02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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staff of gunsmiths and mechaniks, Clockwerk Arms
has greatly expanded the market for multiple-shot
firearms with their unique and ingenious clockwork
mechanisms. As a leading designer of novel firearms,
Clockwerk Arms is one of the key recipients of
Cygnaran military contracts and has become more
and more industrious of late.
Corvis Caravaner’s Guild
Free trading has long been a way of life for
thousands of western Immoren’s citizens. However, a
life of constant risk, travel, and haggling can take its
toll on even the most cunning free merchant. The
Corvis Caravaner’s Guild was founded to alleviate
these stresses for traders by acting as a mediator in
trade contracts and route disputes and by hiring
mercenaries to guard and protect trade caravans.
Founded in Corvis in 595 AR, the year after Vinter
the Elder fled into exile, the guild has grown swiftly
from a few dozen members to nearly three hundred
merchants and has prospered greatly from both
river trade and by shipping goods inland to areas
inaccessible by water. In this short time, the guild has
become a prominent employer in Corvis. Its goods
fill markets and warehouses throughout the city, and
its banners are a welcome site to adventurers and
mercenaries looking for some extra coin.
Despite its relative youth, the Caravaner’s Guild
is highly regarded both socially and professionally.
The organization enjoys a healthy relationship with
the Church of Morrow and the Corvis City Watch
and is recognized by both as a reliable and legitimate
organization. It has built strong ties with the Corvis
Merchant’s Guild, which has turned it into the
preeminent handler of merchant transport contracts
into and out of Corvis.
The guild’s work reaches far beyond the confines of
Midlund. Before Khador invaded Llael, guild caravans
frequently traveled the Great Northern Tradeway to
Merywyn, sometimes further north to Leryn, and on
Jewel of Immoren, most bountiful purse of the world, Cygnar—my home. I love Cygnar just
for the sheer abundance of goods, the locations of several major trade cities, and the wealth
that abounds within those cities. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a constant price on wheat.
While the trade structure of Cygnar keeps things on an even keel amongst most of its cities,
you’ll also find that merchants travel well-armed in Cygnar, despite the fact that it’s one of
the most civilized nations. With civility comes treachery, and gobber bandits, trollkin bandits,
junkers, even campaigning troops of soldiers… all types of unsavory folk can make life hell for
an unprepared merchant caravan.
—Gunner Wadock, Cygnaran tradesman
occasion, as far as the dwarven city of Ghord. The King’s
Highway and lesser trails are now more frequented by
the Caravaner’s Guild, and their dusty wagons travel
west into parts of lower Ord by way of the Bramblerut
Road. Members are able to hire guild-approved guards
for these long journeys as well as receive preferential
discounts at particular toll stations.
Membership within the guild requires a one-time
membership fee, yearly dues, and a sworn oath to
the guild. In return, members receive a symbol of
the Caravaner’s Guild which bypasses fees levied by
the Trade Boards in Cygnar and Ord (and previously
Llael), an initial guild contract, and a choice of
possible routes. The guild’s symbol is a medallion
engraved with a balanced set of scales on one side
and a representation of Ascendant Shevann on the
other. Members bid for trade routes through the
guild and hire guards with the guild’s approval. The
guild also requires that member candidates present
proof that they own a caravan wagon, are skilled and
knowledgeable travelers, and possess knowledge of
pricing and trading standards.
Guild routes frequently cross hostile or dangerous
territory, so it is little wonder that many adventurers cut
their teeth as guards for the guild. Caravans traveling
World Guide 71