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.