Hello Merchant!
I'm Proksima and I'm going to tell you about an essential point of the game: the guilds
As explained in the first dev diaries, the heroes are THE main mechanic of the game.
They are the ones who will directly advance the game's story by fighting monsters and completing quests. But since the world is full of danger, the heroes have decided to gather in small communities: the guilds.
Different guilds
Of course, they will join these guilds according to their affinities: morals, ethics, class, traits....
The heroes help the development of their guilds by bringing them loot from their quests, money and experience. The guilds will then gain in influence and will become an entity in their own right in the game, so much so that one that is too powerful can become a handicap for you if its intentions are not in line with your ideology.
You will then have to take into account the guilds in your actions and try (or not?) to slow down their progression. For example, a good way is to assassinate one of its members to reduce the stability of the guild, but other more subtle actions can be performed ;)
You ask one guild to go and steal from another...
When a guild has enough experience, it will level up and choose unique skills. Add to this the fact that it will be able to take on more members, if a guild starts buying up the shops and harvesting locations in the city it can become truly unstoppable! But since you are a merchant with a pure heart and a charitable soul, your only wish is to fight monsters and build up the kingdom of Phoenistoria. A guild that is too powerful shouldn't bother you... should it?
As a player, you can also create a mercenary guild by recruiting heroes. You will be able to ask your mercenaries to perform specific actions to help you in your quest.
When a guild gains a level, it unlocks a skill according to its alignment
If you choose the leadership path, your mercenary guild can even compete with the bigger ones. But you can also skip this step altogether and concentrate on your trade.
It's up to you!