Guilds and Guild Law
No aspect of life in Waterdeep goes untouched by at least one of its more than forty guilds. Virtually every profession has an associated guild, and there’s hardly a citizen of the city who doesn’t belong to one or more guilds, or doesn’t work for someone who does. As a visitor to Waterdeep, you need to know this, lest you run afoul of “Guild Law.” Guild Law isn’t technically in the legal code of Waterdeep, but guilds are mentioned in the oldest surviving legal documents — penned by Ahgharion himself — and the rules of Guild Law are respected by wise city folk.
Guilds take their laws seriously, as do members of the city watch and the magisters. If you flout a guild’s traditions, you can expect not only public scorn but also a visit from enforcers of the law. In addition, many guilds have their own codes of accusation, trial, and punishment, such as:
- A member of the Bakers’ Guild who sells bread baked in the wrong shape will be drenched with water and coated in his own flour.
- Heckling a member of the Jesters’ Guild will result in the offending party being jeered at in public by no less than four guild members for a period of four days.
- Any ship that unloads its cargo without due observance or aid by the Guild of Watermen shall have its cargo seized or thrown into the harbor.
Many guilds have codes that entwine each other, complicating matters even more for the outsider. In Neverwinter, if you want to construct a building, you simply purchase the land and hire workers to build it. In Waterdeep, the Surveyors’, Map-, and Chart-makers’ Guild must first be consulted upon designation of the plan, then brought in to draw or approve the construction plan. The Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild must then clear and prepare the site, only after which will you be able to hire members of the Carpenters’, Roofers’, and Plaisterers’ Guild to erect the structure.
Moreover, the work will not be complete until members of the Guild of Fine Carvers and the Guild of Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers design and craft any decorative elements of wood, stone, or ceramics, and after the Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers has manufactured and installed any door hinges. If the buiding is to be connected to the sewers or a city water supply, the Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild must be called upon again to do that work. Want glazed windows installed? For that, you need to hire members of the Guild of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle-makers.
If you do business in the city as anything other than a purchaser of goods and services, I strongly advise you to seek out a local solicitor and pay to be guided through the process. No guild of solicitors exists, so be sure your choice comes highly recommended by individuals you can trust. To learn the peculiarities of any guild’s rules, consult someone on duty at the guild headquarters or ask a senior guild member.
All that said, working at a guild-related profession without being a member of that guild isn’t illegal. Guild members have no lawful recourse to interfere in the business of someone who chooses not to join the organization. But if you practice a trade or operate a business without becoming a member of the appropriate guild, word spreads, and you’ll find that your coin isn’t good for purchasing the goods and services of anyone who is a guild member. Since that group includes virtually everyone who sells the necessities of life or offers shelter for a fee, the benefits of joining a guild swiftly become apparent to those who procrastinate in this regard.