| “ | I fancied I felt the fingers of future Artificers guiding my very steps as I walked. | ” |
The Artificers' Guild is an international body of scientists, technicians and inventors (who are known as Artificers) dedicated to developing robotic and automaton technologies. They have political influence in almost every country despite officially being politically neutral.
Background[]
Artificers' Guild is the largest Artificing organisation in the world, but not all Artificers are part of Artificers' Guild. There are two main rules of the Guild: to remain politically neutral and against making weapons. Artificers from Austro-Hungarian Empire and Zulu Federation are not part of the guild because they defy these rules. While the Scuola were originally considered part of the Italian branch of the Guild, they are now an illegal separate group due to their activities in controlling the Italian government and making weapons for the Empire. Public perception of the Guild differs from country to country; in the southern US states, for example, Artificers of the Guild are reviled.
Artificers wear a copper lily to signify membership, and the official language of the guild is Turkish since that is supposedly where the Guild began. But a driver from Alexandria claims the Guild was founded on the banks of the River Nile, while a prideful Passepartout can suggest it was founded in France.
Role[]
The Guild is an extremely powerful organisation and influence the politics of several nations visited by Phileas Fogg and Passepartout, though they are officially pledged to neutrality.
During his journey, Passepartout may be able to obtain an Artificer's Medallion which will bestow upon him immediate trust from any Artificer.
The known accessible Guild Outposts are in Paris, Virgohamma (via Smeerenburg), Bucharest, Bombay, Karimskaya and Buenos Aires.
Controversies[]
Diversity[]
The Guild lacks influence in some parts of the world, even being rejected in a few. Only seven Sami people, one of whom is Ráijá Juho, have ever joined the Guild, suggesting deepset distaste for them there. The Guild does not allow people of Austro-Hungarian origin to join, even defectors like Herr Danzer.
Violence[]
The Guild planted a small exploding scarab in a bowl of soup in Budapest, blowing up in front of Fogg and Passepartout. This was meant to show opposition to the Emperor of Austria-Hungary. A headline later claimed that the Guild didn't intend it towards Fogg. Despite being against war automata, they have a certain unofficial admiration of them- Gülbahar bint Saleh even calls the Imperial Kriegorchester 'too perfect'.
Transparency[]
A newspaper headline claims the Guild has fallen under scrutiny for having little transparency in the appointment of its councillors, re-electing the same people repeatedly.
Neutrality[]
The neutrality of the Guild is dubious. They are unofficially sworn enemies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Herr Danzer goes on to claim that they are not neutral at all, instead representing their own interests with reach even larger than that of the British Empire.
Trivia[]
- The Guild and its creations are heavily influenced by steampunk subculture.