The Dynastic Merchant Houses

"“Who am I? I am no more or less than I seem. I am a merchant and a businessman. I am a dune trader.” ―Typical dune trader introduction"

The merchant houses supply the lifeblood of Athas―foodstuffs that feed isolated city-states, construction materials to build the palaces of sorcerer-kings and decadent nobles, slaves to toil in fields or fight and die in gladiator pits, and many other vital items.

Organization
Organised along family lines with a matriarch or patriarch at its head, a major house controls dozens of caravans, maintains estates in several different cities, sponsors trading villages, and employs (or owns) thousands. The largest houses ― Wavir, Tsalaxa, and their ilk―are influential enough to make even the most powerful sorcerer-kings take heed.

The Merchant Houses on Athas
"“Sometimes, I don’t know whether to praise them or curse them. They live in my city, they take up valuable space and resources, and yet they obey me only when it suits them. They say that they wish to maintain the general good, keep things stable so that they may make a profit. And yet, without them, my people would be unable to raise great monuments to my glory, or perhaps even to eat! And should my people grow dissatisfied, they would not submit so easily to my rule, and would not give me the honour and reverence I deserve. These traders are a pain, but what would I do without them?” —Kalak the Tyrant of Tyr"

A Merchant House works well as a rival for an entrepreneur PC—or as a potential employer for PCs of a more mercenary bent. Because of the crucial role they have in the Athasian economy, it also has resources that other adventurers lack. Its members’ influence over Athasian society and abundant resources can be used for and against the PCs. In short, it’s a recipe for intrigue and enmity when its members confront PCs who are crossing their paths.

NPC Reactions
Agents from a Dynastic Merchant House are well known to commoners and nobles from across Athas, inspiring a mixture of envy, disdain, respect, and fawning admiration. Most dune traders are seen as grasping, conning scoundrels who would rather hire another individual to do their dirty work than risk danger to themselves, particularly those who live in distant settlements. Among their clients, dune traders are generally perceived to fall into one of two extremes―greedy profiteers or noble benefactors―with with shades of grey in between.