Guilds

In Aperion, there are two major forms of representation for the people: the Parliament and the Guilds.

History
The earliest recorded guild was during the Briar Era, brought on by increasing unease as King Travers and subsequent Briar Kings struggled to set the country right after the disastrous end to the Blood Era. Many were made up of disgruntled citizens who felt they were not being represented properly by the parliament, such as the Trader's Guild. Others, like the Informant's Guild, were cobbled together as a means of creating a standard and set of rules for a growing profession.

Most guilds were originally illegal unions, a problem dealt with poorly by the last Briar King, Michael Janeway, whose reign had instead focused on strengthening the government's ability to stand without a monarch in the thick of things. It was the first Flintlock Queen, Tima Brigstocke, who officially recognized them as legal institutions. Much of her reign, in fact, was based on streghtening the rights of the Guilds, allowing them seats in Parliament, legal trade routes, the ability to select a candidate for the throne (though this was later revoked and even later reinstated under later monarchs) and (as rumor states) bringing them into candidacy for the Council.

Notable Guilds

 * Merchant's Guild (current head: Taltha Montgomery)
 * Informant's Guild (current head: Neil Tennyson)
 * Trader's Guild (current head: --something Vidbeli--)
 * Banker's Guild (current head: Allison Fisk)
 * Artisan's Guild (current head: Miles Rushdie)
 * Physician's Guild (current head: Victor Calloway)