Courier Guilds

In the years between the Colossus War and the Cataclysm, the Messenger Guilds became a critical part of Featherfolk society. Part-courier service and part-civic government, the Guilds also absorbed a significant religious role. While the guilds were as devastated as any by the Cataclysm, their surviving members strove to restore their strength and purpose, and to lead the world into its new era. They created the first post-Cataclysmic communication networks; indeed, they were the networks. They carried the messages, and they built, maintained and manned the post-houses which slowly became recognised as vital links between disparate peoples.
This not only allowed them to fulfil their promises to the Dance of Winds, but also to increase their own influence across the dome. For centuries, the guilds and their ships maintained communication between the continents, while the land-bound lineages were struggling to develop long-distance vessels and alliances with the seafolk.
There were numerous guilds, formed in the Eeries or elsewhere, but as time passed, a number of them fell into disrepute due to suspicions of mishandling, opening, or outright stealing of the messages and packages entrusted to them. This distrust came to a head in the heyday of the Regime and the Legion, when both were growing suspicious of all outsiders. During the last Legion-Regime War, the Courier Guilds come together and, through formal censure and occasional direct action, broke the corrupt guilds so that they could restore their good name.
Notable guilds include:

• The Windcatcher's Guild - Oldest and still greatest of the Courier Guilds, the Windcatchers' Guild has an unmatched private flotilla, as well as access to the great fleet. The Guild is a significant political presence in the Eeries, and its Guildhouses across Aiaos act as the embassies of the Eeries, although the couriers themselves are more paladins of the Dance than diplomats of the Sun's Council. (/li)The League of Dispatch - Association of independent couriers, mostly the captains, pursers and quartermasters of small sky ships. The League is a pragmatic group, working to uphold its members' good name and regulate prices to ensure good business for all. The Feather folk Courier Guilds created the first post- Cataclysmic communication networks; indeed, they were the networks. This not only allowed them to fulfil their promises to the Dance of Winds, but also to increase their own influ­ence across the dome. For centuries, the guilds and their ships maintained communication between the continents, while the land-bound lineages were struggling to develop long-distance vessels and alliances with the seafolk.
  There were numerous guilds, formed in the Eeries or elsewhere, but as time passed, a number of them fell into disrepute due to suspicions of mishandling, opening, or outright stealing of the messages and packages entrusted to them. This distrust came to a head in the heyday of the Regime and the Legion, when both were growing suspicious of all outsiders. During the last legion- Regime Var, the Courier Guilds come together and, through formal censure and occasional direct action, broke the corrupt guilds so that they could restore their good name.
  1. The Windcatcher's Guild - Oldest and still greatest of the Courier Guilds. The Windcatchers' Guild has an unmatched private flotilla, as well as access to the great fleet. The Guild is a significant political presence in the Eeries, and its Guildhouses across Aiaos act as the embassies of the Eeries, although the couriers themselves are more paladins of the Dance than diplomats of the Sun's Council.
  2. The League of Dispatch - Association of independent couriers, mostly the captains, pursers and quartermasters of small sky ships. The League is a pragmatic group, working to uphold its members' good name and regulate prices to ensure good business for all.
  3. The Guild of the Grey Goose - Association of shipless messengers. The Guild maintains a network of way stations where members of the Grey Goose can always find shelter and rest.
  4. The Phoenix Lodge - Similar in structure to the league of Dispatch, the Phoenix Lodge was one of the worst offenders in the abuse of their position. Engaging in espionage and blackmail, the Lodge was divested of charter and chattels, stripped of its heraldry and seals, its premises ransacked and its members seized by Windcatcher paladins.
  5. The Guild of the Grey Goose - Association of shipless messengers. The Guild maintains a network of way stations where members of the Grey Goose can always find shelter and rest.
  
  Similar in structure to the league of Dispatch, the Phoenix Lodge was one of the worst offenders in the abuse of their position. Engaging in espionage and blackmail, the Lodge was divested of charter and chattels, stripped of its heraldry and seals, its premises ransacked and its members seized by Windcatcher paladins.