The Provinces of Ulthuan | The history of Ulthuan | The Dragon's Guild | Religion | Training in Ulthuan | Miscellany
The Dragon's Guild is one of the most important and politically powerful organisations within Ulthuan. The circumstances surrounding its precise origins are lost to the ravages of time, although it is generally considered that the first seeds that eventually grew into the Dragon's Guild we know today originated around 125 A.S. (After Sundering - see the notes on the Ulthuanian calendar). Originally it started life as simply a collection of traders clubbing together for their own benefit. Over time this grew into a mighty merchant's union. And after even more time it began to swallow the guilds and unions of other professions, too. Scientists. Mercenaries. Scholars. Until in the year 180 A.S the Guild as we know it today was finally born with the appointment of the first person ever to hold the title of Dragon Master, one Aradiel Ironkeep. Nowadays the Dragon's Guild remains quite solid in its structure in spite of recent disturbances within the higher echelons of its management. Although it still continues to grow in size and in influence, and nobody can really agree on whether it is a benevolent organisation or one with sinister motives behind its apparent desire for justice.
The Guild is divided into many different departments and subdepartments, each with its own role to play in the running of Guild business (more will be said on the different departments later). Each department is managed by one or two people who report directly to an immediate superior in charge of several different departments. Traditionally these Guild leaders are referred to as Lords or Ladies, each taking the codename of a pokémon that reflects both their rank (Lord Magikarp, for example, is the head of the photocopying department) and their personality (e.g. Lord Absol, who is dark, moody and only ever seems to show up during major disasters). The major Lords and Ladies have seats on a small council who make most of the real decisions that affect the Dragon's Guild. However, even this council reports to another, the real head of the Dragon's Guild, who traditionally takes the title of Dragon Master. The last known Dragon Master was a man named Scott McHenry, although he disappeared during a mission and since then a great uncertainty has fallen as to who is really leading the Guild at this moment.
These are just a few of the more notable factions of the guild, in actual fact there are many more minor divisions, each with their own internal management and specific roles within the Guild.
Pokémon Research and Training Department. Head: Lady Ninetales
This department is the one most familiar to the pokémon trainers of Ulthuan, in fact it is the only branch of the Guild many have to deal with,
leading some to mistakenly think it is the beginning and end of the organisation. This branch has its headquarters in the capital of Caledor, Sector
Alpha, and is in charge of all things relating to pokémon. Think of it as being Ulthuan's answer to the Pokémon League. Not only does it take
care of the trainers under its juridstiction but it is also responsible for the organisation of large events such as the various tournaments that have
been held over the years. Inside its vast, sprawling headquarters lies one of the biggest, most comprehensive libraries relating to this department's
specialist subject in the entire world as well as a training barracks and a laboratory that conducts some of the most cutting-edge research into
pokémon in the land. In addition to this the department provides an unofficial contact point for the Dragon Tamers vigilante group - two of the
people directly under Lady Ninetales, Lady Vulpix and Lord Umbreon, are also highly ranked within that particular group and although the Guild sometimes
disapproves of the Dragon Tamers they find having them as allies too useful to sever all ties with them.
Mercenary Trainer's Union. Head: Lady Banette
Closely linked with the Research and Training Department although not directly under its influence, the MTU was born recently owing to a need to
regulate the large number of 'trainers for hire' throughout Ulthuan. Now every time a trainer is required as a bodyguard, an assistant to public training
facilities or just to put on an impressive acrobatics display with their pokémon you know exactly where you can find one. Or two thousand, as the
most recent employee figures shows. The MTU head office is situated a mere two roads away from the Pokémon Research and Training Department in
Sector Alpha and is normally a large, impressive modern building that closely resembles a skyscraper, many offices and random training rooms contained
within its confines (although quite recently it suffered a terrorist attack by the Crimson Blades and still hasn't quite recovered from that). Its
members work closely with their Guild neighbours and even help the Guild and Dragon Tamers members out with their pokémon training in times of
peace.
Traders and Merchants Association. Head: Lord Articuno
This department can really be considered the very heart of the Guild. It is from this giant group of shopkeepers, merchants and other traders that the
Dragon's Guild first emerged. It is essentially one of the biggest trade unions on the entire planet, with many thousands of members (in fact no trader in
Ulthuan is stupid enough not to appreciate the benefits of registering with the Guild) and a huge headquarters in Lothern that fits in well with the
other giant, archaic buildings typical of Ulthuan's unofficial capital. It generally exists to settle disputes, provide financial services for its
members and generally ensure that trade within Ulthuan is carried out with as much fairess as possible. However, this hasn't stopped the Association from
using its quite considerable political clout to lean heavily on the ones in charge of taxes and the like to make sure any decisions made are well in
favour of its members!
Soldiers of the Griffin. Head: Lord Skarmory
Not actually the official army of Ulthuan in spite of the fact that many members of this department also hold rank in the realm's actual military force.
The Soldiers of the Griffin originally started as mere bodyguards for the traders that form the core of the Dragon's Guild, but over the years they have
evolved into a highly skilled force that, whilst in military terms couldn't really be considered more than one or two units of troops, should not be
underestimated under any circumstances. They are the private guard of the Dragon's Guild, each man highly trained and equipped with the best weapons money
can buy (although this doesn't stop the inescapable truth that a single member of the Order of the Dragon could probably wipe out the entire unit without
so much as breaking a sweat). It is worth noting that there has been a long-standing animosity between this group and the Pokémon Research and
Training department, largely due to arguments over whether a pokémon is actually a useful tool in battle or not. The author notes that they seem to
have shut up since Reaper of the Crimson Blades rather violently settled that particular debate by destroying at least three settlements and a good
proportion of Ulthuan's military forces.
Tactical Neutralisation Unit (Order of the Dragon). Head: Lord Absol
Possibly the most secretive department within the entire Guild. Nobody is really sure what the Tactical Neutralisation Unit actually does, who it is
answerable to, where its base may be or indeed why it exists at all. All that is known is that its members tend to show up in times of great peril, deal
with threats beyond those that mere humans could vanquish and then vanish as silently as they arrived. All records and links to their structure or true
goals have been conveniently deleted from Guild records. However, as creepy as they may be, most are in agreement that without their amazing skills as
soldiers Ulthuan would have been lost to the forces of darkness long ago. (Note: In fact this depatment is composed of no more than twenty soldiers,
pokémon trainers and mages, each highly trained to endure far more than an average human and inflict twice as much pain and indocrinated in the
religion and magics of the Old Ones. They exist purely to keep a tight rein on the supernatural threats that threaten to engulf Ulthuan on a daily basis
and can essentially be thought of as the Guild's Men in Black. They are a highly skilled unit who can trace their origins back to the days before The
Sundering - in fact the departments members much prefer the unit's original name, the Order of the Dragon, to the 'modernised' name the Guild uses - and
hence are privy to much information that even the Dragon Master himself may not actually be aware of).