A new political scene

In the beginning, the guilds were groups of small and big Houses formed to pursue common goals. One of the biggest and elite guilds was created and managed by the Volarees family. For this reason, it was named Volarees Guild even if there were also many other minor families associated with it. 

After the disputes between Volarees and Rorius Houses and the consequent disappearance of the latter, the Volarees Guild gained more and more importance in the Kingdom. 

Therefore the monarchy had to face a new difficult phase: a political challenge. 

The King, being an intelligent and visionary man, immediately decided to empower other guilds, making sure that Volarees would not have been the only powerful force inside his kingdom.

The King’s purpose was to be able to divide the power accumulated by the Volarees House without unleashing reprisals that would have undermined the whole political stability. The king was shrewd and accustomed to tricks and schemes. Thus, before making an explicit move, he carefully studied the dynamics between the various important families of Ilvash and above all, their passions and weaknesses.

The opportunity turned up a few months later.

The King was searching for a way to keep the kingdom united and its forces well balanced, and the opportunity presented itself, thanks to a handful of brave scouts from the Volarees Guild.

A new Qoam field had been discovered in a neutral territory, one of the farthest known floating islands of Mysthea. This island, together with other two, formed a ternary system that had its own speed and revolution around Henakor.

Agglomerates of islands with such characteristics were rare, although already known. However, what made this one unique was the fact that it always showed the same side to the giant crystal, its rotation being perfectly aligned with its revolution.

The Qoam field was located right on the side always exposed to Henakor, constantly invested by its energy. Life there was of a completely unknown kind, mostly consisting of flowers, and an important discovery was made.

A talented young Qoam manipulator named Telron, affiliated to the newly established Guild of the Scholars, was destined to make history through his determination. When, like few other scholars, he traveled to the Qoam field to explore it, he found a flower whose petals had some very useful properties, presumably due to the exceptional nature of the place where the plant grew. The petals, if reduced to mush and immediately burned, produced fumes that induced divinatory powers, the power to see future events.

Telron proposed to grant ownership of the new field to the Scholars guild, while the Volarees claimed the same right as first discoverers. At that time, the Guild of Scholars was not influential enough, and the members themselves had little hope for a positive outcome of Telron's request.

The two sides discussed for a long time in the attempt to find a deal, one side claiming the importance of keep studying and the other only attached to their property rights: what an occasion for the King! The dispute was resolved with a compromise that made both Guilds dissatisfied, but laid the groundwork for a new political order. The disputed lands were divided and a portion was granted to the Scholars Guild, which for the first time in history obtained land ownership. In this way, the research could continue and the King had shown he could contain the arrogance of the Volarees.

The consequences of Telron's stance set in motion further changes in the politics of the Kingdom. In fact, through his dignitaries and courtiers, the King was able to reassign responsibility for key aspects of the political affairs of Ilvash by distributing them among the five guilds, again hoping to free himself from the burden of the court in order to devote his effort to warfare.

Each Guild Master was assigned their own district in the Capital and their own territories based on the type of activities they were engaged in. Guilds were equated to noble houses, but without ever enough power to dethrone everyone else. It was mandatory for all citizens of the kingdom to join the Guild that represented the interests of their social class. This system was created to ensure that the people were represented in some way. In reality, it ended with Guilds grabbing political and economic power, a constant struggle with never a true winner, in which the real needs of the people were rarely considered.

The new balance established could not last for long, as the Guilds started to compete against each other. Within time, the antagonism amongst them increased to the point that the kingdom became the scene of a silent and strenuous war, made of stealth, deception and treachery. 

Varorin - Guild of Merchants, Volarees the Guild of Nobility, Lusma the Guild of Faith, Kaetur the Guild of Soldiers, Magista the Guild of Scholars, each was driven solely by their own interests, and over time they could only see more opportunities to realize that defeating the other guilds would bring more benefit than harm.

While the guilds were distributing tasks and roles, the king's power was not questioned, but rivalries and enmities raised.

The contendants could not fight openly on the streets of the Capital, and they all wanted to establish their ultimate control over the dragon Volfyirion, so the most violent episodes of their conflict took place in the provinces of the ancient Kyradar.

Guilds could aspire to take control of the provinces that once belonged to the houses Volarees and Rorius, and use them as strongholds to manage their resources and plan their next moves, be them ruthless acts of guerrilla or silent, relentless sabotage. Owning a province and destroying those of the fiercest opponents meant gaining more power and getting one step closer to dominance.

Despite the King having managed to stop a potential threat, his kingdom became unstable, dangerously exposed to greater menaces.