The Merchant Houses of Haven are a group of merchant guilds from the city of Haven Towne that control a sizable portion of the oceanic trade in the The Thousand Isles. Merchant Houses are typically extended families where the leadership at least are directly related and can trace their lineage back to a single founder.
While there are over thirty merchant houses of note, the six most powerful control over 50% of the ships and trade.
Each merchant house is essentially a law and nation unto itself. They maintain what are essentially their own navies, and armies in the form of House Guards. Members of a merchant house are usually highly loyal to their house, wearing its colors and flying its flags
They are highly competitive with one another to the point of semi open warfare on occasion but also keenly aware that preserving the power and influence of the Republic is essential to their own survival. They will quickly band together and present a unified front if presented with an external threat.