The League economic interests
The League is rich, and it has always been a centre of trade, both among themsleves, within the Empire and with assorted groups of foreigners. Anyone prepared to work hard who has any level of moxie or chutzpah can amass a respectable pile of coin. This does not mean that there are not poor people in League cities, but there is a perception that people are poor because they “choose” to be. If they had any get-up-and-go they would join a Carta and make something of themselves.
The League is entrusted with the Imperial Mint, which produces all Imperial coins. At the Empire’s birth, every nation used different coinage, and trying to consolidate exchange rates and manage investment across the Empire was an economic nightmare. The League's resources alone were sufficient that it could have come to effectively dominate several of the other Nations. Issuing a new counage was a way to support both economic growth and ensure a level of stability, and making that coin out of steel allowed the Empire to define its value based on things other than the value of the materials involved. The mint is run by the Civil Service, but defended by League troops and control of the Mint and its guards is a powerful political position.
The League is also ultimately responsible for the creation of the Imperial Bourse, which oversees and controls the distribution of bulk goods throughout the Empire. While they do not have a monopoly or control over this institution, more than perhaps any Nation save the Brass Coast they appreciate the opportunities for influence that the Bourse represents. Many Merchant Princes make a fortune in steel playing the Bourse, while others gain great influence within the Empire through clever manipulation of the markets.
The underside of the vast wealth of the League is that it breeds schemes to redistribute it and not everyone is prepared to play by the rules. There is always some up and coming gang prepared to risk hiring a few Bravos to extort a little money and there are always rumours of people who will do more for money than just threats and a beating. Those that want to be accepted into society make an effort to move beyond such means as quickly as possible - any Carta worth the name will come down hard on petty crooks such as these, partly because they know that if they don't the Imperial Magistrates will become involved, but also because criminals prepared to kill for money are operating outside the rules that everyone else chooses to abide by. Tolerating lawbreaking undermines the fabric of League society.
If the League has no truck with violent crime they do have a love affair with confidence tricksters. Imperial law contains no protections for merchants or those who buy from them and in the League the art of the swindler is much admired. The best are called Mountebanks, after the traditional theatrical character and they are part of League folk lore, selling the fish from an empty net to a wealthy priest or persuading a Merchant Prince to part with a fortune for a worthless glass bauble. Surprisingly, such deeds are perfectly acceptable within the rules of Dead Reckoning – with one very important caveat - be careful who you tell. A Merchant Princess may applaud your ingenuity, provided her reputation is intact, but a Mountebank who makes a fool of her in public had better have some very powerful friends.
Marriage is often an important part of the ritual of becoming fully accepted into a Carta, to become part of the family. Fidelity to the Carta is demanded, but love and romance are rarely considered relevant when marriage is discussed. A spouse that begins an affair must be discreet, but as long as they ensure that their paramour is not using them to gain damaging information on their Carta, and as long as they ensure that their husband or wife is not insulted by their behaviour, society turns a blind eye. Such romantic affairs rarely last long, and neither partner expects them to, but there are plenty of stories of "true love" prospering in the barren garden that is Carta politics, although in theatre and litearture such romances invariably end badly.
Prosperous and well to do members of a Carta, both married and unmarried, are sometimes accompanied by a Cicisbeo (kick-a-BEY-o). At first glance, outsiders sometimes confuse a Cicisbeo with a courtesan. Whether male or female these individuals are expected to be examplars of League society, quick-witted, sharp as steel but above all loyal. Some do provide sexual services but their primary service is to support their patron with unconditional loyalty - and also to make their patron look fantastic when out and about in League society. Most provide other services as well, whether as bodyguards, valets, personal assistants, confidantes, doctors or even espionage agents. The Cicisbeo is unique in that they are generally not part of the Carta to which their patron belongs, but that once their loyalty is bought it is ironclad. They do not work for "the highest bidder" but rather as long as the financial agreement between patron and Cicisbeo is maintained, they endeavour to be absolutely reliable and trustworthy. A Cicisbeo who betrays their patron, for whatever reason, is effectively ruined and likely to be utterly excluded from League society - assuming they survive the attentions of their outraged patron, her Carta, any previous employer, and indeed all other Cicisbeo.