Northern Interests Trading Company

The Northern Interests Trading Company is a mercantile business on First of the Sun that has an interest in settling and exploiting the Pantheon isles for commercial purposes, namely selling Aviar to people on the mainland.
== History ==
The company had long had designs on establishing an outpost in the Pantheon, but the area was incredibly dangerous. The lure of the Aviar there was such that the company decided to ignore the warnings of trappers and move ahead with the Patji expedition, partly to test some scientific equipment that it had acquired from the Ones Above. The stated goal of the mission was to find out why only Aviar raised on Patji had powers while birds raised elsewhere did not. They brought two hundred soldiers, one hundred scientists and merchants, and two ironhulls armed with cannons. Once they arrived, they built a fortress as their main camp, then sent a small team lead by a reluctant Vathi to scout the other side of the island for a location where they could build a second outpost. Dusk found a ruined campsite that had been used by the members of this scout expedition before a deepwalker had attacked them. He was frustrated that they had not heeded his warnings and had come to Patji anyways, sealing their fate. He later found Vathi, who had survived the attack, stuck in one of his traps near his base. She explained the full extent of the company's plans to him. After an unusual event that disturbed all of the island's Aviar, the two of them set out on a dangerous nighttime journey to the company's main camp to try and determine what had happened.
When they reached the company's fortress on the other side of the island, Vathi discovered the source of the disturbance: her coworker, Winds, had opened their latest 'gift' from the Ones Above, a device which could track Aviar on a large scale. Dusk tried to convince the workers that their actions were dangerous, but his words failed him and he was ignored. A short while later, terrified, Vathi came to Dusk and told him that in that machine they had discovered the true intentions of the Ones Above. She explained that they had found a manual in their language inside the device they had been given by the Ones Above. 
When Vathi used a translating device on the manual, she discovered their benefactors' true motives. She said that it explained the ideas behind the devices; with time, the scientists of the company would figure out how to make them for themselves. She realized that she and the entire Northern Interests Trading Company were being manipulated by the Ones Above. According to their laws, the Ones Above were not allowed to trade with a society that was on a lower technological level than themselves. They were therefore attempting to fast-track the natives to modernity so that they could exploit them for their Aviar. Vathi recognized that things were too easy and went to Dusk in despair. He told her that they knew Patji better than the newcomers and could fight back and defend themselves from the invading foreigners.
== Assets ==
=== Technology ===
The Company receives various technologies from the Ones Above. One of these is a device which can map out the locations of all of the Aviar on the island. This device has some similarities to fabrials found on Roshar. They also possess a small device that Vathi found with a member of the Ones Above who died while in their company. It can translate between their languages and point to the location of individual Aviar.
They also have firearms that use an explosive powder to fire a spear out of a metal tube. It is not clear if they received these guns from the Ones Above or if they developed them on their own.
=== Fortress ===
They have built a large walled fortress on the shores of Patji out of logs, with large wooden gates. They have guardposts on the upper walls as well as cannons to protect from approaching ships. They have two heavily armed and armored ironhulls docked at the fortress to protect them from deepwalkers.
== Employees ==
; Vathi: A clerk and one of the lead investigators on the trip
; Eusto: The captain of the Patji expedition
; Winds: One of the staff
== Notes ==
es:Compañía Comercial Intereses Norteños