Everwinter Sea Trading Company

Although the ESTC is a relatively recent addition to the corporate stage compared to the wizened juggernauts Orbrand, Rawbrek and Company and Quinneus Family Shipping, in the 30 years since their founding they have quickly and mercilessly risen through the ranks to become one of the Empire's most powerful and influential merchant companies.
Background
The ESTC was first established in the city of Emberhull, capital of the Imperial Province of Calderon, by Rorsenzarra Janre, a shrewd, calculating drow and head of the House of Jannor, which had settled in Calderon after being exiled from the drow city-state of Atchethgaust. Using the last of her family's gold, she ordered construction of a pair of ships, the Czelotha and the Llurdeith. Having originally planned to charter them out as passenger ships for settlers heading to the recently established Imperial Colonies in Altharad, the commencement of war in the North presented her with enormous opportunities which she was quick to take advantage of.
Through clever politicking and wrangling, which involved the bribery of no less than five magistrates, the organisation of three assassinations, and the arrangement of her daughter Thoella's marriage to the recently widowed Baron of Emberhull, she managed to secure a contract to transport Imperial soldiers to northern battlefields and ship Alliance prisoners to southern prisons. While the profits of such a venture were negligible at best, it afforded her the cover she needed to instigate her main enterprise, which involved buying artefacts plundered by Imperial officers and selling them to black market collectors in the South, in coordination with members of the Consortium. Though of course, were anyone to ever accuse her publicly of the truth behind her wartime actions, she has an army of lawyers and back alley enforcers on hand to legally and physically deny such accusations.
After the war ended, the Empire seized the land and assets of dozens of Jorlundian and Merelian nobles who had either been killed in the fighting or executed for siding with the Northern Alliance. Using the revenues from her smuggling operation, Rorsenzarra bought the deeds to many of these estates at auction, and promptly set about turning them over to her uses. Natives were driven from their land to expand quarries, indentured labourers were shipped in from all corners to sweat and die in mines, and mass evictions were issued in towns and cities across the North to make way for warehouses, refineries and forges.
From her initial flotilla of two, Rorsenzarra swiftly assembled a fleet composed of dozens of ships. Her reach soon extended around the entirety of the Northern Kingdoms, prompting many in the Empire to dub her "Queen of the Everwinter Sea". Taking the title to heart, she named her company to reflect the nomenclature. And so the Everwinter Sea Trading Company was born.
Operations
Although most of the goods produced by the ESTC are made in the Northern Kingdoms, their fleet ships those goods to almost every port in the Empire, their reach extending as far afield as Sudyria, Zoatl, and the Colonies. They maintain a number of branches from where these regional operations are managed, with the largest being based in the cities of Skaldenburg, Ksaroukhari, Verus and New Calderon. All of these branches are controlled from the company's headquarters in Emberhull. Such is the power and influence of the House of Jannor over Emberhull, that they have even commissioned the building of an entirely new section of docklands for their personal and commercial use.
Assets
In addition to the ESTC Fleet, the company employs a small but well equipped private army; veteran-mercenaries from a half dozen wars whose responsibility it is to guard the company's assets, whether land or waterborne. There are even rumours that they have in their employment a cadre of drow sorcerers, though the House of Jannor regularly compensates the local office of the Ministry of Enlightenment for their decision to not give such hearsay any credence.

Industry: Shipping, mining, manufacturing, ore refining, construction materials, logging, misc. others
Founded: 2966 P.A.
Headquarters: Emberhull, Imperial Province of Calderon 
Key People: 

• Lady Rorsenzarra Janre
• Varokos Janre
• Baroness Thoella Hardwick

Type

Corporation, Conglomerate