The Howling Voice Guild (ほえ猛る声の組合, Hoetakeru Koe no Kumiai), translated as the Roaring Brotherhood in Suikoden III, is an organization located in the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. Their agents appear in several titles in the Suikoden series.
Information
The Howling Voice Guild is an organization that holds the knowledge of gunpowder and firearms. These technologies have given the group great military power and power within the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. Their forces are comprised of gun wielders called gunners, who are divided into several classes from pages to squires to knights to the Guildmaster. Gunners of the guild are known for their great combat prowess.
Clive, Elza and Zaj were three notable gunners of the Howling Voice Guild. After the death of Elza, Clive ascended to the position of Guildmaster.
Class Hierarchy
The Guild is led by the Council of Elders, an exclusive body comprising only of members who were previously Guildmasters. The only named Elder known is Sauro, who was in charge of tutoring young Nash Latkje upon the head of the Latkje family's request.
The Guildmaster is the entity's chief executive reporting to the Council of Elders, typically chosen by the Guild's unique firearm, Storm. Beyond possessing the ability to fire Storm, the candidate must also first be qualified as a knight-class gunner. However, it has been known that some Elders would intervene in the event of any irregularities in knight-class numbers or inconvenient choices made by Storm.
Knight-class gunners are squire-class members who have passed grueling tests to be qualified to act as a Guildmaster. It was said that knight-class gunners have uncanny accuracy and will never miss their target.
Squire-class gunners are members entrusted with personal firearms. Though they may not have knight-class gunners' accuracy, their training as an ordinary member combined with firearms greatly increases their potency.
Ordinary members of the guild who have yet to obtain any form of rank form the majority of the Guild's members. While they had limited access to firearms, they did however have access to gunpowder, various poisons, concoctions, and training associated with espionage and assassination. Because new guild membership was restricted to below the age of 13, the majority of the ordinary members comprise of children.
Trivia
- The Howling Voice Guild was translated as the Roaring Brotherhood for Suikoden III but this reverted once more for Suikoden V. Either translation is equally accurate, however.
References
- Genso Suikoden Encyclopaedia (ISBN 4-575-16297-3), page 252