Beyond The Fishwife alehouse, Stilt Street climbs gently up Tinner Hill. There lies the guildhall of The Hooks. One of the newer institutions in Fenmoss-town, this industrious company of fishermen were founded by the Fishwife’s own Halsta Sharp-Leaf some three decades ago shortly after the end of the Land Bleeding.
Begun as a way to give back to her newly-adopted home, The Hooks initially were indeed a guild of fishermen. Not long would it be, however, until members began to inquire as to Halsta’s old ways, how she got some of those scars, and how she came upon the money with which she bought The Fishwife.
In the time since then, The Hooks have taken on a role as the primary source of those “adventurers for hire” you hear about, with a particular focus on monster hunting. People travel from near and far to solicit the services of The Hooks, or even make their own attempts to join.
As in any trade guild, the process of becoming a Hook begins with an apprenticeship and training in any necessary skills. In most cases, this involves then becoming a junior member, affectionately referred to as a Tinner. “Your badge is of tin when first you begin. Turn it to bronze once you're good and hooked in,” is a saying oft-repeated in The Fishwife.
The life of a Hook is not without its perks, such as cheaper drinks even when Halsta gets the good stuff, but it is not for the faint of heart. Many a time does a Hook go out into this world to never return, or only to go “up Tinner Hill” in a box or bag. Behind the guildhall at the top of the hill, there stands Tinner’s Oak. Ancient boughs of a tree well into its ninth century have in recent times come to glitter with the bronze and tin fishhook badges of such brave or unfortunate Hooks as laid down their lives in the pursuit of adventure.
