The Saddleborn Guild
"If it walks, runs, flies, or hauls, we've trained it, tamed it, or sold it." -Mantra of the Saddleborn Guild.
The Saddleborn Guild is the lifeblood of Everwealth’s movement. Masters of animal handling, transport logistics, and inter-city travel, they are those mainly responsible for the safe passage of goods, passengers, and messages across the fractured kingdom; Though the presence of smaller rival guilds does linger despite alleged efforts to snuff out the competition. With halls in every major city and a presence in many towns, the Saddleborn train everything from courier birds to warbeasts, even engaging in international exchange with Katharan dino-wranglers and other foreign breeders. They control Everwealth’s beasts of burden, provide organized transport, and breed or slaughter animals to meet growing demand for meat, feathers, down, eggs, hides, and even decorative horns and bones. Rumors swirl that they maintain their hold by sabotaging new innovations in non-animal transport, a conspiracy few can prove, but many whisper about. In Everwealth, roads belong to hooves and claws, and the Saddleborn aim to keep it that way. In recent decades, particularly amid the instability wrought by war, the Saddleborn Guild has grown increasingly entangled with The Merchant's Consortium. Officially, this cooperation ensures smoother trade logistics: specific breeds and beast stock are allocated to high-risk routes, with Saddleborn-trained mounts chosen not just for endurance but temperament under duress. From desert caravans pulled by Manhunter Beetles to highland couriers mounted on Lanternwings, the coordination between the two guilds has saved countless lives and shipments. Unofficially, however, the alliance has bred opportunities for corruption. The relative autonomy of Saddleborn caravans, combined with a lack of formal inspection during wartime, has made them a favored vessel for smuggling illicit goods for not only the Consortium, but The Dwarfish Cartel or The Orcish Crime Syndicate as-well, arcane reagents, forbidden relics, or entire crates of unregistered alchemical drafts. Rumors abound of Saddleborn ferrymen paid handsomely to “not notice” Consortium cargo rerouted through restricted zones, with some wagons bearing false guild stamps to evade scrutiny. In an age where law stretches thin and war swallows oversight, even the most trusted reins may conceal more than they carry.
Career
Qualifications
Training begins at the stables, handling dung before reins. Apprentices must prove endurance, empathy with animals, and logistical skill. Familiarity with Everwealth’s beasts and basic veterinary knowledge are required before formal rank is granted.
Career Progression
Apprentices ascend to Riders or Ferrymen, then to Handlers or Couriers. The most talented become Guildmasters, overseeing regional halls. A rare few become Saddlebearers, those entrusted with binding contracts with foreign lands or managing Guild security.
Payment & Reimbursement
Members are paid per haul, beast trained, or couriered package. Warbeast trainers and elite couriers command high coin, while public transporters earn modest but steady pay.
Other Benefits
Free access to mounts, preferential treatment at inns and stables, and discounts at blacksmiths or armorers for beast gear. Elite members are gifted tailored saddles and personalized reins forged by affiliated crafters.
Perception
Purpose
To manage all animal-based transportation across Everwealth. To breed, train, trade, and protect the creatures that keep the kingdom moving
Social Status
Respected but rarely loved. The Guild is seen as dependable, but often called “greedy hooves” by the poor due to rising ferry prices; Though most grumble little as these charges are, officially, in-response to the number of guild members along with their cargo, vessels, and passengers alike that tend to disappear braving the miles of unguarded roads. Nobles value their elite carriages and exotic mounts; commoners just hope the Guild will fix broken harness lines before the month ends.
Demographics
History
The Guild traces its roots to pre-Schism beastmasters who ferried messages and refugees across war-torn lands. After the Schism, these families unified under a single banner for survival and efficiency. They negotiated contracts with the monarchy and carved out halls in major cities, slowly evolving into Everwealth’s largest transport syndicate.
Operations
Tools
Custom saddles, reinforced harnesses, heavy-duty carts, weather-tested reins, beast armor, and scent-based signaling tools for animal training. Some exotic couriers use magickal blink-charms or memory feathers to deliver high-priority messages across regions.
Materials
Beast feed, leathers, medicinal herbs, drag-slings, and containment crates. Guild paperwork includes stable records, transport logs, ferry ledgers, and black-market correspondence (kept hidden).
Workplace
Guildhalls double as stables, inns, and training yards. Each city branch hosts a Master Handler and an armory for equipping mounts. Rural outposts serve as rest points and emergency repair stations.
Provided Services
- Ferry and carriage transport.
- Beast training and rental.
- Courier and message delivery.
- Creature resource sales (eggs, leather, meat, down).
- Beast-mounted security for noble caravans.
Dangers & Hazards
Beast maulings, highway raids, unstable terrain, sabotage from rogue inventors, and internal conflicts with disloyal handlers. There are whispered rumors of “debt silencing” among rival transport pioneers.
Alternative Names
'The Saddlehand Order', 'The Bridle Chain,' 'Beastringers (derogatory among urban elites).'
Demand
Everwealth’s sprawling lands and dangerous roads ensure perpetual need for trained couriers and battle-beasts. In cities without proper infrastructure, Saddleborn transports are the only way between regions.
Legality
Fully sanctioned by The Monarchy. Often exempt from taxation in exchange for military support during times of siege or conflict. Suspected, though never proven, of sabotaging arcane or mechanical transit alternatives.
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