Places of Power Within the Pony Wars

by Wings of Black Glass

The Changeling Guilds

Not far off the northern coast is a series of cities built into an archipelago, connected by long bridges and tunnels running underneath the shallow sea. These cities are known as the Hive Isles and home to the cooperative society of the Changelings. The islands are dotted by steep stone spires and high cliffs that provide ample space for housing and industry that would otherwise be inaccessible to Ponies. The Hive Isles are some of the most densely populated areas anywhere in the world.

Poorly understood by those outside their own culture, the Changelings have a very complex social structure. While most nations require citizens to work together, teamwork is much more dramatic among the Changelings. Every aspect of their society is tightly controlled by guilds with very narrow focuses. Where another nation might have a farmers guild, the Changelings have one for each crop as well as a separate one for harvesting each product, and then another for transporting them to the warehouse guild to be organized by another and then sent to the merchants in need of produce by the transportation guilds again. The web of interconnecting logistics is even more complicated for the militarized guilds.

Even this complexity is exaggerated when every adult Changeling is loyal to multiple guilds at once. It is not uncommon for a single Changeling to be employed by three or four guilds at a time. Those who choose to serve only one become so focused on that one task they invariably become undisputed masters in that particular field.

When most Ponies meet a changeling, it is usually with one of the Infiltrators, Observers, or Sellswords. As such, Changelings have a reputation for dishonesty and treachery, and most assume a society of shapeshifters would be one of backstabbing and lies. In fact, the opposite is true. Their community only functions because they must trust each other implicitly, or the whole thing would fall apart. Those few outsiders who live among them are surprised at how much information is freely shared between Changeling guilds and individuals.

What serves as the government is an oligarchic group of guild leaders known as The Quorum. These heads of some of the most important or influential guilds decide what laws are made or what vital decisions need to be made to keep the Hive Isles safe. One of the few secrets the Changelings keep from other Changelings is the exact location of the meetings. There is no officially recognized name the Changelings use to refer to their nation, but it is not uncommon for one to say they are from the Hive Isles the same way a Pony might say they are from Lumahina or the Sunbound. Outsiders sometimes call them the Changeling Guilds.

Being somewhat smaller than Ponies and most other species, the Changelings rely on trickery and subterfuge instead of pure military might. If it keeps the Hives protected, they are not above assassination, kidnapping, or torture. Many invasion attempts of the Isles were scuttled when the invasion force found its food supplies poisoned, supply wagons burned, ships arriving late or lost at sea due to wrong orders, and half the army was marching in the wrong direction. When they have to fight, they also make good use of Griffon mercenaries to make up for their own shortcomings.

Their primary advantage is their ability to Shapeshift. Most can transform into another creature of similar size and shape, but they do not gain any significant additional strength or powers they do not already possess. A practiced infiltrator can easily pass through the security of nearly any nation or organization. They’ve used this to steal both valuables and vital information from their foes. They have even successfully stolen the knowledge of some of the most secret spells, including the magic spells that the Lumahina use to grant immortality or resurrection. Although they have the knowledge, they lack the ability or training to perform such potent magic themselves.

Tiny compared to most nations, The Guilds of the Hive Isles exercise weight of power far beyond their size. Changeling Infiltrators, Defenders, Sellswords, and Observers can be found in nearly all important cities and nations, offering valuable clandestine services available for the right price. Information is a currency they know how to spend and how best to acquire.