Morton Porters Guild

The Morton Porters Guild has existed in its current form since the mid-eighth century, when the porters, carters and packmen combined to form the guild. This was in the early days of the consolidation of the guilds and and the idea of a guild for such a base trasde as the carrying of goods caused great surprise to the more traditional sorts of guild forming trade - the very idea of a master porter! Ridiculous!. Nevertheless the combined carriers of the town had hit on a good idea - their intent was not so much to limit the trade to their members (though this was a happy byproduct of their incorporation) but to facilitate the bringing together of those who required a porter with those who could provide the services and in this they developed their role.
Operating from their Guildhouse in The Strand, on the corner of Wall Street and the Valton Road and with branch offices at Hallack's New Market , Dukes Square and on The Strand itself they can manage the carriage of goods from a single letter by hand to tens of tons carried by a caravan of wagons.

Structure

The Porters Guild has in essence four arms - one dealing with the administration and management of the Guilds Business and the three arms covering the different aspects of the Guild's operations.

The Porters

For loads of a letter to as much as a man can carry, the porters were the largest group when the guild formed and remain so to this day. They are split between the "light porters" and the "heavy porters" with the latter being the more familiar to those around town. Typically large, brawny men, the heavy porters specialise in carrying the loads for the last mile or less. Able to navigate the congestion of the streets and ways, and even the smallest of the town's twisting alleys foot porters are the normal choice for the delivery of a sack or two of flour, a couple of crates of bottles or a small cask. They may also be hired for lifting and carrying within buildings - when heavy furniture is being moved from one room to another for example. The light porters travel more widely and can be retained to carry messages to the neighbouring towns - though they will seldom undertake a trip of more than 2 days.

The Packmen

The packmen deal in the transport of goods by pack animal. Less manoeuvrable than a porter in narrow and congested streets but able to carry more and able to operate in caravans, the Packmen are used both within the town and in the surrounding areas for bringing goods to market or distributing them around the local villages, for they can reach individual hamlets and farmsteads that are inaccessible under most conditions to the Carters. Some packman operate caravans of as many as 30 pack animals (typically with one assistant for each four animals) whilst others (often Porters no longer able to carry the loads of their youth) make do with a single beast.

The Carters

As their name suggests, the carters deal in the movement of goods by cart, they can be hired for local work within Morton (moving goods from a barge to a warehouse across town, or for longer journeys to the further flung towns of the Duchy. The route through Castron to Morsby is a well travelled one taking around a week and provides access to Corbay via the River Cor. Within town however they are limited to the wider roads and their progress can be very slow, especially for the larger wagons.
Most carters operate from yards on the Outer Road and is is common for transport to be managed by Packman or Porter to the edge of the town to load the wagons there.

The Administrators

Though not always well regarded by the rest of the Guild, the administrators are the glue that binds the Guild into an organisation where the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts. They serve as a clearing house for jobs, though many of the guild have close working relationships with individual households or businesses. The Guildhouse is the place to go for larger requirements or for advanced bookings. On the day, the branch offices at three of the town's market places are often a better bet if it is a market day for there are normally several porters and a few packman to be found there, waiting for the next opportunity.

Lightening your load

Founding Date

763MD

Type

Guild, Craftsmen

History and Reputation

The porters are one guild that most people across the town have some dealings with on a regular basis. Though, naturally, individuals vary they have a reputation for being loud (lots of shouting to clear a way through the crowds), violent (when shouting isn't enough, or (on occasion) to their beasts) and rude but set against this they are generally regarded as honest and law abiding.
There is a significant history of violence to their members (unsurprising when they are often used to carry valuable goods) and, for reasons still much debated, they suffered significantly during the The Twisted Heart Killings , since when the carters, in particular have seldom operated alone - even in broad daylight.
The heavy physical work of loading and unloading as well as the risk of other accidents meant they though they were not one of the wealthier guilds they were one of the major contributors to the Guilds Care and their members are one of the larger components of the aged and disabled who are housed there. In recognition of this most of the guild's members will make additional, personal, donations to Guilds Care over and above their contributions through the guild.