The Bank
No matter your species, language or deity; money talks.
The history of The Bank is clouded in mystery, with historians disagreeing on exactly when The Bank first came into being. The internal record keepers of The Bank probably know; without exception The Bank holds detailed accounts of every transaction it has ever undertaken, trace these back far enough and you would eventually reach the very first one. But like all of its secrets, The Bank keeps the record of its origins firmly locked away.
There are branches of the The Bank in every major city and port in Pannithor and there isn't a Kingdom, Warlord or Coven that hasn’t done business with them in some form. The Bank is quick to offer credit to any venture that is likely to make a profit, but woe-betide any who default on their debts. An army of Bailiffs ensures that the balance is always paid in full and The Bank doesn’t let a little thing like death get in the way of collecting on a debt. If you cannot pay off your dues in this life, they’ll make certain that you do in the next.
No one knows where The Bank holds its headquarters and the location of their vault is a secret that none has ever lived to share. Who (or what) controls the Bank is equally a mystery, although they must surely be the wealthiest individuals in all of Pannithor.
The Abyssal Dwarfs are rumoured to have uncovered a great treasure under the Halpi mountains and if there is one thing The Bank understands, its treasure. The Bank has little interest in the treasures for their own gain - their wealth is already unrivalled. What they cannot abide is the notion that the other factions of Pannithor might gain wealth without The Bank having a hand in it.
And so the Bank has deployed an army of clerks, tellers and bailiffs.They have called in old debts and issued new loans. In order to ensure that no other group profits from Halpi’s Rift without them, they have bought themselves an army and they’re sending it to war.