Abah's Landing Merchant Lords, V. 2

Summary

 * Location: On a desk in a bedroom on upper floor of Lady Balina's Mansion
 * Author: Tamonir, Master of Secrets

Content
Prepared by Tamonir, Master of Secrets for the Queen of Taneth

The first and, according to the scions of the house, the greatest of the merchant houses of Abah's Landing is the at-Addin Syndicate. Founded by Afshuur at-Addin, a Redguard male known for both his physical prowess and his disarming charm, the Syndicate grew and flourished for almost one-hundred-and-twenty years. The enterprising Afshuur started out as a simple arms dealer, buying, selling, and trading Redguard swords, Orc axes, and Wood Elf bows. His first customers were the pirates and privateers that used Abah's Landing as a port of call on their trips to more prominent locations, but it wasn't long before he was making shipping deals with those very same vessels and their crews.

As time passed, the Syndicate added armor and shields to its inventory, seeking to provide a one-stop shopping destination for anyone in need of protection or those interested in sailing into battle. Pirate crews, mercenary bands, and even privateers in service to one flag or another were clamoring for armor and weapons with the Syndicate seal of quality and assurance. These connections led to another lucrative profit line—the Syndicate began serving as a broker for mercenary contracts.

The current leader of the Syndicate, Orahan at-Addin, rules the business with an iron fist. Ruthless and brilliant, the Redguard male treats every negotiation as a battle, every competition as a war. In fact, war has become at-Addin's primary avenue of trade, which allows him to keep the family enterprise profitable even in the wake of the unrevealed calamity that befell each of the merchant houses recently. As my queen is well aware, the machinations of the unknown party I have dubbed "the hidden house" continue to be evident while also continuing to elude me. I will have answers, I just don't know when I will have them.

Orahan at-Addin deals in arms and armaments, mercenary contracts, and smuggling supplies to all sides of any given conflict. He has no trouble selling weapons to the Covenant, armor to the Pact, and vital supplies to the Dominion —as long as each side has the gold to pay for his services. With the sudden absence of the power that had held the merchant houses in check and had even weakened them with a masterful yet secret attack, the Syndicate has begun to make moves to put it back into a position of power in Abah's Landing.

Regardless of other concerns, I recommend caution when dealing with Orahan and his family. But make no mistake, you will have to deal with them if you plan to make a move on Hew's Bane and Abah's Landing.

(NOTE: These dispatches were "recovered" from a Taneth vessel and delivered to an interested party in Abah's Landing. I have published them so we may all know what our cousins across the bay think of us.—Anonymous)