In the absence of strong, continent-spanning governments, the Goldsmith's Union is largely responsible for maintaining a cohesive economic system. Impressively, Goldsmith Union banknotes are about equally valued all across the continent. Relied upon but not liked, the Union is considered simultaneously trustworthy and duplicitous--they will honor any contract to the letter, but stories abound of unfair or misleading agreements. Some who have broken contracts with the Union being later harassed or harmed by criminals who they insist are working with the Union--but these are, of course, unconfirmed rumors.
The Fellowship of Leechers has many conflicting reputations: they are doctors, priests, necromancers, and undead hunters, if the stories about them are to be believed. They are rarely seen outside of their sanctuaries, and only the terminally ill or desperate seek them out (and these people are rarely seen again). Rarely, silent and black-robed Leechers--or sometimes a lone Leecher in an iron mask--will arrive in a town, uncover and defeat some undead threat, and then leave. While opinions of them vary widely, the Leechers are inarguably cryptic, unnerving, and obsessed with dying, death, and the dead.
Headquartered in Vanderston, a metropolis on the eastern side of Aeldynn, the Lyssolei Academy exists to further understanding of the arcane laws that underlie the universe--and, more pragmatically, to help the Vanderer military compete with the arcane prowess of the Vessic Empire's warlock-battalions to the south. Once an institution focused almost entirely on research, the Academy has become increasingly militarized in recent years, as demand for battlemagic has increased. Still, a strong core of tenured academics are central to the Academy.