Dunmeri Trade Guilds

I started this proposal as a critique of the previously suggested new tongs as they lack a unified sense of structure and relation to what we are shown in vanilla. The one traditional guild we have in vanilla, the Morag, has a robust structure which I think better serves as a basis for others. (The cammona tongs structure is just that of a gang, so doesn’t provide such a good reference)

The basic tong structure would be as follows:

1. Associate - Same as every other faction, just an npc or player whose interested or attached not fully inducted
2. Thrall – Junior Apprentice, literally a slave under their “master” tradtionally, but more metaphorically so in modern times.
3. Brother – Journeyman, has completed their apprenticeship and been “freed” to go and practice outside their masters hall, traditionally also accompanied by adoption into their masters house as their literal brother.
4. Master – Master of a Hall and by tradition master over its apprentices as their owner.
5. Grandmaster – Master of a whole guild.
    

The morag tongs Blind and White thralls being levels of apprenticeship, Exalted masters being a rank unique due to the morag tongs size and reach. Personal opinion, but “ thinker” and “knower” hint towards mysteries related to mephala as being part of ascending in the morag tong, a lot of material for the tongue hints towards a more mysterious faction than the one we ultimately got, though honestly they could be part of the standard just as easily, “thinker” referring to intermediate apprentices and “knower”'s being the senior.

Only having 5 ranks is deliberate as these are minor factions who ingame won't normally  have quests going all the way to the top rank and likewise not have the membership where that kind of padding is useful for flavor. Credit where it's due, PT’s been using this system for their minor factions for a while.

My pitch is that the tongs basically paralleled the development of the houses, we know the morag tong is older than the current great houses, being around in Nerevars day and that ascending through a house requires being a warrior or politician, so despite commoners being able to ascend the social order through it, that virtually never happened, but becoming recognized in ones craft within the framework of adoption and patronage did provide a way to move up socially and some guilds, again like the Morag Tong, actually allow influence beyond what being a house councillor would. (Which is very velothian in character)

A second level to the Tongs is newer the element of saintly patronage, certain guilds unifying under temple auspices for further influence, like how we see in vanilla with the mixed trades that align with a saints patronage (quick example, Tailors and Dyers being tied to Llothis). This saintly element is another layer to why despite shared purview, guilds like the Tailors and Dyers were not integrated into their imperial equivalent the Guild of Tailors, along with aforementioned familial ties from centuries of layered adoptions between families and trades.

On players interacting with these guilds, I dont see them as being joinable for the most part or providing over-arching stories (in most instances), but instead providing a series of misc job style quests they can do, though some like the caravaners and furnishers guild would definitely be able to do this.

Full disclosure: many of these are only vaguely sketched out and are more a starting off point for others to flesh out.

Vanilla guilds

Potters and Glass blowers -society of saint Delyn

Separate halls in vanilla, but still within delyns canton, so I say merged halls on mainland and the situation in vivec be described as being due to spillover in the canton. A prominent guild across morrowind, the potters and glass blowers actually unified under the guidance of Indoril Delyn, canonized as Delyn the Wise, and likewise during his ascendancy was spread across morrowind. This guild's joint reach is the source of the sheer variety of dunmeri glass and clay wares which are so highly prized outside the province.

-not a particularly good one for direct quests, vanilla already did the “seek rare pottery” one for them, so probably more targets for groups like the TG.

Brewers and Fishmongers – not aligned on saintly grounds, though the devout will claim patronage of both Saints Felms and Olms.

The Brewers and Fishers is strongly linked to House Hlaalu, as the guilds heartland is in those lands along the great orethan and kanit rivers where fishing both for consumption and profit has been part of life since time immemorial, the brewing of sujamma and greef too has a long history in the riverside plantations of the south. The two guilds merged during the second era as a mutual protection of their businesses while the waters march collapsed and were prominent backers of Hlaalu ascendancy.

Farmers and Laborers – society of St Meris

-laborers primarily refers to dock workers, though also counts other unskilled workers.

-farmers are normally land owners more so fieldhands, which leads to friction with the more transient laborers side of the guild.

-guild vs noble split is a hazy line within guild politics on the farmer side

-unification was under saintly auspice, old guilds were quite separate so the merger wasn't the cleanest, farmers being made up exclusively of landowners vs laborers who are closer to serfs, so the guild which does require a lot of fine internal diplomacy to smooth over (ironically fitting the character of meris the peacemaker quit well)

-informally acts as morrowind's largest spice cartel as its members make up the largest number of suppliers

Tailors and Dyers -society of St Llothis

-cant even pretend to be enthused

-insert obvious gucci joke here

-“drip”

- Their bigger tailor shops with actual dying vats

-unless a good angle is thought up, reserve these for smaller shells (other than their HQ) so they dont get boring too quickly. (Good luck)

-Weavers, are heavily involved with the manufacture of fabrics from spider silks and cotton

Tanners and Miners -society of saint Aralor

• Alright these guys got a lot of quest potential, they can provide a solid source of bounty quests on non-bandit targets in areas outside the ones we got the FG, namely deeshan (salt mines needing pest control, tanners wanting tiger guar pelts) and telvannis (pretty much the same just swap out the creatures and make them Kwama mines.
• The majority of miners are kwama miners, followed by gem miners, followed by glass/ebony miners, followed by iron miners.
• Effectively allied with the guild of farmers and laborers, as the netch and guar herders the tanners rely on are often members of that Guild, as such the two have a strong buisness relationship and likewise the Miners and Laborers heavily overlap in membership.
• The tanneries are normally relegated to halls in outer settlements when their stench can’t cause issues, though when near proper sewers the guild will sometimes maintain small operations in the basements of their halls.

Pre-release

Ash Sweeps

-Back during development Vivec city was supposed to be getting ashfall and this guild was responsible for cleaning it up. I am unsure if there are any current mainland cities these guys would apply to, maybe Kogotel?

Tamriel Rebuilt current

Furnishers and caravaners – society of st Roris

The newest guild, the caraveners and furnishers were founded under the temples blessing by merchants eager to profit from the lowered dres internal security in the aftermath of the Arnesian war to try opening routes for non-dres (though still dunmer) traders into the Deeshan. While the situation has since normalized and the majority of clan-steads are no longer as welcoming, the guild has maintained its Halls in Tear and Dres Horak, as well as cordial relations with the Lhendal and Bashipal clans, and are looking to once again try to win halls in those cities. Outside their main purview the guild has notable halls in Narsis, Almalexia and Mervayn, as well as in several other indoril/hlaalu towns.

Cat Catchers

-Slave hunters from Hlaalu areas

Proposed

Bakers and Distillers- society of st Seryn

Prominent around both the Deeshan plain in the south and north along the fertile orethan and nedothril lands the guild is joined at the hip with the saltrice trade, its grain going to the bakeries of Almalexia and Narsis to feed the teeming masses, and the excess going towards the harsh liquors favored by velothi farmers and laborers. The guild is also prominent in hlaalu lands, especially the city that bears the name of its patron, where they frequently deal (and sometimes feud) with the Guild of Brewers and Fishmongers as the Hlaalu chapter of the guild jealousy guards the secrets to the distilling of goya.

Butchers - society of st Felms

The guild of butchers is most prominent in velothis, where farming gives way to herding and hunting as the main sources of sustenance. The guild makes it trades peeling every edible part out of the carapaces of the great crabs and insects the redoran rely on, work that takes impressive strength and an even more impressive constitution to do well and given the nature of life in velothis these traits find use on a very different kind of charnel yard. That the guild is associated with Felms the Bold is no coincidence and in years past the butchers halls of Kartur, Kogotel, Kragenmoor and Baan Malur would show as many trophies as those cities clan halls, though in the last era that trait has become less prominent. Outside of Velothis, halls can be found in the lands of the Dres and Telvanni, where their skills are required to deal with excesses on the great herds of those houses.

Beggars – society of saint Rilms

“beggars guilds” exist in many provinces, though either are little more than footpad gangs or namiran cults. The society of st rilms however is a fraternity of former (and by some definitions, current) beggars dedicated towards shepherding their fellow unfortunates that primarily works within the sprawl of Almalexia. A testament to that city's size, many temples exist within the city with the express purpose of aiding the poor but likewise fall short with how vast that task is. The society's “halls” are a mishmash of homes and sewer annexes maintained by society members. Outside of Almalexia the temple is generally able to keep up with the populace, though “halls” are reputedly in the under cities of Kragenmoor, Narsis, Tear and Port Telvannis.

Clerks and chandlers – society of saint Olms

Prominent in the velothi cities of the Mournhold district, the guild primarily exists to train Velothi from the outer settlements in the clerical profession before putting them in service with chapel lords, their training being doing the accounts for the manufacture and sale of candles and candle holders done in their halls. While several chapels prefer to have their own clerks select and train their successors, the guild's exacting standards has meant even they will not turn away a member who is recommended to their service.

Artificers and Alchemists– society of Sotha Sil

Virtually unknown outside the telvannis district, (their only hall outside of it being within the clockwork city), this brotherhood represents the “underclass” of telvanni practitioners too weak or cowardly to challenge their betters and instead do work similar to that of the mages guild in cities outside their district. Though it should be noted that while they are beneath the lords in their sadrith towers, these are still telvanni so any outlander would be well advised not to make that comparison often in their hearing. While still working with the magical, their purview is the manufacture of soul stones, the enchanting of basic trinkets and various alchemical pursuits the magelords consider beneath them.

Healers and Teachers – society of Almalexia

-fairly intellectual guild, main hall is a hospital/university in Almalexia, lesser halls in the veloth settlements of mournhold, differ from temples in their more clinical/cerebral approach

Singers and Poets – society of Vivec

This loose guild of bards, poets and other artists of word and pen is devoted to lord vivecs less martial aspects and makes it homes across many cities of the mainland, notably in Baan Malur, Narsis and Draloris (the northern Indoril match vivecs character more so their urban cousins in the south). Their hall in vivec city is in the steam gate quarter. (Read: I can't be bothered to find an excuse for their absence in vanilla).

Quarrymen and masons

-Architects guild for when needing a secondary faction in stronghold quests.

-Helps flesh out places like Bodrum or other major quarries.

Sailors and shipbuilders

-kinda obvious where these guys fit in

-good for overlap with criminal factions and legitimate ones like the EEC and Navy

Slavers

Over-represented by the Dres in popular perception due to the infamous fraternity in Tear, but a presence exists in all major mainland cities outside Velothis and even there a small chapter remains in Baan Malur.

• Frankly a villian faction through and through, where some nuance might be injected by highlighting stuff like the empires ready use of convict labor in blackmarsh or imperial charter companies using slaves while simalteounsly backing abolitionist rhetoric.
• Implimentationwise, their guild halls are all slave markets/slave pens, Hlaalu Cat Catchers or Dres Slave hunters have their own “halls”, though the guilds would still have their own guards.
• Kinda want to have a second half, but the only one coming to mind is slave or bounty hunters, which seems redundant.