Matterhorn Guild

The guild for cattlemen and herders in Obsidian Bay.

Overview

• City: Obsidian Bay
• Country: Domain of Obsidian Bay
• Leader: Emil Raster
• Roster: 200

Although much smaller than the Farmers Guild, the Matterhorn Guild -– named after its founder, Fillip Matterhorn -– is still a powerful force in Obsidian Bay’s food market. The Matterhorns are the ranchers of the domain, raising a variety of herd animals. Most members of the guild maintain farms on the fringes of the “safe” lands of the domain and send out their shepherds to graze on the hills of the Drachensgrabs.

The Matterhorns compete with the Farmers Guild and the Longshoremens Guild to feed Obsidian Bay, and like those other guilds it is constantly trying to sell more. Its alliances are fickle –- sometimes it will work against the other food-and-feed guilds, sometimes it will side with one to undercut the other. Guildmaster Emil Raster’s leadership of the guild is hardly inspired though, and the guild’s chaotic plans reflect this.

Guild Organization

As with the Farmers Guild, the ranks of the Matterhorns are broken into Holder and Lord Holder ranks, but in this case the number of head of herd-beasts is what determines rank. All of the holders in the guild hire adventurers from time to time to accompany their shepherds into the hills or to push back raiding humanoids.

Guild Leadership

Emil Raster is the Matterhorn’s uninspired leader and would probably be driven from his office if anyone better could be found. To date, no such leader has stepped forward, and his colleagues –- while they may grumble about his ineffectiveness –- certainly don’t want his job.

Raster’s one stroke of genius was to convince the Ralleymen Guild to begin a weekly feasting contest, in which its members gorge themselves on as much meat and ale as possible. The guild’s increased consumption helped Emil smooth things over a bit with his more vocal critics.

Chaotic Wanderers

The Matterhorns are, by nature, a chaotic lot that would rather be roaming the highlands of the Drachensgrabs than fighting their way through Obsidian Bay’s crowded streets. Their choice of allies reflects their nature – they often hire the Ralleymen for their mercenary work, and when in the city they spend most of their time gambling and drinking at the Temple of Kord.

The guild competes against the Farmers and the Longshoremen, but they rarely get worked up enough to get into an all-out fight with either group. On occasion they’ve teamed up with the Farmers to help promote the defense of the frontier and to back the construction of fortresses around the domain.

The few times they’ve come to blows with the Farmers have been because of disagreements over grazing versus farming land (some shepherds have "accidentally" led their flocks onto farmer lands in search of good eats).

People

• Emil Raster, Guildmaster: The uninspired leader of the Matterhorn Guild
• Fillip Matterhorn: The founder of the guild that bears his name, now long dead.

Sites

• The Golden Oxen: The hall for the Matterhorn Guild, home to Obsidian Bay's ranchers.

Statblocks

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