The Wizards Guild:
The Wizards Guild was founded by the abandoned Merchants of the Frobozz Magic Company. After the destruction of the Empire, these haphazard wizards, formally responsible for selling and implementing the magical devices of the company, represented the greatest collection of magical force that remained intact.
Thus, to protect thier secrets, and insure thier own future survival, they gathered together all the wizards who would join them. Those who refused were killed on the spot.
It was in this manner that the group, latter intittled the Guild of Wizards gained a monopoly on all magic - and it is still thru these nefarious means that the monopoly is maintained.
The Holy Guild:
After the formation of the Wizards guild, the Wizards began to look for every oppurtunity to stregthen thier monopoly on the elements of magic. To this end, the religous groups, granted powers similar in magic by thier respective Gods, were regarded as a threat, motivating what became a systematic elimination of the religous orders in Quendor.
The Black Wizards were swift, brutal, and merciless in this task, in some extreme cases they would lay waste entire cities for the simple removal of but a single, lonly shrine. In the end, only five religous factions remained, and very little population to support them.
Dupre's, the God Of War, fanatical followers, recognizing the imeadiatly the purpose behind the ruthless attacks of the Black Wizards sent out armies of thier finest Paladins, in a desperate attempt to stop the blood lust. None who left on these quests were seen again by living eyes.
The remaining religous factions were pushed into a a corner, few of thier Paladins and Clerics remaine alive and thier respective shrines were being incinerated at an alarming rate. Only one hope remained. Setting aside thier differences, the five remaining factions formed a pact of mutual protection, and combining thier forces, marched to the mighty tower of Zanzer Tem, head of the Black Wizards faction in the Wizards Guild.
Battle was joined in a way never seen before in the world, the magical energy expended was so emense that the sky ignited in fire. The conflict ended in stale mate, with mutual destruction virtually assured for both sides. Left with no other choice, the two sides agreed a non-agression pact, the Treaty of Zanzer and the Holy Guild marched grudgingly away from the battlefield.
Since then, no open conflicts have occured - but tensions are forever rising and peace lies on the edge of a knife.
The Rogue Guild:
The Wizard/Religion conflict's uneasy end created a new type of war, and along with it a new type of Soldier. No longer able to attack one another directly, but still bitter rivals, the Wizard's Guild and the Holy Guild resorted to third party sorces - Theives and Assasains.
Believing that these new "resources" were oblivous to what was happening each side made continous use thier services for nearly ten years in a prolonged Cold War. The rogues, as they were called, were not so naive as thier employers were led to believe. Slowly, as not to be noticed, groups of them began to bond together and over time they learned to manipulate to thier own advantage.
A whisper here, a rumor in the dark, and the pockets of the crafty agents have kept the feud running, and thier main employement, for almost 500 years. All the time filling thier coffers to the brim with gold and treasure.
The Soldiers Guild:
With the formation of the three great Guilds, the towns and cities above the Great Underground Empire began to allie themselves, organizing into larger groups. The need for Town Guards and hired swords became acute. Those who filled these roles took great pride in thier work, and out of mutual interest, formed Guilds were they could gather or in times of need use as defense points for the cities they defend.
So, the Land that would become Quendor was split into a set of warring city states. It was here that the central capital Quendor arose - giving rise to powerfull shock troops that dispensed with thier enemies using the most brutally efficient tactics imaginable. Due in part to it's raising power, and fear of it's mighty army, Quendor ammassed many allies amonst the city-states. Resistance still remained in the form of a malicious Drudic cult city bent on capturing parts of the Quendorian alliance for use in thier Dark rituals.
For five days and nights the Quendorian army - aided the Wizards Guild fought against the Druids, pushing them into the Dark Forest - or so they thought. The soldiers, believing thier enemy to in retreat chased after them deep into the forest only to find the very tree's themselve come alive and bash through thier ranks like toothpicks.
The Wizards Guild, watching the carnage created by these demonic trees, choose this time to strike, setting the forest ablaze - burning both men and wood. To offset this a new caste of Wizard was brought forth - the White - whose defensive spells were able to save a handfull of Quendors men - but many still remained charred and burned by the inferno of the Wizards, now drained for combat.
The surving soldier, blaming the Wizards for thier comrades death, were in a frenzy and held the Wizards at iron point giving them the choice between etternal service to the empire or death by iron.
All the Wizards hastily agreed.