Gilfane is structured into a number of sub-guilds, or Houses, each with its own theme, guildhall, etc. Each House allows membership of one or more professions and all individual members are given a rank within the House which determines the guild titles available to them.

While most activities are done as a single guild unit, the House system gives an extra element of RP and friendly competition with the best House earning the title of Ruling House. Members are encouraged to put as much effort as possible into establishing their House's identity and it is that, and in particular the efforts of the House leader, that sets the tone for the House. Members are welcome to break from an existing House and establish one of their own if they so wish, while other Houses may perish due to a lack of members.

Gilfane Citadel, or 'the Citadel', is at the heart of the town of Gilfane and serves as the main resource restock and central meeting place for all guild members. The focal point of the building is the Great Hall. Here, the seals of each House are set on a grey pedestal (darker and taller for the Ruling House). The Hall is also the resting place of the Staff of Law, the Keeper's symbol of authority which he uses at all ceremonial occassions. The Citadel entrance will have two banners in the Gilfane main colours (red and black) and one in black and the colour of the Ruling House.

The Keeper may appoint a Grand Provisioner & Grand Armourer from among the members of the guild and they will be responsible for maintaining provisions and armour stocks in the Citadel's stores. The Grand Provisioner & Grand Armourer may, if they wish, use these titles in place of any other.

Houses that contain ten or more characters, comprising at least five different active players, are known as Greater Houses while smaller ones are classed as Minor Houses. Only Greater Houses can have ranks of level six or higher and be eligible to be appointed as the Ruling House.

House status is only changed at the start of a month. Each House is evaluated and if it has sufficient membership it becomes a Greater House. For a Greater House to be re-classed as a Minor one its population must drop below either four active players or seven characters. All Houses start off as Minor, regardless of size.

Unless their House uses a special ranking system, there are a number of guild titles available for House members to choose from. These titles are organized into various professions, each containing ranks from one to eight. The higher ranks are generally more desirable and reflect greater proficiency and/or leadership.

The guild title will be in the form 'House title', using the House's full name or an abbreviated one as room allows. For rank eight titles, available only to the Ruling House, the House name is omitted. Which titles a member can choose from and which they actually select is determined by several factors:

• Ranking points - The most important factor in determining which titles a character may select is the player's ranking points within the House. Each rank level requires the corresponding number of points in order for a character to be eligible to use it. Ranking points are gained chiefly from the periodic Ruling House competitions. The exact mechanism for awarding points may vary from contest to contest, but in general the more ways the player helps a House the more points he will earn. Note that players are not limited to choosing a title from the maximum rank they are eligible for, they can choose from any rank up to their maximum.
• Skills and general role - Characters should choose titles from professions related to their character's abilities or usual occupation. A bard/mage, for instance, should select a title from the mage or bard ones, but possibly also from the maritime list if they spend a lot of time hunting pirates, etc., or perhaps one related to house design and decorating if they enjoy and are proficient at that.
• Player's ability - The rank given to a character should not drastically exceed the ability of the player in the chosen field, and those players given the highest ranks should be masters of their craft. A high ranking maritime character should know how to properly steer a ship and the best places to find pirates. A top mage should be able to do a lot more than just drop a Rising Colossus and then go back to stealth mode. A high level tamer should be able to tame any pet himself and know where to find them, in addition to adequately employing them in combat. And so on.
• Leadership - Characters of higher rank are expected to act as leaders in the field and offer advice about their profession/role to those under them (both within their own House and outside it), so players may not necessarily want to occupy a higher rank even if they are able to do so. A Seneschal, for instance, is generally the top military rank in a House and so should have a good command of melee equipment & tactics and how to employ them in the field. The Marshal of Gilfane is the highest military rank in the guild and should only be assigned to someone with a firm understanding of all melee combat against both player and monster, and who is prepared to take charge and give direction to others during fights.
• Maximum number per House - The top ranks are only available to the most powerful Houses and rank five & six titles are usually restricted in number.
• The wishes of the prelate - The House leader has ultimate control over who occupies what rank and what title they assume, except that he may not promote anyone to a rank unless they are eligible to occupy it. He is not forced to grant a particular title to someone when requested and he does not have to assign the title at all even if he has members who are eligible. He may also demote characters who have been inactive for a certain period. But generally, of course, the leader will happily accommodate his members' requests if able to do so.

The following tables show the various professions and the titles available for each rank:

If a player wishes to take on a particular rank & title within a House, he must have the necessary ranking points available, with one point being needed for each rank level. Ranking points are primarily gained during the periodic Ruling House competitions. The exact mechanism for awarding points may vary from contest to contest, but in general the more ways the player actively helps a House the more points he will earn. It is important to note that points are earned per player per House and all characters a player has within the House will be able to benefit from the points earned regardless of whether they were actually used to help gain any.

At the conclusion of a Ruling House contest, the House prelate will reduce the rank/title of anyone who has not earned enough points to merit the one he currently holds in addition to taking rank/title requests from those who are eligible for higher positions. It is quite possible that a player will fail to make any contribution to the contest and therefore accrue no ranking points, in which case he will have "rank zero" and will be forced to use the title 'House Vassal' for all characters in the House. In cases where more than one member requests a title that has a limit to the number per House, and those applying are otherwise equally qualified, the prelate may decide based upon the total ranking points of the candidates.

In addition to points from the contests, prelates are entitled to award points to members themselves. They may, for instance, give a minimum number of points to members who were unable to take part in the Ruling House contest due to holidays, illness or other temporary inactivity. They may also award points for performing key quests and services to the guild/House. Nevertheless, prelates are encouraged to reserve the higher ranks for those who were major players in a House contest and/or who have made substantial contributions to the House.

New members of a House also start at rank zero but are instead given the title of 'House Acolyte'. They remain with that title either until the next contest or until awarded ranking points by the prelate as outlined above.