Zulutaur Peninsula’s Factorial Companies

The Zulutaur Steppes is a wild land, far to the south of the step from the great powers to have ever been fully colonized by them. However, the strategic value of the region cannot be overstated, as it is the first step towards the southern world trade route, connecting the west to the east. As such, while the lands of the Zulutaurs have never developed anything near to a state (with the exception of the azanese settlers in Asvaran), the shores hold dozens of ports of different sizes. These cities, present at both sides to the peninsula, serve as warehouses, shipyards and trade markets, gaining all they need from trade. The rule of these towns fell under the rule of foreign leaders, mostly nobility that either saw a chance to grow in power or was exiled to the brink of society. However, the authority of these aristocrats is often symbolic, as the real power within the Zulutaur coastal cities are the “**Factorial Companies**”.

Factorial Companies’s origins follow a similar pattern. Once a trader or a noble of enough wealth and power becomes interest in setting up shop within one of the zulutaur cities, they will invest in land around the city, building up a “**factory**”, which serves as both a fortress against thieves and rivals, a warehouse for their products, and a city within a city for their employees. After that, they will start gaining the trust of the local nobility and aristocracy, gaining as much in terms of power and privilege they can get away with, and try to expel any other competition within the city. After they have gained a strong enough foothold within a city, the only thing that they need is a contract with one of the western powers, gaining a stable link between the steppes and the company’s payroll. Due to the lack of any effective state oversight and regulation, this makes these cities havens for violence and organized crime, often pay-rolled by the very same factorial companies. Because of this, factorial companies hire a great deal of mercenaries, helping their caravans from the dangers of both their competition, local populations and the monstrous fauna of the region.

The power and influence of these factories vary significantly, as very few are actually stable enough to last but a couple of decades. The shifting nature of these entities, coupled by the enormous degrees of corruption and competition creates a cutthroat environment that scares all but the most ambitious or careless trader around. Local tongues indeed say that it is safer to drive a caravan through the steppes that it is signing the paperwork of a trading company. Those who have survived, however, have become true aristocracies, and the real power behind the zulutaur cities. Often they maintain strong ties to the powers from the western seas, like Azan, Changrila and the Drow, even if these factorial companies stopped being formed by people from those lands long ago. Most of these trading companies hire local populations to work for them, using them as muscle and guides to lead their caravans throughout the steppes. Generally speaking, there is little interaction between the locals and the factorial companies, since the latter want to avoid giving the former enough influence for a takeover, keeping the locals away from any position of importance. Spread around the land are dozens of different outposts where caravanners and their beasts of burden can rest. Many of these outposts are built and maintained by the factorial companies, but some of them are also independent, turning into fiefdoms that have to dance a thin line for the favor of the factorial companies and the local populations to survive.

### Starfall Caravans

Starfall Caravans are one of the many factorial companies viying for power across the cities of the Zulutaur Steppes. Starfall Caravans was the result of the Venufals family, an azanese noble family that had fallen in disgrace due to court intrigue. As such, their holdings in the mainland shrunk considerably, and to avoid their feuds to dwindle into nothing, they decided that only the firstborn would inherit all, with the rest of the sons and daughters would have to take their chances elsewhere. Picking a small amount of their much depleted fortune they could spare, the Venufals’ heirs went their ways to seek their own fortunes, something that most could not do in the end. However, the youngest daughter of the family, Medea Venufals, managed to carve a small niche in the city of Meferesh, investing in the caravan trade through the region. However, the local businesses did not take kindly to the stranger’s intromission, and they hired a wizard assassin to take her out. While she survived the attempt against her life, the curse left her completely mute, as well as bleaching her hair white. After the attempt, the merchants suspected of having concocted the plot died in mysterious circumstances during a banquet. From that point on, Starfall Caravans began taking over their previous competitors, as well as making deals with other businessmen open to agreements. Nowadays, the seal of Starfall Caravans is a frequent sight in many of the cities of the region.

The current head of Starfall Caravans is still **Medea Venufals**. A woman of talent in sniffing out possible business opportunities, her initially innocent and naïve behavior crumbled after the attempt on her life. She is always accompanied by one or two aids that will help her communicate with others, as her muteness can be a difficult hurdle for business in such a cutthroat environment. However, she has proven to be ruthless and calculating, not doubting to drive other companies into ruin on the chance they might upset her gains. Her contacts with the rest of the Venufals company help her gain quite a lot support, as while poorer, the fortunes of the Venufals are slowly recovering. Also, after the attempt on her life, Medea Venufals has developed a hatred for wizards and magic in general, and she refuses to hire them even if it would benefit her business.

### Moon-Ei-Hii Factories

The Moon-Ei-Hii Factories are one of the many factorial companies vying for power across the cities of the Zulutaur Steppes. The Moon-Ei-Hii Factories were originally made by the Moon-Ei-Hii Syndicate, a group of aristocrats in Changrila who had very deep ties to crime rings in the city of Gururush. However, while they were to stay far from the authorities’ attention due to a great deal of bribery and intimidation, the arrival of a more unflinching and upright zhouwei as governor meant that there could be problems for their way of life. Due to this, the Moon-Ei-Hii scattered throughout the empire, keeping themselves and their criminal ties far from imperial attention. Some of the more unsavory and questionable members of the family ended up particularly far, such as the cities of the Zulutaur Peninsula. In particular, the Moon-Ei-Hii found in the city of Idonum a particularly fertile ground to prosper, creating yet another cover for their operations, and way far from any prying eyes from anyone who might be interested in pursuing their criminal ways. Nowadays, the Moon-Ei-Hii are reviled by the local factorial companies, but their frequent and onerous bribes to the local aristocracy keep them protected from the accusations of stealing, sabotaging and coercion.

The current head of the Moon-Ei-Hii Factories is **Ni-Sheio Moon-Ei-Hii**. A woman who cultivates an appearance of a refined socialite to hide her brutish and cruel nature, she is currently in the process of taking over the entirety of the city of Idonum as her own fiefdom, separated from both Changrila and the rest of the Moon-Ei-Hii Syndicate. While this has caused her to gain a great deal of enemies, the fact that her family has to keep low profile until changrilese authorities can be suitably dealt with means their control over Ni-Sheio is quite limited. For the time being, she is hoarding an army of mercenaries and malcontents, in the case of she ever has to acquire her rule over Idonum by force.

### Kertadrass Joint

The Kertadrass Joint is one of the many factorial companies viying for power across the cities of the Zulutaur Steppes. The Ketradrass Joint was initially founded by old sailors and navymen from the Drow City States. Many of these individuals had either been expelled from the naval forces or had committed crimes serious enough to be exiled from Scimitarian altogether, and as such, many of these outlaws are often seen in the zulutaur cities as mercenaries and hired muscle. The Kertandrass Joint was born out of one of these groupins within the city of Agoule, initially offering their services to fight the pirates from the Sea of the End, as well as to defend the other factorial companies from their competitors. They became quite well known in the area as very efficient, if expensive, force, and would eventually grow to build their own fleet of junks and even one or two drow flute vessels. However, the Kertadrass Joing has traditionally struggled with keeping the loyalty of their ship captains, as many will end up being attracted by the piratic life they themselves fight against, and end up leaving.

The current head of the Kertadrass Joint is **Metheb “Half-Face” Sankan**. A highly condecorated captain from the city of Yauntin, he was condemned to death for killing his superior during a duel, and had to flee for his life. Once he arrived to the Kertadrass Joint, he quickly rose through the ranks due to his successes against the pirates. However, during one such clashes, a cannon shot full of grapeshot hit him, tearing up half of his face, and scarring the flesh beneath. While he managed to survive the encounter, even miraculously saving the use of his left eye, he has sworn bloody vengeance against the pirates of Ortuga, promising to burning down the island and all of its inhabitants.

### Vrakrack Shipping & Building Company

Vrakrack Shipping & Building Company is one of the many factorial companies viying for power across the cities of the Zulutaur Steppes. The company was founded by Rackriak Vrakrack, an ecrkoecknoi raveller and explorer that had journeyed all across the south of Giantstep. He was a man who absolutely adored the sea, and in particular the art of shipbuilding. It was this passion that led him to work on many docks and shipyards, helping in the construction of many vessels big and small. His travels ended when he arrived at the city of Sho-too, the biggest shipbuilding city in all of the region. Due to the ever-present demand for experienced craftsmen, Rackriak quickly rose through the ranks due to his hard work and experienced, gaining a lot of influence within the local businesses. By the time he was a frail old frog, he had acquired a small fortune, which he used to invest in floundering shipyards, advising them on the correct way of building and repairing ships, as well as on the transport of dismantled vessels to the east. By the time Rackriak Vrakrack died, his heirs continued to grow the business, and nowadays, they are one of the most successful of the local factorial companies, focused on the production of quality ships.

The current head of Vrakrack Shipping & Building Company is **Croguff Vrakrack**. As the grandson of the original founder, he continues the tradition of his family. A man of more merchant predisposition rather than direct artisan work, he is constantly travelling around both the zulutaur cities and overseas, pushing for the quality and the durability of their products. As one of the few major factorial companies without any political allies within the great powers, the Vrakrack family has needed to establish a great deal of partnerships with the local aristocrats and merchants directly, gaining a lot of trust from the local economy.