The Augustine Trading Company
Amidst the splendors of Morencia sits an
organization that guards its
treasure as jealously as
a dragon defends its
hoard. The Augustine
Trading Company is an
ancient and venerable
institution that
maintains a presence
in every country, from
the southern reaches of
Castinella to the misty city
of Castalore.
The company was named after its founder,
Manoch Augustus, a clergyman who left the
priesthood amid a scandal involving the church’s
finances. With few options left, he turned his
talents to commerce. After a number of false
starts, Augustus found his way into a lucrative
profession—the weapons trade.
With the help of some investors from the
nobility, he founded an arms trading company in
Morencia.
With the gold he earned, he purchased land
and lent coin to the rich. After systematizing
predatory lending practices and enforcing them
ruthlessly, the Augustine Trading Company ended
up as the wealthiest faction in all of Etharis. They
are one of the few non-government entities rich
enough to hire the services of the Free Swords
Company. However, through the machination of
its latest head Kolthys “Blazing Brain,” the line
between company and government has blurred
as an organ of the Augustine Trading Company
became a dominant force on the Morencian
Supreme Council.
The company maintains trades routes that run
all the way to Grarjord. Each ship is guarded by a
contingent of professional soldiers, wizards, and
priests. Even the raiders of Tyburn think twice
before attacking these floating fortresses.
The company currently has a hand in every trade,
including food production, construction, labor,
crafts, and education. It runs one of the finest
wizard colleges in Morencia. It has even lured
legendary smiths from Rauland into its stable of
weapon makers.
It is also no secret that the company has moved
into a new era of weapon trading: breeding
monsters to serve on the battlefield. Their first
successful venture involved lycanthropic thralls
they call Warbreed. Rumors abound that the
company is currently experimenting with eldritch
mutants. While this current venture is frowned
upon by the clergy, governments have embraced
such forward-thinking ideas with open arms.
“Success in all ventures and circumstances.”
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