Guild Master

Generally speaking, a Guild master must be the best at what they do among the members of the guild. If they are not, the guild members will likely raise the most skilled to the position. However, the only technical qualification is to be a licensed practitioner of your craft. from there, it's an internal decision for the guild itself.

In order to be a Guild Master, one must possess a License to Practice and be either a member of a guild or the guild's founder. In the case of founding the guild, it is assumed one of the founders will be the master.

Typically, a Guild Master will retire at some point, choosing their successor before they do so. This also applies to death. In the case that did not occur, however, a number of member that desire the position can put their name in for a vote among the other members. The winner of the vote becomes the new master.

Being the master of a guild entails a great deal. They are expected to maintain the morale of the guild members, but are also held accountable for any and all acts of their members. If a member of a guild is caught doing a crime, the master is held accountable and can even be punished - though to a lesser degree - for what their subordinate has done.

Guild Masters are responsible for providing lodging for at least half of their guild members, which entails a great deal of operations management, as they have to ensure that these arrangements are deemed appropriate and maintain certain standards, so as to incentivize members staying there, allowing the guild to collect rent, as well as have the potential to grow the guild.   They are also the one that oversees the financial and capital records. Whether they do it themselves or hire a Bursar, they are the one ultimately in charge of making sure the books are accurate.   Finally, they are responsible for the acquisition of jobs. Guilds operate nigh entirely on paid contracts, so, without a regular flow of jobs, the guild collapses. Therefore, the master must not only pick an appropriate number of jobs, but pick jobs that will pay well and be something the members can complete in order to get the payout.

There are a number of gains to being the master of a guild, not the least of which is the guild itself. If a guild leader does well and earns the respect and loyalty of their members, they have essentially created a tiny kingdom over which they are sovereign. This grants a large amount of power as the size of the guild can be leveraged for political and financial gain - ultimately benefitting the members as well.   Additionally, they pay no taxes as they are considered public servants. Whether it is a smithing, questing, or architectural guild, the jobs they take better the society around them and alleviate some of the burden from the government.   They are also paid according to the number of jobs their guild completes in a given month. Therefore, the larger the guild and the more jobs completed, the higher the pay for the guild master.

If their guild is disbanded by the government, they will obviously not have a guild to be the master of, but, barring that event, there are two ways they may be removed from their role as guild master.   The first is to be forced to step down by the government. This is usually the alternative to disbandment, the rationale being that the guild can right itself under new leadership.   The second is to be forced out by the members. If they are unhappy with the job their master is doing, they can petition the government for a Writ of the Usurper, allowing them to remove the master. They can do so without the writ, but the warrant makes it a criminal act to resist, thus guaranteeing success.