Cliffton Trading Company

The **Cliffton Trading Company**, also known as the CTC is the only major corporation in Aeryon. It owns a large area of land in the Klerk-Seaforth docks where it exports and imports goods from all across Rathnir. The CTC has been very controversial for its harsh treatment of workers and bribery of the province’s politicians.

## History

### Origins

It was a late night in the then Klerksdorp , now Klerkenshoop tavern when the CTC was formed. Not with a grand parade and cheers, but with two men signing a charter quietly. in the early days of the company it was only the two unknown businessmen operating an unassuming market stall along Wilkinson Street, where they sold bread they imported from Kastollia. However after a year of relatively little growth, the plague hit Klerkenshoop and immediately the two men saw a golden opportunity, within the day they were selling a ‘miracle cure’ for the plague. This was perhaps the most detested moment in the companies history, however (and rather suspiciously) the Clifftonic government never issued any punishment to this day.

With the vast wealth they made from selling snake oil the CTC purchased its first ship and begun to import luxury goods from around the world, from that point on the company grew alongside Klerkenshoop.

### Corruption Scandal

By the point of the Corruption Scandal, the CTC had grown to unprecedented levels, at the time it was estimated a fifth of the Klerkenshoop population and a tenth of the Silverhill population relied on them for work, they recorded astounding profts every month and it seemed like nothing could stop the rapid growth.

Until the point of the corruption scandal every single person in Klerk, Silverhill and the surrounding estates were nothing less than content with the companies overwhelming presence. They sold just about everything, from fish to jewellery, and it was said the Clifftonic economy would shrink by 60% if the CTC left. But one day something changed, the local newspaper (previously a major supporter of the CTC) published an article exposing the low wages and rampant corruption which had by now spread to every sector of the corporation. It is still theorised why the Klerkenshoop times switched its opinions, but nonetheless the public now knew.

In an instant the public opinion turned, not only against the CEOs and executives but against the local government, who had been proved to be accepting bribes from the CTC. A day later an informal strike begun and lasted for only three days until the executives and company managers finally conceded, clearly knowing they were in the wrong.

### Today

Now, the Cliffton Trading Company is no longer the monopoly it used to be, a shadow of its former self. It still imports foreign goods however with a much smaller fleet of trading ships (half of the fleet was requisitioned and scrapped by the Government in an attempt to regain the peoples trust) and it only owns a small chunk of the harbour. The tumultuous events of the Corruption Scandal are still recent in the minds of the average Cliffton consumer meaning the people are much more sceptical to buy CTC goods, the future of the company remains uncertain.

You can still visit the harbour-masters office and see the cargo on the land still owned by the CTC, however the companies reputation will certainly never recover.