# Organizations & Guilds - Taxonomy Overview
## Description
The powerful institutions that control trade, regulate magic, enforce philosophical orthodoxy, or resist the established order - from merchant guilds to mage colleges to underground resistance movements
## Entry Guidelines for Organizations & Guilds
These guidelines provide a flexible framework - adapt sections as needed for each entry's unique story.
### Core Elements (Include Most)
- **Power & Purpose** - What the organization controls, seeks to achieve, or fights against - whether that's cornering the mana market, preserving ancient knowledge, or determining what ideas can be traded
- **Economic Engine** - How they fund their operations, from membership dues and trade monopolies to magical patents and philosophical tithes - money and ideology intertwined
- **Internal Culture** - The rituals, ranks, secret handshakes, and philosophical debates that define membership - show us what it feels like to belong (or be excluded)
- **Methods & Influence** - Their tools of power, from economic sanctions and magical enforcement to philosophical arguments and market manipulation
### Additional Elements (Use When Relevant)
- **Origin Mythos** - The founding story they tell themselves, versus the messier historical truth - especially revealing for older organizations
- **Factional Tensions** - Internal conflicts between profit and principle, tradition and innovation, or responses to the Nullity threat
- **Secret Agendas** - Hidden purposes, classified research into the Nullity, forbidden magical practices, or heretical economic theories
- **Symbols & Spaces** - Guildhalls, secret signs, ceremonial regalia, or architectural statements of power that members recognize instantly
## Writing Guidelines
- **Length**: Target 300-400 words for initial entries (expand if the story demands it)
- **Voice**: Favor engaging, immersive writing over bland description
- **Style**: Mix documentary precision with narrative flair - include quotes, in-world documents, interesting perspectives
- **Connections**: Weave in references to existing entries naturally
- **Personality**: Each entry should feel distinctive and memorable
## Content Approach
- Use in-world quotes, documents, or observations when they enhance the entry
- Include specific, vivid details that bring the element to life
- Show relationships and conflicts rather than just listing them
- Write from interesting angles - a scholar's notes, a traveler's account, conflicting reports
- Make each entry feel like it has personality and history
## Writing Philosophy
These guidelines serve as flexible frameworks rather than rigid templates. Each entry should be crafted to tell its unique story while maintaining consistency with the world's established tone and feel. Prioritize engaging, immersive writing that brings each element to life through vivid details, interesting perspectives, and natural connections to other world elements.
