Bayport Merchants Joint Stock Company
Large semi-public trading syndicate. They have existed for more than a century, one of the first such corporations. They grew out of traders, who banded together to share risks and expenses. They also started funding exploration, especially in the south, getting into the market for various tropical goods, starting plantations and so on as far back as 1550s. They are very vast, but much of their work is legitimate - they are primarily traders, though they also hold great plantations to produce their own goods. They are large, but less active than the Crowfoot or 4 Blossoms groups. They are, however, associated with the city itself - and thus are closely tied to attempts to colonize the southern ocean - though these are under the auspices of the city itself, and tend to be served by various Bayport based groups.
Structure
There is a board of directors for this, as well as officers. They are mostly a large trading consortium, but they are also associated with the city, and sometimes pick up a quasi-political organization, especially in their far flung possessions.
As a joint stock company, of course, they are answerable to the stock holders, some of which are quite powerful in their own right. There is, thus, a good deal of contention within the organization for power. This is one of the reasons they keep a lower profile than Clawfoot or Four Blossoms, because they have a much more divided leadership.
Public Agenda
A corporation trading throughout the world, and representing the interests of Bayport abroad. Closely allied to the city.
Assets
Many. Ships, shipping facilities, and so on. Trading outposts throughout the world. Plantations in the south, some attempts at colonization.
History
They were formed in 1494 from a group of merchants who banded together to get better prices in Lenay. They quickly recognized the mutual benefits, and in the early 1500s, formed a Joint Stock Company. They tried to control trade to the Kingdom, the Southern Ocean and so on, though they never quite managed to hold a monopoly, they did manage to set the terms. They grew, engaging mostly in trade in the early years, but by the mid century, they began to establish their own plantations and such in the tropics. This continued, and since they have the support of the City they have established what are essentially colonies in the south.
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