Contracts and Political Leverage in the Southern Oceans

The mercenary companies of the Broad Swells are not just soldiers; they are the gears that keep the global economy turning. By operating in international waters, they allow the great powers of Kigum and Steamfort to conduct "deniable" operations against one another.

The Kigum Contracts: "Asset Security"

Kigum’s Grand Arcane Bank is the primary employer for the Crimson Company and the Gilded Corsairs.

• The Mana-Route Escort: Ensuring the safe passage of Aether-crystals from the southern mines to the Eastern Continent. These contracts are incredibly lucrative but carry the highest risk of interference from "pirates" (often Steamfort-backed).
• The Silence Decree: Mercenaries are often hired to "decommission" rogue mages who flee to the southern oceans to escape the High Council's taxes or laws.
• The Artifact Retrieval: Hiring companies to explore the "Sunken Vaults" of the Broad Swells, remnants of the Age of Ruin.

The Steamfort Contracts: "Industrial Expansion"

Steamfort’s Ironbeard Syndicate views the southern oceans as a resource to be harvested.

• The Platform Defense: Mercenaries like the Salt Shields are hired to guard deep-sea drilling rigs and floating foundries from the Sea-Wolves and other predatory forces.
• The Blockade Breakers: When Kigum attempts to use its financial leverage to "tax" Steamfort's shipping lanes, the Syndicate hires the Crimson Company to break the blockade through superior firepower.
• The Blueprint Recovery: Infiltration missions to steal "proprietary" Aether-engine designs from rival firms operating in the Swells.

The Leverage: The "Neutrality" Myth

The mercenary companies maintain a delicate balance. If any one company becomes too powerful, the others will often form a temporary coalition to bring them down, encouraged by the "subsidies" of the great powers.

• The Ransom System: It is common practice for mercenaries to capture high-ranking officers or merchant princes and hold them for ransom. This is a formalized process, often mediated by the Drift-Market.
• The Intelligence Trade: The most valuable currency in the Swells isn't gold, but information. A captain who knows the timing of the next Kigum treasure fleet can retire for a dozen lifetimes.

Recent Tensions: The "Obsidian Contract"

Rumors are circulating of a new, massive contract offered by an unknown benefactor (whispered to be the Obsidian Scale secret society). The contract calls for the total occupation of the central "Mana-Spire" in the heart of the Swells. Every major company is currently positioning its fleet for what could be the largest mercenary war in history.