D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion
D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion
The D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion serves two purposes; the first is to connect traders and region lords and establishing preferential arrangments for guild members, the second is providing an exclusives club for prestigious nobles to relax, hang out and make deals.
The Duke leaned back and sighed. Another fatiguing day full of paperwork and complaints was managed. He pushed the stack of parchment on his desk away. The rest could be handled another day, now he needed some relaxation.
"Nils, we will be heading out tonight. Make sure everyone is ready to leave in ten minutes."
Nils, who had been standing out of sight nodded and hurried away. Korak lifted himself from his chair and went to be dressed in his evening outfit. Ten minutes later a small procession left the Castle and headed down a winding road towards the twinkling lights of the nearby city. Two mounted men rode ahead, followed by the Duke with Nils by his side. Two more riders followed behind. Korak was draped in a flowing purple cloak made of the finest cotton. A large gold chain hung around his neck. His personal escort had shined their armor and weapons ahead of time. the Duke only made the best impression when out in public.
The six men followed a clear route towards the cities finest district. Turning into the Merchant Alley they stopped before the largest and fanciest building. A large sign declared in golden letters "D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion". Korak dismounted his white stallion and strode towards the entrance. At his ringing a servant appeared and bowed deeply.
"Welcome, Grace. How nice to see you again."
The Duke nodded and stepped in. The flickering of a fireplace could be seen through a half-closed door. On his way Korak gave great attention not to touch the commoner standing in the hallway. Behind the door a large room was lavishly furnished. Large leather throne-like chairs plush with cushioning, an impressive chandelier and many servants rushing about showed clearly that no expenses were spared here. Discovering a well-known face Korak seated himself in the eastern corner of the room. He had a good view of a huge bear head mounted on the wall. Between him and his friend a carpet decorated with a map of D'Hara filled the floor.
"Hey! Your Grace! Nice to see you again!" the other man said beaming, "Some wine for the duke, quickly!" he told a nearby servant, "It's been a while, your Grace. How's stuff going?"
"With the problems in the south stuff has been busy lately. You don't know how much I enjoy this place," the Duke said when another servant came by with his glass of wine. Lifting it to his lips he took a sip and sighed contently, "The wine here is still the best!"
"I heard they import it from the East Islands. Best there is out there," the other man said. Both men listened to the hum of conversations that filled the room. The Guildhouse was always well visited. Even many of the rural knights made cuts elsewhere to afford the high membership fees. But all agreed it was worth it.
"Your Grace," the other man continued, "I have just come from the north with a large load of food. 1200 bushels. I am certain you can use some of that. With the usual discount, of course."
The Duke smiled. Ever since he had joined this Guild, he had been able to get easier, and cheaper access to the food his duchy needed. A third man came over and seated himself.
"Your Grace; High Mercator," he nodded respectfully, "Did you here, they are looking for someone to sponsor a new guildhouse. What an honor! Every region lord here is trying to top the others to get to be one building it"
Just then the door to the sitting room opened and a group of men stepped in.
"Oh, the Traders arrived, I better go! Can't be late finding myself someone to pick up the bushels I bought from Astrum." the newly arrived man said, getting up.
"Talk to Darren, he just upgraded his ships," the man opposite the Duke recommended.
Servants rushed to bring more of the delicous East-Island wine to the new arrivals, who were seated around a sturdy, polished oak table, decorated with a large black banner showing a white lion. A chess set made of ebony was already being set up. The Duke silently thanked the stars for this place, the D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion.
Idea
The D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion was created to give Traders especially in D'Hara a place to meet, talk and make arrangements and deals. It's symbol is the head of the white lion, a rare big cat found in the Desert of Silhouettes near D'Haras eastern borders.
The Guild is not only for Traders though. Any noble may join, especially region lords and dukes can gain much from joining. Lords who are in need of food for their region can find a Trader who is willing to bring and sell the needed food. This way the Lord can concentrate on defending his region or realm from monsters or other threats. The same applies to Dukes and Rulers, who can always find someone to deliver or pick up food as needed.
Commoners are allowed in the Guild, however they will never rise higher then an Aspirant. They can sometimes share useful information about a regions needs or if it might have a surplus of food. But any commoner who is even the slightest bit rude or insulting to any noble in the Guild will be removed from the Guild without question.
But the D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion is more then just a normal trading guild! It is a sort of exclusives club, were only the wealthiest and most prestigious nobles can afford joining. 25 Gold is the standard monthly fee, and this gold is used to upgrade the impressive guild houses and to build more all over the continent. If you can afford membership, you will surely count as one of the elite. There is no better way to spend a evening then in one of the Guild houses, furnished lavishly without any regards to money. Leather chairs, thick carpets and impressive paintings are the perfect scenery for drinking the best wine and chatting with fellow guild members.
And you must not worry, Commoners are of course not allowed into the parlor or sitting rooms. You and your friends will be completely undisturbed when negotiating deals or just hanging out.
Ranks
There are many ranks in the D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion. Here an overview of them.
Senior Ranks
"Head Mercator" -- The current leader of the Guild -- 40 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Realm Mercator" -- Banker of any realm -- 30 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"High Mercator" -- A Trader of great prestige -- 30 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Royal Client" -- Rulers of any realm -- 50 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"High Sponsor" -- Any Noble extremely generously supporting the Guild -- 180 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"High Lord Sponsor" -- A Duke or Margrave supporting the Guild -- 120 Gold monthly membership fee / -
Member Ranks
"Mercator Sponsor" -- Mercators supporting the Guild -- 50 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Lord Sponsor" -- Region Lords or Dukes supporting the Guild -- 60 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Noble Sponsor" -- Any Noble supporting the Guild -- 50 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Senior Mercator" -- An experienced Trader -- 2o Gold monthly membership / 20 Gold maximum loan
"Mercator" -- A Trader of the Guild -- 20 Gold monthly membership fee / 20 Gold maximum loan
"High Lord" -- A Duke or Margrave -- 60 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Lord" -- Region Lords or Dukes -- 30 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Noble" -- Any Noble in the Guild -- 25 Gold monthly membership fee / -
Aspirant Ranks
"Member" -- Any Noble or Lord not wanting to afford full membership -- 5 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Commoner" -- Any Commoner in the Guild -- 5 Gold monthly membership fee / -
"Aspirant" -- A new member who hasn't yet received his rank -- 0 Gold monthly membership fee / -
Three reasons to join
- If you are a Trader, the D'Hara Trading Guild of the White Lion gives you the perfect platform to exchange information with fellow Traders and maybe get contracts from region lords, dukes of even realms.
- If you are a region lord, duke, banker or ruler, the Guild offers a reliable place to find traders ready to supply you with food needed.
- Being part of the Guild let's you show off with being one of Dwilights elite. As we said, only the wealthy nobles can afford full membership
Locations
This Guild has not yet been founded.
History
This Guild has not yet been founded.
List of all Head Mercators
This Guild has not yet been founded.