The von Hohenheim Company

"The world's finest suppliers of alchemical products and alchemical supplies - guaranteed!"

— advertisement for the von Hohenheim Company

The von Hohenheim Company is a large family business based out of Waldstätte, and is known for the variety and quality of its alchemical formulae, from simple cosmetic preparations to lifesaving potions of healing. They also provide a wide array of formulae specifically to the Imperial Armed Forces, helping to keep the civilized world safe. They have locations in every major city in the world, and are also the primary supplier for other alchemical shops, who either sell von Hohenheim's products directly or purchase rare ingredients from the company. In terms of wealth and influence, the von Hohenheim Company exceeds most of the nations of the world.

Public Agenda

The von Hohenheim Company has a transparent agenda - they exist to make money. They research new formulae and related magical fields, and are always on the lookout for new talent. They also have done much to secure the supply chain for exotic alchemical ingredients so necessary to the breadth and variety of products they offer. In partnership with the Empire of Albion, they have ensured that the foreign sources of their ingredients remain open to trade at reasonable prices, and the company runs dozens of collections operations in the Imperial colonies. While the Company characterizes its operations as benevolent enterprises bringing civilization to the colonies, some critics point to high mortality rates, indenture-like contracts, and the mysterious disappearances of whistleblowers.

History

The von Hohenheim company was founded during the early Church Wars, when the prohibitions on Magic were being lifted all over Elbid. It was one of the earliest commercial ventures to offer magical goods to the public at large, and proved that there was a vast market for these products waiting to be tapped. For the first century and a half of the company's operation, all of their products were the work of Idiosyncratic Magic, which restricted how many they could produce, and required reformulation whenever a new alchemist took over brewing the family wares.

But in 1687, Sir Edwin Harlowe published the Principia Arcana, which laid out the principles of Universal Magic. This allowed the von Hohenheim Company to develop universal versions of many of their formulae, resulting in an explosion in sales, as untrained labor could be taught just enough to brew the new potions and mass production finally became possible. This development more than any other has led to the company's success today.

Type

Corporation, Alchemical

Founding Date

1541

Founders

• Bombastus von Hohenheim

Our Founder

The founder of the company was the legendary Bombastus von Hohenheim, alchemist extraordinaire. Born in 1493 at the very beginning of the Church Wars, Bombastus grew up in a world torn apart by conflict. But he did not let the chaos of war deter him from his studies, and his curiosity drove him to explore the forbidden subject of Alchemy. He traveled the world in pursuit of hidden texts and rare ingredients, teaching himself how to brew many of the potions we take for granted today. During this time, he went by the name Neozosmos, after the great Zosmos the Alchemist from a thousand years prior. While not all of his beliefs about alchemy and medicine proved accurate, he was certainly the most successful alchemist of his generation.

When Bombastus was 47, he returned home to Waldstätte and founded the von Hohenheim Company. Waldstätte had embraced the new freedoms to use magic after the Old Church was driven out, and there was great demand for the products of a master Alchemist. In these days before the publication of the Principia Arcana, the principles of Universal Magic were unknown and every formula was a bespoke work of art. The Company prospered greatly in the first decades under Bombastus, and when the time came he passed it on to his son, whom he had personally trained in the Alchemical arts. After this, he retired from the world to focus on certain esoteric interests, before vanishing mysteriously shortly before his 99th year.