The Houris' Guild has a near monopoly on courtesan services in Damkina but the rights
and obligations of its members are tightly controlled by law. In accordance with the laws
of Damkina any female is allowed to join the guild (indeed there are rumours that some males
occasionally do) but humans find it difficult to compete with the Houri and Half-houri girls
who comprise most of the membership.
Individual Houris must attend one of the two Lawful Good temples on a weekly basis although
they are required to cover their bodies in a prescribed 'uniform' so that they look like a
sect of puritannical nuns
when they do so. Those who have Houri blood are not allowed to marry and are not allowed to
benefit from any bequests from admirers. Children of Houri mothers have no property or other
rights with respect to their fathers. The Houris also have a duty of confidentiality to their
clients which must be strictly enforced by the Guild. These laws are obviously aimed at limiting the
'unfair advantage' that Houris' are perceived to have and also trying to deal with the
perception that they are potential agents of evil. You might think that after thousands
of years of integration into Damkina society some of these worries might be outdated. The
goverment is, however, not the only party in Damkina to see the Houris' ancestry as a
potential weak link: there have apparently be several attempts over the last fifty years by
the cult of Arthranax to try and subvert the Guild. At the request of the Guild the Temple of
Glor'Diadel has put several magical wards on the Houris'
Guildhouse.