The Iron Crane
Stood on one foot, the crane turns its head to all sides. Surveying its surroundings, it finds no dangers; it is safe, for the moment. A few moments later, it turns its head again, this time looking for a meal. Again, it finds nothing, but it waits there patiently, always watching, always ready. The crane is a master of balance, the keeper of its lands, a symbol of patience and intelligence.
We are the Iron Crane; a band of brothers and sisters keeping the balance between nature and man. We are protectors of the realm, of town and forest alike. We defend the weak from the evils of the earth, and we defend the earth from the evils of men. We are strong and unyielding like iron, patient and steady like the crane. We love our people and our lands, and we have always worked to broker peace between them. This is our holy charge, under the Fifth Virtue we stay our course, ready for all that may come.
Structure
The Iron Crane is a small collective without a single leader. All decisions are made by the entirety of the group, and one can only join the group by a unanimous vote of confidence. Most contracts are worked on together, except when they are small enough to be completed by one person or a pair. All members of the Iron Crane are considered equal, and all rewards are shared equally, with 25% of the funds from all contracts being allocated specifically to improve the facilities of the guildhall itself.
Culture
The culture of the Iron Crane is one of a supreme respect for the natural world, but also for the achievements of civilization. Its members believe that harmony can be achieved between man and nature in all aspects.
History
The Iron Crane was founded 49 years ago during the last calendar creation-cycle at the threat of a rampaging wyrm to the south of Suszeng, in the plains of Kastatsz Tuszimos. Two brothers, who were previously legates in the imperial military, traveled south to meet the threat, and slew it just as it approached an indigenous village underneath the great tree. After their deed was finished, they learned that the villagers had invoked the rage of the wyrm by excessively burning and razing its home forest for lumber; the two brothers then destroyed the village's lumber mill, and brought the village's chief to Suszeng, to face punishment for his crimes against nature, for taking more than he needed. Had the balance of nature never been skewed, the violence would've not been necessary. After this incident, they agreed to continue keeping the balance in this way, and began to enlist others to join their efforts.
Nowadays, membership of the guild ranges between 8-12 individuals, and they receive many of their contracts from the Crown itself, when villages overstep their rights of harvest and must be made to stop, or when magical beasts stray too far from their homes into the world of men and pose a significant threat to innocent people. Individuals also hire them at times to protect them during dangerous expeditions, to ward them from dangers they might encounter on their way.
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