Questions regarding smiths and guilds

[Potverdorie]

So I started playing Stainless Steel about a week ago and so far it is amazing. However, there are some things that confuse me..

1. Smiths - I can't build the heavy armourer anywhere. And by that I mean in my large cities (according to the building browser I should be able to get it in large cities). Is this time or faction related? I'm playing an early campaign with the Kingdom of Sicily.
2. St. Johns Minor House - so I got it in Jerusalem but it was already there when I conquered it (although I got it from the Fatamids - who are muslim obviously). And no, there has not been a crusade to Jerusalem because I organized two and those were against different cities. I've read some about the guild but I don't get my head around how to trigger it. Chivalry? Administratively minded trait? Crusades? You name it, I'm on turn 80 and I just got my first guild (St. Johns that is)
3. I've read that the mercenary trait can be quite useful in recruitment castles, I don't know how to trigger this either. I've taken up many mercenaries in my armies but never got a trait for it..
4. Is there an assassins guild?
5. What guild should I be aiming at for ''normal'' city and castles? Merchant guild because of the extra trade income?

Tnx guys o/

[Duck of Death]

Working backwards...
5. What guild to get in a city is kind of a matter of preference. Merchant is always good for the extra income (as well as the merchant cavalry you can then recruit that get free upkeep in the city).

4. Yes, there's an Assassins guild. Recruit enough assassins and you should get it offered to you (providing you have a city that doesn't yet have a guild).
4.(a) Guilds will only be offered in settlements city and larger and fortress and larger (not large towns or castles).

3. Do you mean the mercenary ancillary? You can only have 8 ancillaries on a general. Go outside your settlement and start recruiting mercs... it should usually give you the ancillary, if you have room for it.

2. St.John or Templar houses are considered like guilds, in the sense that you have to have a city+ or a fortress+ to build it. They are also regional. There are a couple provinces in France where you can build them and most of the coastal provinces in the holy lands. The building options will be in the cities normal building menus. I think at large city and citadel is when you will get the option of upgrading the houses to major chapter houses (allowing you to also train foot knights in addition to cavalry. You can only build one of each major house in your empire. If no one else already has it, you may also get offered the headquarters (just like with normal guilds).

1. The heaviest armory, I think, is time related (but not factional). I don't know the exact date, but I want to say either 1300 or 1400. The heaviest armories also require Huge cities and citadels.

[Potverdorie]

Tnx for your answers.!
In the building browser I also saw the masons guild which gives some extra income, I don't know how to trigger this tho? It doesn't seem to appear in Vanilla as well.. do you know how to trigger it?
Also, what provinces are considered ''holy land''? And I thought it would include a retinue of ''Holy lands'' to a general, the general that conquered Jerusalem did not get it.. does it only come when I have all the ''holy lands''?

[Duck of Death]

Not sure exactly how to trigger the mason guild, maybe build a lot of buildings?

Holy lands (where you can build Templar/St.John houses) are Antioch, Tortosa, Acre, Jerusalem, Kerak and I think Aleepo. There may be one more. Also, in France you can build a Templar house in Toulouse and one other city I forget. There are several places in Spain where you can build a third type of Knights house, but I don't remember which Spanish cities.

As far as retinue (or ancillary) you can get from these holy cities, I think you just have a random chance to get them when you conquer the above territories.
The items that I know of are: holy grail, ark of covenant, crown of thorns, piece of the cross, spear used at crucifiction, some kind of ring.

Theres also Constantine's sword you have a chance to get when you conquer Constantinople.... probably some other surprises at other places.

[Potverdorie]

Wow, great! Looking forward to more Templar and St John guilds/houses. I DO have Acre and Kerak as well atm (just conquered) so I guess they just have to be triggered? Or does it require a certain settlement upgrade?

Those items sound very cool, I hope I can get some. I am at the doorstep of all of those cities :a (just launched another crusade)

[Duck of Death]

Settlement upgrade, Im pretty sure, has to be fortress or small city to get those knight-house building options.

Beware the Muslims!!!
They WILL try to take those place back from you, and you are surrounded by Egyptians to the south and Turks to the north.
And once you have taken Jerusalem, they're next Jihad is often directed there.

[Potverdorie]

Yeah I already had a Jihad against Alexandria, had 7 muslim stacks incoming but I did manage to defend it quite easily actually. I'm not sure if Kerak is holy land though, I looked at the building browser and there was no St. Johns or Templar guild/house while the building browser in Acre did show this.

[Lifthrasir]

Have a few experienced assassins around. If a jihad is called on Jerusalem, you can send them to kill the generals and if you succeed, the rest of the army will disband

It helps sometimes to face all these stacks coming for you. With some of them removed, that makes things a bit more simple

Just my 2 cents, off topic btw

[Potverdorie]

I got 3 high skilled assassins atm, let them come!

[Navajo Joe]

Also remember to deploy spies in front to detect enemy assassins and recon the enemy stacks