Talence Merchant's Guild

The Talence Merchant's Guild is probably the most powerful organisation in the Belfimbre Plateau outwith the nobility and the churches. It is composed of the merchants of Talence, the region's unofficial capital and a small town which currently functions largely as a shipping hub for selling merchandise to people around the region and - more importantly - transporting goods back to Rilea. The main exports from the town are silver, honey, mead and cloth.
The guild sets the rates at which commodities are sold in the town, and who is allowed to sell them. It is not the only guild in town - the blacksmiths, bakers and so on have of course their own arrangements - but it is by far the most powerful and . For all of its influence, the Merchant's Guild has relatively few members. Just 15, in fact. These 13 men and 2 women collectively own most of what moves through the town, and employ a majority of the populace, directly or otherwise. The town's charter recognises the rights of this guild, and they are guaranteed a place on the town council which they may freely appoint to one of their leading members. Unsurprisingly, the guild also fund the campaigns of their preferred candidates for the town council, which gives them effective control of the town most years. Usually, the guild does not interfere with council decisions that don't affect their profits, but they have been known to support certain issues on moral grounds, funding temples, prohibiting behaviours, and so on depending on the sensibilities of the leaders of the guild. The fact that this is an obviously corrupt system is not seen as a problem, by any of the nobles with the power to do anything about it anyway, just the way of life.

Type

Guild, Merchant