Overview: A loose association of all the merchants in the city of Jeg. They are the main gatekeepers of economic and political influence within the city, and carefully regulate the considerable trade which passes through it. Their primary function is to extract taxes from the merchants passing through, and to regulate merchants and bankers who operate within the city. This is something which happens in every city of Nool, but the process is usually regulated by the local administrative authorities on behalf of the ruling nobles who reside in the city and dominate its political affairs. Jeg is an exception in that the city has been run directly by a citizen mayor (someone appointed by the Merchant's Guild) for as long as anyone remembers or has recorded. However, the city (and therefore the Merchant's Guild) falls under the fuedal control of the Fortress of Xiv and its ruling family, so it is not wholly independent. In a conflict between Jeg and any other city, Xiv would be considered politically responsible for Jeg. In practice, Jeg's politics are focused wholly inward and Xiv is a hands-off authority content to reap the massive benefits of taxing the city from just over ten miles away, next to Lake Nem. Anyone doing serious business in Jeg will encounter representatives of the Merchant's Guild immediately, and the Town Guard is essentially an extension of their authority.