Venezian Trade League

> "If I was a rich man, I'd be having jippers on a beach." - Trade Minister Tarkov
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The **Venezian Trade League (VTL)** is the interstellar trade league created in 2154 in the Venezian system after various companies and banking clans merged. They border the Greater Terran Union , Newb Independant Assembly , Zahl Matriarchy , and the Warprift of Slaanesh. They are the current host of the galactic market and an economic powerhouse due to galactic trade and commerce.

## Founding of the League

The planet Venezia had been rocked by instability and war for many centuries before finally a conglomerate of merchant families, guilds, and banking clans united to overthrow the various nation-states on Venezia to form the Trade League. The League's singular purpose is to maximize profit and ensure the continued prosperity of Venezia and the Venezian people. After the League seized control, the planet experienced a period of rapid recovery and the Venezian people thrived under it's rule. By 2202, the League had finally achieved FTL technology, and thus declared a new age of exploration and interstellar commerce.

## New encounters

With massive funding provided by the League Council, the Venezian Exploration Initiative constructed several FTL capable exploration starships and began a rapidly exploring their neighboring star systems. This soon brought them into contact with their two interstellar neighbors. The first alien contact the Venezian people made was with the galactic crime syndicate, the Zahl Criminal Matriarchy. Though wary of the Zahl, the League quickly signed a commercial pact with the Matriarchy and began their first venture into galactic trade. This was soon overshadowed however by the League's discovery of a new threat, the Greater Terran Union.

Relations with the GTU immediately began as tense, with the GTU closing their borders to the League and refusing to hold any talks on the topic of trade. Combined with the GTU's policy of aggressive expansionism, the League realized that it was woefully underprepared to combat any threats it might face beyond standard piracy. In a emergency session, the League Council agreed to take a portion of their trade ships to be refitted as makeshift warships to defend League space in the event of a GTU incursion. However, this was not enough to match the GTU's military strength and soon the League was faced with two choices: destruction or subjugation.

## Vassals Under the Greater Terran Union

In 2247 the League briefly lost it's sovereignty to the Greater Terran Union when the Union demanded their vassalization under the threat of overwhelming military action. Knowing they could not realistically resist the GTU's military might, and wanting to spare Venezia from the destruction a war was sure to bring, the League Council surrendered. They remained a vassal under the Terran Union until 2260 when they were surprisingly given their independence by the Union. The period of vassalization did not slow down the League's economic ambitions, and they soon made contact with many southern nations including the Newb Independent Assembly, Global Dominion, Sajan, and the Saeluri Sovereignty.

## Economic Superpower

With the funds accumulated from branch offices and trade posts across the northern sectors of the galaxy, the League began a massive investment initiative into the southern half of the galaxy. Many new branch offices and trade posts were built across various worlds of the southern nations, which over time increased in value tremendously. With this economic boom, and being chosen as the site of the galactic market, the planet Venezia quickly became the richest in the galaxy with the League's credit income being unmatched by any other in the galaxy. Though surrounded on all sides by hostile powers, the planet Venezia maintains it's independence by investing heavily into the many growing factions in the galaxy, maintaining a strict position of neutrality.

## Tensions with Winged Hearts Corporation

The Venezians have a tense rivalry due to competing business conflicts with the rival corporation Winged Hearts, a mega-brothel who specializes in reproduction. In 2314 the Venezians officially declared the Winged Hearts corporation their rival and tensions have been at an all time high since.

> "We don't respond well to threats." - Trade Minister Tarkov
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