Windcallers' Brotherhood
The Windcallers' Brotherhood was one of the Seven Great Guilds of the Orethan Dominion, distinguished by its mastery of air crystals and its command of the skies over the Dominion's territories. At its height the Brotherhood numbered approximately 30,000 wind-callers and served as the Dominion's primary institution for communication, navigation, and aerial trade.
Overview
According to A History of Rislandia, the Brotherhood's symbol was "a white falcon on blue field," reflecting its identity as a guild of the air. Its leader bore the title The Zephyr Lord, and its headquarters were established in Aquilae. The Brotherhood's membership performed the roles of messengers, navigators, and traders across the Dominion, making it one of the most economically and logistically vital of the Seven Great Guilds.
History
Role in the Orethan Dominion
As one of the crystal guilds, the Windcallers' Brotherhood wielded considerable influence within the Orethan Dominion through its control of aerial transportation and rapid communication. Among its notable achievements were the development of wind-ships—flying platforms powered by air crystals—weather control, and a fast communication network that served the Dominion's vast administrative needs.
The Brotherhood's prominence brought it into conflict with the Stonemasons' Covenant, with the two guilds contesting control of transportation infrastructure. This rivalry was one of the defining institutional tensions of the late Dominion period.
The Staged Assassination and the Night of Shattered Crystals
According to A History of Rislandia, a member of the Windcallers' Brotherhood was used as a patsy in the staged assassination attempt on Emperor Nerovan the Mad, implicating the guild in an act of treason it did not orchestrate. This manipulation provided the pretext for the Brotherhood's destruction.
During the Night of Shattered Crystals, imperial soldiers moved against the guild's seat of power. The source records that "the Windcallers and Tideweavers fled by wind-ship before soldiers arrived," allowing a portion of the Brotherhood's membership to escape Aquilae before the crackdown could be completed. Many wind-callers subsequently fled to distant lands or went underground to avoid capture.
The Sundering and Loss of Power
Following the Great Sundering, wind-callers found that they could no longer summon breezes, indicating that the Sundering severed or fundamentally disrupted the connection between practitioners and the air-crystal magic upon which the Brotherhood's entire identity and capability had rested.
Legacy: The Windwhisperer Network
Remnant members of the Windcallers' Brotherhood who survived the Night of Shattered Crystals and its aftermath eventually coalesced into the Windwhisperer Network, a clandestine successor organization. The Network preserved elements of the Brotherhood's traditions and purpose, though operating under very different circumstances than the open guild structure of the Dominion era.
Description
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Crystal guild |
| Parent body | Seven Great Guilds of the Orethan Dominion |
| Headquarters | Aquilae |
| Leader title | The Zephyr Lord |
| Membership | Approximately 30,000 wind-callers |
| Symbol | A white falcon on blue field |
| Primary resource | Air crystals |
| Successor | Windwhisperer Network |