guild
A guild is a social contrivance devised by like-minded individuals to disperse responsibilities while monopolizing rewards. Members laud one another’s titles yet defer actual labor to someone else as a badge of honor. Personal triumphs become guild glory, and guild failures are recast as individual lessons in a masterclass of self-contradiction. Some participants believe that mere membership guarantees victory, convening with tankards in hand to extol their home turf. The walls of the organization are a cage of camaraderie, and escape is seldom an option.