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The Guild of Gondoliers is a trade guild based in [[Jericho Locks]]. Its members travel along the rivers of the [[The Hinterlands|Hinterlands]] between [[Hell]] and [[London]], facilitating trade | The Guild of Gondoliers is a trade guild based in [[Jericho Locks]]. Its members travel along the rivers of the [[The Hinterlands|Hinterlands]] between [[Hell]] and [[London]], facilitating trade<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Jericho_Locks:_The_Lockside|Jericho Locks: The Lockside|Fallen London|}}</ref> and carrying passengers between the two cities.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Conversation_with_the_Wandering_Gondolier|A Conversation with the Wandering Gondolier|Fallen London|}}</ref> | ||
== | ==Row, Row, Row Your Boat...== | ||
After the [[The Fall of London|Fall of London]], the first people to row the Hinterlands' rivers were workers in or near the [[Cumaean Canal]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A mauve volume narrates the progress of the modern Guild from its origins as workers in the Cumaean north and westward..."''</ref> By maintaining these early trade routes, they established themselves as a power in their own right. In response, [[Mr Fires]] created the highly structured Guild of Gondoliers, with the [[The Gonfaloniere|Gonfaloniere]] at its head.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Guild_of_Gondoliers|Ask about the Guild of Gondoliers|Fallen London|}}</ref> The first Gonfaloniere spent more time exploring the rivers than leading, which led to a period of instability in the early days of the Guild.<ref name=":1" /> | The Gondoliers give a rather somber first impression. They are clad in black,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Enter_Jericho_Locks|Enter Jericho Locks|Fallen London|}} ''"Barges steered by black-liveried oarsmen pass by [...]"''</ref> and their boats and oars are painted the same color.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Jericho_Locks:_The_Lockside|Jericho Locks: The Lockside|Fallen London|}} ''"The canals are full of barges, black-painted [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_a_barge_to_the_lower_rivers|Take a barge to the lower rivers|Fallen London|}} ''"A captain of the Guild [...] escorts you to her barge – it, like all the rest, is painted black, as if in permanent mourning. [...] she sets her black oar into the ruddy water and you set off."''</ref> Boat captains wear silver half-masks,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_a_barge_to_the_lower_rivers|Take a barge to the lower rivers|Fallen London|}} ''"A captain of the Guild smiles from under her silver half-mask."''</ref> and senior members of the Guild wear black and silver full masks, at least when performing official duties.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Betray_the_Wandering_Gondolier|Betray the Wandering Gondolier|Fallen London|}} ''"The most senior Guild members convene [...] Behind their masks of silver and jet, the guild members’ expressions are concealed [...]"''</ref> Each barge is staffed by two gondoliers, an oarsman and a viol player,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Jericho_Locks:_The_Lockside|Jericho Locks: The Lockside|Fallen London|}} ''"Each barge is staffed by two gondoliers: one to row, the other to play a reedy viol."''</ref> regardless of whether they are carrying cargo or passengers.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Jericho_Locks:_The_Lockside|Jericho Locks: The Lockside|Fallen London|}} ''"Some are adorned with silver bells, others heavy with crates, bottles and stacks of padded envelopes."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Take_a_barge_to_the_lower_rivers|Take a barge to the lower rivers|Fallen London|}} ''"'' | ||
The Guild is permitted to take paying passengers on tours of the canals [...]"''<nowiki/>''</ref> | |||
In addition to trade, the Guild carries the responsibility of monitoring the Hinterlands' waterways, demanding tolls and firing upon those who refuse to pay.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Return_to_London_(from_Jericho_Locks)|Return to London (from Jericho Locks)|Fallen London|}} ''"The thunder of waters to the south: a knot of waterfalls, patrolled by grizzled Guildmembers. You bypass their tolls from your engine, having no need of the waterways. They open fire in response."''</ref> They also have to defend their territory from trespassing devils and fearsome monsters of the canals.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Return_to_London_(from_Jericho_Locks)|Return to London (from Jericho Locks)|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the train is caught in a tense stand-off between gondoliers, two sects of devils and an ancient, hairy thing rising from the dark canal water. The stand-off is truncated when the hairy thing begins to eat the smaller sect of devils. [...]"''</ref> The Gondoliers do not, however, tend to explore the canals outside of trade interests.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_palace|Ask about the palace|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] the Guild doesn't want me to. [...] If it doesn't support trade, they're not interested in exploring further."''</ref> In order to secure passage through the [[The Cedar-Woods|Cedarwoods]], the Gondoliers are known to associate with certain factions of [[devils]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_the_barge_(The_Cedar-Woods)|Leave the barge (The Cedar-Woods)|Fallen London|}} ''"These devils guard the woods here. The forests have existed long before London, and provide cover from watchful eyes. An accord with the Guild lets them make use of the river that runs through the grove, in exchange for certain intelligence."''</ref> | |||
When not on the waters, Gondoliers often congregate at meeting places like the [[The Fiddler's Scarlet|Fiddler's Scarlet]], an inn which they run to house their own.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_the_barge_(The_Fiddler%27s_Scarlet)|Leave the barge (The Fiddler's Scarlet)|Fallen London|}} ''"This is the Fiddler's Scarlet – a raucous inn run for and by the Guild of Gondoliers."''</ref> | |||
==Origins== | |||
After the [[The Fall of London|Fall of London]], the first people to row the Hinterlands' rivers were workers in or near the [[Cumaean Canal]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A mauve volume narrates the progress of the modern Guild from its origins as workers in the Cumaean north and westward..."''</ref> By maintaining these early trade routes, they established themselves as a power in their own right. In response, [[Mr Fires]] created the highly structured Guild of Gondoliers, with the [[The Gonfaloniere|Gonfaloniere]] at its head.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_the_Guild_of_Gondoliers|Ask about the Guild of Gondoliers|Fallen London|}}</ref> The first Gonfaloniere spent more time exploring the rivers than leading, which led to a period of instability in the early days of the Guild.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A pale tome in deep midnight explores the early Gonfaloniere whose wanderings much extended the network around Jericho, but whose absences and misguided leadership encouraged challenges to their position with zealous frequency."''</ref> | |||
The Guild is highly traditionalist<ref name=":0" /> - though not all of their traditions arose organically.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A golden prayerbook transpires to be a careful forgery: designed for the Guild to shore up their traditions of dubious veracity. As an insight, it is invaluable."''</ref> Their customs include forbidding any music near the river except the viol,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_him_about_the_prohibition_on_music|Ask him about the prohibition on music|Fallen London|}}</ref> that anyone who charters a gondola has the right to ask for any gondolier they wish,<ref name=":0" /> and mandating that no one interact with the mysterious [[Swan Bride]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Canals|Our Lady of the Canals|Fallen London|}}</ref> Weddings are taken especially seriously;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Their jokes are crude on all subjects but marriage. It is the holiest state and cannot be broken. Once bound, a gondolier will not be unbound."''</ref> a member of the Guild may only marry another member,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Only a gondolier is fit for another gondolier."''</ref> whether [[Devils|devil]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A series of infernal letters between gossips commenting on the love affair between a gondolier and a devil. The ceremony was conventional, the reception significantly less so."''</ref> or human. Some choose to symbolically marry the waters instead, but most choose not to marry at all.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Marriages are rare in the Guild; a privilege reserved for a few. Some marry the waters in ceremonies of a highly symbolic nature, but in this case there was a groom."''</ref> These very waters have a special place in the Guild's culture.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A silver-tongued devil donates a text on the significance of water to the Guild: mother and bride and mistress of ceremonies all."''</ref> | The Guild is highly traditionalist<ref name=":0" /> - though not all of their traditions arose organically.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A golden prayerbook transpires to be a careful forgery: designed for the Guild to shore up their traditions of dubious veracity. As an insight, it is invaluable."''</ref> Their customs include forbidding any music near the river except the viol,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_him_about_the_prohibition_on_music|Ask him about the prohibition on music|Fallen London|}}</ref> that anyone who charters a gondola has the right to ask for any gondolier they wish,<ref name=":0" /> and mandating that no one interact with the mysterious [[Swan Bride]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Canals|Our Lady of the Canals|Fallen London|}}</ref> Weddings are taken especially seriously;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Their jokes are crude on all subjects but marriage. It is the holiest state and cannot be broken. Once bound, a gondolier will not be unbound."''</ref> a member of the Guild may only marry another member,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Only a gondolier is fit for another gondolier."''</ref> whether [[Devils|devil]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A series of infernal letters between gossips commenting on the love affair between a gondolier and a devil. The ceremony was conventional, the reception significantly less so."''</ref> or human. Some choose to symbolically marry the waters instead, but most choose not to marry at all.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"Marriages are rare in the Guild; a privilege reserved for a few. Some marry the waters in ceremonies of a highly symbolic nature, but in this case there was a groom."''</ref> These very waters have a special place in the Guild's culture.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A silver-tongued devil donates a text on the significance of water to the Guild: mother and bride and mistress of ceremonies all."''</ref> | ||
Hell has a good rapport with the Guild; the devils assisted the gondoliers in navigating the Hinterlands' rivers in the Guild's earliest days,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A pale leather tome narrates the efficacy of Hell's assistance to the Guildsmen as they set up to service the old trade route between Hell and its newest neighbour."''</ref> and the two parties have forged many a contract.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A volume on infernal embassies details the contracts forged between Hell and the Guild, the documents taken over, the securities required..."''</ref> At some point, however, they also attempted to undermine the Guild by hiring dock workers, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A rose-hued text details the fierce competition with the bargemen contracted by Hell from the docks; the mysteries of their disappearance, its totality..."'' | Hell has a good rapport with the Guild; the devils assisted the gondoliers in navigating the Hinterlands' rivers in the Guild's earliest days,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A pale leather tome narrates the efficacy of Hell's assistance to the Guildsmen as they set up to service the old trade route between Hell and its newest neighbour."''</ref> and the two parties have forged many a contract.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A volume on infernal embassies details the contracts forged between Hell and the Guild, the documents taken over, the securities required..."''</ref> At some point, however, they also attempted to undermine the Guild by hiring dock workers, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Poisoner%27s_Library|The Poisoner's Library|Fallen London|}}''"A rose-hued text details the fierce competition with the bargemen contracted by Hell from the docks; the mysteries of their disappearance, its totality..."''</ref> | ||
The Guild views the coming of the [[Great Hellbound Railway]] with distrust; gondoliers have been known to call its locomotives "the devil's own chariots."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Engage_in_a_public_debate|Engage in a public debate|Fallen London|}}</ref> | The Guild views the coming of the [[Great Hellbound Railway]] with distrust; gondoliers have been known to call its locomotives "the devil's own chariots."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Engage_in_a_public_debate|Engage in a public debate|Fallen London|}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 23:22, 31 March 2023
The Guild of Gondoliers is a trade guild based in Jericho Locks. Its members travel along the rivers of the Hinterlands between Hell and London, facilitating trade[1] and carrying passengers between the two cities.[2]
Row, Row, Row Your Boat...
The Gondoliers give a rather somber first impression. They are clad in black,[3] and their boats and oars are painted the same color.[4][5] Boat captains wear silver half-masks,[6] and senior members of the Guild wear black and silver full masks, at least when performing official duties.[7] Each barge is staffed by two gondoliers, an oarsman and a viol player,[8] regardless of whether they are carrying cargo or passengers.[9][10]
In addition to trade, the Guild carries the responsibility of monitoring the Hinterlands' waterways, demanding tolls and firing upon those who refuse to pay.[11] They also have to defend their territory from trespassing devils and fearsome monsters of the canals.[12] The Gondoliers do not, however, tend to explore the canals outside of trade interests.[13] In order to secure passage through the Cedarwoods, the Gondoliers are known to associate with certain factions of devils.[14]
When not on the waters, Gondoliers often congregate at meeting places like the Fiddler's Scarlet, an inn which they run to house their own.[15]
Origins
After the Fall of London, the first people to row the Hinterlands' rivers were workers in or near the Cumaean Canal.[16] By maintaining these early trade routes, they established themselves as a power in their own right. In response, Mr Fires created the highly structured Guild of Gondoliers, with the Gonfaloniere at its head.[17] The first Gonfaloniere spent more time exploring the rivers than leading, which led to a period of instability in the early days of the Guild.[18]
The Guild is highly traditionalist[2] - though not all of their traditions arose organically.[19] Their customs include forbidding any music near the river except the viol,[20] that anyone who charters a gondola has the right to ask for any gondolier they wish,[2] and mandating that no one interact with the mysterious Swan Bride.[21] Weddings are taken especially seriously;[22] a member of the Guild may only marry another member,[23] whether devil[24] or human. Some choose to symbolically marry the waters instead, but most choose not to marry at all.[25] These very waters have a special place in the Guild's culture.[26]
Hell has a good rapport with the Guild; the devils assisted the gondoliers in navigating the Hinterlands' rivers in the Guild's earliest days,[27] and the two parties have forged many a contract.[28] At some point, however, they also attempted to undermine the Guild by hiring dock workers, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.[29]
The Guild views the coming of the Great Hellbound Railway with distrust; gondoliers have been known to call its locomotives "the devil's own chariots."[30]
References
- ↑ Jericho Locks: The Lockside, Fallen London
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Conversation with the Wandering Gondolier, Fallen London
- ↑ Enter Jericho Locks, Fallen London "Barges steered by black-liveried oarsmen pass by [...]"
- ↑ Jericho Locks: The Lockside, Fallen London "The canals are full of barges, black-painted [...]"
- ↑ Take a barge to the lower rivers, Fallen London "A captain of the Guild [...] escorts you to her barge – it, like all the rest, is painted black, as if in permanent mourning. [...] she sets her black oar into the ruddy water and you set off."
- ↑ Take a barge to the lower rivers, Fallen London "A captain of the Guild smiles from under her silver half-mask."
- ↑ Betray the Wandering Gondolier, Fallen London "The most senior Guild members convene [...] Behind their masks of silver and jet, the guild members’ expressions are concealed [...]"
- ↑ Jericho Locks: The Lockside, Fallen London "Each barge is staffed by two gondoliers: one to row, the other to play a reedy viol."
- ↑ Jericho Locks: The Lockside, Fallen London "Some are adorned with silver bells, others heavy with crates, bottles and stacks of padded envelopes."
- ↑ Take a barge to the lower rivers, Fallen London " The Guild is permitted to take paying passengers on tours of the canals [...]"
- ↑ Return to London (from Jericho Locks), Fallen London "The thunder of waters to the south: a knot of waterfalls, patrolled by grizzled Guildmembers. You bypass their tolls from your engine, having no need of the waterways. They open fire in response."
- ↑ Return to London (from Jericho Locks), Fallen London "[...] the train is caught in a tense stand-off between gondoliers, two sects of devils and an ancient, hairy thing rising from the dark canal water. The stand-off is truncated when the hairy thing begins to eat the smaller sect of devils. [...]"
- ↑ Ask about the palace, Fallen London "[...] the Guild doesn't want me to. [...] If it doesn't support trade, they're not interested in exploring further."
- ↑ Leave the barge (The Cedar-Woods), Fallen London "These devils guard the woods here. The forests have existed long before London, and provide cover from watchful eyes. An accord with the Guild lets them make use of the river that runs through the grove, in exchange for certain intelligence."
- ↑ Leave the barge (The Fiddler's Scarlet), Fallen London "This is the Fiddler's Scarlet – a raucous inn run for and by the Guild of Gondoliers."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A mauve volume narrates the progress of the modern Guild from its origins as workers in the Cumaean north and westward..."
- ↑ Ask about the Guild of Gondoliers, Fallen London
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A pale tome in deep midnight explores the early Gonfaloniere whose wanderings much extended the network around Jericho, but whose absences and misguided leadership encouraged challenges to their position with zealous frequency."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A golden prayerbook transpires to be a careful forgery: designed for the Guild to shore up their traditions of dubious veracity. As an insight, it is invaluable."
- ↑ Ask him about the prohibition on music, Fallen London
- ↑ Our Lady of the Canals, Fallen London
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "Their jokes are crude on all subjects but marriage. It is the holiest state and cannot be broken. Once bound, a gondolier will not be unbound."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "Only a gondolier is fit for another gondolier."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A series of infernal letters between gossips commenting on the love affair between a gondolier and a devil. The ceremony was conventional, the reception significantly less so."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "Marriages are rare in the Guild; a privilege reserved for a few. Some marry the waters in ceremonies of a highly symbolic nature, but in this case there was a groom."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A silver-tongued devil donates a text on the significance of water to the Guild: mother and bride and mistress of ceremonies all."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A pale leather tome narrates the efficacy of Hell's assistance to the Guildsmen as they set up to service the old trade route between Hell and its newest neighbour."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A volume on infernal embassies details the contracts forged between Hell and the Guild, the documents taken over, the securities required..."
- ↑ The Poisoner's Library, Fallen London "A rose-hued text details the fierce competition with the bargemen contracted by Hell from the docks; the mysteries of their disappearance, its totality..."
- ↑ Engage in a public debate, Fallen London
