South Seas Company

The South Seas Company is a major trading concern with deep ties to Caelester. They operate a large trading fleet, including a considerable fleet of warships, tasked with the protection of their ships and other interests. Unlike several of their competitors, they have continued to operate out of Caelester after the earthquake, and have been a major provider of foodstuffs and supplies to the city during the reconstruction efforts.  

History

Early Operations

The South Seas Company was founded around 250 years ago, originally operating to provide stability to its owners - each founder would buy an equal share of each other founder's trading vessels, ensuring that no merchant would be ruined by the loss of a handful of ships. Over time they grew their holdings, and began selling lesser shares in the business to others, using their buy-in payments to enhance their growth. Soon they grew to have a truly enormous fleet.   As they expanded, they grew increasingly ambitious. Instead of restricting themselves to operating trading vessels, they began investing in warships - first to protect against piracy and unfair demands by foreign trading partners, and later outright seizing territories overseas, claiming territory for crop plantations, mining operations, and other resource extraction. While they never stooped quite as low as outright slavery, the pay offered to local workers was always quite low compared to the profits made based on their efforts, and they offered little in the way of opportunity for advancement. This was justified by reference to the Code of Caelester, a foundational set of laws and priorities created in the early days of Caelester which states that "true citizens of Caelester should put the City first, before all other interests."  

The Shimmering Isles

About 80 years ago, the Company sought out the source of a spice traded in far off lands known as Shimmerspice. When they reached the Shimmering Isles, they attempted to claim one of the isles as a plantation, but the expedition met with disaster. Survivors told horror stories, of human islanders turning into monstrous beasts that slaughtered the invading Company men almost to a man.   Over the course of the next few years, several competitors made similar attempts, hoping to claim the Shimmerspice trade for themselves. Eventually, the people of the Isles reached out to their regional trading partners, looking for an ally to stop the series of invasions. Their warriors train to maintain focus on the enemy even under the most severe effects of the Shimmers, but the dose needed to induce a transformation is almost invariably fatal, and in time, after several invasion waves, they would eventually run out of people to defend the Isles.   After tense negotiations, the people of the Isles agreed to sell Shimmerspice exclusively to the South Seas Company in exchange for their maintaining a blockade of warships around the Isles, using one invader to deter all others. This deal has worked out well for both parties - the South Seas Company profits skyrocketed due to their monopoly on Shimmerspice, which motivates them to be quite ferocious in their defense of the Isles, which has allowed the islanders to maintain their privacy in the years since.  

Public Opinion

Historically, the South Seas Company has largely kept details of its operations in house, portraying themselves as simple traders and a reliably profitable investment opportunity. However, over the last few decades, more and more of their activities overseas have become well known back home...and by and large the people do not like what they've heard. Most are not so displeased with the company as to outright boycott their operations, but more and more people have largely unfavourable opinions of the company.   Since the earthquake, they have been one of the few large companies to maintain their trade routes through Caelester, sticking true to their "Caelester First" ideals. This has somewhat improved people's opinions, but it seems likely that, after the crisis, demand for a change in policy will reach a point where it cannot be ignored any longer.