Versotian Commerce Consortium

Lords of Commerce

The Versotian Commerce Consortium, known to many as the VCC, is a maritime trade conglomerate that services ports in Galisia and throughout the known world. Founded in the year 854 A.G. by a collective of ten of the wealthiest Versotian merchant lords, it has since grown into a trade empire spanning much of the known world. From their headquarters in Nicopolis, the VCC directs and manages the daily affairs of thousands of employees, hundreds of vessels, and untold scores of menial laborers.

The VCC, also called "the Company" by employees and associates alike, exercises quasi-governmental powers in many of the trade districts and port towns it holds sway over. It participates independently in regional conflicts, outfits expeditions headed to far off lands, negotiates treaties, and reserves the right to imprison and execute criminals.

Originally set up as a defensive measure against the growing influence of Demorian traders in southern Galisia, the VCC soon eclipsed all rival merchants in the region. Eventually expanding its influence to the northern coast of Galisia over the next two centuries, the VCC soon monopolized valuable trade goods such as gemstones and furs coming from the relatively distant coastal cities of Andover and Kortzen. While many local rulers welcomed the influx of commercial ventures, not all were so grateful.

In it's early years, the VCC petitioned the city of Carlisle for a 99-year lease of it's commerical docks. When the city refused, the ardent captains of the VCC anchored off the coast refused to take no for an answer. Landing under the cover of night, the VCC sent a shore party to capture and fortify a nearby hill overlooking the port. The following day, when the ruler of Carlisle discovered the Versotians encamped, he quickly rallied his knights to throw the intruders back into the sea. After a full day of charges against the VCC positions and dozens of knights felled by Versotian crossbows, the Lord of Carlisle relented. For the first time in recorded history, a private organization had gone up against the host of a feudal lord and emerged victorious. The precedent set by the Company men at Carlisle was a simple one: It was better to accept the VCC than oppose them. Needless to say, lords around the Continent now think twice when a VCC fleet anchors off their shores. Few lords have successfully challenged the VCC since.

Structure

As a conglomerate, the VCC maintains a ruling council of ten ruling shareholders, each holding between 5-10% of the Company and all of its assets. These ten shareholders vote regularly on Company initiatives and operations, diverting resources and gold where they are need. They are led by an eleventh shareholder who rotates positions every five years, the Company Director-General. The Director-General serves as a mediator and, in the case of split votes, a tiebreaker between the shareholders. He is also the individual most responsible for the day-to-day management of the VCC and it's headquarters in Vinovia. The seats of shareholders are hereditary, with each seat being passed from father to son over the centuries.

Public Agenda

Publicly, the VCC claims to be a purely mercantile enterprise, only seeking the free movement of trade goods around the Continent. Behind closed doors, however, the VCC plots and plans for eventual conflicts with most coastal lords in the Imperium. After all, what one man might call scheming, another man calls insurance.

Assets

As of the last Imperial census, the VCC officially maintains:
98,560 Employees
591 Merchant Trade Vessels
186 Warships
45,105 Armed Personnel

Prosperity and Guile

The First Private Military

Officially, the VCC claims it needs soldiers and armored vessels for defense on the high seas, but most lords know these troops are used for anything by defense.
The VCC first began recruiting armsmen in the year 876 A.G., outfitting each of its vessels with one hundred soldiers in the event of boarding by pirates. However, as the wealth and power of the VCC grew over time, and as most pirates were eradicated from the coasts, the Company continued in the recruitment, training, and outfitting of soldiers. This was much to the chagrin of the local Versotian lords, who protested such recruitment vehemently. But who could blame the destitute characters that sought a better life working under the VCC? Unlike the militias and retinues of most lords, VCC armsmen were paid handsomely for their services. After more than a century of operation, the VCC was even able to raise several regiments of Versotian Marines as a result of their overflowing coffers. Though many lords will resent the fact, involvement from troops of the VCC has often proven pivotal in conflicts past. But every nobleman knows, if anything is true, it is that the VCC always collects on a debt.

Founding Date

854 A.G.

Alternative Names

VCC, the Company

Related Ethnicities

• Versotian