HUSH Corporation

The HUSH Corporation is one of the most important companies in the history of Westermere and has survived through the ages to become a flagship brand of the state. It has a hand in multiple industries, mainly pharmaceuticals but also property, finance, construction, retail and shipping, among others.

## History

Founded in 1848 by brothers Lord Edward Hush and Lord Emmanuel Hush, the only children of prominent aristocratic politician and industrialist Lionel Hush, Baron Hush of Wentworth Abbey. The company, originally named Hush & Co., took advantage of the recent increase in concern for personal health, brought on by the rapid industrialisation and pollution of the bucolic Westermere landscape, by opening health spas offering a range of treatments and facilities that promised rejuvenation of the body. News of this spread like wildfire and in 1855, they owned and operated 26 spas spanning from the Emerald Coast to the Mare Parvum that attracted both the working and upper classes.

Following the commercial success of their business venture, the brothers began to experiment with creating pharmaceutical drugs that could help alleviate breathing pain from the smog of factories in Westleigh that was affecting the job performance of many workers. During testing, it is estimated 234 people died after taking 'Breathease test 1' from what scientists labeled 'unrelated reasons' however early whistleblowers claimed the drug was causing cardiac arrest. It was finally released to the public in 1862 and around the same time Lord Edward, who was due to inherit the entire fortune of his father as the oldest son, went missing. The reasoning behind his disappearance was never truly uncovered and neither were his whereabouts. The incident sent Lionel Hush into a swift spiral of decline resulting in a mental breakdown, followed by incarceration in a mental health facility owned by his son where he mysteriously died after 2 weeks in December 1869. Lord Emmanuel Hush became the new Baron Hush and almost immediately went on a lavish spending spree. He bought up vast swathes of land and expanded the Wentworth Abbey Estate to include a new research facility to meet growing interest in the pharmaceutical sector. This party lifestyle, however, was not to last and in 1871 he was found by his youngest daughter on the floor of his study where he had fallen and banged his head on a sharp corner of the desk, bleeding to death on the floor.

Under the leadership of his son, Bartholomew, the company had become the largest in its field by 1882 through acquisitions of pharmacies, laboratories and the development of life-changing drugs. It continued to grow until May 1889 when a young girl died an excruciatingly painful death after taking Frantos, a new painkiller, that caused severe internal bleeding. The lawsuit almost bankrupted the company and the bad press tanked sales. To make matters worse, Bart committed suicide by jumping in front of a train and the train company sued his family, forcing them to sell off much of the property and land that made up their estate. By the early 1890s, the company was preparing to liquidate when the new Baron Hush married the eldest daughter of Richard Sulfrey, the department store magnate. He used her money to diversify and invested heavily into expanding the new Port of Westleigh - increasing capacity by 70% and incorporating manufacturing plants based on the docklands under a company called 'HUSH Corporation'.

The family withdrew from the public eye into total obscurity and that continues to this day. The current chairwoman of the company, Baroness Fanny Hush, has never been seen by the public and reportedly attends board meetings via a secret tunnel and elevator to avoid contact with anyone.