Mariner Cartel

## Statistics

**Description**: The Mariner Cartel is an overseas transport and security service.

**Headquarters Location**: Melis, Anax.

**Other Locations**: Major coastal cities across the continents.

**Leader(s)**:

1. Eespila, co-chief executive officer and founder. A Mer known for her masterful manipulation of water and extraordinary speed in the water.
2. Sydney Li Zhang, new co-chief executive officer. This woman is very respected for her prodigious sailing ability, as well as her specialization in navigation and cartography. She has some resemblance to the late Jannik to some people with a loving persona and her particular skill set. However, she is notably quieter and shyer.

**Noteworthy Members**:

* (Deceased) Jannik Finn Fischer, previous co-chief executive officer and founder. A man beloved throughout the guild for his charismatic, compassionate personality and navigational and sailing expertise.
* Mesee and Orant, twin Mer who lead the most well-known crew in the Cartel, the Deep Blues. They lead the largest flotilla as well, duly named the Deep Blue Convoy. Their trademark ship is the Sailfish.
* Noccam Farseeker, a Dwarf notorious for challenging other Mariners, and even outsiders, to friendly competitions, especially in sailing. Drinks always followed. Not surprisingly, Noccam has yet to lose with his ironically keen sense of the sea. He is the Third Mate of the Sailfish.
* Cecelia Ann Davis, lead diplomat who has been largely responsible for the many city-state, kingdom, and nation connections the Cartel has acquired over the years.
* Xaguk and Wreryl, an Orc man and Minotaur woman who are the head strategic defenders of the Cartel. Their combined expertise in strategy, gunning, and marksmanship have allowed them to layout effective defensive formations for the Cartel. They are also known for saving the most ships during Hinterbeast attacks to date.
* Clyde Arlo Esparza, head of the educational program. Organizes classes and enrollment and assures teachers properly instruct their respective courses. Based on student progress, he sends students to Mariner Resources with a particular job recommendation.
* Vosliaxa, a female Satyr who organizes musicians on ships to accompany sea shanties and keep the crews in good spirits. She also takes time to compose new ones to keep the Mariners on their toes and give them some variety. Known for her gorgeous vocals when singing and lovely sound when playing the lute. Vosliaxa organizes publicity concerts for the guild, gathering entertainers of all sorts to perform in different cities.

## Details

### History

The Mariner Cartel was born of a love for the sea. A certain Mer woman, Eespila, wished for more understanding among land-dwellers that the sea was full of opportunity. After The Collapse, rising nations, kingdoms, and city-states would need proper, efficient access to international trade. Eespila wanted to take advantage of that. While visiting the surface, she witnessed an exceptional sailor who read the ocean so well, he could have been Mer, Jannik Finn Fischer. The woman approached him and they talked for a while, taking a sailboat out for some leisure so Eespila could swim. The more they conversed, the more they realized they shared a deep love for the sea and opportunity.

They took action. Soon, the Mariner Cartel was founded. It attracted a few sailors until eventually, it accumulated with the ideal of non-discriminatory employment, allowing anyone could come if they had passion. In need of a headquarters, Jannik set out to the best location he knew of, the central island of Anax. After discussion and clarification regarding Mer employees, Jannik had the Mariner Cartel cleared for establishment. After this milestone, the Cartel began to thrive. They hired diplomats, such as the kind Cecelia Ann Davis, and began to gradually establish connections and friendships with other civilizations.

### Culture

The Cartel offers Services that include safe, quick civilian and product transport to a great variety of locations. The Mariner Cartel also strives to offer individual opportunities on the seas for people. They sell and rent ships, other boat and marine equipment, and offer repair as well. One of the less common services are for the Cartel to escort other merchant ships

Also offered are very advanced, extensive educational programs for sailing, rowing, basic ship maintenance, marlinspike seamanship, emergency protocol and lifesaving/first aid, semaphore, shipwrights, gunning, marksmanship, cartography, navigation, oceanology, atmospheric science/weather systems, fishing, spearfishing, whaling, free-diving, and swimming. Often, these are used for prospective employees, as these cover most of the areas where employment is possible. Though it’s not uncommon to enroll in these courses out of interest.

Currently, the Cartel promises punctuality, safety, skill, and good nature when conducting business. They dedicate time to their customers, always make sure to keep their passengers and cargo safe, and are always having a hoot or holler, singing and bellowing sea shanties, as they rush around, albeit professionally and with practiced skill, to transfer cargo and passengers at their destination.

Sailors are professional, even when drinking or fighting, and incredibly loyal to the Cartel and to their work. Because of the need for their services, and the need for trade, the Cartel is the largest of the traditional guilds, only the Order outnumbering them. The Cartel leases a small flotilla of ships to the Order for rapid transport to various islands.

### Structure

The Cartel is structured similar to most nations' naval forces, tough nowhere near as strict, except on their handful of pure warships, as most of their ships are either pure transports or armed merchant cruisers.

1. ↑ Triton