Scriel (Lorica)

Scriel
Scriel is the guild that controls the entire electronic communication grid, with cables running underground between guild halls, and telecom relay towers on the surface. They have a limited sort of internet, though only scriel members use it (ie internet in the DARPA stages), and various intranets within them. All fast communication between the guilds goes through Scriel’s network, though the guilds at least are smart enough to encrypt their messages. Scriel also controls an extensive ‘server-base’ of ongoing decryption spells, and whole teams of intelligence members (secret to anyone not in the guild) working to decrypt other guilds’ messages without them knowing. Scriel’s own encryption is very advanced (public key) and cannot be decrypted except by Scriel members. Of course, Scriel usually doesn’t act on any of this information, and its members do not steal the other guilds’ high magic (high magic intel usually not being transmitted on the network anyway for security reasons), but they pick up a lot of low magic spells in this way. In wartime, Scriel is able to use this intel to outmaneuver its opponents. Additionally, Scriel’s towers act as recording towers, providing real-time surveillance of much of the world; and it deploys flying drone-spells and tiny insect-like drone-spells that can monitor guild actions with relative impunity. Scriel and Mercadia work closely with the finances. Scriel’s intel allows it to monitor the other guilds and nations.