Six Families

The Six Families is a term referring to the six merchant dynasties that have dominated the politics of La Rossa since the times before the nation's birth. Each having established significant dominance over their own native city-provinces, they have become inseparable from the greater image of rule over the island, having clashed many times before (and after) the nation's unification. Until the Spirit Revolution of 106 TT, Family members alone elected the Dux, and were the sole arbiters of who could claim the rule over of the island. Although their power has diminished greatly since the period of La Denunzia, the still exercise significant influence over the island. Leo Minestrici di Mineria, the current reigning Dux, is a member of the Families.

Miglio di Padeno

The Miglio family, once the richest on the island, took residence in the city of Padeno, the largest on the island in both wealth and population. Making a majority of their wealth in their early years through banking, at first funded by the savings of Constanzo Miglio di Padeno (1362/3 TT - 1312 TT), an island-wide trader and salesman, the wealth amassed by the family allowed them to acquire a share in a vast array of industries, ranging from textiles to food, establishing a near monopoly across the city. After the Silver Crisis, most of their businesses have been seized and broken apart among private investors, however, the Family remains sizeably affluent. Although no longer under their control, the same companies that once belonged to them continue to hold significant sway over the local and national market.

The current Padeno headquarters of the Banca Rossa, the nation's central bank, are located in the Family's oldest and largest bank, seized after La Denunzia.

Giannone di Salino

The Giannone family hails from the city of Salino, and its earliest ancestors are believed to have been among the city's earliest settlers. The city's name refers to the salt deposits found in the lower Montesuvian mountains in the vicinity of the city, a discovery on which the Giannone family quickly capitalized on. Within a century, the family possessed exclusive rights over salt mining in the city, having bought out the last of their competitors. The possession of advanced mining facilities gave the family an immense advantage during the Silver Rush of 1296 TT, and allowed them to establish operations across significant swathes of territory. Nowadays, salt is mostly extracted from sea water, however, the biggest such facility on the island still belongs to the Giannone family.

Dux Giuseppe Giannone was the first to be crowned with such a position, as is often hailed as the unifier of the island's nation. His descendant, Dux Michelangelo Giannone, would later be responsible for the reforms after the Spirit Revolution.