A merchant cartel that monopolizes the glass pearl trade — wealthy enough to buy lords and fund expeditions into amber wilds, their caravans guarded by amber-venom assassins.
merchanttradewealthmonopoly
The Syndicate controls every pearl from tidal pool to noble neck, and their grip is tightening. Guildmaster Arisse sits on a throne of accumulated pearls, dispensing loans to indebted lords and hiring mercenaries to protect harvest grounds. They fund the Spire's observations in exchange for tide predictions, and they secretly experiment with amber-crafting that borders on the Conclave's arts. Merchants say 'glass cuts both ways' — the Syndicate makes you rich, or they make you vanish.