“Money is the coal that powers the steam engine of civilization. Coal, under sufficient pressure, yields diamonds.”
Due to their background as leaders of Auxientia’s powerful guilds, and as tribute to the great wealth they possess, the aristocratic families with the greatest influence on Auxientian policy are known as the “Gilded.”
The Gilded plan the city’s infrastructure, from transportation to sewage to taxes to celebration days. They are the civil engineers who ensure that the cogs of the city machinery align; they troubleshoot the places where those gears grind; and they repair or replace city structures that aren’t working as well as they should.
Industrialists, Organizers, and Overseers
In the Bright Age, pioneering tradespeople among the exiles formed the first guilds. Since that time, the guildmasters have led the trade and direction of Auxientia. Not all aristocrats are Gilded, but as the leaders of Auxientia’s guilds and industries, most Gilded belong to the aristocracy. As a member of the Gilded, you travel in the upper echelons of Auxientian society among the moneyed and landed classes that run its industries, control its resources, and plan its future. You may have been born into one of the old families of the aristocracy or you may be an outsider among the gentry whose star has just begun to rise. You control and influence the wealth of Auxientia, and your social class manufactures the structures by which the city and its territories run. As one of the Gilded you have access to education and therefore access to specialized skills, martial training, and mysterious areas of knowledge. You attend galas, conferences, balls, and diplomatic meetings, and you represent the interests of the people of Auxientia in councils where policy is determined. You know the power brokers among the upper classes and you have the power to influence politics and city policies. The structures of the city are your sphere of influence. Information and strategy are your domains, and you know just who to ask to get what you need.
Auxientia thrives on rumor and who knows what can be just as valuable as the knowledge itself. Whispers among the citizens claim an almost preternatural skill among the Gilded to anticipate the movements and needs of the city, but the Gilded keep such abilities, if there are any, to themselves.
A Noble Meritocracy
After the Foundation War the eventual victor, General Dahura, contemplated the way the people had thrived when, in days past, exceptional individuals had risen from the masses by virtue of their merit in order to found the Bright City. Inspired by their example, and with a city to rebuild, Dahura declared a new structure of power: The new city, “Auxientia,” would be ruled by representatives from the guilds, but only those individuals who passed a rigorous civil service examination would be selected as part of the ruling body. In order to ensure that as many were represented as possible, Dahura declared that anyone could take the civil examination and earn a place among the Gilded on the council. While the council has traditionally included members from the city’s major industries, Dahura’s provision created opportunities for representatives from smaller factions and interest groups to have a say on Auxientia’s policies. Even though the civil examinations are public, the representatives on the city council tend to come from the families that control the greater part of the city’s industry and wealth.
The Civil Service Examination
In the present Steam Age, the spiritual descendants of the Gilded carry on the responsibility Dahura assigned them two centuries ago, forecasting ways for the city to grow and adapting to new challenges that arise as Auxientia matures.
Each member of the Gilded must take and pass a rigorous civil service exam in order to join its inner circle. If you have not passed your exam, perhaps you are studying for it or a member among the Gilded has sponsored your examination in hopes that you will better yourself and join their ranks.
The Gilded are top-down thinkers, and their concerns tend to be on a macro scale. In addition to their service examination scores, many Gilded view wealth as the proving ground or scoreboard that proves their capability to rule. The Irregulars see them as aloof, as though the Gilded think themselves above the affairs of the populace. The Gilded, however, find it impossible to concern themselves with the vast multitude of individual civil complaints; to some extent, their wealth and power can blind them to the circumstances of other factions and social classes.
In Recent Times…
A Legacy of Philanthropy. The Gilded have long been leaders in city government and trade. More recently, Gilded members have turned their attention to those in need- veterans of the Six Year Siege, the poor, and others who struggle by no fault of their own. Arms of Mercy was created in cooperation with the other factions to help those in need in Auxientia and more recently abroad. However, there are those in the city that wish to twist the good intentions of Arms of Mercy for more nefarious purposes…
Lifting the Veil on Spiritualism. For centuries, the Gilded guarded their spiritual rituals and beliefs from the prying eyes of outside factions. With the discovery of Auxientius’s legendary lost lumenstone, séance rituals that have included members of other factions, and a public initiation of a Gilded Seer, the Gilded have chosen to come clean about their mysterious practices. Moreover, the mystic realms have aided citizens of Auxientia to uncover their buried pasts and forge a new future free of harmful spirits.
Leader: Gilded Leader Sabine St James
