The Augustine Trading Company

Amidst the splendours of Morencia sits an organisation that guards its treasure as jealously as a dragon defends its hoard. The Augustine Trading Company is an ancient and venerable institution that maintains a presence in every country, from the southern reaches of Castinella to the misty city of Castalore.
The company was named after its founder, Manoch Augustus, a clergyman who left the priesthood amid a scandal involving the church’s finances. With few options left, he turned his talents to commerce. After a number of false starts, Augustus found his way into a lucrative profession—the weapons trade. With the help of some investors from the nobility, he founded an arms trading company in Morencia. With the gold he earned, he purchased land and lent coin to the rich.
After systematising predatory lending practices and enforcing them ruthlessly, the Augustine Trading Company ended up as the wealthiest faction in all of Etharis. They are one of the few non-government entities rich enough to hire the services of the Free Swords Company. However, through the machination of its latest head Kolthys “Blazing Brain,” the line between company and government has blurred as an organ of the Augustine Trading Company became a dominant force on the Morencian Supreme Council.
The company maintains trades routes that run all the way to Grarjord. Each ship is guarded by a contingent of professional soldiers, wizards, and priests. Even the raiders of Tyburn think twice before attacking these floating fortresses.

The company currently has a hand in every trade, including food production, construction, labor, crafts, and education. It runs one of the finest wizard colleges in Morencia. It has even lured legendary smiths from Rauland into its stable of weapon makers. It is also no secret that the company has moved into a new era of weapon trading: breeding monsters to serve on the battlefield. Their first successful venture involved lycanthropic thralls they call Warbreed. Rumors abound that the company is currently experimenting with eldritch mutants. While this current venture is frowned upon by the clergy, governments have embraced such forward-thinking ideas with open arms.

Assets

Headquarters: Morencia