Amalan Linen Guild

The Amalan Linen Guild, based in Aramala, oversees the production process of linen in the province of Amala in Chelestra. Unlike most weaving guilds, the Amalan Linen Guild has members throughout the production cycle: farmers, teamsters and, of course, weavers.

Structure

The Guild is run by a trimvirate of Guildmasters, selected for life by the surviving Guildmasters from among master weavers of the guild whenever one passes on. They are served by a robust bureaucracy of clerks and labourers, who oversee the guild warehouses and the like, which support guildmembers' businesses.
The guild has 3 ranks of weavers. Master Weavers generally operate independant linen mills, overseeing their staff of weavers and apprentices. Guild weavers are permitted to operate their own mill as soon as they complete their apprenticeship, though without reaching mastery their product cannot achieve the highest quality grading by guild inspectors. Farmers, teamsters, dyers and other members don't have a formal hierarchy within the guild, though they must demonstrate they are sufficiently skilled in their profession.

Services

The guild offers a number of services to its members to enable smooth operation of business. This includes having a near-monopoly on both warehouses and teamsters in Aramala, allowing them to offer a discount to members of the guild. Guild clerks are also available to handle bookkeeping for any guild member who need someone who can handle the math.
One major reason some weavers choose to operate their linen mills independantly is the guild's profit sharing system. The guild takes 50% of the profits of all members, and pays this money back to all members based on their position in the guild. This provides insurance against disasters like a crop failure in a guild farm or a catastrophic breakdown of a loom, but still allows more productive members to earn more than others.
They also run a quality accreditation system, where senior master weavers examine goods produced by the guild's farmers, weavers, and dyers of the guild, and rating their quality from lowest to highest as Copper, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. Only Master weavers are considered for platinum grade linen, though weavers who have yet to qualify as masters of their craft but would otherwise be accredited are advised to save their product and apply for mastership. These grades are matched up such that the highest quality materials go to the most skilled crafters, and the final accreditation (the lowest grade earned by farmer, weaver and dyer involved in producing the product for sale) is imprinted onto the outer wrapping of each bolt with a magical seal of authenticity that must be broken to unwrap the bolt of cloth. This accreditation system is well known among linen merchants and tailors throughout the Sleeping Lands, allowing customers to buy high quality linens with confidence.

Type

Guild, Professional