The Center Cannot Hold: The World's Labour League

In Ith, Unions have largely been banned.  Less than two decades before, a unsorcerous, unemployed workers rioted throughout the Magocracy.  They destroyed dozens of factories throughout Ith, targeting labor saving machinery and leaving owners and masters of such places frightened.  The Shothar's Act banned unions and collective bargaining, driving a variety of such organizations underground and unofficial, at least in name and action.

The World's Labour League was founded in Crux, out of a drive amongst a variety of secretive unions to work toward reversing parts of Shothar's Act.  Efforts by various Churches have at least made the World's Labour League legal as a club, but any act similar to striking or collective bargaining still remains illegal- anything like the riots of decades before is specified against still.

The variety of unions under the purview of the World's Labour League includes Adventuring Unions.   These adventuring unions have members amongst the poorer or more common-born adventurers.  Due to the WLL's international scale, frequently the easiest place to find adventurers to hire are in WLL meeting halls.  Of course, one doesn't always find the best or most honest of of adventurers there, but those adventurers associated with the WLL are never out of work.

Crux: Being the first branch of the World's Labour League, it is well known amongst all those in working class jobs, from adventurers to textile workers.  The organization, while having many members, has some of the nastier enemies in Crux.  They consider the People's Revolution to be rivals of a sort, as the People's Revolution wants to completely change Ith's government, while the WLL seeks only to obtain the right of collective bargaining again.  Conversely, Ithic Standard & Loan represents the banking powers that fund the masters and owners of the businesses that the WLL's unions work for.  It works constantly to keep the WLL from getting out of hand, fearful of the WLL organizing another series of riots.  Criminal organizations in Crux try to manipulate and draw the unions into their illegal activities, trying to garner the benefits of the WLL's sheer numbers of members.

Adventuring Unions
What follows are Crux's native own Adventuring Unions, the top three Unions.  Each of these operate in different areas of Crux, respecting the territory of the others.  Cruxites recognize these names, and will respect some more than others if it is one they know operates near them.  Other smaller unions exist in Crux.  Adventuring Unions operate much like Adventuring parties, except their scale is larger, coordinating multiple parties at a time.

The Skullmount Skulkers: Born of one of the earliest adventuring parties to go beneath the Skull upon which the University is build, the Skulkers specialize at serving the various needs and requests of the University.  Given their age, one would expect them to be the largest and most secure in their place in Crux.  Not true, the Skulkers have lost face over the last decade or so, their lackluster accomplishments leaving them barely able to keep off competition.  The ursyklon master of the Union, Arana "The Old Shovel" Brightblood has a eye for talent, but is growing more desperate with each loss.  She fears losing the trust and patronage of the University, which might let another Union usurp their place.

The Bleeding Union: The Blood Quarter's own, these Adventurers work for the vampires of Blood Quarter, although they sometimes do work for the City Watch as well. Dhampirs are frequent members of their number.  They aren't biased however.  The Inculti Clan vampire Paul the Heartless runs the Bleeding Unions, using the catchphrase 'Watch Us Bleed For You.'  Membership among the Bleeders is nefarious amongst other adventurers, with teams of both Antipaladins and Assassins working in tandem.

The Sisters' Union: Perhaps the strangest of the big three Union, the Sisters specifically only will perform jobs outside of Crux, employing vessels to carry their parties to their destinations.  The Sisters also operate with the blessing of the Singer of the Song, whose Divas comprise more than a fair number of the Sisters Union.  Also a entertainment union, the Sisters sometimes let both business mix in the teams they organize and put together. But in Crux, they only entertain.  Some say the seven sisters (the Greys) only hire their teams to perform secret jobs, illegal jobs in Crux that'd otherwise splash back on them.  No one has proven that yet.