Legends: the Urartu Delver's Guild of Sabaea

History:

Long ago, when the waters of the great flood receded, Utnapishtm landed his great ark atop the summit of mount Nisir. Then did he bring forth the seed of all life which he had kept as a trust to repopulate the earth. From the seed, he drew forth the antelope, the crocodile, the raven, and indeed all the creatures of the earth and birds of the sky, and send them forth into the land.

But some creatures, he did not draw forth. The horrible creatures that were ugly to look upon and abominations that he thought too dangerous for the new world. Instead, he cast the seed down into a deep crevasse near the base of mount Nisir, there to dwell in darkness for eternity.

This turned out to be a bad decision, because all seeds will eventually germinate in the warm embrace of the earth. When this one did, it festered and issued forth a swarm of poisonous life. Centuries passed as these creatures tunnelled, struggled, lived, died, and evolved far from the light of day. When the creatures of this labyrinth finally re-discovered the surface of the world they were much changed. Although now afraid of the open sky and pained by the touch of the sun, they nevertheless come boiling forth (usually at night) as the result of internal pressures within their strange ecology.

Because of the monstrous incursions that have issued forth from this cesspool of evil, the Sabaen pharaohs built and chartered a guildhouse to govern the maintenance of this labyrinth. Its guildmaster is answerable directly to the pharaoh to provide a status of its management. This is a position appointed by the crown.

The entrance to the labyrinth is guarded by a small detachment of pharaoh's army, and only registered members of the "Urartu Delver's Guild" are permitted in or out. Any group wishing to explore or otherwise plunder the labyrinth must be sponsored by a current group in good standing, sign a contract defining their group's charter, and abide by all of the guild bylaws.


Some Guild Benefits:

  • Possible Rescue
  • Guild Appraiser Services
  • Maps of levels 1-5 are freely available
  • Use of the common guild library
  • Library private alcove space may be rented
  • Living Quarters at the guildhouse
  • Long-term stabling for steeds
  • Use of the guild Vault
  • Guild physician services
  • Bulletin Board
  • Minor magic (healing potions and such) available for purchase

Some Guild Rules:

  • Initial registration fee
  • Tax on monetary loot
  • Tax on prizes as assessed by the guild appraiser
  • Report map updates to levels 1 through 5
  • Non-Aggression and assistance clause
  • Return policy for remains of chartered members
  • Attend monthly meeting and re-affirm guild oath

Guild Member Organizations

The Warriors Three:
This group is sponsored by the crown. It consists of three low level warriors charged with patrolling and keeping clear the upper levels. Membership changes from time to time as one or another is returned to the army and replaced by a promising new candidate. Presently, the three include a Syrtican sergeant and two Sabaean corporals.
Members (3)

The Champions of Osirus:
Initially sponsored by the Warriors Three. It consists of five individuals who were empowered by the Rod of Osirus at the great naming of Champions held in Omalara once each decade: a holy warrior, a warrior monk, a barbaric warrior, a wizard, and a warrior scout. Their stated goal is to seek the staff of Utnapishtim.
Members (5)

Seekers After Lost Lore:
This group of delvers is the oldest charter of all active groups. Their forrays are infrequent and usually in pursuit of some new rumor regarding writings or symbols. They have their own guild library alcove, keep pretty much to themselves and do not participate strongly in the ordinary running of the guild unless called upon to do so. Their membership seems to be long on arcane spellcasters, and they have been known to play host to mysterious 'colleagues' from afar. It is rumored that their organization is much more farspread than the chapter studying this labyrinth. Their members vary in ability from low to mid-levels, and at least some of their enrolled members appear to be just hired sellswords.
Members (9)

The Claws of Bast:
This organization maintains a roster of eight members in the Delver's Guild. They are followers of the cat goddess, Bast of various stripes. Called simply "the claws" (or sometimes "the basters" by their detractors), their stated goal is to help contain the evil forces that dwell in the labyrinth and also to seek the 'seed of all living things' that is rumored to lie somewhere deep within.
Members (8)

The Alliance Cartel:
This mercenary band was formed to derive profit and personal advancement by plumbing the depths of the labyrinth and seeking its treasures. They jealously guard their secrets from other groups unless well paid for them. They see themselves as leaders within the guild, and are sticklers for the rules, advancing an agenda of opportunism.
Members (8)

The Avengers of Ibb:
This is a group of Mareans (half-orc citizens of Saba). They were originally formed from a group of survivors from the village of Ibb. Ibb was laid waste by a particularly nasty incursion of monsters from the labyrinth about eighty years ago. They formed a delving company in order to seek personal revenge against the unnamed terrors below. Of the current group, some are descendants, and some are new members who have embraced their ideals. Though generally lower level than most other delvers, the Avengers are the most vociferous about following an agenda of annihilating all denizens of labyrinth, and happily join in any venture which promotes this cause.
Members (12)

The Plunderers:
This is a mercenary brotherhood formed to seek treasures in the labyrinth. The Plunderers are vexed by all of the rules in the Delver's Guild and seek to abolish or ignore as many as possible. Their motto seems to be "anything goes as long as you don't get caught". They have an emphasis on stealth and stealth missions to extract treasures without arousing the creatures' notice. Other groups often chastise the Plunderers for not helping to clear out the creatures and just taking the prizes, but there are no official guild rules against such behavior. The Plunderers are among the best at finding and defeating traps.
Members (6)

Enemy Mine:
This is mainly a bunch of adventuresome nobles from nearby areas who see delving mainly as sport and a relief from boredom. They pay good lip-service about helping to keep the evil creatures at bay, but their expeditions seem to be more aimed at collecting trophies. Meaningful membership in their group is only open to those of noble birth, but they also purchase and maintain guild memberships for their liveried servants, experts, and guides.
Members (7)

Slayers of the Dead:
This is the second oldest charter in the guild. They like to focus on removing the threat posed by the undead population of labyrinth by sanctifying and putting such mockeries of life to their final rest. They had a run of bad luck lately in dealing with a master vampire and his minions down on level nine. This has reduced current membership to the sole surviving individual. He stubbornly continues to pay his dues and to mount simpler expeditions while trying to recruit others to his cause and revitalize the group. He fears he will have to find and put down his erstwhile companions who may have been corrupted into tortured undead souls themselves.
Members (1)

The Underdark Explorers Society:
This group finds the study of the exotic lifeforms of labyrinth very compelling and worthwhile in its own right. Although they assist in clearing the upper levels per the guild charter, they often petition for exceptions. Their main stated goal is to observe and understand the strange creatures and ecologies below. They have a private library alcove dedicated to creature knowledge. They believe that the answer to incursions lies in learning how to monitor and manage the natural balance of power within labyrinth.
Members (10)

Four Children of Lamech:
This is the most recent group to join the Guild (other than the Champions of Osirus). They were sponsored by the Plunderers. The Children seek out challenges mainly to advance their power. Wealth is secondary, but still important to them. Their forrays are frequent and a bit daring. They seem to have enchantment and mind domination as a sideline and enjoy revelry. They do not recruit outside of their current small group, but socialize amiably enough with others.
Members (4)