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The Union's origin can be traced back to hundreds of small independent guilds made by merchants and artisans - for the most part in order to better protect them from being pushed out of the market by the Fulcrum.
These eventually sought out to ally and cooperate, eventually turning into the nation-spanning Union that exists today.
Originally had a Chamber of Representatives - with each guild having one representative - with the Chamber voting on resolutions in a democratic manner.
Each guild picked their representative, with it being possible for multiple guilds to pick the same representative. Caused a consolidation of power over the years, with the Union now having 3 leaders who've served for generations. They've changed the structure and how the Union operates in the meantime. Technically still possible for a “guild” to pick a different representative than the 3, but it's not practiced anymore, and is difficult to do due to how the Union operates today.
Basically a faction led by a Chamber of Representatives turned into a massive company owned by 3 different families, who are joint owners but also sort of joint rivals.
The Wayfarer's Union
The Wayfarer's Unions traces its origins to hundreds of local merchant and artisan guilds.
These were formed to protect the smaller merchants and artisans in it and allow them to compete with larger companies and organizations. These guilds provided a level of organization and support that helped members set fair prices for their goods, better negotiate with suppliers and customers, and establish standards for quality and craftmanship. Through the guild's shared resources, guild members could also pool their resources to invest in new projects and ventures, and to provide mutual support in times of need. This helped them create a more level playing field for smaller businesses, and helped prevent its members from being pushed out of the market by larger competitors.
Faction symbol/insignia: Two hands shaking in front of a trade vessel, that looks typical of those used to transport goods by sea. The ship is depicted as if seen from the front, and has a single large sail visible.
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The Wayferer's Union exists in a weird middle-ground between a federation of merchant, craftsmen, and artisan guilds that are lead by a representative council; and a business jointly owned by three powerful Marcandrian families.
The Wayfarer's Union traces its origin back to a large number of small local guilds scattered across Marcandrian settlements. These were formed by smaller merchants, craftsmen, and artisans of similar professions, typically all operating in the same settlement, in order to protect themselves and allow them to compete with larger companies and organizations — most notably against larger businesses that were part of the Fulcrum. These local guilds provided a level of organization and support that helped members set fair prices for their goods, better negotiate with suppliers and consumers, and establish standards for quality and craftmanship. Through the guild's shared resources, guild members could pool their resources to invest in new projects and ventures, and could provide mutual support in times of need. This helped the smaller businesses of its member create a more level playing field, and helped prevent its members from being pushed out of the market by larger competitors.
As time went on, these guilds would start cooperating with one another — first with other local guilds from the same settlement; then with guilds local to neighboring settlements. This caused a large number of growing confederations of guilds to emerge in Marcandria. These gradually evolved into federations — forming a larger centralized organization, where individual guilds would retain some level of authority, but all agreed to work together and be governed by a central authority. As time went on, these federations of guilds continued to grow and merge together until they eventually formed a nation-spanning federation called the Wayfarer's Union.
The Wayfarer's Unions traces its origins to hundreds of local merchant and artisan guilds.
These were formed to protect the smaller merchants and artisans in it and allow them to compete with larger companies and organizations. These guilds provided a level of organization and support that helped members set fair prices for their goods, better negotiate with suppliers and customers, and establish standards for quality and craftmanship. Through the guild's shared resources, guild members could also pool their resources to invest in new projects and ventures, and to provide mutual support in times of need. This helped them create a more level playing field for smaller businesses, and helped prevent its members from being pushed out of the market by larger competitors.