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People gather into guilds to shoulder the dual burden of noble rulership and parasitic humanity ... by exploiting a trade or skill to its fullest. At their heart, guilds are political organizations, where like individuals stand united to gain some power over their destinies.

If a guild lasts long, it begins to wield more political power and becomes an exclusive club that safeguards the interests of the most wealthy and influential members. In addition, they may start smaller guilds to handle expert portions of their operation. A journeyman who is not in a guild will be turned away by customers (whom the guild has coerced, bribed, or otherwise influenced to deal with guild members only) and actively hampered by the guild (disasters and hardships often follow the freelance tradesman). In the more dangerous trades, such as assassination or thievery, the guild's influence is more direct and dangerous.

Guilds play a large role in the stories of Lankhmar, because they define who notices and who cares about the goings-on that the players are involved in. Also, knowing or being members of these guilds can be quite powerful if used properly. Below you will find a list of Nehwon's most influential guilds and their Modus Operandi:

The Thieves Guild: This guild offers "protection" to anyone with money, but merchants first and foremost. Anyone trafficking in goods would do well to pay the thieves guild to keep their merchandise safe. This has a certain benefit for merchants as they know who to go to if things don't go as planned. After all, the thieves want the merchants to prosper so that the protection money keeps flowing.

• The Slayer's Brotherhood: The bounty hunters' and assassins' guild based in Lankhmar. They actively hunt down anyone for a price. Freelance bounty hunters advertising similar services are offered membership (for an annual fee). This is an offer that most cannot refuse.
• The Beggars Guild: Beggars and Urchins
• The Extortioners Guild: Professional intimidators
• The Fraternity of Fences: Merchants of stolen property, usually with pawn shops or gambling houses as their front operations.
• The House of Pain: Torturers and executioners

Merchant's Consortium: The Merchant's consortium deals in money and raw goods, each in the largest quantities possible. They pay the taxes and bring in the goods that everyone needs in their day-to-day lives. They are the second most powerful guild in Lankhmar.

• Moneylenders' Guild: Moneychangers and investors.
• Tailors' Guild: Fashioners of fine clothing, footwear, and luggage.

Blacksmiths Guild: The mainstay of any large empire is its metallurgists and blacksmiths. The Blacksmith's guild holds a lot of power because they are used directly by the overlord to outfit his army and their mounts.

• The Artificer's Guild: Inventors
• The Armorers: Weapons and Armorcrafters

The Society of Joyous and Sorrowful Comedians, Rapturous Playactors, Graceful Dancers, and Melodious Songsters (Entertainers Guild): Entertainers are very plentiful, and many people see this as a good alternative to more backbreaking labor. They have managed to expand their enterprises when things are slow, becoming professional couriers and lawyers as well.

• Animal Handler's Guild: Animal Trainers, grooms, and Hawkers. One of the Overlord's favorites.
• Heralds' and Messenger's Guild: small but well used guild. Uses codes and memory to great effect.
• House of Pleaders: Lawyers and Lobbyists. Usually experts at bribery.

Stonemason's Guild: Those who work in stone build the foundations of empires. The Stonemason's are comprised off all manner of sculptors, engineers, and machinists who work in stone.

• Architect's Guild: Designers of floorplans and structures. Long ago, it was made official that any building in lankhmar over 1 story or with more than 4 rooms had to have a floorplan designed by the architects guild.

Starsman and Navigator's Guild: Sailors and Shipmasters, the Starsman and Navigator's Guild dominates trade across the Inner and Eastern Seas. No sailor will work on ship without a member of this guild at the helm. This guild also controls the docks.

• Deck Hands' Clan: Regular Ship and Dock workers.
• Shipwrights' Guild: Ship builders.

Fellowship of Physicians: Medical Science in Lankhmar is not advanced, but skilled physicians are well respected for their proper understanding of ailments and the common (ala non-magical) remedies for them.

• Order of Apothecaries: Drugists and Herbalists
• Embalmers' Guild: Grave Diggers, Pall Bearers, embalmers, and funeral choreographers.

Carpenter's Cadre: Workers of wood, carpenters are required on any project, even those of the Architects Guild, to build wooden structures and equipment. Due to their assimilation of the Wainwrights long ago, they are also the transporters and day-laborers of Lankhmar.

• Wainwright's Guild: Wagon and Carriage Builders
• Laborers' and Toilers' Brotherhood: Unskilled Laborers
• Toters' and Carters' Guild: Land-based movers.

Thinker's Fraternity: A guild of scholars and historians, bent upon preserving histories and lore through the ages. This guild is not wealthy in the slightest, but runs the only university in Lankhmar and provides nobles with schooling for their children should they need it.

• Scribe's Guild: Record keepers and official documenters. No official function occurs without a scribe present to record the event, no matter how silly or trivial.
• Astrologers' Consortium: Diviners and soothsayers. The leader of this guild is usually the Overlord's personal astrologer, and they have influence because of that.
• Sorcerer's Guild: Hated and feared by most of the citizenry of Lankhmar, and indeed most of Nehwon, the sorcerer's guild handles the unnatural. They are not easy to contact, as their guild house remains closed at all times, day or night, and no one goes in or out. Not even the beggars guild know who all the members of this guild are. It is not uncommon for a guild member to perform his duties in a mask to hide his identity, in much the same way as an executioner.

Jewellers' Guild: This guild consists of the buyers and sellers of gems and jewelry. They play the slippery game between the fences and the merchants, maintaining autonomy through the whitesmiths who mint the Overlord's coins.

• Whitesmiths' Guild: Workers of precious metals.

House of Red Lanterns The least influential guild in Lankhmar is the whore's and courtesan's guild. It is mentioned because it has resisted assimilation by other guilds for so long, and has probably existed longer than any other. Prostitution outside of this house is frowned upon and every attempt is made to bring a freelance courtesan into the fold.

"... I find myself now as a sober--well, at other times--man being constantly asked to make war on a power as great as that of Karstak Ovartamortes, for as you may know, the Guild has locals in all other cities and major towns of this land, not to mention agreements including powers of extradition with robber and bandit organizations in other countries. I love Vlana dearly, make no mistake about that, and she is an experienced thief herself, without whose guidance I'd hardly have survived my first week in Lankhmar, but on this one topic she has a kink in her brains, a hard knot neither logic nor persuasion can even begin to loosen. And I, well, in the month I've been here I've learned that the only way to survive in civilization is to abide by its unwritten rules--far more important than its laws chiseled in stone--and break them only at peril, in deepest secrecy, and taking all precautions. As I did tonight--not my first hijacking, by the by."
-- Fritz Leiber,
"Ill Met in Lankhmar"