Great Merchant Houses of Karnathas

The Great Merchant Houses of Karnathas (more commonly just the "Great Houses") are, as the name implies, three merchant houses headquartered in the southern Karnathas trade cities. They are not the only merchant interests in the city-states but they are the largest and most powerful. They also have holdings and agents in other cities around the known world.

The three houses are: Argentus, Malor, and Talamyr.

House Argentus

House Argentus is not actually a single family as most merchant houses are, but an amalgamation of a number of merchant families. Originally the families were part of a loose coalition of like-minded, minor merchant houses, but through various agreements, marriages, adoptions, and similar ties they merged into a single body over the course of many years.

House Argentus is based in Ilmara but they maintain a presence in Coreth and Qet.

House Malor

Malor is the most powerful of the Great Houses and has the worst reputation of the three. Its members are cruel and ruthless, and often lack the basic morals that most people adhere to. Worship of the evil deities is common among Malor and it is rumored that they traffic with even darker forces.

House Malor could be even more powerful but by its nature it is prone to infighting and ends up sabotaging its own interests quite often. Their chief rival is House Argentus.

House Malor is based in Zeldora and maintains holdings in Malcythia, Qet, and Ulthia.

House Talamyr

The smallest of the three Great Houses, Talamyr is a relatively new house, having risen to prominence shortly after the Thaumaturgical Wars. Though it does not have the abhorrent reputation of House Malor, it is a very insular house and little is known of the private lives or dealings of its members. This has made people somewhat suspicious of Talamyr despite its impeccable honesty when it comes to trade.

House Talamyr's wealth, upon which its dominance is based, comes from the fact that they trade in exotic items that cannot be acquired elsewhere. How they get these items is unknown but their cost is quite high (it is rumored that payment for certain select goods goes beyond mere coin). Talamyr engages in more mundane mercantilism as well, but this ability to acquire the extremely rare or exotic is what they are best known for.

Talamyr's home city is Calythir. They have assets in Amaranth and Ilmara, and if rumors are to be believed, Blackport.