Dwarven Merchants' Guild

The **Dwarven Merchants' Guild** is a powerful and extensively connected organization comprised of surface dwarves. Some of the Guild's members left the dwarven city of Orzammar to pursue business and trade on the surface while others joined after being exiled from the city.

The upper-class surface dwarf members of the Guild are composed of two distinct groups; the **kalna** who insist on maintaining caste and rank and **ascendant** who believe in leaving Orzammar's traditions behind and embracing surface life.

## Organization

“*These are dwarves who would sell their own mothers if they thought it'd get them a better share of the lyrium market.*” - Varric Tethras

The Merchants' Guild is a world unto itself, one of social hierarchy and influence between kalna and ascendant as rigid as that found in Orzammar. Being a member of the Guild affords power and wealth and the membership is exclusive.

The Guild is administered by a council who hold meetings to maintain the functioning of the organization. Missing meetings is considered an insult. Crossing the Guild is also seen as a deadly offense. Council members hold the title of Deshyr, which is also used by the members of the Assembly in Orzammar.

Alliances tend to form around family Houses, much like in Orzammar. Many exiles from Orzammar reconstitute themselves as influential families of the guild, or alternatively the Carta. House Tethras, House Davri and House Vasca all wield considerable influence within the guild.

## Activities

The Guild's main source of profit is the lyrium trade.

They appear to have an understanding with the **Coterie** in Kirkwall, presumably because the Guild pays them not to harm Guild members or steal their property. A similar agreement exists with the **Carta** as well.

Families compete with one another for profit and survival in the cut-throat world of the Guild. The Guild is similar to the Carta in that they also participate in criminal businesses such as gambling, lyrium smuggling, and murder for hire. The Guild denies having any connection to **The Proprietor**, a mysterious fence and auctionhouse in Llomerryn, but unwanted and illegal items procured by the Guild do have a habit of turning up on the Proprietor's auction block...

Another area of Guild work is the sought-after sculptures of Ander artisans, which usually have religious theme and are the most prized in all of Thedas especially within circles of the Orlesian nobility who would pay exorbitant prices in order to have them. However, members of the Merchants' Guild who act as the middle party in these transactions keep most of the profits as "handling fees" while the artisans receive very little, if any.

Around 9:41 Dragon the Merchants' Guild sends emissaries to the great thaig of Kal-Sharok but they hear no news since from their delegation which makes the Guild doubtful that they will find them alive.

### Surface trade and the Carta

Merchants who lack ties to Orzammar, either because they were cast out or had no contacts to begin with, must return to Orzammar to trade directly with the city, where they are treated as outcasts. For those dwarves the Carta acts as an intermediary, selling the surfacer's goods on the black market for a cut of the profit. The Carta's ability to facilitate trade between the surface and Orzammar is integral to the survival of the dwarven city which notably is not self-sufficient on food. Consequently, the Carta has infiltrated all aspects of dwarven life as upstanding members of the Merchants' Guild or even respectable dwarven lords cooperate with the criminal organization.