Navigator Guild

A guild that works to make sense of a world turned upside down. Caretakers and scholars of maps, both new and ancient, looking to fill in the blank spaces on the globe.

Author’s note: Hoist the Colors may eventually inspire fiction. Most likely will and I’ll gladly write it. But right now, it’s a role-playing game setting with what I hope is an interesting take and look at an “Alternate History” of Earth. It isn’t really “steampunk”, though I can see how someone would get that impression. For me, it’s more a “flintlock fantasy” set on Earth of 1722 in all it’s historical mess… that I’ve stirred up even more!

So, with that said, this one gets us into one of the more powerful guilds in the world. One that exploded into view in 1712 as a result of the catastrophe that reshaped the world. It is absolutely a faction that characters in the roleplaying game for Hoist the Colors can deal with, and may show up in Legends of the Privateers, a Hoist the Colors serial fiction!

Navigator Guild

If you’re looking for an odd map or rare journal about a ruin or distant location, they’re the ones to see. If they trust you near their collection.

- Doctor Pedro Sangre, Alchemist and Privateer

October 31, 1712. The night that shook the world.

That moment reshaped the Earth. Every nation, down to its people, faced the horrible truth that the world they knew was gone. Trade routes were lost, mountains shifted, and once peaceful forests and coastlines turned deadly for everyone, from honest trade folk to rogues and scoundrels of the seas.

The world was now something else.

Maps had become obsolete overnight as new lands, if not continents, appeared in the middle of the deep ocean. Lakes either dried up, expanded, or appeared where they hadn’t been seen in a thousand years. A mad scramble started around the globe to make sense of this new world. Into that need stepped the Navigator Guild.

Old World Guild, Born New

The Navigator Guild of today was founded in 1712 by Minerva Goodsong, Ferrum Anvilson, Salvador Almeida, and a young man named Wohali from North America. All four were highly experienced navigators in their own right. They came from distant places such as the Mississippi basin in North America, Portugal, Afalon Isle, or the grimling sept settlements in Newfoundland. Strangers from far lands with shared experiences that bound them together.

Those four founders understood the problem ahead of them. Not just how it affected trade between nations, but how smaller settlements who relied on those same trade goods might suffer. Also, these four were the first to feel the uncanny pull of the Etherwave. They heard the mystic song of the Arcane Gates from their lonely places among the deep ocean currents and tall waves.

Minerva and Ferrum knew those songs all too well from their time on Otherworld, but never thought they would hear them on Earth. As for Salvador and Wohali, it was a new experience. The Arcane songs brought the four together outside Lisbon, Portugal, where they established the first guild house in November 1712 out of an abandoned warehouse.

They worked with the local mapmakers and privateers to collect what information they could. Slowly, this new world came into view. The Navigator Guild grew while they redrew maps, proposed new and safe trade routes, and recorded locations of the mysterious Arcane Gates. Most important of all, they also expanded the guild with a branch that was an institute of learning to train new navigators in the ways of Arcane Gates and more.

It wasn’t long before stories and accounts of unknown places came to the guild. These filled in some blank spaces on maps, but showed us just how much we didn’t know.

- Doctor Pedro Sangre, Alchemist and Privateer

Loose But Nimble Structure

The founders were skilled navigators and explorers who understood how important it was to stay organized. Their guild was no exception. A nimble organization was needed for this group to not drown in the ever-increasing flow of new maps, journals, and students looking to become new Navigators. This guild would need to act like a traditional craft guild, but also an institution of learning.

Each member in good standing of the Navigator Guild has a rank that is used as a rough measure of their skills and responsibility. Overall, there are four ranks in the Navigator Guild. They are Grand Cartographer, Master Navigator, Journey-Pilot, and Inkrunner. Unless a Navigator says otherwise, most Privateers are often Master Navigators or, occasionally, Journey-Pilots.

- Grand Cartographer. This is the highest rank in the Navigator Guild, and only held by one person at a time. A Grand Cartographer keeps their position for only two years as the leader and overseer of the Navigator Guild. They make decisions that affect the entire guild, such as negotiations with other guilds, trading companies, and governments.

While they cannot overrule the decision of the Navigator Council on matters like curriculum, a Grand Cartographer’s word carries a lot of weight. The Grand Cartographer is selected by the Navigator Council from eligible Master Navigators in good standing. But, per guild law, once a Master Navigator has served as the Grand Cartographer, they aren’t eligible to serve again for another three years.

- Master Navigator. Members of this rank make up the bulk of most any Navigator met out in the world, especially as Privateers. Master Navigators are fully trained navigators, able to handle any type of voyage, no matter how risky. They also will take up roles as teachers to instruct Journey-pilots and sometimes Inkrunners. It’s not uncommon to see Master Navigators take up the trade of a Mapmonger as well.

- Journey-Pilot. Also known as Journeyman-Pilots, these are Inkrunners who have finished their apprenticeship and now work under the guidance of a Master Navigator. It’s uncommon, but not unheard of, for a Journey-Pilot to take on the job of a navigator for a ship or crew. Often, it’s more common that a Journey-Pilot accompanies their Master Navigator out into the world so they can continue their studies and gain real world experience.

They continue this training until they can prove their mastery over their skills to the satisfaction of their mentor. Often this is through a series of tests or trials designed by their Master Navigator to test their student’s abilities. Usually this takes place in ever increasingly difficult situations.

Once they pass the test, the Master Navigator sends word to the Navigator Council that the Journey-Pilot has qualified for the ranks of the Master Navigators. The Journey-Pilot is officially given the rank of Master Navigator during a ceremony held in the guildhall called ‘Walking the Map’.

- Inkrunner. The last and lowest rank are the Inkrunners. These are new apprentices who have joined the guild to learn the Navigator craft in the hope to become a Journey-Pilot and study with a mentor. As new students to the craft, they spend their days in intense study. It’s rare to see an Inkrunner out as a Navigator. If they are, it’s under the close watch of a Master Navigator for a specific purpose.

Each year, dozens of hopeful students enter the Navigator Guild with visions of being a Navigator. But not all pass the trials to become a Journey-Pilot. Some Inkrunners that fail are offered a chance at another guild that’s in good standing with the Navigators. Others simply leave out of frustration over the rigorous training, or are expelled for breaking the Navigator Guild’s strict rules of ethics.

Guiding Hearts and Minds

Along with ranks, there are the Navigator Guild’s departments. These are group that help guide the guild’s direction and shape its teaching curriculum for Inkrunners and Journey-Pilots in becoming Master Navigators.

- Guild Council. Composed of the Grand Cartographer and seven senior Master Navigators, this assembly oversees daily operations of the Navigator Guild. Also, when the need arises, they act as a legal court in matters of Navigators who act against the guild, its members, or guild law.

Commonly, these are cases of an actual crime, such as murder or theft. In those situations, a Wheelhunter brings before the council the accused. After which, the accused pleads their case to the Guild Council, while the appointed Wheelhunter acts on behalf of the Navigator Guild regarding the charges. The council will decide based on the answers if the accused should be stripped of guild rank and turned over to local authorities or not. If the council finds them innocent, a Wheelhunter is sent to defend the guild member in a local court of law or act as their second in a duel of honor.

- Wheelhunters. The infamous Wheelhunters are the small legal branch of the Navigator Guild. Each one is a Master Navigator in their own right, but they are also bounty hunters and lawyers as well. Wheelhunters are the enforcement arm of the Guild Council, tracking down errant Navigators as needed. They are sent to bring navigators back to the Council for judgment, or to help defend a navigator against any legal trouble they might have out in the world. It isn’t unheard of for a Wheelhunter to defend both a Navigator or their allies when the need arises.

- Mapmongers. They are the most well-known, and the most vital, group of the entire guild. Mapmongers are the guild’s caretakers, librarians, and instructors. They are Master Navigators that, either by choice or injury, remain at the guildhall to study and maintain maps or journals for the guild to use. Mapmongers create copies of these valuable journals and maps, then store the originals in locked vaults guarded by Wheelhunters.

As instructors, Mapmongers handle training all Inkrunners through their basic lessons from reading and writing, to mapmaking and simple Etherwave channeling. All the foundation skills necessary to progress through the guild ranks. Their duties also cover the final test all Inkrunners take to prove their skill to become a Journey-Pilot. Ones that succeed these ‘Ink Trials’ are given an engraved compass to mark the special moment. Rumor has is that these fine quality watches were designed for the guild to act as a compass as well.

It’s uncommon for Mapsmongers to venture out into the world away from their maps, books, and Inkrunner students. But it has happened. When it does, it’s often for a Mapmonger to investigate a rare map or navigation relic that can’t be moved from its original location. The other reason is to advise about a sensitive expedition to a dangerous location.

A Rising Power

The Navigator Guild is young, as most guilds measure time. But in just ten years, the guild grew from four determined navigators to several hundreds, with small guild halls scattered Portugal to the Caribbean and beyond. This has caught the attention of many governments, guilds, and kingdoms. Most of the attention has been favorable, and many approach the Navigator Guild for trade route advice or to consult on a dangerous expedition. Other attention aimed at the Navigator Guild has been less kind.

There are some that see the Navigator Guild as a threat. A rising power that could challenge long held monarchies or the iron grip of the Trade Guild Syndicate. The common claim is that the Navigator Guild hoards the most rare journals, logbooks, and maps for themselves. Then use them to hunt down and fill their own guild coffers with relics and other recovered valuables. One item drives this jealousy, the legendary Mistrunner Logs that supposedly detail the location of every Arcane Gate that exist on Earth and Otherworld.

It’s a common rumor they have maps and more the guild keeps to themselves. Notes on dangerous places that aren’t safe for the world to know about. At least, not yet…

- Doctor Pedro Sangre, Alchemist and Privateer

Game Notes

Threat 3

Faction Contacts:

• Obadiah Liggett. Human. Master Navigator with a talent for finding sunken ships or hard to find Arcane Gates.

• Garnet Bronbur. Grimling. Always seems to have a smile and look on the bright side. Mapmonger with a talent for ‘Weatherbinding’. Some say she can speak with the Spirit of the Sea herself.

• Jal’rek Klossuv. Morasu. Cartographer well steeped in the sea's lore and said to have a natural talent for working with Arcane Gates. Even to where some say the Gates obey his every command.

Notable Assets and Resources:

• Extensive maps with notes concerning Otherworld ruins on Earth

• Wheelhunters who will help allies deal with troubles both in and outside the courtroom.

• Materials and supplies for repairing or crating a ship’s ‘portal platform’ that a navigator uses to open an Arcane Gate.

Allies:

• Cogworks House

• Kelstani, the Covenant of the Coast

Enemies:

• Trade Guild Syndicate

• Bonewright Order

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- Kummer Wolfe