The Five Families is the colloquial term for the five ruthless syndicates that control Marn. Their influence is almost continent wide, with the Emerald Isles and the Jeyyad Cradle being the only regions seemingly immune to their influence. Symbiotically tied to the blackstone trade, they're the reason for both its supply and demand, throttling the material when necessary or generously doling out the precious alchemical rock on "loan" to create industrial dependency.