the mountains to enter the Tza Prairie, with any who travel there need to cross it.

Notable Chapters

The Wirer’s Chapter

The Wirer’s chapter is the biggest chapter within Junzi Electric, and being a city chapter, has one of the simplest jobs. With halls in every city across Moghes, they have the responsibility to ensure that a city's power grid is effectively bringing electricity to the homes or businesses of its inhabitants. Guildsmen of the chapters maintain and create both the large main bundles that jump along poles or run beneath streets, as well as wire individual houses and apartment blocks where they work closely with guildsmen of the Construction Coalition. The wirer’s guildsmen also sometimes ventures out into more rural areas near whatever city their specific chapter hall is located in, but does this with irregularity, causing the more rural populations to have an unstable power grid, both within their homes and within their towns. Due to their massive size and prevalence across all of Moghes, nearly every chapter hall will have a Fisher assigned to it, with the overall Chapter Administrator having more of a hands off approach then others.

Fusion Controllers

The grandest of all the chapters of Junzi Electric, the Fusion Controllers are the guild chapters incharge of the construction and management of the scattered fusion power plants across Moghes. While small in number compared to the more numerous fission or coal fired power plants, the fusion plants require a highly skilled set of guildsmen to run and maintain them, causing those in the fusion controllers chapter to be considered the best of the best within Junzi Electric. Becoming a member of the chapter is extremely difficult, and each guildsmen may take one 2 apprentices a year due to the high rate of failure for those attempting to join. Takon Eduruk has taken measures to ensure the chapter is consistently staffed, by sending off well performing guildsmen to be educated in the ways of fusion reactors in human space, primarily the Republic of Biesel. These guildsmen are then inducted into the chapter upon the completion of their education, and sent to work. Due to the limited time this program has been run for, very few guildsmen have made it back to Moghes from the Republic, but as a fact of their education, have been hired as contracted engineering apprentices or engineers by many of the SCCs companies as they work towards their degrees.

The Keepers of Heirlooms

The Keepers of Heirlooms, or the Bard’s Guild, is the guild that had undergone the least amount of changes following First Contact, remaining very simple in its purpose until 2465. Arguably the most prestigious guild to be a part of, their primary purpose is entertainment and storytelling, with a broad focus on developing any type of communication skills. There has always been a large cultural significance to the Keeper’s and their activities for Unathi as a whole, and the expansion of the Extranet to Moghes has only caused this significance to explode. As Sinta have found it easier to locate stories, music, heirlooms or other forms of entertainment from the Keeper’s, more and more apprentices have flocked to the guild, to try and make their living as an artist. Currently the keepers are led by Vizaru Hukali, who has been guildmaster since 2440. Vizaru has been one of the primary forces behind the expansion of the Extranet within the Hegemony, seeing it as a way for all Sinta to be able to access their culture, and her guild's work. Under her direction, the Keepers have sponsored several websites which have digitized popular stories and oral histories of Unathi, so that they may never be lost again in times of strife such as in the Contact War.

After 2465, and the incorporation of the Keepers as a Hephaestus Subsidiary, the Guild now has a secondary focus as an arm of the Hephaestus propaganda machine. Like most others, the guild had to accept Hephaestus’s offer to become its subsidiary or eventually be forced into dissolution, and when Guildmaster Hukali weighed the scales, and viewed that her guild being able to continue its work was worth the price of the surrendering the truth to Hephaestus. In an attempt to foster if not goodwill, at least tolerance, Hephaestus tends to take a hands off approach to the Guild's operations in most regards, except for the Sinta Articles chapter.

The guild, while unorthodox, trains its members to be proficient in a variety of modern occupations if they wish it. The capacity for charisma and the talent of talking are taught here, thus anyone aspiring for an Executive Officer position may set their gaze on learning here. Even more meager professions in comparison, such as chefs, bartenders, and even liaison's get their training here. Nobility are often sent here for a general education before moving somewhere else tailored for their desired occupation. However, due to the very nature of the guild, the Keeper’s had the requirement to provide employment to members dropped from their charter, and each member must find their own work using the skills taught to them as apprentices. Many become rich doing this, while many others walk the fine line between poverty and financial stability.

The headquarters of the Keeper’s of Heirlooms is Res'karum, a city located up in the mountains. The scenery is said to have inspired the aspiring musicians and orators of the first members of the guild, hence its extraordinary location. While guild halls belonging to this organization can be found across Moghes, the most prestigious is located there. It is said that the fickle grace of Galzifrax himself saved the city from destruction during the Contact War.

Notable Chapters

The Scourn of Skalds

Skalds occupy an interesting spot in society for Unathi. Not considered as battle hardened as Kataphracts or as pious as the Divine Paladins of the Warrior Sk'akh, they do have one leg up in comparison to renowned warriors: skalds are incredible leaders. Said to lace their words with the might of their god, skalds urge others into battle and lead the charge ahead of them, inspiring bravery, courage, and fearsomeness. Nobility that cannot manage to become a Kataphract wind up here more often than not as the skills of a leader come in handy just as much as being the best in the troop.

Poet's Precinct

Wordsmiths by trade, the Poet's Precinct gets its name from being a historic block of houses and shops that were occupied exclusively by members of this charter, back when Res'karum was a budding town. No 'outsiders' of the charter were allowed in for centuries, and it is said the poets spoke their residences and buildings into being. While the actual history is a bit murky, the blocks belonging to this charter are painted and colored in dazzling palettes with stunning and unique architecture. It gives traditional buildings a fresh coat of paint, literally, and makes one aspire for the old ways, which is exactly what the Poet's Precinct believes in.

The Poet's Precinct aspires to the idea of oratory storytelling, and while not opposed to it, they still slightly shun the idea of logging everything they know. Poets here move on to write incredible playwrights, books, write movies, or even move to popular spots for filming such as Venus. A poet is valuable, especially for public figures. Having someone write speeches or check your own is useful when every mistake you say can be used against you. Some poets even move onto influential fields like law.

Sinta Articles

The Sinta Articles did not always start prestigious. During a time when bards were mocked and scorned, these lowly orators would travel from town to town and pray that the news would be worth enough coin to allow them to ride to the next. It wasn't until their services as messengers specializing in certain fields became more of use— a poet mentioning the next town over has a shortage of food and would happily buy, a singer making a dangerous journey to warn of a spreading illness, or a skald rallying villagers to fight off bandits— these local stories and messages were the beginnings of what would evolve into a modern, intergalactic press: the Sinta Articles. Once a bastion of Hegemonic thought, it has since been turned into Hephaestus’s main propaganda source within the Hegemony. Corporate officials edit, reword, and approve every article, ensuring that it presents the company in the best light. Those who do not conform find themselves unceremoniously laid off from the guild, left to fend for themselves.

Aosr's Chosen

Considered to be like Shaman of the Stars, Aosr's Chosen are often devout followers of Aosr despite the guild being unaffiliated with any particular religion. The spirit-god's realm of nature means he is a potent muse for this collection of painters, sculptors, potters, and other artists that work with traditional materials. Embracing a path very different from a bard's, Aosr's Chosen choose to tell stories in non-auditory means through whatever medium they prefer. A vase with vibrant and aggressive colors covered in cracks; a panel of paintings showing change over time; a sculpture that shows a snapshot in time of a child: all of these aim to evoke the feelings of a story without a single word being uttered or spoken. After all, if a bard aims to tell a story, what better way than through a picture worth a thousand words?

Notable Members

T'zikayal Huzini

A digitized copy of A Mountain View, the painting that would catapult Huzini to fame.

Born to a peasant family on the outskirts of To’Ha’Dat, Huzini is one of the most famous members of the Bard’s Guild, and one of the most famous Unathi artists to ever live. A painter since he joined the Bard’s Guild, he is most well known for his works of landscapes or structures. His most famous work which catapulted him to fame, A Mountain View, an enamel painting that was done atop the highest peak north of Ura'Mastyx looking out over the Tza Prairie. As a Th’'kh-worshiping Sinta, he used the religious hues of yellow and purple to great effect and was praised by Th’akh nobility. The painting currently resides in Azui Hutay'zai's estate, after he purchased it to the tune of twenty million credits. Since then, Huzini has painted many other landscapes, including A Village Tuned, a water color of the city of Baandr which sold for twelve million credits to Mizaruz Izweski; Rivers Flowing, an oil of several of Res’karum's waterfalls crashing into each other with a brilliant use of color; and his second most famous painting, Izweski's Power, an oil painting of the destroyed Sk'akh Scept, as seen from the streets of Skalamar, which is currently on display in the Citadel’s throne room after Not'zar purchased it for seventeen million credits. Izweski's Power broke from his previous paintings by including people instead of just objects. Not'zar has said he keeps the painting near his throne to “remind him of the trappings of power.” Huzini's location is currently unknown, as he has ventured out into the Wasteland to find inspiration for his next piece.

Razkulal Shiak

Originally from a land that was part of the Traditionalist Coalition, not much of Shiak's previous life is known, as well as his current life. He appeared one day at Camp Integrity, offering to sculpt a statue using equipment he was carrying on him, of the Captain of the Guard there in exchange for food and a place to rest his head. The Captain, intrigued, accepted, and allowed the Wastelander to stay for two weeks while he worked. The end result is considered by scholars to be one of the best to ever be created by a Unathi, half-hard marble combined with sand and wood turned into an ash glaze, showing a different side of the Captain in every direction. The texture of the sculpture would erode away in the rough Wasteland wind, making it seem much more worn than normal, like the captain it represented. The sculpture can still be found in the center of Camp Integrity. Similar stories were heard along the outskirts of the Hegemony, a strange Wastelander coming into town and sculpting the most beautiful portraits of Sinta. Eventually, Shiak would be found by the Bard's Guild and offered a full-time position— whenever he is around— which he accepted. He still wanders the Wasteland, sculpting whoever he pleases and not taking requests for payment from the many nobility who wish to hire him. Being picked by him to be his next inspiration is considered a high honor, and many Sinta will remain with him for weeks while he completes their portrait

The House of Medicine

Founded originally by Clan Azyi, The House of Medicine is the only majority women's guild within the Hegemony, focused on as the name suggests, Medicine. Based out of the University of Skalamar where it has its guild hall, it trains all future doctors within the Hegemony. The current guildmaster of the House is Tayuka Ruizi, who has been leading the guild since 2654. She has overseen the house for about ten years, and has been a proponent in its expansion of care across Moghes. Being a student at the University while majoring in medicine is considered to be an apprentice of the House, and to graduate is to become a member. Being a member of the House of Medicine is the equivalent of being a doctor in human nations. While other guilds have much more control over their guildsmen and their work, the House of Medicine only leaves working directly for it as an option a guildsmen could take. Many other guildsmen of the House end up working directly for lords and ladies of Moghes as personal doctors, or for Mega Corporations such as NanoTrasen and the PMCG.

However, the House does offer employment for its members, as it is required to by charter. The House runs all hospitals within the Hegemony, and employs its members within them. These hospitals are entirely found within cities, and are all considered to be different chapters. Big cities such as Skalamar which require multiple large hospitals will have several chapters within the City. Chapter Administrators who run the hospitals have total control over their buildings, but regularly work with those administrators also in their cities to provide care to the population. Hospitals under the House will often have specializations similar to hospitals in the rest of the spur, and shuttle patients around as seen fit. These hospitals are considered to be the best on the planet, almost on par with extremely poor hospitals in human space. However, as the almost sole supplier of medical treatment on the planet, the House can set the price of medical care across the Hegemony, and has set it high. Unathi have nothing like the insurance systems of developed human nations, and so every procedure needs to be paid “out of pocket” so to speak. Most guilds will take a percentage of pay out of their members paycheck for a fixed time and cover injuries sustained while not working, and cover all injuries sustained working. While this makes costs significantly cheaper than most human hospitals, with an average Horizon crewmember able to afford a high end procedure with a few years of paychecks saved up, but for populations like the rural peasantry who are either poor or don’t use credits medical care at a House hospital is too high a bar to reach. These populations instead rely on local slum or village healers, or the rare IAC doctor not located in the Wasteland. These healers sometimes have House accreditations, but more often than not operate illegally outside of the guilds. While the House has been lobbying for the Watch to crack down on this behavior, many of the peasant watchmen are from the communities that make use of these healers, and will turn a blind eye whenever possible.

The scarcity has hit the House of Medicine hard, with liquid phoron being an important ingredient in many medications. They have found themselves facing shortages of critical medications, and what remains has been set aside for the nobility or patients on the verge of death. Combined with this shortage, the House is responsible for determining the daily allotment of calories a Sinta should get as part of food rationing, before their numbers are taken to the Master of Rivers for their implementation across the Hegemony. Many peasants grumble or outright accuse the house of fudging the numbers, stacking them in favor of the nobility to ensure that the food remains in their hands. No proof has come of this, but being a women dominated guild has not helped matters as they are seen to be more prone to dishonesty.

Eventually, as all the other guilds did, the House of Medicine had to fold before the will of Hephaestus, becoming a subsidiary corporation. Unlike nearly all the other corporations which were reorganized, Hephaestus Industries really did not have a plan for what to do with the House of Medicine. They were not in the medical business, but now had a guild which was underneath them. So, Guildmaster T’zakal eventually decided to use the House of Medicine only minimally(after all, leaving it as it was still feeds the profits into Hephaestus), as corporate healthcare provides. Now all guildsmen within Moghes get their corporate healthcare plans with discounts only for the House of Medicine, which has seen an influx in it’s workload, prompting a limited amount of expansion for the Guild, causing it to resort to paying foreign companies for training as it needs the money it would have for training elsewhere. These foreign companies are commonly other Megacorporations, most notably NT and the PMCG, who train these doctors in return for their services for a set period of time with lower wages, creating a win-win for both the guild and its mega corporate partners.

The only other medical providers within the Hegemony are the IAC and the K'lax Hive, both of whom the House shares a less than cordial relationship with. The K'lax Hive and their gene clinics pose a threat to the endless prescriptions of radiation medicine the House provides to those afflicted by the contact war, and have been the target of several smear campaigns painting the K'lax as evil and unknowable doctors. The IAC has not fared much better, but has kept a majority of its medical staff in the Wasteland where they are more needed to assuage the political sensibilities of their fellow doctors.

Holdings

Skalamar Hospital 3

The biggest hospital ever ordered by the Guild, Skalamar Hospital 3 is considered to be the second seat of the guild behind the University of Skalamar itself. Originally constructed during the contact war to help deal with an overflow of injured levies from the meat grinder it had become, the hospital has space for tens of thousands of patients, and some of the best equipment purchased from the rest of the spur. It was formerly managed by now Guildmaster Ruizi, and its chapter master is seen as the heir apparent for the title of Guildmaster. Due to its immense size, it is not actually constructed within the city of Skalamar itself, instead a short 10-minute train ride from the central rail station. It currently houses only the extremely injured who are in need of constant care and has not even hit half of its capacity since the conclusion of the contact war.

Baandr Alchemists Center

Near the center of Baandr is the heart of the Alchemists chapter, a research center where doctors search for new medicines. Its main focus is on medicines that fix genetic damage or hold off the rays of radiation for a time. While they have not yet met with much success, the House still pours credits into the center in the hope that they may find a solution to the Hegemony’s problems with the Wasteland before the world is terraformed. No specific chapter administrator manages the center, instead, it is directly managed by the Guildmaster, with chapters sending their best and brightest to it.

Notable Chapters

Military Hospital Chapter

As the Hegemony will always need doctors for its armed forces, so the house provides. In times of peace this means for the Navy and Kataphracts, and in times of war assigning doctors to march alongside the levies. This has resulted in the chapter’s guildswomen fluctuating with regularity, as doctors are moved to and from the chapter as the Hegemony demands. The House is compensated well for providing these doctors, with war being a profitable business for them. Some chapter halls of the Military Hospital Chapter have reached planet-wide fame from actions in the contact war, such as Hall 7 who saved countless lives during the during the Siege of Bahard, and Hall 15, who earned their infamy in the Battle of Eastern Wastes, where traditionalist artillery assumed their tents to be storing ammunition and pounded them into the ground.

Alchemists Chapter

The Alchemists Chapter of the House provides one of the most important functions for it, the production and distribution of medicine. Still called Alchemists instead of the more modern pharmacists, these educated doctors mix the elixirs and pills that keep the radiation sickness at bay for much of the planet’s population, or help to repair damaged tissue. Since the onset of the scarcity the Alchemists have had less and less work to do as the phoron needed for many of their medications runs dry. The House has instead started to contract them off to megacorporations such as NanoTrasen and the PMCG, who officially employ them. However, should the scarcity end, these alchemists will return to Moghes quickly, once again taking up their old roles in the House.

The Fishing League

The largest guild within the Hegemony, the Fishing League is a behemoth of food production, churning out tons of foodstuffs a day. While local villages and nobles have their own food production centers, mainly aquaculture farms which run outside of the aegis of the Fishing League, the vast majority of food produced within the Hegemony is produced by the Fishing League, whether it be on Ouerea or Moghes. However, due to the post-contact war environment of Moghes, no matter how much the fishing league produces, it will never be enough to feed the remaining population.

Despite being the largest guild within the Hegemony, the Fishing League is incredibly centralized, with chapter administrators having very little decision-making power when compared with other guilds. This is primarily the work of the current Guildmaster, Rizark Eizde, brother of Lord Eizde, ruler of Teht. After the contact war Rizark used his brothers position ruling over a city known for extensive fishing guilds to conglomerate those that remained across all of Moghes, establishing the Fishing League three years after the last traditionalist stronghold fell. Rizark was a thinker ahead of his time, and realized the threat the encroaching radiation blasted surface of Moghes now posed to the food supply for the surviving nation, and refused to allow over-use to destroy what food sources were left on the planet. He established strict regulations for the guild to ensure that food sources could naturally replenish instead of being fished dry, and lobbied with coastal lords to crack down on illegal fishing by peasants. He also invested much of the guild's credits into aquaculture research and construction, seeing fish farms as a more stable alternative to traditional fishing. This research and construction has been operating at a slow pace, until the recent scarcity and specter of famine caused the Hegemony to kick open their coffers for the Fishing League.

Never a rich guild, the fishing league has always struggled with money due to their sheer size as well as the nature of their work. Being a relatively low skilled position, regular guildsmen are only slightly better paid then peasantry, and seen by many as not being “true” guildsmen, such as those who work within Junzi Electric or other guilds. This has however recently changed, as the spur wide phoron scarcity makes the importation of food to the Hegemony difficult, and famine looms over the small stellar empire. The Hegemony has kicked open its coffers to the Fishing League, resulting in a flood of credits and work for them, both on Moghes and expanding food production on the colony world of Ouerea. The League has also begun to be granted a significant number of forced laborers by Hegemonic Nobility, criminals who must work off their sentences without pay for the betterment of the Hegemony. Many of these laborers are sent to Ouerea, where their presence causes friction with long time guild members as well as the local population. Despite this though, the guild eagerly takes as many laborers as they can get their hands on, needing them to supplant the workforce as they rapidly expand operations. This expansion has continued under Hephaestus, as the megacorporation looks to the production of food the same way it looks to the production of all other things. On a massive industrial scale, producing the most amount of product for the least amount of work and material. Aquaculture is slated to be massively expanded in the coming years, even more so than originally planned, with help from the K’lax Hive to genetically edit certain animals to be more profitable for the guild. There are even rumors that Hephaestus may begin cutting down the jungles of Ouerea for plantations of non-unathi foods for export to the rest of the spur, though they remain unfounded.

Holdings

The Fishery

Simply called the Fishery within the League, Ouerean Aquafarm 16 was the first of many planned massive aquaculture farms to be constructed in the wake of the phoron scarcity and the famine it has threatened the Hegemony with. Constructed by Hephaestus Industries and then sold to the Hegemony, it was purchased by the Fishing League outright in 2465 after Hephaestus’s expansion within the Hegemony.. The Fishery is capable of outputting tons of food every season, with patties on different growth cycles to ensure a constant stream of fish is harvested, instead of all in one season. The best and brightest of aquaculture scientists are assigned here, under the Ouerean chapter to ensure the stability of this new food supply. Suggestions from K'laxan Queen Leto for these scientists to invest in fish germline splicing with the goal of increasing size and protein have been widely ridiculed by members of The Fishing League, who at first denounced the suggestion as "dangerous tampering with nature" and "certain to incur the wrath of the Spirits," preferring instead to employ traditional methods, despite the Hives assurances it would help alleviate the famine. Eventually though, at the urging of Hephaestus Industries looking to make a profit, they agreed to allow half of the patties to contain genetically altered fish, as a test case to see what would happen.

Teht Docks

When looking at the city of Teht from above, most of its coastline is dominated by gray concrete that stretches out a short distance into the ocean. These slabs of concrete make up the Teht docks, and nearly its entirety is owned by the Fishing League. Once constantly busy, in more recent years due to overfishing the docks have dropped in activity, as the League slowly tries to move away from exploiting the Moghesian Sea in favor of aquaculture farms. There is still much activity on the docks though, as remaining trawlers return from the sea to transfer their goods before heading back out. The docks have also become heavily guarded as the crates of fish are now a lucrative target for criminal elements within the city. The responsibility of guarding these docks falls to the local city watch, whose Lord happens to be the brother of the League’s Guildmaster, ensuring there are always enough men for the job.

Notable Chapters

Ouerea's Catchers

A rapidly expanding chapter, Ouerea’s Catchers is composed of all League guildsmen working on the planet of Ouerea, no matter their specialty. Originally just fishermen in the Trizkizki Sea, it now also includes aquaculture experts, ranchers, and even K'lax gene tailors, all on top of a bed of newly transferred forced laborers. This rapid expansion has caused tensions within the chapter and with the colony world on which it works, as many different groups now find themselves having to work towards a common goal for the preservation of their people. The chapter administrator has many times pleaded to Guildmaster Eizde to split up the chapters, but Eizde sees more chapter administrators as a threat to his stranglehold of control on the guild and has instead opted to keep things the way they are. This direct control is not without its upsides, however, as despite so many different specialties working under the same chapter there have not been many delays in production, and the League is still on track to turn Ouerea into the food production center of the Hegemony. This chapter is currently experiencing a split, as the workers of Aquaculture farms look down on the regular fishermen, who hate the Aquaculture farmers for

Aquaculturists

The Aquaculturists chapter of the League, as the name implies, specializes in the management and harvest of aquaculture farms. Due to the reforms of Guildmaster Eizide the chapter saw a significant amount of funding diverted to it for expansion of operations and further research into aquaculture. They did much with this funding, slowly siphoning away the need for overfishing in Moghes’ oceans, much to the dislike of other chapters which relied on that need. However since the specter of famine now looms over the Hegemony, the Aquaculturists now find themselves a shrinking chapter, as more and more of their number are transferred to Ouerea to manage the massive aquafarms being completed there every month. Those that have remained on Moghes continue their duties same as always, managing what little food production the radiation blasted world has left for as long as they are there. This chapter has seen a massive expansion since the guild became a subsidiary of Hephaestus, as the megacorporation applies

Hooks of Teht

A shrinking chapter, but still by far the largest in the League, the Hooks of Teht are focused on the Unathi art of fishing as their ancestors did, on the oceans of Moghes. While they have since replaced their hooks with nets and sailboats with trawlers, they carry on a culture that has been around for thousands of generations before first contact, and will probably be around thousands of generations after. Yet they are still finding themselves with less and less work as regulations on overfishing and a move towards aquaculture dominate the League. Still, it is not like they will find themselves out of a job, as there will always be a need for food, and the Hook of Teht will always provide.

The Fighter's Lodge

Stereotyped, some would say accurately, as a war-loving species, Unathi have martial traditions ingrained into the very foundation of their culture, having fought each other relentlessly for most of their history. This conflict has become monetized and professionalized by the Fighters Lodge, a guild of warriors unaffiliated with landed nobility, and the Izweski Armed Forces, who can be hired by other guilds or landed nobility to supplant whatever forces are available to them. The Lodge goes to extreme lengths to remain independent from squabbling noble clans, even so far as to have it written within their charter that they will not accept contracts to fight on any noble's side against another member of the landed nobility. Due to this stipulation, they are primarily hired out as security guards for holdings, whether it be a Guildhall or Clan’s castle; or hired to supplant local law enforcement. These contracts can be made in mere minutes in the event of emergencies, with many lords striking quick deals with their local Lodge chapter outposts in the event of riots or peasant revolts.

The Fighters Lodge like most contemporary guilds was created by a conglomeration in the years that followed the contact war. The current Guildmaster, Guzhari Sirax, nephew of Lord Trikzara Sirax, ruler of Skalamar, has seen that it has a very different organizational structure from other guilds. Being born into clan Sirax, Guzhari had an intricate knowledge of outside entities by the end of the contact war, where he himself led troops under the banner of his clan. He was fascinated by stories of human Private Military Companies, particularly Necropolis Industries and the companies which formed it. He envisioned a group of Unathi organized along more corporate lines who could provide unaffiliated peace and security, above the politicking nobility. Using the position of his clan, he quickly rose through the ranks of his local warriors' guild, becoming Guildmaster and amassing the remaining guilds underneath him, before launching a set of massive changes to the structure of the Lodge.

Instead of the standard chapter system of guilds, Guzhari set up the Lodge along standard human corporate lines, with each chapter being a wide department, and their administrators being more akin to chief directors of human companies. These chapters have no halls across Moghes, as all chapter administrators work out of the Lodge’s guildhall, located in Skalamar. Instead, chapters will have “outposts” in cities of interest to them, where the landed lords or their representatives can go to offer contracts or speak with the guild. These “outposts” are run by senior guildsmen who have the authority to negotiate and speak on behalf of the guild, taking contracts as they see fit. The implementation of these reforms was not an easy affair, as Guzhari had to sack many chapter administrators and completely change the flow of the guild in a way no Unathi had yet. He found himself recruiting peasants who had fought in the levies during the contact war, and now wished to use their skills to provide a more lavish lifestyle than they would have to return to their normal work. By elevating these peasants to positions they would never have achieved without him, Guzhari formed a large indebted group within the guild, loyal only to him and not to any noble clan. The end result was two-fold. Guzhari succeeded in his set-out task and established a professional, unaffiliated force of warriors who could be hired by anyone as long as they had the credits to pay and would use them in a professional manner. However, by doing this he upset many traditional lords, as well as noble clans who had ties to old warriors guilds but found themselves shut out of the Fighters Lodge due to their displeasure with the reforms initiated by Guzhari. It is just as likely that a Sinta will praise Guzhari as curse his name for what he has turned the Fighters Lodge into.

However, now, it seems Guzhari was right for his reform, as the Fighter's Lodge is incorporated under Hephaestus Industries as a subsidiary. This has allowed for almost seamless integration with Hephaestus’s already existing security system, and the Fighter’s Lodge has quickly found itself expanding across the spur at the behest of their parent company. Their most notable actions so far have been in the busting of potential unions at Hephaestus installations, where their warrior upbringing in a feudal society has instilled in them a disgust for “peasants' ' organizing against their betters. The Fighter’s Lodge is fast becoming the new strong arm of Hephaestus, with special teams on call to reinforce other, less violent, union busting efforts when they fail; contributing to the Unathi’s reputation as a savage species amongst Hephaestus workers, but also one to be feared. After all, who would try and picket a building when the result would be getting cleared out by warrior Sinta.

Outside of their work with Hephaestus,, the Fighters Lodge has found themselves with a surprising amount of work, as the Hegemony and local Watchmen find themselves in need of extra muscle to quell unruly peasantry, rioters, or simply to effectively patrol the streets. . Lodge warriors can be found guarding many locations around cities, or walking patrols alongside watchmen to keep the peace. Guzhari has taken this one step further, and begun to offer contracts to outside corporations or nationstates to use Lodge members as security personnel, while still keeping with his standards to remain unaffiliated. Despite the fact most megacorporations save Hephaestus Industries and Orion Express swore to close off business with Hegemonic Guilds, both the PMCG and Zavodskoi Interstellar have found themselves bending their statements, contracting Fighter’s Lodge guildsmen to their ranks outside the Hegemony. Even with the Fighter’s Lodge now a subsidiary of Hephaestus, it keeps up these relationships, and still takes contracts from both corporations for fighters. Due to the technicalities around their statements, guildsmen on contract for either Zavodskoi or the PMCG are officially employees of those companies, but still receive payments from their parent guild.

Guarded Holdings

The Hephaestus Industries Branch Office

While Hephaestus has its own security personnel to ensure the safety of its assets, the Hephaestus administrator for the Hegemony, Yukal T'zakal, made the decision to primarily use guildsmen of the Lodge as security guards for the office, instead of the mostly human security personnel Hephaestus employs. In his eyes this makes the Branch Office look more inviting to other Sinta, and bolsters Hephaestus’s image in the eyes of the public, seeing mostly Sinta associated with the corporation. The post is known to be quiet but fun, being in the heart of the city of Skalamar allows for easy rest and relaxation when off duty, and Hephaestus generously pays for the guildsmen’s housing. Still, none who work the post forget what happened to the last Hephaestus branch office, destroyed in the fires of the Ouerean Revolution.

Notable Chapters

Due to the organization of the Fighters Lodge, their chapters are similar to human corporations departments, and their administrators are similar to executive directors.

Sailors Protectors

Considered the most honorable chapter of the Lodge, the Protectors specialize in protecting vessels and their inhabitants from harm; both on the high seas and in the vast nothingness of space. Guildsmen of this chapter, whether they joined directly after apprenticeship or were spotted for their talents in another chapter, always begin their journey standing guard on the ships that still sail Moghes' seas, protecting them from potential pirates as they chug along. While stuck with this duty a guildsmen begins to be trained for operations in space, acquiring certifications and passing tests in between shifts. Eventually after enough training has been completed and the guildsmen did not fail any test, they are transferred to work in space, protecting merchant vessels traveling from the Hegemony to the rest of the spur, or standing guard on space installations at the behest of their owners. Though many Sinta fail to pass the tests required of Protectors, they never have a shortage of recruits, as the intensive training and thought of life among the stars allures young Sinta, not to mention the incredible pay they receive. To be a Protector is a lusted after job, one which a Sinta very rarely leaves, but some have been known to for one reason or another. Nearly all of these Sinta find themselves working in high level frontline positions for PMCs or Zavodskoi Interstellar, their skills too sharpened to be wasted working as Officers or Wardens. Those with brains as well as brawn find themselves administrators, managing departments and enjoying an even higher standard of pay then they could find on Moghes.

The Lodge’s Own

The Lodge’s Own is the biggest chapter within the Fighter's Lodge, and fulfills a role of basic security guards or officers. It contains many peasants in its ranks, a result of the reforms pushed by Guildmaster Sirax. Professionals, but not as well trained as the Protector's, detachments of the Lodge’s Own is what most organizations or Lords wish to hire, being versatile and cheaper then other options. The role these guildsmen find themselves in can vary from month to month, sometimes acting as bodyguards for important lords, other times helping quell riots in slums. With no singular role these guildsmen find themselves experienced in all manner of security activities, experience which human megacorporations will pay well for.

The Lodge’s Chosen

A split off from the Lodge’s own, the Lodge’s Chosen are more specialized warriors, with extra training in riot control, protest dispersion, the quelling of unrest, and though not advertised, union busting. These warriors are almost all on contract with Hephaestus Industries, somewhere or another in the spur dealing with yet another attempting unionization at a Hephaestus location. As a last resort for the company, they are rarely deployed in full at first, instead acting as guards for other company representatives who will try and bust any growing unionization actions through more peaceful means. Should these peaceful efforts fail however, the Lodge’s Chosen will resort to more direct means, ensuring that no unionization effort succeeds. For political reasons, they do not operate in the Solarian Alliance.

Dagamur Freewater Private Forces

The Dagamuir Freewater Private Forces are an Unathi-founded private military contractor based primarily on Ouerea. They serve as mercenaries, bodyguards and bounty hunters across Izweski space - and beyond, in recent years. Though the modern-day iteration of Freewater was founded fairly recently, being established in 2461, the history of Dagamuir dates back centuries, to the days before the Izweski Hegemony’s rise.

The emblem of Dagamuir is a red-and-gold Unathi eye on a green field - representing the eye of Sk’akh’s Aspect of the Warrior. Emblazoned beneath it - officially in Sinta’Unathi, but traditionally in Sinta’Azaziba - are the ancient yet simple words of the Freewater Company: “Ever-ready, ever-vigilant, ever-victorious”.

History

The Dagamuir Kingdom was a small nation, about a week’s journey on foot from the eastern edge of the Zazalai Mountains. Though it was never of particular global relevance, the line of Dagamuir ruled over it for centuries, managing to remain afloat, if not powerful, amongst its neighbors. As the Sarakus Hegemony fell and the Izweski rose, the reigning King Dagamuir chose to pledge himself to the Izweski, in the hopes of rising alongside them. During the war that broke out, however, the kingdoms of the Honored Alliance captured Dagamuir, leaving its ruling clan’s survivors to flee across the mountains, in the hopes of finding shelter in the newly-proclaimed Izweski Hegemony.

Leadership of the clan fell to the young Korza Dagamuir - son of the previous king, though he did not claim his father’s title - instead referring to himself simply as a lord, albeit a landless one. The few survivors traveled through the Izweski Hegemony’s lands for years, seeking to restore their fortunes and reclaim their kingdom with the aid of other nobility - leading to Korza receiving the unflattering nickname of ‘The Beggar King’.

The survivors of Dagamuir did not have much - their wealth, their lands and their ancestral home were gone. What Korza did have at his command, however, were the veteran warriors that had escorted him to Izweski land. Instead of choosing to try and join with the warriors of an existing mercenary company - a choice he is reported to have believed as beneath him - he abandoned hope of reclaiming Dagamuir, instead making a deal with a minor lord of the Southlands - an exchange of his warriors’ protection for land to call their own. The lord granted Korza and his men a small portion of land, near where one of the region’s major rivers flowed into the Moghresian Sea.

The Dagamuir Kingdom was truly dead and gone - but in that moment, Korza had a new opportunity, and a chance to carve his own destiny. He set to work immediately, renting the services of his warriors to local nobles and wealthy guildsmen - founding what would be known as the Freewater Company. Over time, he hired more warriors, constructing a small keep on the lands he was granted, and allowing the operation to expand until his death in 2099 CE.

Following Korza’s death, the Freewater Company continued to operate for centuries, in various forms - gaining a reputation as honourless mercenaries to some, fostered by their rivals in other companies and guilds. Their reputation was that of a force composed of the dregs of society, who could not make it as true warriors - but nevertheless, they managed to persist. Though the Dagamuir would lose and regain leadership of the company several times throughout the centuries, they have always remained highly involved at the highest levels of its organization - which persists to this day.

Dagamuir Today

The forces of the Freewater Company profited from the Contact War - with nearly every fighting man of the Izweski Hegemony on the front lines, the mercenary group was able to sell their services to lords across the nation to keep order - and although this was often done brutally, they did achieve the paid-for results. It was when the War came to an end, however, that the mercenaries of the Freewater Company truly found a golden opportunity - seeing the chance to not just sell their services on one planet, but to seize an entire universe of prospective customers before their rivals fully understood what was happening.

It was the company’s current leader, Akzazik Voizur, who made the move that would cement Freewater’s place - choosing to move the vast majority of the mercenary company’s operation to Ouerea, at enormous expense. His logic, simply put, was that though Moghes was the homeworld of the Unathi species, Ouerea was its connection to the stars - with the Solarian Alliance, Nralakk Federation and various megacorporations all having a presence there.

The Freewater Company worked on Ouerea for some time, and with the Months of Blood and subsequent arrival of Hephaestus Industries, they found success - with the human megacorporation often hiring them for additional security, leading to many of the locals having a low opinion of the company’s work. During the Ouerean Rebellion, the warriors of Freewater remained neutral - defending their holdings when called for, but not fighting without payment. Following the partial victory of the revolutionaries in 2460, the company needed to consider its next move carefully.

In early 2461, the company’s leadership met at Voizur’s command. With the aid of the young Ahkna Dagamuir, as well as a former Hephaestus security chief named Francis Bradford, they planned a complete restructure of the company to adjust to the interstellar market for mercenaries. Voizur had the warriors’ loyalty, Dagamuir had the name that would tie the company to its roots and the political knowledge to navigate the fragile Ouerean society, and Bradford had the in-depth knowledge of interstellar security contracting.

The ancient Freewater Company was dissolved, and the Dagamuir Freewater Private Forces were formed. With Voizur still at the wheel, the organization rapidly expanded - in order to compete with the fledgling Fighters’ Lodge, they distinguished themselves by embracing the cosmopolitan culture of Ouerea - contrasting themselves against the traditional ways of the Guild by hiring anyone - alien or Sinta. Though initially only Unathi, humans and Skrell were members, the arrival of the K’lax Hive and the discovery of Dionae has led to no small number of Vaurca Warriors and a few gestalts joining Freewater’s forces.

This allowed for rapid expansion on Ouerea, and throughout the Hegemony at large - but the break they were looking for would come in 2463, with the formation of the Private Military Contracting Group. The Private Forces were quick to see the value in this, gaining ties to the corporations of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and being able to massively expand their business offworld. In their new role as a PMCG contractor, Dagamuir ships mercenaries across the Spur in the pay of the SCC’s corporations - and at least for now, business is booming. Though Hephaestus may no longer rely on the mercenaries of Freewater as much following their incorporation of the Fighters’ Lodge, Dagamuir has business contracts across the stars now - and the wealth of these contracts shows no sign of slowing down.

Notable Locations

Freewater Keep, Moghes

The oldest outpost of the company, Freewater Keep lies on the southern shoreline of the Moghresian Sea, at the mouth of one of the many rivers of the Southlands. As more and more of the PMC’s operations have moved to Ouerea, Freewater Keep has become increasingly less relevant - though the company still maintains it as a historic site and training ground in the modern day.

Dagamuir Tower, Ouerea

The corporate headquarters of the Private Forces, Dagamuir Tower is an intimidating skyscraper in central New Skalamar, formerly the personal residence of one of the planet’s noble administrators. Following the Rebellion of 2460, Dagamuir purchased the tower from the newly formed government at a low price, and has since used the tower as their primary center of operations across the Spur.

Camp Integrity, Moghes

Due to the lawlessness of the Wasteland, the Hegemony will frequently hire bounty hunters to traverse the burning sands, hunting criminals, raiders and holdouts of the former Traditionalist Coalition. The Private Forces maintain an office at Camp Integrity - both for recruitment from the Wastelanders who make their way there, and contracting its mercenaries as guards, bounty hunters, and whatever other services may be needed.

Fort Liberty, Ouerea

Formerly a refueling outpost for ships of the Sol Alliance, the base now known as Fort Liberty has been abandoned, captured, bought, and sold over the years. When the Alliance left Ouerea, the first Synod of Scales moved forces into the fort, only to lose it during the Months of Blood. During the Rebellion, the garrison of Yiztek troops there were defeated by revolutionary forces, and the base was largely left abandoned as the Rebellion came to an end. Following the end of the conflict, the Private Forces moved in, purchasing the fort from the Synod and using it as a training ground and shuttle port. Most of the company’s mercenaries undergo their training either here or at Freewater Keep, and it is a center of the company’s military operations.

Mukari’s Shield Outpost, Iroue

The isolation of Iroue and current difficulties facing the Izweski Navy have led the reigning lord to turn to many allies in protecting his colony from pirates, warlords and other ne’er-do-wells. To this end, he has hired a contingent of Dagamuir mercenaries, who have supplemented the planet’s meager defenses. Iroue is generally a posting for the more experienced mercenaries of the Private Forces, as they will frequently see battle against pirates and the remnants of Solarian warlord-states. Dagamuir runs an office in the central habitation dome of Iroue, officially named “Mukari’s Shield” after the Aspect of the Warrior.

Aside from the locations above, the company has many outposts across Ouerea, and its mercenaries can be seen as far afield as the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. While it has offices in Tau Ceti, these are largely designed for liasing with the bureaucracy of the PMCG, and have very few active staff.

Notable Members

Akzazik Voizur - “The Old Tyrant”

An elderly Unathi, Voizur has led Freewater for decades, assuming command following the passing of his predecessor, Zakax Dagamuir, shortly before the Contact War began. He is known to be a ruthless and cunning individual, but one with a brilliant eye for both the business and military sides of mercenary work - which has earned him the steadfast loyalty of many of Freewater’s veteran warriors. Though his advanced age is beginning to slow him, he is still said to have the ferocity of the beast that spawned his nickname.

Ahkna Dagamuir - “The Heir-Apparent”

Daughter of Zakax Dagamuir, Ahkna has been heavily involved in the modernisation of the Freewater Company, with a common assumption being that the restructuring of the organization was largely her doing. Whether or not this is true, it is known as a fact that the open recruiting policies of the Private Forces are her brainchild, having successfully pushed to expand the mercenaries hired beyond the relatively small recruiting pool of Unathi men. Though not a warrior herself, she is an undoubtedly influential figure in the modern structure of the company - and though it may upset some of the more traditional Unathi of Freewater, Ahkna may well be the company’s next leader whan Voizur can no longer hold the reins.

Francis Bradford - “The Consultant”

Born on Xanu Prime, Francis Alexander Bradford has had a long career in private security, having first been hired by Hephaestus as a security officer in the summer of 2423. After working on various installations of the megacorporation, he was eventually placed as the head of security on an Ouerean shuttle port, where he worked for several years. Following the Rebellion, he parted ways with Hephaestus, having nearly lost his life in an attack on the facility he oversaw. Ahkna Dagamuir approached him shortly after this, recognising a long experience with the work of mercenaries in the wider Spur, and brought him on to oversee the reorganisation of the Freewater Company. The modern PMC structure of the Private Forces is largely his doing, inspired by work with various security contractors in the past. He is reported to be a jovial man, who enjoys the tropical climate of Ouerea immensely. Though still part of the company’s leadership, he spends most of his time in his home a short distance outside of K’rath.

Qrquu Xuqzix - “The Outsider”

A recent addition to Dagamuir’s leadership, Xuqzix is a figure shrouded in mystery, with few available records of their life or career prior to joining the Private Forces. Records have been able to discern that the Xiialt Skrell was once part of the staff at the Sahhat Geographical Research Complex, presumably in a security role based on their new career choice - but what their specific duties were, or what they did in the Federation prior to their arrival on Ouerea, remains uncertain. They began working in a primarily investigative role with the company shortly after its reorganization, and have rapidly risen through the ranks, being promoted to the head of Internal Affairs in late 2464. Due to their enigmatic personal life and rapid ascent, outlandish rumors have spread like wildfire about them, naming Xuqzix as everything from a former Tupkala assassin to the leader of a Lyukal cell. Personally, they are reported to be rather serious in their work, but quite pleasant outside of business matters, having a particular enthusiasm for the spectacle of Unathi sport such as the Zandiziite Games.

Relations

Hephaestus Industries

The Private Forces and Hephaestus have worked together in the past, with the megacorporation frequently hiring Freewater mercenaries to supplement its own security forces. Following the Hephaestus purchase of the Fighters’ Lodge, this has slowed somewhat - though Dagamuir have used their PMCG connections to liaise as a subcontractor, helping guildsmen of the Lodge to find work with non-Hephaestus corporations across the Spur.

K’lax Hive

The Private Forces have a good working relationship with the K’lax - hiring Warriors and the occasional Worker for their operations. One source of tension, however, is the hiring of Queenless K’lax groups - a policy which Dagamuir continues, despite K’lax disapproval. For now, the issue has not been forced, however - and the Hive continues to sell the services of its Warriors to Freewater.

Aut’akh

Though its frequent contracting for the Hegemony and Hephaestus is distasteful to the Aut’akh communes of Moghes and Ouerea, Dagamuir does still hire from among their number - though usually, Aut’akh mercenaries will be assigned postings far away from known communes, and unaffiliated with Hephaestus or the Hegemony.

Kataphracts

There is a mutual distaste between the Kataphracts and Freewater - with the Kataphract warriors tending to view Freewater as dishonorable, greedy, and cowardly mercenaries. Dagamuir members, meanwhile, view this distaste as hypocritical - the Kataphracts spend most of their time fighting for credits as well, after all. This dislike is further spurred by a not insignificant number of the Private Forces’ recruits being former Kataphract-Hopefuls, washed out or grown tired of waiting to be named a full Saa’Izweski.

Hearts of Industry

Unlike most other contemporary guilds, the Hearts are not the product of a conglomeration, but rather a new entity. As Moghes industrialized and factories began to become more commonplace, no Lord ever thought his workers would end up forming a guild, and those that tried in the past were brutally suppressed. It wasn’t until Not'zar assumed regency over the Hegemony that the Hearts of Industry was formed, consisting of guildsmen who had worked in the sweltering steel mills and disgusting chemical refiners as careers. The guild, while young, has already proved itself a force for change, arguing for better working conditions in the many factories where its guildsmen work.

Due to its very recent creation, the Hearts of Industry is only really present in the heavily industrial southern coast of the Moghresian Sea, with its guildhall in the city of Jaz’zirt. With little influence the guild has yet to be able to change much, with meager pay raises and slightly less dangerous conditions for its members. Many have compared the guild to be more akin to the workers unions found on the planet of Himeo and Pluto rather then a proper guild, as they do not yet search for contracts among the noble lords of the Hegemony, instead pushing for reform. They also do not directly pay their guildsmen, who are still paid by the nobility they work for. The factories that cloud the skies of Jaz'zirt and much of the southern coast are machines of torment for their workers, with injuries ranging from cuts to death being commonplace. Still, these factories form the backbone of Moghes' industry; alloying steel, refining chemicals, smelting ores into usable metals, and much more. The Hegemony will not see these factories closed or stop producing, especially in the midst of the scarcity, and any attempts at strikes have been suppressed by the Hegemon's Master of Rivers, sometimes with violence.

Not’zar has never commented on these strikes, or the Hegemony's response to them, keeping his hands clean of the blood that runs down cobblestone streets and over factory floors. It is unclear if he will ever be able to step into side with the now guildsmen again, or if he even can. Still, what seems to be indecisiveness on the part of the Hegemon is creating a problem, as discontent and civil unrest ferment within factories, as guildsmen begin to consider taking more extreme measures to push reforms.

Hephaestus’s massive expansion and absorption of the Hegemonic guilds was a crippling blow to the Hearts of Industry, but what followed was its death. As a result of a flimsy conspiracy charge and charges for inciting riots in the Southlands and on Ouerea many of the guild’s leadership were arrested, and its charter revoked by the Hegemon. Some guild members, however, have viewed Hephaestus’s acquisition as a victory, due to the corporation’s generous benefits for its workers - for many, an improvement from their treatment under their previous guilds, and after the revocation of the charter, signed up with the megacorporation instead. Due to these factors, little of the Hearts of Industry remains, with many of the organization’s members having abandoned their affiliations or fled offworld to seek work elsewhere. Those few who have remained in the Hegemony are often persecuted for their affiliation, and attempt to agitate against Hephaestus’s monopoly - though with little to no success.