Guild of Scribes¶
"Ink lasts longer than gold and longer than blood. We are paid because we never forget."
— Mottoof the Great Scriptorium
Cadwallon's official copyists, archivists, and contract-drafters. Anything that needs to be written, witnessed, copied, sealed, or filed runs through this guild. They are paid less than the Goldsmiths and have less muscle than the Blades — but every guild in the city owes them, because the Scribes hold their paperwork.
What They Do¶
- Document copying — books, manuscripts, contracts. The Free University relies on them for textbooks.
- Contract drafting and witnessing — ducal contracts, inter-guild treaties, marriage settlements, fief charters. A Scribe's seal is recognized by every court in Cadwallon.
- Archive management — they maintain the Great Scriptorium in Drakaër, one of the largest archives on Aarklash outside of Lanever and Akkylannie.
- Letters and correspondence — for the illiterate or the busy. Confidentiality is part of the contract; breaking it is a guild-level offense.
- Ducal records — the ducal archive itself is staffed by Scribes seconded to the Duke.
Headquarters¶
- The Great Scriptorium — large complex in the [[Free District]] of Drakaër. Multiple wings: copying floor, archive vault, contract chambers, public reading room.
- Smaller scriptoria attached to the Free University of Cadwallon and to the ducal palace in the [[Ducal Enclave]].
Why They Matter¶
The Scribes are not a power guild in the way the Usurers or Goldsmiths are. They are a utility guild — but every powerful guild keeps copies of their contracts, every noble family their genealogies, every ambassador their treaties at the Scriptorium. Anyone who can read the Scriptorium's holdings can compromise half the city.
The leaks
The Drakaër family has been producing irrefutable documents that compromise the guilds in public debates for years. The leaks come from the Scriptorium. Specifically, from a small group of Scribes sympathetic to the Free Leagues who believe the guilds have overreached. The bard Argos Brisandre is the courier. Silnus Drakaër pays for the access. If the Scriptorium's senior council discovered this, the guilty Scribes would be exiled at minimum, killed at worst.
Relations¶
- Free University of Cadwallon — symbiotic. The University trains future Scribes; the Scribes copy the University's books.
- Drakaër family — physically resident in the same fief. Officially neutral. Unofficially, as above.
- Guild of Cartomancers — strong: they hold each other's archives. Cartomancers maintain the calendar; Scribes copy and distribute it.
- Guild of Usurers — wary. The Usurers want every Scriptorium contract on the Var-Nokkts; the Scribes won't release them.
Notable Members¶
- The Chief Archivist — name kept ceremonial; lifetime appointment; reads all sealed documents personally
- Argos Brisandre — bard, not officially a Scribe, but moves freely through the Scriptorium with the silent approval of certain copyists
- Multiple anonymous junior copyists with strong opinions about Free Leagues
The sealed cabinet
A noble family lost their patriarch's last will. The Scribes have a sealed copy — but releasing it requires sworn testimony from three witnesses who are now dead. Someone wants the will retrieved through unofficial channels. Someone else wants it stay sealed.
The Argos chain
Argos Brisandre is missing. The Scribes feeding him documents are panicking. If he's been captured, their names are about to come out. They need free leaguers to find him before the next interrogation.