Western Creation Trading Company

History

The Western Creation Trading Company was founded in RY761 by writ of the Scarlet Empress, as the United Company of Merchants of the Realm Trading to the Western Reaches of Creation, empowered to conduct independent trade with and amongst the islands of the Western oceans, maintaining the ‘ships and men required to do so’. The Company was initially conceived by a small group of patrician families, wealthy from existing commercial efforts but seeking ways around the restrictions on slaves and other goods by partnership with the Great Houses... though more established Houses looked down at the idea, House Nellens and House V’neef were more willing to heed the call. Though not yet a major player, the Company has continued a slow path of growth ever since.

Structure

The company is administered by a Court of Proprietors, with the owner of each share having a vote in the court. The founders of the Company divvied up shares based on initial investment, for a current total of five: Three shares held by the Great Houses (V’neef Aisuru, Tepet Kobutsu, and Nellens Beriata specifically) and the other two shares held by large patrician families, Clan Sazuro (represented by Sazuro Nisemono) and House Gul (represented by Gul Yunfa).

Beneath the Proprietors are Company merchants, stationed at offices in major trade ports (presently in Arjuf and Eagle’s Launch on the Blessed Isle, Handae in Bushan, and Seahaven in Wavecrest). These Company merchants arrange purchase and shipping of local goods, and oversee sale of Company imports in local markets, taking a cut of each transaction and passing the rest of the profit to be split amongst the Proprietors.

Below the merchants are the captains of individual vessels, who are given command of a ship (usually belonging to the Company or a specific Proprietor) and are responsible for maintaining ship and crew, receiving pay from Company merchants based on the value of their cargo. There is significant competition amongst Company captains for the largest ships and most lucrative routes, ensuring the Company has the best officers on its most valuable runs.

Policies

Initially, the Western Creation Trading Company was very limited in its ambitions: goods needed to be shipped around and amongst the islands of the West, and the deeper coffers of a joint venture allowed more lucrative cargoes to be purchased for transport to market. The disappearance of the Empress, and the increasing withdrawal of the Realm’s forces to the Blessed Isle, has prompted new ambitions amongst the Proprietors, of increasing profit and influence due to their status independent from a single Great House, able to continue their presence after the departure of official Realm troops. Whether an independent trade company, even one with Dynastic members, could survive in seas hosting the three thousand warships of the Guild without the protection of the Imperial Navy remains to be seen.

Such ambitions remain unrealized for the moment, though the Company is not wasting its time, using its ships on two profitable trade routes: the first involves moving pearls and precious woods from Wavecrest to the Blessed Isle and returning with finished goods. The second is more lucrative, albeit running less volume at present: some years ago, the Company secured a monopoly from House V’neef on shipping sulfur-etched furnishings to the Blessed Isle, where they are a current fad in home décor. Vessels return with silver and tea from the Isle, both popular in Bushan but unavailable locally. House V’neef, collecting a tariff on every shipment and hoping Bushan will become wealthier and able to stomach ever greater tribute payments, has cooperated with the Company in encouraging locals to expand production of sulfur-etchings.

In cooperation with the satrap and local suzerain in Bushan, the Company has also been expanding its influence along with the Bushansese as they advance across neighbouring islands.

Vessels

The Company controls perhaps a dozen blue-water merchant ships, including the Fat Gull's Wing, supported by a pair of large three-masted merchant galleons and a few coastal traders. Most of these vessels run the Wavecrest-Eagle’s Launch route, in convoy with other Realm shipping for protection from pirates, while three blue-water merchants ply the route between Arjuf and Bushan accompanied by the armed Imperial Merchant Navy vessels (such as the Waveswept Rose) resupplying the satrapy garrison. Coastal vessels move cargo between ports on the Isle.

Plans are in place, once profits from trade routes are increased, to commission additional two- and three-masted vessels, built for war as well as cargo hauling, with onagers to defend Company convoys once the Realm’s military vessels cease to ply the trade routes.