Colors: Blue and Brown
Current Guild Leader: Fleet Admiral Jacqueline Frost, Captain of the Snakehead
Requirements to Join: Must enlist in the Torodan Navy
Requirements of Membership: Must maintain membership in the navy and follow the laws of the sea
Majority Composition: Sailors, Ship Captains, Naval Officers
Minority Composition: Merchant Sailors, Military Support
On the Guild Council?: No

Though lacking the grandeur of the Campaigna naval fleet, the Sailor’s Guild maintains a hardy navy, with ships that show the pride and hard-work of the people of Torodan. The ships of Torodan are sturdy and strong, and of medium size. The Torodan navy works without galleys, instead using many cogs lead by caravels to amass a large navy of light ships that are used for both military and trade purposes. Originally, the Sailor’s Guild was divided between those ships that were used for trade sailing and those that were for military purpose. Over the years, borrowing on designs from other nations, the Torodan Navy evolved, with every ship in the Torodan navy now both simultaneously a merchant vessel and a military one, with a few caravels made for specifically military purposes and a smattering of cogs made entirely for trade. This has kept the Torodan fleets safe from most pirate attacks, and the smaller ships without oars have allowed Torodan to keep a tightly compact skilled navy. Five official fleets consist of the Torodan Navy, each with its own Admiral, the Fleet Admiral presiding over them all. Two of Torodan’s fleets are in the Aurim Meris, and these 2 fleets are primarily trade based, having more ships between then than the three others that work through the Gray Sea, which are reserved for military purposes, often docking along the Mongrel lands to deliver armed soldiers to their shores. Due to the smaller nature of the ships of the Torodan Navy, the Adventurer’s Guild has more to do with these raids than the Knight’s Guild, although Admiral Oler of the Order of the Keep has been petitioning the Sailor’s Guild to consent to the building of larger vessels that could transport larger armies. Despite this, the Fleet Admiral maintains that the navy does not need to be changed, and is good for the tasks that it is built for. Unfortunately for the soldiers of the Knight’s Guild, the Sailor’s Guild seems to agree with the Fleet Admiral, as is often the case.

Originally built along a hierarchal structure similar to that proposed for the Knight’s Guild, the Sailor’s Guild has maintained that structure, with a few exceptions. Originally, only Captains could be Order Heads, but the Guild decided to change that long ago, with the Order Heads now being members of the respective Orders. With this came the idea that one could grandfather into a new Order, and out of power, from a position as Order Head, where as previously all positions were held for life. Order Heads are now elected for life; with the option to quit or retire once back at port. The second major change to the Order came from the first, with Guild status only coming into play on land, and naval status being the more important one once in the water. While status in the Sailor’s Guild is not necessary for service or rank in the navy, the Sailor’s Guild does have three of the Admirals of Torodan amidst its membership, and holds at least 70% of the naval troops. Lastly, the Sailor’s Guild holds no regionals or provincials, only Chapterheads. Each ship within the Torodan Navy counts as a Chapter, with the Captain or First Mate usually acting as Chapterhead. The only other chapters of the guild exist in the major docks of Torodan, with members being grandfathered in depending on length of previous service as a Chapterhead on a ship. These ships must always have a Sailor’s Guild representative; although naval law, not Guild law, rules the ship once it is out of port, which is to say, fairly often. Though it has yet to hold a position on the Guild Council, due to its pattern of control in both the commercial and military waterways of Torodan, the Sailor’s Guild has maintained a level of power that ought to be reckoned with.

There have been tensions brewing between the Sailor’s Guild and the Knight’s Guild, as Admiral Oler has been pushing for larger ships capable of transporting large numbers of troops, with Fleet Admiral Frost not wanting to hear a word of it. The Mage’s Guild has also been applying pressure, as the Guild Leader of the Mage’s Guild is related to Oler. Given the high power of the Mage’s Guild and the often-absent nature of the entire Sailor’s Guild, the situation is brewing into an explosive one. For the Sailor’s Guild are the Adventurer’s Guild, who work regularly with them transporting smaller groups overseas, the Merchant’s Guild, who rely heavily on the Sailor’s Guild for business in foreign lands, and the Builder’s and Porter’s Guilds, who do a steady amount of trade with the Sailor’s Guild and have developed long-term good relations. In foreign lands, the navy of Torodan and thus the Sailor’s Guild are generally feared by Mongrels, avoided by pirates, scoffed at by Campaignans, and respected by the other sea-fairing nations.

The Captain’s Order

Symbol: A brown ship on a blue field
Current Order Leader: Admiral Zachery Pierce, Captain of the Parson, Cleric of Orn
Requirements to Join: Must be promoted to at least Captain Rank in the Torodan Navy
Requirements of Membership: Must maintain command of at least one ship in the Torodan Navy

At the top of the power in the Sailor’s Guild lies the Captain’s Order. While it is not required of a Captain to join this Order, those of the Sailor’s Guild who do not do so are generally worried about, by the members of this Order as well as others. At sea, the Captain’s Order is supreme, with no one questioning our doubting that these are, in fact, the leaders. On land, the Captain’s Order maintains its power, but is generally more relaxed. Captains of this Order often interact more with the common sailor than those in other Guilds, having come up the ranks as sailors at one time or another. Despite high benefits and rigid requirements, Captains of Torodan are most often respected by their soldiers, having the responsibilities of leading the ship, preparing the ship in case of attack, and ensuring that whatever cargo the ship has arrives safely and securely at its destination.

The Order of the Sea

Symbol: A base-blue sea on a brown field
Current Order Leader: Vice Admiral Ilmont Kensington, Captain of the Majesty
Requirements to Join: Must be of at least Officer Rank in the Torodan Navy
Requirements of Membership: Must maintain at least Officer Rank in the Torodan Navy

For those officers, generally about 2-3 to a ship, who are not of the rank of Captain, the Order of the Sea is the acceptable Order to join. More in touch with the common sailor than the Captain’s Order, the Order of the Sea includes the First Mates, Bosuns, and other positions on the ship fill this Order, with its members working to see that the Captain’s orders are fulfilled to the letter. With dangerous times, however, this often involves getting one’s hands dirty, and members of the Order of the Sea seem to have no qualms about getting themselves a little ragged of the safety of the ship, the crew, the captain, or the passengers is in question.

The Order of the Deck

Symbol: A base-brown deck on a blue field
Current Order Leader: Lieutenant Kerry Xerick, Mage of Wind
Requirements to Join: Must be on the crew of one or more ships for at least 3 years
Requirements of Membership: Must go out to sea at least 4 times/year

For those who have served dutifully and faithfully on a ship of the navy, the Order of the Deck is the Order of choice. While there is little gained in status by joining this Order, it is a sign of accomplishment to have stayed with the Navy this long, and few men will besmirch a member of the Order of the Deck, who has put in the time to make them a respected sailor. Often, members of the Order of the Deck are told to train those who are new to ships, as they have gained the experience necessary to understand the workings of a ship.

The Order of the Wave

Symbol: A blue wave on a brown field
Current Order Leader: Marine Corwin Hodsaw
Requirements to Join: Must enlist on the crew of a ship
Requirements of Membership: Must go out to sea at least 4 times/year

For those new sailors, the Order of the Wave is the only option within the Sailor’s Guild. Members of the Order of the Wave are frequent victims of the practical joking of their seniors in the Order of the Deck, and the name for the Order was actually decided because so many members of this status “found themselves” amidst the waves and off deck. This hazing is considered acceptable by most members of the Torodan Navy, and is limited to times when the ship is not in any serious danger. The most common prank played on a member of the Order of the Wave is to find an item such as the “Mast reshingler” or to retrieve lifeboats “accidentally” lost in the water, with no one informing the captain or the senior officers that the young sailor is frantically trying to catch up to the ship, rowing a boat in time with the much larger vessel. Reprisals from members of this Order lead to contests of pride, with bigger and better pranks being pulled on the younger sailors, who rarely get back at their elders, who understand more of the ships than they do.

The Order of the Squall

Symbol: A white wave on a blue field with a brown trim
Current Order Leader: Rear Admiral Hally Veck, Captain of the Stormside
Requirements to Join: Must have survived at least 2 shipwrecks
Requirements of Membership: None

For those who believe in superstition, the Order of the Squall is no laughing matter. Neither, is it, for most members of the Order. Surviving one shipwreck is enough to put most sailors on edge, but surviving two will earn one a place in the Order of the Squall, with some “cursed” sailors having numbers as high as 10 shipwrecks. While voting is still technically used by the members for determining the Order Leader, it invariably ends up being the one with the most shipwrecks on record. Currently, Rear Admiral Hally Veck, also known as the “Cursed Sailor of Torodan,” has survived 14 shipwrecks and lived to tell the tale, although her latest ship, the Stormside, has lasted for 2 years, perhaps breaking her curse.

The Order of the Lighthouse

Symbol: A white lighthouse on a blue field with brown trim
Current Order Leader: Retired Fleet Commander Thadeus Masters, Guildmaster’s Advisor on Military Affairs, ex-Captain of the Stormside
Requirements to Join: Must have been a member of the Sailor’s Guild for at least 35 years
Requirements of Membership: None

For those who are in the Sailor’s Guild until old age sets in, the Order of the Lighthouse waits with open arms. While this Order provides little service, manning the lighthouses and ports of Torodan, the Order of the Lighthouse is where old sailors go when their glory days on the sea are over and done. The current Order Leader, and ex-Guild Leader and ex-Fleet Admiral, gave his position to his First Lieutenant and his ship to his Bosun, who are now each an Order Leader and a Guild Leader. Despite his retirement, Masters now works with the Guildmaster on affairs of state, and his advice is said to be very sage, a true sentiment to the ability of those who retire from the Sailor’s Guild.