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 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 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.

• 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 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.