The Crater Sea Trading Company
The Company's ships, warehouses, and wagons drive all business on the continent, if it wasn't made where it was bought, chances are it was handled by The Company at least once
With a presence in all but the most remote corners of the known world, The Crater Sea Trading Company is by far the most powerful and influential company on The Shattered Continent. Offering shipping, dock and warehouse rentals, banking and mail services, and security services, they have become an invaluable part of modern society. The city of Crater's Gate serves as both their main base of operations and a permanent reminder of the power and influence that they wield.
History
Founding
The Crater Sea Trading Co. was founded in 1638 as a cooperative effort between a number of independant traders in order to help them share the costs of purchasing dock and warehouse space at various ports. As more captains joined their Co-op, they began to purchase shared office space along with docks and warehouse, along with staff to run them. As their holdings expanded, guards were hired to protect their warehouses and docked ships, and the guard corps were soon expanded to include 'marines' who would accompany ships on more dangerous trade routes.
Closing Ownership
As the company grew in size, a number of the existing owners began to feel like they didn't want to dilute the ownership further, and that any more captains should come on as employees, rather than shareholders. In 1652 the idea of closing ownership was brought up at the annual owners meeting and there was some dissension, but in the end some of the smaller owners were bought out and the final result was ____ captains holding ownership over the company. With captains no longer having an ownership stake, the company became much more free to expand, and they began to grow rapidly.
Rapid Expansion
As more and more captains were hired and their operations continued to expand, it became increasingly clear that having each of their operations running completely independently was becoming less and less practical. In 1693 The decision was made to set up their headquarters at the port city of Tangerhausen and offices were purchased along with more docks and warehouse space in the Fruchtbarian city. A number of ships were assigned permanent routes between Tangerhausen and the other cities The Company had a presence in and regular mail service was established between them to allow reliable communication between their offices. To run the day to day operations of the company, the positions of Master of Ships, Master of Docks, and Master of Arms were created and trusted employees were appointed to these positions.
Over the next fifty years the reorganized company continued to expand, adding many new captains and ships to their trading fleet. With piracy on the rise, both from the growing pirate presence in The Shattered Sea and from hidden bays and inlets across the waterways of the continent, the Master of Ships and Master of Arms convinced the owning families that The Company should acquire it's own dedicated security ships to patrol their more dangerous trade routes and escort high value cargo. Having reached every major port on the continent, they expanded into overland trade, creating the position of Master of Horse to direct their overland transport operations.
The Construction of Crater's Gate
By 1740, The Company had grown to the point that it was outgrowing the docks at Tangerhausen and began looking to build their own home port. In the recent twenty year conflict between Bommbergonia and Galacia, The Crater Sea Trading Company had built a tremendous amount of goodwill with both Fruchtbarland and Bommbergonia by transporting goods between the two nations, the Galacian navy being unwilling to anger the powerful trading company by interdicting it's trade ships despite it's blockade of Bommbergonian shipping. At the time, Fruchbarland controlled the western shore of the entrance to The Serpent's Tongue while Bommbergonia controlled the east, so The Company approached them both seperately.
The land around the mouth of The Serpent's Tongue was largely high, rocky cliffs, seen as good for little but building fortifications overlooking the mouth of the river. Both nations offered land which they saw as more suitable for building a port, but The Company was insistant that they wanted the land at the river's mouth and eventually got their way. Leveraging all of their influence and accumulated goodwill with both nations, The Company managed to acquire a relatively large parcel of land, around thirty miles across on each side of the river granted to them in perpetuity, in exchange for a few responsibilities. With the understanding that they would be responsible for preventing pirate incursion into the The Great Inland Sea region from The Crater Sea, and that they could charge a toll to all river traffic with a percentage going to both Fruchtbarland and Bommbergonia, they were granted the land they wanted and the Company began construction of their great port city.
Continued Expansion
With their own port city serving as a hub from which to operate out of, The Company continued to grow rapidly. Where previously captains were expected to come to the company with their own ships, the company began purchasing and building their own ships and recruiting captains to operate them, allowing them to expand more easily and giving them the security of knowing that these captains couldn't just quit and take their ships with them. A mail service was announced, expanding The Company's internal mail service to the general public, allowing mail to be sent either to a specific address or to be held at a particular Company outpost until picked up.
Flush with profits, the company opened a banking service allowing anyone to open an account and withdrawals and deposits to be made at any Crater Sea Trading Co outpost, as well as offering loans to it's clients. A Master of Coin was appointed to manage these financial services and to flush out corruption and smuggling by auditing the finances of each of their locations. It quickly became necessary to create a division of enforcers under the command of The Master of Coin to deal with those who thought to cheat The Company or renege on their debts.
With many well trained guards under their command, the decision was made by The Master of Arms to begin renting Company guardsmen out as a service. Designed for ships seeking some extra protection against pirates, caravans looking to discourage highwaymen, or groups of travellers looking for an escort, this service quickly became very popular among independant captains seeking to travel along dangerous routes. After a few mishaps, the company adopted a policy that this service was a guard service and should not be used to provide supplemental forces for adventurers or town guards wanting to raid bandit encampments or clear out monster nests.
Organizational Structure
The Families
The descendants of the original five captains who founded the company and the few who were able to buy in before ownership was closed, The Families still retain ownership over The Crater Sea Trading Company, although they have minimal involvement in the day to day running of The Company.
The Pichards
Descended from one of the original five captains, Estienne Pichard, this family is based out of the great Alborian port city of Arldsmouth on the eastern edge of The Crater Sea. In addition to their oceangoing fleet, the Pichards own a great number of shallow bottomed riverboats and barges which have made them the single largest mover of cargo on the Arldempt river. Dismissive of expanding into land transportation, the Pichards have consistantly voiced their opposition to the expansion of that branch of The Company. As one of the three families who are based directly on The Crater Sea, they have an active rivalry with the Kuchler and Rolstad families, albiet a relatively friendly one with the Kuchlers. Their relationship with the Rolstads is in no way friendly, with accusations of piracy, sabotage, and bribery of merchants and port officials flying back and forth.
The Kuchlers
Vinzenz Kuchler was one of the original founders of The Company, and the family is still based out of his home port of Tangerhausen on the northern coast of Fruchtbarland. When Tangerhausen was the home port of The Company they wielded a disproportionate amount of influence, and they were the only family who opposed the formation of Craters Gate and moving the headquarters of The Company out of Tangerhausen. Their power has waned since the move, and they have stubbornly refused to base any of their fleet out of the company headquarters.
The Altmans
Another founding family, Oscar Altman's descendants are based out of Horsmouth on the northern coast of Bommbergonia. They have made good use of their location via extensive trade with the dwarves of North and South Iron port as well as the desert kingdoms. They have a minor rivalry with the Touchards, but the Altmans have loosely claimed the southern desert kingdoms and ceded the north to the alborians.
The Rolstads
Hailing from Alhamland, Karsten Rolstad was one of the original founders and his family is still based out of his home port of Manarfell. The Rolstads have a vicious rivalry with the Pichards of Arldsmouth, where accusations of sabotage, piracy, and the bribery of merchants and port officials have been thrown back and forth with regularity. The Rolstads are well known for maintaining a large number of men at arms and being extremely proactive in hunting down and destroying pirates, particularly Alborian Corsairs.
The Touchards
The second Alborian among the original five founders, the descendants of Jourdain Touchard still run their operations out of the city of Segno on Alborias south coast. They have a relatively friendly rivalry with the Altmans, as both families do extensive business with the Iron Port dwarves and the desert kingdoms. The Touchards have claimed the northern desert kingdoms and the Altmans the south, and they generally respect these boundaries.
The Branches
The Company's operations are divided into multiple branches, each headed by a Master and each semi-independant but reliant on the other branches operations to drive their own.
Ships
Responsible for managing the massive fleets that move goods to and from nearly every corner of The Shattered Continent, Ships was the original branch of the company, and is usually regarded as the most important. The fleets are at the heart of the companies operations, and have at least some overlap with every other aspect of their business.
The Master of ShipsThe current Master of Ships is Tobias Morgan, a man with over thirty years experience as a chartered captain for the company, building his single ship into a small fleet before passing it off to his son and taking his current position. Morgan has a particular hate for smugglers who make use of The Company to transport their illicit goods, and has made it his personal mission to stamp out smuggling within it. In the nearly twenty years that he has held his position he has gotten captains blacklisted, dock officials and merchants arrested, and several smuggling rings shut down entirely.
Morgan's efforts have crossed over into nearly every aspect of The Company's business, as smuggled goods are moved by ship and land, sitting in company warehouses in between. Even the previous Master of Docks was not immune to his crusade, having been removed from his position in disgrace when his association with one of the smuggling rings was revealed. Morgan's extreme focus on smuggling has drawn criticism from several corners, particularly the current Master of Docks, but his overall performance hasn't suffered for his obsession and so their criticism has had little effect.
Docks
Docks is responsible for the docks, warehouses, and other portside properties owned and operated by The Company. The Company owns dock and warehouse space in nearly every port of any significance across the continent, and many of these docks are rented out when no Company ships are expected, along with unused warehouse space. The rental of these facilities are the second largest source of revenue for The Company behind their core shipping business.
Master of DocksMax Hertner is the current Master of Docks, having held the position for the last ten years following his mentor Manuel Austs ouster due to his ties to a smuggling ring. Max managed to escape being stained with his mentor's crimes, and much like Aust is heavily focused on growth, acquiring more properties and expanding services. Hertner holds a grudge over the ouster of his mentor, regarding Tobias Morgan's efforts to root out smugglers as unnecessary and harmful to company profits.
Coin
In charge of the company's overall finances, the Coin is also in charge of managing the companies banking services. In addition to these responsibilities, they have the ability to audit underperforming branches, locations, or individuals to ensure that no fraud or theft is occurring. The sight of an auditor, often accompanied by a group of enforcers, is rarely a welcome one, and more than a few employees who thought that they could skim a bit off the top have found themselves hauled off in irons.
Master of CoinThe current Master of Coin, Matias Sevilla, started in Coin as an accountant almost forty years ago fresh out of school and has worked under the last two Masters of Coin. Having worked his way up the ranks to the position of Chief Auditor, he was the clear choice as the next Master of Coin when his predecessor retired. Matias is a strict man who is relentless in ferreting out fraud and theft within The Company, and he has worked closely with the Master of Ships to find and eliminate smuggling throughout all of the branches.
Horse
In charge of all of The Company's overland operations, Horse's responsibilities bear some resemblence to both Ships and Docks. They are in charge of fulfilling all of The Companies contracts which must travel over land routes, in addition to managing all landlocked outposts and offices. There has been some contention in the past between the masters of Horse and Docks regarding jurisdiction over larger warehouses in landlocked cities, and also cities which are on rivers rather than oceans or seas. As it currently stands, any location with proper shipping docks falls under the Master of Docks and all other locations fall under the Master of Horse.
Master of HorseAmbrozy Surowiec is the current Master of Horse, having spent twenty three years managing caravan traffic across the Steppes of Lechia and then Fruchtbarland before ascending to his current position. Incredibly knowledgable about horses, he has made it his goal to establish a breeding operation for The Company with the goal of producing a fast but hardy breed of draft horses. In the ten years that he has held his position, Surowiec has worked to expand their network of outposts, bringing The Companys mail, shipping, and banking services to isolated communities across the continent.
Working with the Masters of Coin and Ships, Surowiec has helped root out a number of smugglers seeking to use The Company to move their illicit goods. Spurred on by Tobias Morgan, the Master of Ships, Surowiec has taken personal offense at the idea of smugglers using the reputation and power of The Company to prevent customs officials from looking too deeply into their operations. Working closely with the Master of Coin's enforcers, he has instituted a program of cargo inspections and audits to ensure that the contents of all shipments match their shipping manifests.
Arms
Arms is in charge of security across the entirety of The Company, responsible for the training and deployment of guards for every branch of the company. All guards go through general training and then specialized training based on where they will be deployed. Marines, caravan guards, and specialised bodyguards like the Master of Coin's enforcers all get specialized training. The company has been accused of having it's own private army, but it's hard to argue that their sheer size and scope necessitates maintaining a large guard force to protect all of their assets.
Master of ArmsThe current Master of Arms is a dwarf named Dworek Steeljaw. Hailing from a small hold called Sternpick hold on The Western Wall, Steeljaw brought over a century and a half of experience training and deploying troops to the position. In the fifty years since he took the position, Steeljaw has implemented broad changes across the guard corps of The Company. Heavier armor, more of a focus on fighting in formation, and surprisingly the introduction of a mounted guard corps have all resulted from his leadership.
The Captains
The captains of the assorted ships of The Crater Sea Trading Company are responsible for fulfilling its contracts and moving goods from point to point, but all captains arent equal within The Company.
Chartered Captains
Men and women who came to The Company with their own ships and crews, these captains have agreed to make their ships available to transport company cargo. It is expected that they will fulfill the contracts that The Company makes available to them and occasionally change their routes to pick up high priority cargo, but they are still free to transport their own goods in most cases and can take advantage of company docks and warehouse space. Knowing that they will always be able to fill their cargo holds and pay their crews, even if they arent making the same margins they might make acquiring their own cargo, is something that many captains have been willing to trade some independance for.
Company Captains
Qualified captains without their own ships or crews can join The Company as company captains, employees whose ships and crews are owned or provided by The Company and whose cargo and destination are dictated for them. Many of these captains aspire to one day own their own ships, but until that day comes, working as a company captain provides them with experience and a reliable source of income.
Locations
From the towering walls of Crater's Gate to the humble outposts found in frontier communities, The Crater Sea Trading Company maintains a presence in nearly every corner of The Shattered Continent.
Crater's Gate
The seat of The Company's Power and a visible representation of the influence that they wield, Crater's Gate is the most modern and likely cleanest major city on the continent. Straddling the mouth of The Serpent's Tongue, it's mighty river gates defend the river and the Great Inner Sea from incursion by the pirates which plague both the Crater Sea and the Shattered Sea. More ships pass through its docks on a daily basis than any other port, and its control over the entrance to The Great Inland Sea region is unprecedented and shows the sheer scale of the influence wielded by The Company.
Primary Ports
The largest and busiest ports on the continent, Primary ports are the ports that The Company has chosen as regional bases of operation, with large warehouses, extensive docks, and large offices. Primary ports are used as hubs to distribute goods throughout their regions, and regional trade fleets are headquartered there.
Secondary Ports
Smaller ports that are still large enough to warrant a permanent company presence, secondary ports typically have a few company docks and a small warehouse along with a small office. Despite owning infrastructure in these ports, trade ships are seldom permanently stationed there, instead regular or semi-regular trips are made from primary ports.
Outposts
The general name for any Company facility constructed outside of a primary or secondary port, outposts vary from small one room buildings in backwater settlements to facilities which rival those at primary ports in those rare major cities not built on seas or rivers large enough to handle waterborne trade.
Services
The Crater Sea Trading Company offers a wide variety of services, from shipping to banking and mail, and few citizens of The Shattered Continent can claim that they have never used one.
Shipping
The ships of The Company's trade fleet have reached every corner of The Shattered Continent, braving storms and pirate infested waters to deliver the goods that drive the economies of the diverse nations of this region. The heart and soul of The Company, the shipping business is responsible for the vast majority of the company's profits, and all of the other services that it offers were built to support it.
Dock rentals
The Company owns dock space in every port of any significance in The Shattered Continent and when they are expected to be sitting empty for any amount of time the local company representatives will rent them out, usually at a somewhat cheaper rate than is typical at the port in question. Reducing the costs of renting dock space was the reason The Company was founded in the first place, and little has changed since then, cheap berthings are in as much demand as ever.
Warehouse space
As important as dock space, the company owns an extensive network of warehouses across The Shattered Continent, storing goods as they await either shipping or sale. While awaiting the next trade ship or during times of slow business they sit empty, so the company rents the space out to anyone who needs storage space. As with their dock rentals, warehouse space is always in demand in busy ports, and the company is able to offer slightly lower rates than its competitors
Security
The Company maintains a guard force so large that it has been called a private army, and in addition to protecting Company property, they rent out guards to ships captains, caravan leaders, merchants, and anyone else who needs a little extra security during a dangerous journey. More recently, escort ships have been added to the company's forces, and these too are available for hire, although the cost is prohibitive for anything other than entire convoys of trade ships.
Mail Services
The Company's mail service was originally created to allow fast, efficient communication between its various offices, but was quickly expanded into a publicly available service. For just a couple coppers, anyone can have a piece of mail sent to any city that The Company has offices in. Mail can either be sent to a specific address within the destination settlement or to a particular person and it will be held at the company offices until the recipient claims it. Unreceived or undeliverable mail is kept at it's destination for a year before being discarded.
Banking
Initially limited to issuing loans to merchants and ships captains, The Company's banking services have expanded to become the most widely used banking service on the continent. In addition to offering both personal and business loans, they have expanded into offering general banking services. Any individual or business can open a bank account with The Company and access their money from any Company outpost or office.
Unwavering Neutrality
Due to their sheer size and influence, the company has been able to maintain and enforce their neutrality during every major conflict in nearly three hundred years. Few nations are willing to risk harming their relationship with the company by even blockading their ships, much less actually attacking and boarding them. In the past, the company has used this to break sieges or hinder attempts to cut off supply chains in conflicts which werent in The Company's best interests.
Most notably, during a prolonged period of war between Bommbergonia and Galacia, The Company kept Bommbergonian trade open. In addition to earning them substantial goodwill with The Kingdom, Fruchtbarland had been completely cut off from trade with Bommbergonia due to their position on the other side of Galacia, and they benefited greatly. Their actions during this period was what earned them the necessary goodwill to obtain the land that Crater's Gate would be built on.
The Blacklist
When people claim that The Crater Sea Trading Company wields too much power, the blacklist is usually the first thing that they point to. Getting blacklisted means being denied access to any of the myriad of services provided by The Company, which can easily spell the end for a business, or for an aspiring captain's career. Reasons for blacklisting can range from smuggling, piracy or banditry to financial crimes, or fraud, and these offenses do not necessarily have to be committed against The Company.
For a merchant captain, being blacklisted means having to rent non-Company berths, typically at a higher rate, and being denied access to company warehouses. Lack of warehouse access means that captains have to sell their cargo directly from the docks, with little ability to hold the cargo until they can find the highest bidder. In addition to these logistical issues, the lack of easily available loans can stifle growth and no access to The Company's banking services complicates operating out of multiple ports, requiring either working with multiple local banks or transporting large amounts of money from port to port.
Diplomatic Relations
In many ways, The Crater Sea Trading Company resembles a government more than it does a business, and it's relations with the nations of The Shattered Continent reflect this. The Company has enough power and influence that they tend to be treated fairly deferentially, but this should not be misconstrued as having good relations with every nation in which they operate. Most nations view them with a certain amount of wariness due to the sheer amount of trade which they handle and their ability to deal serious damage to a nations economy if they were to blacklist them.
The Crater Sea Trading Co.
We move crates across seas
Size
Gargantuan (10,000+ Members)
Scope and Influence
entire continent (The Shattered Continent, preeminent)
Goals
dominate trade, create stability, provide invaluable services across the continent
Headquarters
Crater's Gate
Key Members
Master of Ships Tobias Morgan
Master of Docks Max Hertner
Master of Coin Matias Sevilla
Master of Horse Ambrozy Surowiec
Master of Arms Dworek Steeljaw
Allies
the nations of The Shattered Continent
Enemies
pirate bands, bandits, highwaymen, smugglers
Assets
soldiers, influence, financing, training, transportation and more
Membership Requirements
apply at any Crater Sea Trading Co trading post for a job
Accepted Alignments
any, the Crater Sea Trading Co doesn't discriminate when hiring
Values
loyalty, dependability, cooperation, willingness to travel
Anathema
thievery, piracy, banditry, smuggling, and the obstruction of free trade
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