02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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occurred only 80 years ago in 526 AR. Originally a loose
organization for mutual trade between merchant cities,
the League has become an entity that affects almost all
walks of life, yet most people of western Immoren know
very little about it.
The League has humble roots emerging from
the simple need for merchants to band together to
protect each other and their mutual interests. At the
time of its creation, the Mercarian League included
coastal traders and an organized distribution network
based out of Mercir. Over time, the League has grown
through shrewd management, and some of the more
successful members have purchased titles and station
within the nobility. These members consolidated their
power, set up a network of influential contacts within
the major cities, and established some measure of
control over Cygnar’s major trade routes. During this
time, the League began trading in shares to acquire
investment capital for their extended voyages. The
League has grown greatly since inception due to its
investors opening significant offices in Caspia, New
Larkholm, Ceryl, and in Ordic port cities such as
Berck and Carre Dova where they attempt to recruit
skilled ship captains and pilots (despite the rancor
of the castellans). The hub of the Mercarian League,
however, remains where it all began—in Mercir.
Commerce and trade decisions are handled by the
leading interest of the League, the Mercarian Trade
Alliance. This board is comprised of shareholding
delegates and is led by an executive member, the
chief alderman Baron Ethan Starke (male Caspian
Ari6/Exp10). As the current chief alderman of the
Trade Alliance, Starke could well be considered the
most influential man in trade. He is also the chairman
of the Caspian Merchant’s Guild and owner of several
commercial and mercantile interests. While they have
their fingers in every minor trading house in one
way or another, the League no longer worries about
flounder, coal, and turnips. The modern Mercarian
League is concerned with commerce, the flow of
monies, and exchange of precious commodities
throughout western Immoren. The choices Starke
makes affect the price of bread in Corvis and the cost
of coal in Korsk—not that these types of decisions are
made every day.
Once every year the Trade Alliance holds a summit
in Caspia attended by most of the influential members
of the Mercarian League. During this meeting the
events of the previous year are reviewed, and decisions
are made on how trade and commerce will profit
the League in the coming year. These summits are
significant since all manner of politicking, espionage,
and diplomacy takes place, and fortunes can be stolen
or won at these crucial meetings.
The League has connections within the Sancteum—
the sovereign city of the Church of Morrow. Mystics
from the Order of Illumination and several of the key
noble families of Cygnar, including the Raelthornes,
are also listed as allies of the Mercarian League.
With such friends, the League is powerful beyond
appearances. Their intelligence-gathering arm is
known as the Eye of Mercir, and how it operates is a
mystery, although rumors of its existence can been
heard in every thief’s den from Caspia to Five Fingers.
rumor has it…
merCarian monopolies over several shipping lanes are perhaps
the main point of ConfliCt betWeen ord and Cygnar, espeCially
sinCe the trading houses of the ordiC Castellans refuse to
aCknoWledge merCarian Claims. they gripe to king baird
that they neither asked nor agreed to honor exClusivity
of the Waters by the upstart merCarians. this has not only
Created tension, but also sometimes Caused open ConfliCt
upon the seas betWeen ordiC and merCarian ships.
Compounding the problem is the reCent merCarian
entitlement to the southern Continent of zu, another Claim
that ordiC traders tenaCiously refute. in reCent years, the
league has engaged patrol ships to attaCk non-merCarian
vessels openly in the southern Waters, obfusCating any
rumors of hostilities through the posturing of their laWyers
and Cygnaran diplomats. to appease the Castellans, the
ordiC throne has reCently proffered “letters of marque”
to Certain Captains, Creating no small measure of tension
With Cygnar.
indeed, a reCent edition of The Weekly NeWes (see “printing”
in this Chapter) has reported that a lone merCarian ship
hobbled into port at merCir and Claimed they had lost
tWo ships and their Captain Was slain in a three-Way battle a
hundred leagues south of morovan. they Were en route to
zu but Were attaCked Well before they got there. aCCording
to the CreW, they Were Waylaid by three Cryxian vessels and
shortly thereafter tWo ordiC brigs entered the fray. the
merCarian bosun is unsure if any other ships survived the
ConfliCt save their oWn.
Radliffe Gunwerks
Burke Radliffe (male Caspian Exp9), the founder
and chief gunsmith for Radliffe Gunwerks, is a key
World Guide 73