Before the Great Upheaval, it was the guilds who ran the city of Sigil, powerful and well-organized groups. Their power since then has greatly diminished, and most have withered away.^[1] With the dissolution of the factions in the wake of the Faction War, however, the guilds have once again started to rise to prominence.^[2]

Many of the guilds kept their headquarters in the Guildhall Ward, which gave the Ward its name. Like factions, guilds have symbols that members wear as identification. They also typically have annual membership dues to help pay the rent on their headquarters.

History

At one point in Sigil's history, the guilds ran the city. They were reliable and safe islands of stability in the constant infighting among the city's 50 factions.^[3] After the Great Upheaval, however, the pendulum swung: with fewer factions, they were able to consolidate their power, and began edging the guilds out.

The collapse of the guilds was caused by a lack of faction support, as the newly-empowered factions saw the guilds as their biggest threat. The claim was that the guilds fostered divided loyalties.^[4][3] The killing blow was when the factions declared that no faction member could also be a member of any guild or club.^[5] While the Lady didn't say a word, it was nonetheless clear that the guilds were no longer welcome in the city.

Eventually, most of the guilds relocated or withered away. Without the presence of the guilds, the Market Ward and Guildhall Ward became less distinguishable from each other, and most modern Cagers consider them two halves of the same whole, with Duskgate Road forming the informal boundary between them^[4]

Prominent Guilds

Historical Guilds

The larger guilds were effectively wiped out; the more innocuous ones, such as the innkeepers and touts, were left alone.

• The Stoneworkers Guild^[3]
• The Guild of Freemen^[3]
• The Leatherworkers Guild^[3]
• The Secret Society of Alchemy^[3]
• The Planewalker's Guild^[3]
• The Council of Innkeepers^[4]
• The Escort Guild^[4]

Current Guilds

• The Council of Innkeepers^[4][2]
• The Builders' Fellowship^[4][6][2]
• The Escort Guild^[4][2]
• The Guild of Teamsters^[4]
• The Order of Master Clerks and Scribes^[4][2]
• The Secret Society of Alchemy^[3]
• The Arcane Brotherhood^[2]
• The Mortuary Guild (former Dustmen)^[7]

The following still exist but are no longer headquartered in Sigil:

• The Planewalker's Guild^[5]

References