Money is, as they say, the root of all power. And wealth is, of course, our divine right. And no, you cannot have any of it.
The Merchant Dynasties of
The Nesses are old, influential families who have built up a lot of wealth over the centuries from the lucrative trading of goods beyond
Wexe's shores.
The families see each other as bitter rivals and are constantly at each others' throats. While economic maneuvering is their preferred form of conflict, they are not above more devious and... bloody... methods of removing the competition. Either by the covert funding of privateers away from shore, or by knocking over rival smuggling groups based in the
Squall Islands, or even by the more direct application of a poisoned knife to the back on a dark night.
The biggest prize of a Merchant Dynasty is to hold the imposing fortress of
Tempest Keep. The castle's strategic position at the most accessible channel into and out of The Nesses make it the perfect base of operations from which rival trade can be interdicted and have taxes extorted, or have valuable cargoes seized under the pretext of persecuting smugglers. They compete with each other ceaselessly in order to claim this prize, even if they can only hold it for a decade or two at a time if they are lucky. Tempest Keep is currently held by the young De Beris family.
Notable Merchant Dynasties
Wattenby
Although the family with the smallest holdings, the
Wattenby is the oldest in The Nesses. Its seat of power in
Watteness is permanently in the shadow of Tempest Keep, so it is little wonder that this family has been the castle's holder for the longest length of time.
Almerby
The
Almersby family are from the fishing town of
Ausness. They are by far the wealthiest of the Merchant Dynasties, built off the back of a vast trading fleet, and the members of the family are not afraid to flaunt that wealth at every opportunity. It is well known that the Almerby family directly engage in piracy, but their ability to pay off the more "flexible" magistrates and make witnesses vanish make them almost untouchable by the law.
Louthby
The
Louthby family are also from Ausness, and their close proximity to the Almerby family and fundamental differences make them the most bitter of rivals. Although they make much of their money from trade, they have significant leverage over the magistrate courts in The Nesses, and are committed to apprehending smugglers and other outlaws with their fleet of galleys. Their public commitment to upholding the Crown's laws make them close to the royal family of Wexe, and makes most direct forms of retaliation against them by their rivals a risky prospect.
Salsby
The
Salsby family make their home in the wind swept and rain drenched town of
Hiberness ins the Squall Islands. Though they officially make their fortune from controlling the lucrative waterproof coat and hat industry there, it is an open secret that they are intimately involved in the many smuggling and shipwreck looting groups that operate from the archipelago. Though they hide behind a veil of plausible deniability, the blame for various suspiciously timed extinguishings of
Lighthouses have been laid at their feet.
De Beris
The
De Beris family is the youngest and most obscure of the Merchant Dynasties. It only recently rose to prominence, and none of the other families even considered it a threat until it suddenly seized Tempest Keep from its previous owners, the [NAME] family. The De Beris family have proven themselves to be particularly ruthless and underhanded in their methods, and seem to have a surprisingly deep well of resources with which to draw upon. There have been rumours of secret dealings with
shady individuals who lurk in the shadows on dark, stormy nights. Those who spread such rumours seem to regularly suffer from "unfortunate accidents"...
Comments