The Vell Trading Company

The Vell Trading Company is a merchant syndicate of immense influence operating under the authority (and occasional scrutiny) of the Council of Tiss. Though publicly devoted to trade and diplomacy, the Company’s true power lies in its mastery of contracts, secrets, and debts. Operating as both a legitimate trade organization and a shadow network of spies and brokers, the Company embodies the Tiss ideal that commerce and control are the same craft.  

Headquarters

The Company maintains its principal seat of power within Fourth Bell Plaza, the financial heart of Tiss. The building’s upper levels serve as private offices and meeting chambers, while its lower vaults house ledgers, relics, and imprisoned debts — both financial and spiritual.  

Notable Feature

The office clock chimes four times each dusk — the Hour of Sealing — when all new contracts must be signed or burned.  

Membership

Membership in the Vell Trading Company is both a privilege and a sentence. Initiates swear upon a “contract of blood and ink” — binding them to obedience through Asmodean pact magic. While many join for profit or protection, few ever truly leave.  

Common Roles

Negotiators: Masters of diplomacy, deception, and law. Crossbowmen: Hired guards trained under Tissan precision standards. Accountants & Scribes: Keepers of the Company’s most dangerous secrets — the ledgers themselves. Collectors: Agents who enforce contracts through persuasion… or disappearance.      

Resources and Assets

Fleet of trade galleons operating along the southern routes of the Dawn Lands. Network of counting houses and safehouses throughout major port cities. Exclusive access to Tissan weapons stockpiles via military trade contracts. Arcane resources derived from their patronage under Asmodeus, allowing limited pact magic and infernal communication. “We do not conquer with armies. We conquer with agreements.” — Thaddeus Vell  

Activities and Operations

Trade and Brokerage: The legitimate arm of the Company, dealing in spices, relics, and crafted goods. Information Exchange: A black market of intelligence connecting spies, merchants, and nobles. Debt Management: Indenture contracts, enforced by infernal pacts. Arms Distribution: Discreet sales to mercenary bands, privateers, and foreign powers — under Asmodean sanction. The Company’s most profitable ventures come from facilitating deals others cannot afford to make publicly.  

Allies and Rivals

Allies:   The Council of Tiss — official oversight and shared profit from foreign contracts. The Church of Asmodeus — provides legal cover and spiritual authority. Rivals:   The Guild of Honest Traders — a reformist merchant faction opposing infernal influence. Independent Smugglers’ League — resists Vell monopoly and surveillance. Foreign Ministries — often indebted, occasionally defiant.   Symbols and Insignia Crest: A stylized “V” entwined with a clockwork serpent — symbolizing time, trade, and treachery. Colors: Burgundy and black trimmed in brass. Motto: “The V is for Value… and for Victory.”  

Notable Members

Thaddeus Vell — Founder and Master Merchant of the Fourth Bell. Elara Vell — Co-owner, strategist, and “Mistress of Ledgers.” Jorran Pike — Head of security and former privateer. Archivist Nocten — Keeper of sealed contracts and Asmodean relics.  

Secrets and Rumors

Some whisper that Thaddeus’s original contract with Asmodeus tied his soul to the Fourth Bell itself. The Vells allegedly maintain a secondary pact with a Blue Dragon, feeding her tributes in exchange for protection of their sea routes. The Company’s ledgers are rumored to contain the true names of debtors and spirits alike — each bound to the ticking of the Clock Tower. Roleplaying Hooks Players or NPCs aligned with the Vell Trading Company may:   Broker infernal contracts or enforce debt collection. Act as spies or intermediaries between rival nations. Engage in political intrigue tied to Tiss’s Council or Church. Seek redemption — or greater power — through the Company’s vast network. Quotes