For nearly over 700 years the Kingdom of Archeron was ruled by two mighty forces. One was a coalition of 7 noble families who held land and controlled the people. The other was an alliance of wizards, who helped to perpetuate a climate of fear among the people. Then, 150 years ago a man named Vincy Mechix made a wonderful discovery in a city called Interat. In order that it would not be taken away from him by the nobles, he hid away and formed a secret organization. Almost simultaneously, in Gildren, another man named Gunner Gylin also made an incredible discovery and started a secret organization to keep it from the nobles. That was the beginning of the two most powerful guilds, the clockwork and gunpowder ones, respectably. Working in hiding, Gylin and Mechix grew their guilds, until, 100 years ago, they were powerful enough to forsake hiding and attempt to overthrow the Nobles and wizards. However, by this time they were both old men, and neither would see their work come to fruition. The war raged for twenty years. During this time both Gylin and Mechix died. Also, two other guilds were founded, the Husbandry guild and the Forestry guild. With this united force, and the support of the people, the guilds fought back against the wizards and nobles. But the war was destroying the kingdom. An uneasy cease fire was called, and talks began on how the kingdom could be saved. At this point the wizards vanished. For another twenty years the kingdom was like a tinderbox, ready to catch fire and destroy itself at any time. During this time an additional three guilds were organized. The Magic Guild, the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, and the Guild of Secrets. Eventually a compromise was reached. It was decided that a council of twenty-one would be elected to rule. Seven members would represent the people. Seven would represent the Nobles. And each guild would get one council member. However, this council would not have all the power. Out of themselves, they would elect one to rule all the land for life as Consul. The Consul could only be defied if the council was unanimously against him or her. That was sixty years ago. So far, it has been sixty years, and seventy-two consulates. Though there is no more open war, and the noble families are very weak, the power struggle continues between the different guilds through series of intrigues, assassinations, and subversions.
SOCIETY
The Guilds hold most of the power, with each one having it’s own headquarter city, with bases in every other. However, only about fifteen percent of the total population, which is roughly 1 million, are guild members, and much fewer then that are nobles. Most of the people are tradesman or farmers, however, do to the work of the guilds, the literacy rate is surprisingly high. Anyone can apply for membership to a guild, and most try. Few actually make it longer than a month though, and those that do are almost always guaranteed apprenticeships, and membership. Powerful Guild masters are highly respected, and some are also feared. About half of the population lives in or near the twelve major cities.
TERRAIN
A large mountain range runs three-fourths of the way up through the middle of the Kingdom. To the west of this are dense forests, which further south give way to a plain. Here a short river flows into a lake. To the North of the mountains two rivers flow, creating a large area of fertile land. To the east is a large plain with a small forest on it, and a river running east through it and cutting south near the border.
TECHNOLOGY
Most of the technology is about early renaissance, with some of the guilds possessing more advance abilities. The Clockwork guild can build automatons, though they can only be made to do one thing, so are not very flexible. The gunpowder guild is armed with rudimentary firearms. The common weaponry consists of swords, bows, and chain mail. The most powerful force is still muscle, though in some cases springs and gears can almost equal it.
THE GUILDS
The seven guilds each have a specialty, which they are highly skilled at. In order from least powerful to most, a short description of each, and their headquarter city. The Guild of Secrets; no one exactly knows what they do, but they don’t seem to do much, Flyat. The Magic Guild; it is believed that this guild was founded by the wizards of old when they realized it would be more beneficial to be a guild, Zur. The Husbandry Guild: This guild knows all about creatures of all sorts, and their uses to man, Warnl. The Bounty Hunter’s Guild; They are skilled in finding, capturing, and if need be, killing, anything or anyone, Bildresh. The Forestry Guild; these are the most elite woodsmen and trackers in the land. They are also very skilled in archery, Tolern. The Gunpowder Guild; This guild knows all about gunpowder and its uses, though it is rumored they also have experimented in alchemy, Gildren. The Clockwork Guild; this guild is completely devoted to clockwork machines, and they can make them to do many different tasks. This is the most powerful guild, and also the one that has done the most to rebuild the kingdom and keep peace. The guilds are generally on civil terms with each other, at best. There have been several incidences of two guilds being on the brink of war, but every time the Consul has intervened and resolved the situation.
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