Sanguine Ketchup

Sanguine Ketchup is a condiment company based in the Draconian village of Evity.

Finethir Shinebright by Jarhed

The Sanctuary Company

Sanguine Ketchup is a company founded, ultimately, with a motive beyond simply making ketchup, or any other condiment for that matter.
Their mission statement is as follows:

"The right for Half-Elves to exist in this world is not one that must be earned. It is earned by the very fact that they are alive.
As long as we exist, there will be a safe place in the world for Half-Elves."

They are a haven for Half-Elves. Not only is their entire board of directors made up of Half-Elves, but a large portion of their workforce are Half-Elves.
The only reason the number of Half-Elves that work for them is not higher is due to the simple fact that there are so few Half-Elves in the world due to discriminatory practices in the Elven Kingdom and Kingdom of Man.
If not for that, Sanguine Ketchup likely would only hire Half-Elves, as that is their primary goal. Safety for their people.

Founders

Sanguine Ketchup was an ambitious enterprise, but there was a group dedicated to seeing it through. Three Half-Elves that survived the Elven Civil War gathered as many others as they could.
These three were:

• Finethir Shinebright- CEO


• Prysiel- CFO


• Tavikul- Head of Product

All of these Half-Elves owed a great debt of loyalty to Finethir Shinebright, who had not only saved them during the Elven Civil War, but had led them to freedom and swore to make them a place where they would be safe.
That place was Sanguine Ketchup.

Founding

Sanguine Ketchup was founded in 552, one month after Finethir Shinebright's wedding to Lorakaen Darelor.

Lorakaen Shinebright by Yumedatchi

Prior to this, Finethir had little idea what to do with his life. He was a fugitive in the Elven Kingdom, having participated in the rebellion during the Elven Civil War, saving many Half-Elves from arrest and execution. Beyond that, he was a criminal in most places for simply living as a Half-Elf.
He wanted a future where Half-Elves were not persecuted, but he had found it increasingly difficult. Village Chief Kaltoth Vracrath of Evity offered Finethir and Lorakaen a home, and they accepted, but still his prospects were limited.
The night of Finethir's bachelor party, he was confronted by his abusive mother Sirlini Glirdog. For all his life, she had tormented him with what she called "jokes." To him, they were evil acts done to drive him insane. Prior to 552, Finethir had believed her dead for over a decade at that point, as she had faked her death in a housefire, laughing all the way through.
Finethir had enough, finally snapping and killing his mother when she threatened his, at the time, fiancée. As he did so, he found himself caught in her infectious laughter.
When he stared at her lifeless body, he found himself in a mood beyond rage or grief. The laughter had brought him to a different state, where he was able to look at the blood on the ground pouring out of his mother... and formulate a business plan around this.
He noticed that the blood resembled, in a way, ketchup. At first he feared it was another practicle joke from her, but after confirming that she was dead, he realized that this was the foundation of a brilliant plan. Ketchup, though, with a twist.
By the next day, he had already created a formula for his Sanguine Ketchup. He handed it off to some guests at the wedding, and every one of them told him the same thing:

"This is disgusting."

Not deterred, Finethir continued on until, eventually, he landed on two different recipes, which would eventually branch out into more products.

Products

Sanguine Ketchup makes three major types of ketchup, as well as some other condiments. These products are all they produce, though they have considered other paths, they have remained in the market of condiments.
All of these are themed, like the business, on blood and death. This is because they are based in Evity, the Forbidden Village where magic techniques like Necromancy and Puppetry are commonplace to practice, so they wanted to stick to the theming of their home and make something that, at least, would be popular there.

• Tomato Ichor Ketchup- The original, standard ketchup recipe with few changes, it is the most normal ketchup one could get from Sanguine Ketchup. It is made from tomatoes, and was suggested to Finethir so that he would not lose customers who liked the regular variety.
  Finethir and those at Sanguine Ketchup perfected the recipe, as previously tomato ketchup spoiled quickly. To solve this, vinegar was added, acting as both a preservative and a flavor enhancer. Thus, even the most standard form of ketchup is groundbreaking with Sanguine Ketchup.


• Bacon Bits and Pieces Ketchup- Finethir's breakthrough recipe from the fateful night of his bachelor party, this ketchup is made in a similar way to Tomato Ichor Ketchup, with the addition of a few ingredients.
  The only one of extreme note, of course, is bacon. Bacon is diced apart and sprinkled into the ketchup, and so every bite with Bacon Bits and Pieces Ketchup has small pieces of bacon in it, giving a more savory taste.


• Banana Lifeblood Ketchup- A third recipe, this one was suggested as a joke by Finethir's daughter, Raelia Shinebright, but his wife Lorakaen said he should try it to make her happy.
  Ultimately, it created a sweet, tangy taste. Some say this recipe had been used elsewhere in the world, but Sanguine Ketchup popularized the idea. Usually, it comes out as an orange color, but red dye is often added to it to give it the bloody, ketchup aesthetic.


• Bortanni Bruise Hot Sauce- Upon being asked kindly by his friend, Chief of another village, Bortan, Nalrik Tilrak, Finethir added hot sauce to the company's list of products. After all, it was Nalrik's favorite condiment and a favorite of many Bortanni citizens. Bortan, being the rival village to Evity, did not generally take to the marketing of Sanguine Ketchup, so Finethir saw this as a perfect opportunity to corner the Bortanni market.
  Due to its rapid creation, it varies very minimally from other hot sauces made around the world. This did not stop it from being one of the most popular products in Draconian Territory.


• Battered and Barbecued- Barbeque sauce, added to enhance popularity in Bortan and other places, it is not worth too much note.


• Plasma Mustard- A bright yellow mustard, it is rather standard in a similar way to Tomato Ichor Ketchup. It uses vinegar as a preservative, and is generally popular among most customers.


• Red Dragon's Fire Mustard- A brown, spicy mustard that is meant to evoke images of red dragons and the destruction they bring with just how hot their breath is. The slogan for Red Dragon's Fire Mustard upon its release was:
  

  "Feel the breath of a dragon in your own mouth."



• Anore Memories Mustard- The least popular product from Sanguine Ketchup, it was only added because it is a product that comes from Finethir's old home town, Syla Anore. It is a mustard that replaces vinegar with white wine, giving it a sharper, more complex taste and a dull, yellow-brown color.

The Mighty Herald by Jarhed

Cult Rumors

Some have called Sanguine Ketchup a cult, and rumors spread that the employees and even the board all worship the CEO, Finethir Shinebright.
While no truth has come to light of these rumors, it is known that many in the organization referred to Finethir by the name "Lord Shinebright." When asked about this, Finethir responded saying:

"That's... difficult to explain, but I'll do my best.
In the Elven Civil War, I saved them and shepherded them to safety, becoming someone they could rely on for anything they needed. I was a savior to them and they... they just started calling me that.
I've told them to stop, but they refuse. There's nothing I can really do about it."

— Finethir Shinebright

Some don't believe that Finethir was truly against it, while others trust his word. Either way, some do worship him in one way or another, and the real question is whether the organization and Finethir himself actually support that, or if they are against the idea of anything cultlike.
What is certain is that the Mighty Herald, 67th Grand Wizard of the Draconians, specifically cited Sanguine Ketchup as one of the inspirations that he based his own cult, the Paragons of Unity, on.
How the Mighty Herald knew Finethir is unclear, and it is possible he did not, but he would often speak of him in personal terms.

"Finethir Shinebright was a good man, and he'd created a real cult of personality around himself. I wouldn't call it an actual cult, just as I wouldn't call the Paragons of Unity one. It's an alternative religious experience, one that gives the people an alternative to the Gods. They deserve that... Finethir showed people that."

— The Mighty Herald

Why a ketchup company would be used as a front for a cult is unclear, and some even speculate that their ketchup may truly contain blood and viscera if that is truly the case.