Balloon Corp

*A bustling port drifts above the toxic clouds, gigantic balloon structures are guided along with ropes and wind magic, and repair crews gather their sewing needles and wrenches. The dock-master watches from above the upper docks and checks his schedule before confirming that this is indeed the two o'clock from Natantis and not some pirate imposter. A chriek handler fumbles with the finicky creatures as he tries to get them to recite their messages. In front of a supplies vendor a captain and a candle swap tall tales of cobra sightings on the frontier. Bursting out of the saloon, a drunk privateer group starts singing while a mercenary on duty eyes them down.*

The largest and most powerful organization in the known world, the Balloon Corporation or just the Balloon Corp controls nearly all the trade above the fog. Their influence is great enough, that most of the time trade sanctions are enough to crumble most of their opposition, and for the few things that are unaffected by sanctions are generally taken care of by the Balloon Corp's mercenary and privateer forces.

## History

In the year \_\_\_\_, the Balloon Guild was founded to consolidate the various traders sailing the fog. They established a proper system of trade routes and ports for the primitive balloon rafts, allowing transportation from one end of the known world to the other for the first time in ages.

Year \_\_\_\_, the guild established the balloon mark as a near universally accepted currency for trade.

During the Invasion Wars of Imtaraya in the year \_\_\_\_, the guild was hired to transport Imtarayan soldiers and supplies in a counter-offensive against the Wuthraki Republic. The sudden influx of wealth, allowed them to expand their operations, gaining some significant influence, and the guild underwent a dramatic transformation into the corporation we see today.

At the time, the guild-master, Montgolfier Carber, started using the funds for his alchemy/tinkering hobbies, and eventually created the first carber engine. His creation allowed vessels to travel across the fog, without having to worry about controlling altitude, running out of fuel, or being eaten by their balloon, preventing the loss of countless lives and shipments. Despite its importance, the engine remains one of the best kept secrets of the Balloon Corp, sadly enough.

Eager to distance themselves from the nations even further, they engineered floating cities and ports to increase their independence from ground-based society. They started with simple floating depots, to allow safekeeping from bandits, and they progressed to city-like structures capable of securely berthing balloon vessels. Dainshur was originally intended to be the seat of their power when it was built in \_\_\_\_, and it was that way until the year \_\_\_\_, when the Carber Tragedy struck, eliminating the primary leadership in the Balloon Corp.

In the struggle for control over the corporation, many members left, to start their own operations taking valuable equipment in the process. Most of them turned to illegal activities, like smuggling or piracy. Dainshur was stolen to the Shearedge Rift and established as a pirate port in the chaos. Desperate to clean up this mess, the newly appointed chairwoman, Macaire Pelnich, created a mercenary/privateer program to hunt them down, with mixed results. The charter was modified to deal with

In the year \_\_\_\_,the heavily delayed construction of Natantis finally reached its completion, reestablishing a new center of influence for the Balloon Corp.

## Trade

A list of imports and exports for each region (normally)connected by the Balloon Corp.