Location: Throughout the Kathol Core Region
Hundreds of trade guilds, from Ship Engineers, to teachers; from writers to shop keepers.
Systems: Anywhere a Noble House is, a Trade Guild House is. These houses act a recruiting stations and university campuses for the different trades that are available through the Trade Guilds.
Values
The Trade Guild attempts to be neutral with respect to House politics, and requires that any of its students to do the same while in training. The Guilds supply all houses with the trained professionals needed to run a small noble empire. They believe in strength in professionalism and pride in one’s work. The training at the Guilds is impeccable.
Leadership
Each Guild is led by a Master. There are countless Guilds, and so countless Masters. However, the trade Guilds meet on Gandle Ott in the Guild Council, which is lead by the High Guild Master, which is right now a woman named Rashora G’Doreck.
Description
The Guilds are a conglomerate of labor union-like organizations, training guilds, and merchant guilds that supply the noble houses with personnel and trade management for the sector.
Allies
The Guilds have few allies, as they try to be as neutral as possible. The houses occasionally attempt to influence the Guilds’ decisions around trade. The Guilds must work closely with the Church, as they approve what is taught, manufactured, and traded. The relationship between the Guilds and the Church has always been rocky, but no one on either side really thinks that they will come to blows.
Enemies
The Guilds make as many enemies as they do allies. Most of their enemies are independent traders that don’t want to have to deal with the Guilds, or non-house corporations that have competed with the favored Guild-supplied and house-sponsored Corporations. However, few corporations ever make it out this far in the galaxy, and so there are few real problems with corporations. The Guilds hate smugglers and pirates and constantly work to stop that kind of activity. Just for that function, the Guilds established the Guild Guard, a special enforcement group to combat these problems. Before the Empire, the were greatly feared by pirates and smugglers, but when the Empire arrived, the guard had to officially disband and relinquish authority to the Imperials.
Assets
The Guild owns several major universities across the sector. They have a large freighter and transport fleet but restrict use of their ships to Guild members.
Secrets
The Guilds harbor secrets abound, all depending on which Trade you are dealing with. One of the primary secrets the Guild High Council holds is they know part of the secret of Sarne’s strength and ability to turn loyal Noble knights to loyal Imperial soldiers. It involved Darkstryder technology and its ability to warp the mind. They believe he implanted a Darkstryder device in each of them and is controlling them using the power of Darkstryder. However, they also know that he does not fully understand the capabilities of Darkstryder.
Another secret the Guilds hold is their support for the Rebellion and the New Republic. The few Rebel agents that filtered during the Galactic War were able to generate strong support from the Guilds. Also, the Guilds officially disbanded the Guard, but they went underground, helping the Rebels, and acting as a Rebel Cell on each of their planets. They are still unaware of Sarnes departure, but as soon as they learn, the Guard will be re-established. The fear is that the re-awakening of the Guard might give the Houses enough of a sign to get the idea the Sarne is out. This will cause severe unrest on many planets, so some within the Guilds want to wait and see when the news comes down.