In the early days of Streamside when it was an open center of vice and indulgence (as opposed to the slightly more subtle center of vice and indulgence it is today), some of the local establishments catering to the appetites of the laborers of the nearby Mills were concerned that at some point the city government might crack down on them and place onerous restrictions on them, or even shut them down entirely. Some of the more powerful and more canny proprietors of these establishments decided that the best way to prepare against that contingency would be to have each other's backs, to make sure that if the government did come after one of them the others would close ranks around them and defend them—that they were stronger together than separately. To that end, these owners of businesses of gray legality united in an organization they called the Guild of Joy—after the pleasure they brought their customers. The Guild of Joy was not, of course, a true trade guild, but it was an alliance of business owners who would work together to defend each other and push legislation in their favor.

Though Streamside has changed much since then and no longer has quite the sordid reputation it did then, the Guild of Joy is still around, though its membership and purpose has evolved somewhat over the years. Today membership in the Guild is open to any business headquartered in Streamside, and many textile companies, morticians, and other provides of less dubious goods and services participate in the Guild alongside the brothels and gambling halls and the like—though the latter kinds of establishment may still form a slim majority. While the Guild still does occasionally dabble in city politics, most of its time and attention nowadays is spent on guiding the development of Streamside, and local policies... the Guild of Joy runs Streamside as much as anyone does.