Our threads are thicker than blood and water.
The Silken Feather is a widely respected family-owned and operated Anderlyndian cloth merchant company. Renowned for their bespoke and colourful fabrics, their wares were long prized amongst high society across the continent. The fickle nature of fashion saw them fall on hard times, but they have recently seen a resurgence. Backstage, their mercantile trade network and access to the rich and powerful led to their involvement in some under-the-table business and creative problem-solving. Nowadays, their discretion and cross-continental reach are becoming as highly valued as their cloth, though generally only spoken of in hushed whispers or behind closed doors.
Of course, the Dominion Charter has no place for organised crime, nor any guild that encourages smuggling, bribery, theft, or espionage as part of its operations. For that reason, the underbelly of The Silken Feather is very careful to keep the veneer of legitimate cloth merchants, keeping underhanded dealings compartmentalised and on a need-to-know basis. A good portion of the profits of their shadier dealings is funnelled back into the local community and other businesses. Many of their members are fiercely loyal folk who owe much to the family's legacy and recent selfless generosity. The guild are birds of a feather - harm one, and they descend like a murder of crows.
The parallels of The Silken Feather are shown in every facet of its business. The nimble fingers of tailors and weavers are also great for picking locks. The anonymity of a simple trader is a great cover for a watchful eye to scout the next mark. Those adept at balancing books not only have a good mind for cracking a coded message, but also have the skill to ensure that no one notices anything was ever amiss. Intrigue, both internally with family matters and external shadowy forces, runs rife. Much of the business is kept behind the curtain - even from their own members. In the business of secrecy, trust is paramount.
Guild Structure
Officially, The Silken Feather is run by the head of the Feather family. Underneath them is a retinue of merchants, who organise the skilled craftspeople who create the Guilds wares. Behind the curtain however, those privy to the shadowier side of business have taken on monikers of Sparrows, Crows and Owls. Sparrows flit amongst the workers ranks, acting as the eyes and ears of the Crows who manage the business of organising the specifics of the job in question. Owls are the only ones to have direct contact between clients and Crows, and thus are very secretive regarding their identities. Progression within this ulterior structure is based both on your outward position and value in the business, and internal loyalty to the family.
People of Note
Harrell Quinn
The younger cousin and right hand man of Camilla Feather, Harrell is heavily involved in the Feather family business. His keen drive and eye for detail saw him steadily gain respect and rank. Some have said he is overly serious, working all hours of the night, but he always has time and a smile for Family. While their meticulous skillset will be a boon for business on the voyage ahead, some wonder why Camilla is sending her most trusted Owl so far from her side.
Camilla and Albert Feather
Albert was the driving skill behind most of the Silken Feathers fabric production over the last half a century but his ailing health has left most of the current dealings to his wife Camilla. As the Matriarch of the family, it was up to Camilla to ensure that the money kept flowing, and the trust and respect she had garnered from loyal customers enabled the shift behind the scenes. She does everything in her power to ensure that Albert sees nothing more than legitimate success from his life's work.
Cutthroat Charlie
Captain of the Crimson Spindle and reformed former pirate now in legitimate gainful employment as a merchant and trader for The Silken Feather. Known for his complicated history with The Hullbreaker and seafaring skill that is either genius or pure luck. The Family paid the fines racked up for his past crimes in Anderlyndian waters, and is working on negotiating his ability to once again access Kalain ports. It is notoriously hard to teach old crows new tricks however, and Charlie's reputation is proving a hard one to clean up.
Samir Nas-Assab
A recent acquaintance, and now soon-to-be addition to the Family, Samir has brought both vital connections to Dussari silk exporters and finances through princely connections. The marriage between Samir and Camilla's granddaughter Elona is building to be quite an extravagant affair for both families. Tensions are high as love and business are becoming intertwined as the Nas-Assab are deeply involved with the administration of Guild Charters, which could spell doom for the family should any indiscretions be uncovered.