Guilds

Almost everyone has learned a trade; it's their livelihood and their occupation. The Guilds are organized trades. Typically people are apprenticed to guilds early, usually around the age of six to eight, although this may be higher depending on the guild and faction (example: The Thieves typically take in people in their early teens, while the Patrol recruits mainly in the teenage years.) Mastering a guild usually takes fifteen to twenty-five years on average (again, it varies by guild and faction and the talent of the apprentice).
Each guild has many masters, but only one Guild Master. Guild Masters represent their guild to the Council. There are several ranks in every guild except the Thieves' Guild, which has no ranking. The ranking goes thus, from highest to lowest rank:

Artisans: They are the painters, potters, carpenters and smiths. They craft leather, make the clothes people wear, design new styles, and paint ceramics. Last but not least, they create the artistic drawings, paintings, and sculptures. Basically, if it's made, chances are an Artisan did it.
Guild Master: Cecili Romano

Bards: Bards are people who specialize in story-telling, ballads, and extensive knowledge of history. They are also the teachers and scribes of ShadowStar. A number are master musicians and some invent ways to make music, or develop new theories in science and math. (In fact, bards are more scientific-thinking than some, though no, they won't come up with electricity or computer chips this century!).
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Guild Master: Koshu Tero (currently looking for replacement)

Ctsu Klarn/Maugh Klarn: Not a guild in the traditional sense, the Ctsu Klarn and the Maugh Klarn both are Orders of Knights (so to speak) alligned with Irotana. They have both druidic and personal magic, and are master swordsmen, using their mystabres.

Druids: Not actually a guild; the druids are a religious order. The clerics of Shadow Star, with their own magic. They guard their gods' creations, namely nature. More information can be found on the Religion page.
Irotana's Chosen: Shujaat Khayri

Healers: A healer is one who works with herbs and sicknesses. These people are indispensable when it comes to warfare! Some use magic and some without magical abilities mix potions or use medicines and herbs to heal. The healers are actually a faction of the mages, but have their own structure, guildhall, and guildmaster.
Click here for more information (Mages Guild)
Guild Master: OPEN

Knights: Self explanatory. They fight and act as a small claims judges in minor disputes. They uphold the peace and will deliver justice. The police force as it were, during peace-time anyway.
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Guild Master: Aeun Vlashnovik

Mages: Mages are the magicians of Shadow Star, valuable in battle. They are by no means invincible, as each spell drains their energy, bit by bit, the more powerful spells draining more energy than the less powerful ones, logically. Mages are different from druids- they don't need a god or goddess' help to use magic, rather drawing it from their own energy and sometimes the energy around them, although that is frowned upon.
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Guild Master: Jonathan Na-mee

Thieves: The Thieves Guild doesn't hold only thieves- it also takes spies, assassins, mercenaries, etc... Members of the guild are given something that proves they are part of the guild. Usually the guild is very protective of its members because they feel kinship to each other. The guild finds members by either looking for young ones that have potential or by finding skilled older people that are not of the guild. Usually if the person refuses to join the guild they are given a warning to stop their business or the guild will usually send assassins out after the person so they will no longer be taking jobs the guild would do.
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Guild Master: The Patient Man