Theanovene guilds span every possible career out there that can be performed in the city (there’s a running joke about the nonexistent lumberjacks guild) which makes Theanovene a great place to work any trade. Guilds vary in a lot of ways but most are typically quite demanding of their members and long hours are common for Theanovians. Those who don’t wish to associate with the guild related to their trade (or are in so unique a trade it has no guild) do well in Theanovene, but they have no influence on the Theanovene council.

There is some consumer bias towards shops that are a part of guild however, so business is always better when attached to a guild. To be a part of the guild a member has to follow specific guild rules, some of the most common being a monthly fee to the guild and continuing education in the field. Guilds manage their own memberships and excluding actions that go against the Theanovene charter, the council has no say in the rules of those memberships. Banishment and suspension of membership are both possibilities in the Theanovene guilds.

Particularly, suspension of membership comes into play when someone holds membership with multiple guilds. Charter law states that while there is nothing wrong with an individual maintaining memberships in multiple guilds, the individual is only to be counted for a legal purposes as a member of a single guild. A process of suspension and reinstating is required for these individuals to move their legal status to a different guild, but this is only a matter of time to file all the paperwork; it is not otherwise restricted.

Theanovians typically get two days off in a week, though which days are decided on by the guild they work for. Those who own businesses independent from guilds can set their own days off, but most follow the trends. Most guilds respect Sundays as universal day off, when possible. This makes it easier for people from different guilds to interact, and council sessions often end up on these days.

Theanovene is a high paced city, not only due to it’s status as the trade capital of Aurii, but due to it’s people. No one can say which came first, but just like the businesses in Theanovene Theanovians are are fast paced people. They walk fast, talk fast, and do their business with purpose. That’s not to say they rush things, Theanovians take great pride in their work, be it business, creative or something else.

As a trade capital, Theanovene has access to foods from across Aurii. Theanovene’s Culinary Guild has Aurii’s top chefs among it’s members and most have settled in Theanovene due to the ease of access to ingredients. Theanovene has restaurants for every style of cooking one can find in Aurii, from Wynne down to Dreca. Theanovene’s limited farming ability means there are always food imports coming into the city to sustain this wide variety of foods. Theanovene has innovated more new uses for ingredients than any other nation but it doesn’t contribute any unique ingredients of it’s own.

Children begin education at age 8, and continue until age 13. There are various post primary education options for students in Theanovene, the city has has multiple colleges of academic study within it’s walls. As most things are, these colleges are associated with the guild related to the field of study. Most who graduate from a guild college are awarded with membership to the guild.

Theanovene has a more detailed history than any other nation, if only because they have far less to record. Theanovene became independent at the end of the Eraian Crusades and already was an established city. The Lore Keepers Guild maintains excellent public records of not only the council’s discussions, but works with the News Guild to record the Theanovene Almanac and other public documents.

Theanovene has a school of magic, tied to the Mage’s Guild. The Mage’s Guild has a rather large presence in Theanovene, being both a well respected Guild and one that frequently provide magical assistance to fellow guild where possible. Theanovene is the largest producer of Magic Tomes, and the Mage’s Guild oversees the creation of them.

Theanovene has a full legal system, backed through the Judiciary Guild. The Guild, while managed specifically by the Theanovene Council (the only one that is managed by the Council as opposed to being a voice on in it) is in charge of handling local law and order as well as the fair trial of those accused. Foreign guests in Theanovene, if they are involved in some kind of dispute, are also brought before the Judiciary Guild. By entering the city, one accepts that the Judiciary Guild’s laws are to be respected and an arrest will be lawful within one’s own country as well. There are exceptions made to this for certain types of guests (diplomats and the like), but in general it holds true.

Theanovene law is enforced by the Town Guard, a non guild organization. The Town Guard is under the direct command of the Council though there are various Captains and Commanders appointed so the Council rarely has to deal with the Guard’s duties. Theanovene’s Town Guard is larger than the kinds you would see in other nations, as it also serves as Theanovene’s army. Town Guardsmen all train for seige defense of the city in addition to the normal duties and patrols of a guard force. Another reason for the large size of the Guard is the sheer amount of trade that goes on in Theanovene. Theft is the most common crime in Theanovene and the Guard heavily patrols in efforts to curb it’s spread. This has only been produced modest success due to the size and density of the city.

The Theanovene Almanac is an extremely well know publication across Aurii. Produced monthly by the News Guild, the Almanac includes world happenings, local news to Theanovene, pieces by featured writers and more. The Almanac is the single most circulated document in Aurii, an entire division of the Printing Guild subcontracted to the News Guild to print enough copies to meet the demand.

There are very few things that will surprise a Theanovian. Theanovene has visitors and permanent residents from everywhere in Aurii meaning that every custom, tradition, quirk, and nuance of the other nations is represented in Theanovene. Those born in Theanovene quickly learn to tune of the strange and different as “another nation’s normal”. So long as the event doesn’t draw attention in the wrong ways, such as conflict between hostile nations, most Theanovians will pass on by without so much as a batted eye.

The Diplomacy Guild exists to train and support Theanovians who will be actively working with other nations, teaching them the ins and outs of other cultures so as to ensure foreigners find Theanovene to be the peaceful city it strives so hard to be. The Diplomacy Guild’s teachings aren’t exclusive to their members, however. Most Theanovians native to the city will have some form of training on other cultures and what not to do. Primary education includes the history of the city and explains that neutrality is earned through being respectful. The Diplomacy Guild will come in to teach it’s basic philosophies and simple cultural notes to the students in the same section.

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Theanovene’s Military is it’s Town Guard. The Guard trains for local work such as patrols the majority of the time, but every other week there are training sessions for seige warfare. Most guardsmen accept this as part of the job and don’t see it as something that will ever occur. The leadership in the Guard hasn’t seen a seige of Theanovene in their lifetimes as well, make the whole thing routine. Despite this, the Guard keep up the tradition and are at least moderately prepared for a conflict to come knocking at their door.

Theanovians make a point of not alienating other cultures. This comes from an understanding of their position in world politics; any other nation on Aurii could cause severe problems for Theanovene’s way of life. As a neutral city, Theanovene will only survive as long as the other nations in the world consider the city better as it is than conquered or destroyed.

The people embody this by learning the taboos of every Kingdom’s culture and ensuring a welcoming visit for foreign travellers. Offending someone’s culture is seen as extremely disgraceful by Theanovian citizens, a sort of cultural identity of their own. These efforts have paid off and other nations find Theanovene and it’s people to be pleasant and enjoyable company.