Logger’s Guild

The Logger's Guild is a bandit group operating in the [[Ex Mortia/Locations/Kingdom of Eusia/Duchy of Ironwood/Duchy of Ironwood|Duchy of Ironwood]]. Most members of this group were formerly employed by the Duchy for the purpose of harvesting lumber for export or the manufacture of charcoal near Tollgate. They are an organized and ruthless bandit gang.

History

It was a welcome financial break for the people of Ironwood when the Duke declared that the forests of the region could be felled for profit, as royal support to the duchy had been fading for years. There were heaps of money to be made, and a Guild of Loggers was established to help train and equip the growing workforce. The loggers enjoyed a brief few years of prosperity, but it was not to last; they were harvesting the forests far too eagerly.

When the woods dried up, the Duke attempted to steer the workers northward. Most agreed at first, but the dangerous, monster infested [[Wild North]] was too rough for ordinary citizens. The profits of the logging barely made ends meet for the duchy, and so hiring extra security was not considered, despite protests.

The workers demanded the Duke either protect them or continue to pay their wages while they found other work. When their demands went unanswered, they gathered outside of his castle in [[Tollgate]]. Lead by [[Edwin Lignator]], they thought they would be met with fierce debate and harsh compromise. Instead, they were met with brutal backlash; the guard (mostly Iron Legionnaires) descended on the gathered crowd and began dispersing, then arresting, then beating them. The protest became a battle, but the gathered loggers were no match for the professional soldiers.

On official records, it is known as the Logger's Uprising. To those sympathetic to the Logger's Guild, it is known as the Tollgate Massacre. Many innocent lives were lost that day, and it marked a watershed moment in the Duke's reign.

[[Vanessa Lignator]], daughter of the Guild Leader has been working with the loggers to make ends meet on the fringes of the law; smuggling and low-level banditry for the most part. Recently, their efforts have increased in terms of both ambition and danger to the public.