Roving Guild

The Guild also commonly known as the Roving Guild is a secret organisation affiliated with no nation but instead claim to be creating their nation. Although they are an organisation they formally own no land and instead function inside of other nations. Attempting to strike deals, or otherwise supplant secret safehouses for their members within other's territories. They try to maintain the status-quo between all the major powerhouses to ensure there is always business.

"The Roving Guild was made to combat threats from phantasmagoria and otherworldly beings. Even Gods have worse traits than man, and to protect ourselves we must step into the unknown."

It was originally founded by an unnamed royal family in Rathnir to protect their nation from extra-terrestrial threats, magical threats. These include non-humans, non-Rathnir beings, Gods and so forth. The Roving Guild would soon become it's own power and separate it's affairs and instead focussing on protecting the entirety of Rathnir.

"We tread where no man has, we investigate the strange to defend Rathnir."

"If it's an artefact. It's ours."

The Guild's is shrouded in deceit and guile. No one seems to know who the actual leader of the Guild is and when the Guild was founded. The only traces of a leader seem to be a mystical figure quoted as the Mr Observer or Mr Bunny whose name is used synonymously by Guild Agents. "Oh, do not tell the Nations our plight, Or they would call it a sin;

But we have been out in the woods all night,

A-conjuring speakers in!

And we bring you news by word of mouth—

Good news for war and trade—

Rathnir shall bide till Judgement Tide,

By Flame and Shadow and Knowledge."

Origins
The Guild seem to be a humanistic group of people. They have no formal place to call home yet they continue to exist. The first calling signs of the Guild was a red poppy which is sometimes used to this day. The leader and founder of this group is Mr Observer in which no ones seems to know their identity to ensure secrecy of the group. The Guild seems to have barely changed when it first was formed, even if we don't know much about it.

The Rise of Espionage
During the beginning the Guild would make it's presence known to select individuals, although subtly. It's safe to say many nations have had Guild Agents involved. From tiny emerging nations to full blown powerhouses. The Guild doesn't seem to care how important the nation, faction or location is as long as they can install an agent to gain information for them.

The Infiltration of Bardonia
The Guild can be found supplanting agents and converting government officials to aid them at the first rise of the Bardonian Empire. What the Guild actually did during this time is unknown, but it can be safely presumed that they pulled strings to profit from the Bardonian Empire and future iterations of the Empire would experience.

The true length of this guile and deceit is unknown, though the Guild claims to have profited massively from selling information about Bardonia, or to Bardonian officials. Although most accounts seem to be off the book deals.

The Imperium Conspiracy
The Guild had attempted to weaken the Authority of The Imperium internally, attempting to cause civil unrest, manipulate officials to try and secede and so on. The Guild would be unsuccessful in this endeavour though as an unnamed traitor would reveal threaten to reveal the plot to the higher-ups of the regime, in turn the traitor demands large sums of money in which he would gain before the vast scattering would begin.

Death of the Young Bard
"The Young Bard to the Observer's Grace he has gone,

In the ranks of death you'll find him;

His Guild's blessed dagger he has girded on,

 And his wild flute slung beside him.

''"Land of song!" said the young bard,''

"The entire world betrays me,

One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, 

One faithful flute shall praise thee!"

The Young Bard was a Guild agent who was ambushed and by multiple assassins, he had taken down several enemies with him before being beheaded. The Significance of the Young Bard is not exactly known, it is thought he was an important agent on some sort of important mission, though none of it is clear.

In the Guild the Bard is revered and immortalised, his memory ever living and never forgotten. It is reasonable to think the Guild reveres the Young Bard in a Religious light in line with their official religion, Guildism. "The Young Bard will return we pray

When we hear the news we all will cheer it,

The Young Bard will return one day,

Torn perhaps in body, not in spirit.

Then may he play on his flute in peace,

In a world such as the Observer intended,

For all the bitterness of mortals must cease,

And every battle must be ended."

The Scattering
The Scattering was a period were agents of the Guild and other Guildsmen would fear for their wellbeing and leave the Imperium because of the traitor. The Guildsmen would scatter across Rathnir in fear of persecution and having their identities revealed to the Imperium. For a while the Guild would remain low and remain quiet, ensuring that the Guild was safe and that identities of agents and other important people were not revealed to the public.

The Ardent Assassins
The Guild once had created a sect within their organisation known as the 'Ardent Assassins' as the name implies these people were supposed to the be deadly right hand of the guild. They were trained in creating elaborate trap making, fast eliminations with usage of stealth and the ability to use aggressive diplomacy.

The Guild would find success with their sect of their own assassins until the Great Betrayal happened.

The Great Betrayal
The Guild would start noticing their agents being attacked by their own assassins. This was declared as an emergency and to get rid of the threat the guild would purge multiple cells within their organisation and hire multiple mercenary groups to deal with them. On top of that they had wiped data from multiple important data-banks and changed safe house locations, soon enough the Ardent Assassins would be alienated from the Guild and silenced.

Culture
The Guild are secretive to every aspect of their organisation. The representatives act strange, have odd mannerisms and perform strange rituals for reasons unknown to others except themselves. The agents are taught how to blend in perfectly and may know others for years but yet all their loyalties will be tied to the guild. The Guild believes in infiltrating every echelon of society as sapient beings are irrational and driven by emotion, to grow their coffers they believe that by using the innate greed mortals have they can better every mortal's life, including themselves first.

The reason why the Guild doesn't simply create their own nation is unknown to nearly everyone, regardless they always seem to continue the status-quo and always attempt to come out on top regardless of the cost.

Organization
The Guild seems to be structured with the unknown person as Mr Observer at the top of the hierarchy, below that are his or hers are their higherups, below the higherups are perhaps a senior or junior team and then the low-level agents. Although we do not know the exact structure of the Guild we believe this is a nearest thing to a confirmed structure.

Information Trading
This is rather self-explanatory, the Guild often trades secrets for other secrets, or sell secrets/information for money to others.

Guild Councillors
The Guild will sell 'Guild Councillors' which are knowledgeable Guildsmen. These Guild Councillors will be sold to towns/cities/nations and will work for them as advisors, spymasters and so on. Many Guildsmen strive to be Guild Councillors due to the money it makes and the prestigious title as only few Guildsmen become Guild Councillors to others due to the selection process being very rigid and tough.

Networking
This is the process of acting as a middle-man, usually a client will pay the Guild to hook them up with a specific service such as mercenaries, usually the Guild will attempt to broker a specific Guild for the client when talking to the other party.