• Page
• Discussion
• Edit
• History
• Print
• Login

The Horn of the Beastmaster

The Horn of the Beastmaster is a guild of beastmasters, ostlers and breeders. Though their headquarters are in Alexshire, anyone who works with animals in such a fashion may join — and is encouraged to do so.

Politics

The Beastmaster's Guild was designed to afford relief for masters who were injured in the line of duty and could no longer work (temporarily or permanently) or afford the bills. Though it costs a fair sum annually, membership is not only encouraged but almost mandatory for beastmasters, ostlers and breeders who risk life and limb on a daily basis to train and work with animals others take for granted.

The Horn also regulates prices across the realm so that beastmasters are hired solely on their skills and not from undercutting the competition. This has put some out of work over the centuries, but better an irate member than one who sells animals that have not been properly trained.

The guild shares mutually beneficial business relationships with several other guilds, including the merchant guilds that govern trade in the cities. While changes in leadership often mean changes in policy (which can result in some disagreements between organisations and even within the Horn itself), things have remained fairly unchanged and reasonable for the last few decades.

Organisation

The Horn Master

The head of the guild is the Horn Master, who manages the head office and liaises with the Horns and other guilds.

The Horn of (Region)

There are three regional representatives, or "Horns", who work with the beastmasters, ostlers and breeders for their respective regions. These are The Horn of Daire, The Horn of Nubia (covering the whole of the Nubian Delta) and The Horn of Dardanos. Though members often fall outside of these regions, they come under the jurisdiction of whichever Horn is closest.

The Treasury

The Treasury is a department in the head office headed by the Chief Treasurer. They collect membership fees and see to it that any pay-outs (to help members who are struggling financially for legitimate reasons) are made promptly after a brief assessment.

Members

Fully paid members of the guild can be journeymen or masters. They can approach their regional Horn if they run in to financial trouble and will then be assessed by a Treasurer to determine what kind of relief they're entitled to. While Masters are usually too old to learn a new trade, the Horn prefers to retrain Journeymen where possible so they aren't reliant on the guild for too long.

Apprentices

Apprentice beastmasters, ostlers and breeders are not entitled to full membership because they can quite easily find a new craft if they're injured and unable to continue their training. However, they can pay a much smaller fee for half-membership which allows them to make complaints if their Master is abusive or not teaching them anything. The guild will also help them to locate a new Master if their old one dies or is unable to train them further.

Ranks

          Horn Master          Tato Uleu
          Horn [0/3]           open
          Chief Treasurer      open
          Treasurers [0/5]     open
          Beastmasters         open
          Breeders             open
          Ostlers              open
          Apprentices          open

History

According to legend, the Horn of the Beastmaster got its name from its founder, a man named Taius who used an ivory horn to train his animals. It is said that Taius' horn was enchanted to ensure that all animals, whether domesticated or completely feral, would heed its call, and that Taius learned to produce various sounds with it that acted as signals for simple commands.

The Horn of Taius is now hung on the wall behind the Master's desk at the guild's headquarters in Alexshire.

Joining

Joining The Horn is simple — assuming you can afford the annual membership fee. Any Journeyman or Master beastmaster, breeder or ostler can head to the local regional office and fill out the registration form.

Apprentices, on the other hand, must make the trip with their Master and fill out a different form, to be signed by both the apprentice and the Master in question.