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Setting, part 2

Organizations

Holy Temple of Amiel, the Divine Light (The Holy Temple)

Combining holy prayer, administrative rule, and governance all under one very large roof, the organization representing the Holy Empire is often referred to by its full name, though when brevity is required it can be shorted to simply 'The Holy Temple' or sometimes just 'The Temple'-- though the latter is normally reserved for the tongues of the less faithful. The Holy Temple has been around for longer than the city itself and is the largest and greatest feature within the city center, taking up the grand castle that had once stood as the capital building of the kingdom that once called the western continent home.

Although trule membership within the Holy Temple is limited to the clergy, the religion itself welcomes all worshippers, granted, Elves and Humans are treated far better than any others, but there are darker corners with sand-lined cobble stone floors without benches for Beast-kin and the lesser-regarded humanoid parishioners. In addition to the great keep, there are numerous other holy houses spread across the city in each district of each quarter to make prayer, worship, and tithing easier for the varied population.

While it may be easy to condemn the organization for its iron grip on the city, there is always more than one way to perceive a truth. Although it is true that many of the upper tier members of the clergy that rule over the city can be considered wicked, avaricious, and self-serving, there are far more benevolent followers of Amiel than maligned. It is often spoken of (in quiet whispers) that the men who lead are hardened to the world out of necessity and it is up to those at lower ranks to make up for that. Indeed, it is generally perceived that the worse off an individual place of worship, the more benevolent its caretakers. Despite however benevolent, however, those who speak out against the temple remind the people of the city that no clergy of Amiel would willingly act against their superiors.

The Lawgivers of Norr (The Lawgivers)

Despite how lawfully aligned the deity Amiel might be, the faith of the Divine Light still believes in the importance of free will and the sanctity of thought. To that end, the Lawgivers of Norr exist to protect the city from the scourge of wrongdoing which can be wrought when someone believes in their personal freedoms above the ones of those around them. Followers of Amiel refuse to use coercion, mind reading, and dictums, but the clerics of Norr have no such reservations, and so, by necessity, the clergy of Norr have become the most stalwart line of defense against sedition and unlawful acts within St. Almar.

Limited to the most faithful of Norr's followers, the Lawgivers are not all clerics, but they are all fanatic in their belief that prosperity can only be sustained with law and order. Comprised of the city's guard, judges, and lawyers, the Lawgivers of Norr, known shorthand as "The Lawgivers" make up the majority of the judicial and martial factions within St. Almar. Despite being devoted to Norr first and foremost, all members of The Lawgivers also swear oaths of office before taking on an official role, in which they pledge to serve St. Almar and the Holy Temple of Amiel. In this capacity, they are considered a branch of the temple's power, which it uses often and in some peoples' mind, to excess.

In general, most citizens of St. Almar consider The Lawgivers to be a necessary evil. Although the vast majority of Lawgivers are honest and earnest in their devotion to the city they can be somewhat over-zealous and it isn't unheard of for criminals (or even suspects) to be mistreated while in custody. Judgment by court among the Lawgivers is seen as a luxury and, while it is the standard expectation, it is not a requirement and some Lawgivers choose to pass judgment themselves when a crime has been committed and guild in their mind is beyond doubt. Sadly, this tends to occur more often among Beast-kin and humanoid suspects than it does for Elven or Human criminals.

St. Almar's Tradesman's League (The League)

Most major trade in St. Almar is represented by a guild to which all members contribute a small portion of their pay. These guilds are responsible for determine worker guidelines, protecting members from unfair business practices, and working on behalf of their members to further align the social bedrock within the city to further benefit commerce. This usually means that skilled tradesmen can expect to be treated fairly by employers and customers a well as to demand top coin for their expertise.

The different groups designed to petition, lobby, and represent the numerous occupations within St. Almar are fractionalized and often spend so much of their time bickering amongst themselves or countermining one another's' progress toward creating change within the city. To this end, they are not a powerful governmental machine and they very rarely get anything done. Even so, these individual guilds are incredibly adept at preserving their own interests, sometimes even above those of their members. The one exception is the Tradesan's League, known also as "The League" for short.

The League is a collection of like-minded guildsmen who pay dues not only to those of their own profession, but also to the Tradesman's League as well. Unlike individual trade guilds, the League works to encourage the transaction of good trade and root out, expose, and eliminate shady or underhanded business practices. They are instrumental in exposing charlatans, cads, con men, and quacks in all skilled trades. Unlike the sector-specific guilds, they also champion the causes of non-members as well, being one of the few organizations who have willingly represented wronged prostitutes in court. It is important to note that The League does not condone nor approve of illegal business, but it is still willing to step in and enforce positive business practices for even unsanctioned commerce.

The Free Laborer's Union (The Union)

While most guilds within St. Almar focus on skilled trades, unskilled and semi-skilled laborers also have their own representation in the form of the Free Laborer's Union. Known short-hand as "The Union", or the "FLU" to the town's bureaucracy, it exists to make certain that free men and women offering up their time as workers are given the respect that is warranted to any resident of the city. Not everyone can be well-educated or highly trained, but, according to The Union, everyone deserves to be treated fairly.

While it is still a relatively weak and underfunded organization, the Union has an amazing amount of popular support, not just among its members, but from any citizen of town who has ever felt underrepresented or ignored. One of the greatest differences between The Union and the various tradesman guilds is membership; anyone is welcome within the Free Laborer's Union and, in that regard, it is considered to be one of the most open-door organizations within the city. Such lack of restrictions, however, have caused some tension in recent years.

The Union is a popular target for the city's anti-sedition activities and few raids held have ever failed to find at least a few ne'er-do-wells. It is well-known that many of the different organizations in town who dislike the status quo help fund The Union but leadership of the group disavows any direct or indirect partnerships with illegal factions; their official word is that they are the voice of the voiceless and adamantly stand against anything which could tarnish or damage their capacity to serve in that order. UNofficially? Well... there are a LOT of whispers.

United Merchant's Federation (The Federation)

Although it is well and good for craftsmen and laborers to have their own specific fellowships, so too do the good and honest businessmen of St. Almar. Dubbed the United Merchant's Federation (or "The Federation" for short), this organization helps like-minded business men meet on even footing with partners and competition alike, fostering fair trade and encouraging cooperation rather than underhanded dealings. To that end, The Federation has a strict code of conduct for its members, who are considered righteous, upstanding, and moral to the fullest extent.

Realistically, the majority of common folk know little to nothing about The Federation while bureaucrats often toe the line for the financial benefits it can bring. The tradesmen and laborers, on the other hand, see The Federation as a united front against their interests: wicked, copper-pinching men with enough money to stack the deck in their favor. When laws and edicts are put in place benefitting the rich at the expense of the working men it is, in their mind, usually The Federation responsible.

Fortunately, the one benefit of The Federation existing in the city is the knowledge that members will not turn the streets into a battlefield with warfare between merchant houses. Despite the general dislike of The Federation, most of the population can appreciate how much less violent things have been in the past seventy years since the group's inception. Still, anyone with a degree of sense would be well aware that the random expenses most upper-class businessmen keep off the books have just move that violence into quieter, less noticeable areas where witnesses either know enough to keep their mouths shut, or else not be missed if they become a peripheral casualty.

The Gathering Shadows (The Gathering)

Effort and upkeep is one of the main factors that separates a beautiful dining fork and a cast-off tarnished piece of cutlery. A group within St. Almar believes that the town has neglected effort and upkeep for some time. An errant faction known as The Gathering Shadows doesn't believe that playing by the rules benefits anyone, save those for whom the rules were written. Known in short version as 'The Gathering', the subversive group exists not only to challenge those unfair rules, but to break them and, if possible, the very foundation upon which St. Almar was built.

Comprised of a collection of the most heinous and reviled individuals within the city, The Gathering is actually a very loosely organized group divided into three specific factions: Rogues, Warlocks, and Cultists. The alliance is a tenuous one at best, existing for mutual benefit against a stronger foe but in practice they tend to rarely function in unison and the agreements that tie them together exist more just to be certain that they stay out of one another's way as often as facilitating joint action.

The Rogues have their own guild and include members from all races and walks of life; whether cut purses or cut throats, highway men or skilled assassins, anyone with a knack for breaking the law and getting away with it has a place in their guild. The Warlocks of The Gathering have a collection of cabals divided up by their respective patrons (Loghul, Waha, and 'Other') but they work in unison toward their own ends. Little is known about the followers of Cult of Loghul, which prefers to keep its own council, but it has never failed to make a showing or contribute to the continuation of The Gathering Shadows when required.

The Militia of Holus (The Militia)

More secretive than even The Gathering, the remaining few worshippers of Holus have managed to cling to their faith over the course of centuries, still existing as an underground movement within St. Almar. While they believe in live-and-let-live, they also can't forgive the injustice done to the western continent at the hands of the invading Holy Empire. To this end, they strive to perpetuate their existence but they are also willing to get their weapons drawn for the right cause.

The Militia is overseen by a council of five high priests, one of whom is even said to be an elf, which would be seen as a surprise to many of the unaware citizens of the city who are led to beleive that the group are terrorists who hate elves and their society. It is also presumed, based on the organization's incredibly luck when it comes to avoiding capture that they may have inside men within the halls of St. Almar's government buildings, allowing them to stay one step ahead of the raids and purges which seek to root them out.

Although it is well known that The Militia seek to usurp the Holy Empire's control over St. Almar, the real reason behind the organization is to care for the community. Following in the footsteps of the Temple of Holus, the Militia spent most of their time focusing on aiding the sick and poor as well as helping innocents being persecuted by The Temple or The Lawgivers. Many such benign activities take place daily around St. Almar, but the majority of the population believes that The Militia are terrorists since the powers that be only ever discuss their destructive and damaging activities.

The Holy Arcane Order (The Order)

With arcane magic being generally distained within the walls of St. Almar, there remains a group whose members are sanctioned magic users, serving The Holy Temple, The Lawgivers and the citizens as a whole. The Holy Arcane Order (known as 'The Order' for short) consist of both naturally capable and book-learned individuals; both Wizards and Sorcerers are permitted among their number. Other magically-inclined professionals are lumped into one of these two factions, but are usually limited from gaining any real representation or power on their own.

The Order serves the will of the Temple and all members are required to take a series of oaths, and accept at least one Geas (usually more, depending on the conditions of their induction) before they are welcomed into the group. All members of the Order undergo rigorous training, either to learn and study magic, or else how to control and temper their divinely gifted innate magical talent. For the first three years after acceptance, new members are unable to leave the walled campus of The Order as they undergo their training and indoctrination.

After three years, members of The Order are allowed outside of the campus and may join any of a number of agencies or groups to help benefit the city with their powers. Many members of the Order supplement study, academia, or governmental administration while others sign on with The Lawbringerrs and become battle mages or mind benders, and some simply settle down in the business quarter and open up shops which sell an impressive collection of magical goods. No matter what they do, all members of The Holy Arcane Order wear an armband which identifies them as a sanctioned magic user; they never take it off-- ever. Members who pass away are, in fact, buried with them. One case of grave robbery resulted in the immolation of a man who put one on. That is now widely considered to be a bad idea.

The Nibblers

Many small groups within St. Almar are created by like minded individuals of a marginalized race. These groups are often identified by where they live in the city, such as an entire block of the slums dedicated to a hobgoblin community or the highest level of upper class manors which are occupied by the venerable elves who first conquored and colonized the city. In the case of a city-wide warren of Kobolds and allied scaled folk, however, the group transcends any single location.

One of the more recent additions to St. Almar's collection of factions, The Nibblers, as they are unofficially known, number in the thousands and are vastly populated by Kobolds; it is presumed that less than 3% of their total membership are from other races. Of that miniscule amount, there are a handful of lizard folk, a few Troglodytes, and a few individuals among other species including Kua-Toa, possibly a handful of scaled outsiders (if rumors are to be believed) and supposedly at least one Skum.

Many of the factions within St. Almar have political designs or aspirations of power but the Nibblers don't have an adopted purpose behind existing except for survival. Their members to not acknowledge established laws within the city and tend to consider themselves apart from the general population. They are not above thievery or murder if it helps them, and they are considered to be one of the greater threats to the city's wellbeing by those aware of their presence. More than a few would-be sell-swords have met their doom addressing a simple task by an innkeeper regarding 'root cellar infested by rats' only to find out that they're dealing with a different kind of 'pest'.