The Otherworld Trading Company

The High Families, those ultra secretive shadowy rulers of humankind, have long sought to keep the existence of the Otherworlds from the general populace. They reason amongst themselves that it is for the greater good that the overwhelming majority of humans remain ignorant of these strange and often dangerous worlds. If such a secret were to be exposed it would lead to societal collapse, and as the secret rulers of the Earth, the High Families would rather things remain as they are now. At least until they are ready to openly take over and cast aside centuries of secrecy.

When the High Families contacted the Mesitori in the early days of the Industrial Revolution following the forced reopening of a long dormant World Gate, it was a mostly friendly encounter. The Mesitori ruled Caenar which served as a lynchpin for the whole of the Otherworlds, connecting them to it and hence one another. Earth included. That Earth was largely cut off from the network for centuries, though not entirely so, meant both groups had much to learn from one another. Or so the High Families believed at first.

The Mesitori and their arcane arts saw the High Families and Earth as a rather dull and parochial. Magic was a dying force on Earth and it had very little to offer the Mesitori. The only thing it had in abundance was humans largely untainted by exposure to magic and thus mostly pure in spirit. With their mighty legions and magical power, the Mesitori were poised to invade Earth and turn it into a vast plantation where untainted humans could be harvested.

Seeing this impending horror looming the High Families pledged themselves as vassals to the mighty Mesitorians and offered a tithe in the form of men, women and children harvested from across the globe. In exchange the Mesitorians would spare Earth and allow the High Families to continue their charade. Whether it was through a morbid amusement at the High Families willingness to sell out their fellow humans or that a full scale invasion was simply not worth the effort, the Mesitorians graciously accepted the offer. Earth would remain independent and in exchange a tithe in souls would flow through to Caenar.

In true bureaucratic fashion the High Families founded the Otherworld Trading Company in 1750 AD, a global organisation that would facilitate the harvest and transport of humans to Caenar. These unfortunates would be culled from the general populace, regardless of creed and colour and from those that would not be missed. At least, missed by anyone who mattered. Secret underground stations were created with stable World Gates were constructed and as railway networks expanded the ability to move large numbers of people swiftly allowed the OTC to attain remarkable efficiency in their vile trade.

The Mesitori were pleased with the eagerness of their vassals and rewarded the High Families with life extending alchemies and tutoring in the arcane. The OTC, overseen by a group of minor High Families, grew incredibly powerful and became a potent tool in the High Families arsenal.

The OTC would continue to function until the dawn of World War I when a young man called Gabriel would lead a coup on Caenar that would end the Mesitorian reign and end the tithe. His personal vendetta against the OTC would that organisation extinguished and a major blow against the High Families struck. Proclaimed Emperor by the newly liberated people of the Otherworlds Gabriel would begin a quiet war against the High Families and their control of Earth.