Blacksmiths

"All Blacksmiths are traditional and honourable, but look no further than Anvil to see their pride - the true rock, the immovable object that cannot be broken."
- Tapper, Brewer’s Guild

As resilient as the steel he crafts, Anvil stands steadfast as a Master Blacksmith. A veteran of his craft, Anvil’s wisdom is as valuable as the protection his shield provides. Towering over the pitch, Anvil is ready to assume an unrelenting guard and knockdown the opposition for his allies.

Anvil is the armor of his team: absorbing hits and deflecting danger way from his team. He holds his ground and provides a safeguard so that his allies can secure victory. His ability to enable the raw potential of the Blacksmiths, his apprentice Sledge especially, is invaluable. Bolstered by their Master, his team can perform incredible displays of skill and carnage. Stalwart coaches looking for a Guild that plays like shield and sword will enjoy the mighty Blacksmiths. Prepare to stoke the flames of battle, and strike whilst the iron is hot.

The Blacksmiths Guild

PRE-Release GenCon 2017

Time was the Blacksmith’s Guild had deep, near bottomless pockets. Their coffers were rumoured to be full even before the Century Wars, and they must have made a small fortune in outfitting armies during the conflict. But then, that age has passed by, and the years since have been far less kind.

The unification of the Empire of the Free Cities ushered in a new age of peace and prosperity, but with it also came a host of sanctions to protect the uneasy alliance. Most have been either forgotten or overlooked, but the laws limiting the sale of weaponry remain as strictly enforced as ever and have hurt the Blacksmiths harder than you can probably imagine. Their continued presence is no mistake. Drafted behind a pretence of peacekeeping, the laws were once spiteful measures orchestrated by the other Guilds, enviously eyeing the influence amassed by the Blacksmiths – and that has never changed.

Didn’t stop the Blacksmiths though, they’re a hardy and pragmatic breed. The least skilled of them still earn their way as armourers or by shoeing horses, but the most experienced masters now tie themselves to an institution and work under exclusive contract –those who are too haughty to deal on the black market, at least. Plenty a pretty penny to be made there for men and women of flexible morals who’ve no regard for the Lawkeepers. And the rest? They roam the land plying their trade, proud people too independent to be tied to a single place.

I’ve never seen the like when it comes to their Guild Ball team, though. The Guild stand a perpetually open invite to masters from all over to come and represent their trade, and those who make the journey are on the squad, master and apprentice both - as simple as that. With so many of equal rank competing for the captaincy, you’d think there would be a real clash of egos, wouldn’t you? In my estimation it’s a wonder that kind of arrangement doesn’t end in bloodshed.

Regardless, it works. Your average Smithy is not only intensely proud but also traditional to a fault, and very few will lower themselves to bickering. Instead, the choice of team composition is left to the Guild officials and their internal politicking, something no master wants any part of. Once the decision is made? The team just get on with it, irrespective of how well suited the candidate may be. Madness, disguised as respect and professionalism.

It makes for a very varied playstyle though, I’ll grant them that. You’ll never know who you’re going to face. Clever way of keeping your opponent guessing, but I don’t know it’s not their own worst enemy too. Must be hard to plan out your game when you don’t even know who the team will be, let alone the captain…

- Honour, Farmer’s Guild Head Coach