======Guilds======
Rastaban was a city of many peoples and professions. In the Golden Age, there was a huge proliferation of Guilds, Colleges and other associations of artisans. After centuries of the city cannibalizing itself, only a few prominent Guilds remain.

=====The Imperial Commission=====

  * The Imperial Commission is located within the walls of the Imperial Palace. 
  * The Commission are the only group with official permission to possess and work with raw black ichor.
  * The Commission produce various derivatives of black ichor which are available in restricted supply to the public. 
  * By arrangement with the Palace, they supply the sleeping drafts for the annual Day of Dreaming.
  * Their name hearkens to the original commission established to investigate the appearance of ichor beneath the city. 
  * Their members are known as 'commissioners','ichor savants', or 'those sinister bastards who poisoned the river'.
  * The Commission are protective of their practices. They are, in turn, protected by Imperial law. 

=====The Foresters Guild=====

  * The Wood of Loss is an ever-present threat. As such, the Foresters Guild was establish to manage it. 
  * They are responsible to driving back the forest and dealing with any other threats it produces.
  * The Guild contains citizens of all stripes. 
  * Those who are touched by Loss and survive, however, are forcefully inducted into the Guild for their own safety, lest the fear and suspicion of the populace turn to harm.
  * Imperial citizens almost universally recognise the need for the Forester's Guild. However, they are deeply suspicious and fearful of those who enter the Forest. Their work is a thankless but necessary task. 

=====The Shapers College=====
  * According to legend, the Shapers College was founded by Serjet, who built most of the city singlehanded. 
  * Though a College by name, it is a loose collective of professionals whose primary function to formally accredit Shapers. Among other things, such official accreditation allows Shapers to sell the work they produce. 
  * Their headquarters is in a tower which rises up from the walls of the city and pierces the clouds.
  * It is important to note that their headquarters is not the tallest building in the city.
  * The Imperial Palace, which does not pierce the clouds, is officially the tallest building in the city.
  * To say otherwise is not only obviously untrue, but especially unwise. 

=====The Circle of the Enlightened Mind=====
  * The circle is an ancient college founded by Imperial scholars with the original purpose of training scribes, scholars, bureaucrats and nobles - providing them with a classical education. 
  * It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, and carries great cultural importance. 
  * Politically, the Circle is neutral, controlled by a Board of Education whose membership is strictly balanced.
  * The Circle is home to some of the greatest minds of the city, who dedicate their life to study. 
  * However, its official curriculum has not changed since the Isolation began.