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The Gilder's Polytechnic

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The City turns as we do—each cog a delicate instrument of divine precision. To disrupt it is heresy; to understand it is power.
—GildMaster Augerion, Expert CLOCKWRIGHT

The Gilder’s Polytechnic is a secret organization of Clockwerk scholars and engineers who dwell beneath the bustling metropolis of Arcanum. Hidden in the labyrinthine depths of the city, the Polytechnic rests upon a vast, golden gear said to have been forged by the Artificer, the mythical progenitor of the Clockwerk and the City's original founder. This immense gear is a centerpiece in Arcanum's ancient power source that fuels all the systems that run the City above.

The Gilders view the City as the Artificer’s ultimate creation, a living mechanism of perfect precision. To them, Arcanum is a Clockwerk itself, with every street, building, and subsystem functioning as part of a greater machine. The Gilders devote their lives to deciphering its mysteries, often regarding themselves as stewards of the Artificer’s legacy.

While their scholarly pursuits appear benign, the Gilders wield influence over the city’s politics. The knowledge they extract from Arcanum’s design serves as a potent currency, enabling them to manipulate the city’s power brokers. Some Gilders operate as spies, trading architectural secrets and forbidden technologies to maintain leverage over the elite. Others engineer chaos into the City to force the hand of the Peers and sway political outcomes, or to punish those who threaten their hidden order.

Membership in the Polytechnic is restricted only to Clockwerk approved by the Amber Council. Few know of the Council's exists besides Queen Madeleine II's inner circle, and the Order of Mankind. Even within its halls, the Gilders argue over philosophy: half are pursuits obsessed only with understanding and preserve the Artificer’s work, while radicals aim to reshape the City in their own image.

Adventure Hook

The Gilder’s Polytechnic is a hermetic enclave of knowledge hoarded for esoteric purposes. If the party represents members of this enclave, the question of whether such knowledge should be remain secret could be brought to the fore in a crisis.

The City’s golden gear begins to malfunction, threatening Arcanum’s stability. The party—either Clockwerk gearwrights themselves or paladins appointed by Queen Madeleine II—is approached by the Gildmasters, who claim the malfunction is no accident but a deliberate act to destabilize the city.

Can the party delve into the depths of the Polytechnic to uncover the truth and repair the gear before the city collapses?
What hidden agendas or ancient secrets will they unearth in the process?
How far are the party willing to go to preserve a balance that others seek to destroy?

Tags: Guilds

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