League of Free Merchants of Undertown

"If we were to ask you, Slyvo Spleethe, whether you are an honest individual, how would you verily reply?"

- The Leagues

The League of Free Merchants of Undertown is an evil organization in The Edge Chronicles series, "free" meaning in a sense of how the banking system is today - the rich have the wealth and the poor are poor forever. The Leagues are actually rather like bankers, they control wealth. If somebody has a father who is a Leaguesman, then chances are he or she will get to Sanctaphrax to be educated. The Leaguesmen have a very Conservative view of the world and will do anything for money - in a sense, behaving like the Mafia do today. The Leaguesmaster is the head of the League of Free Merchants of Undertown and he bullies them mercilessly.

Known League members include Ulbus Pentaphraxis (father of Cowlquape, future High Academe of Sanctaphrax) and Farquahr Armwright. The Leagues are divided into business sections such as trading, blacksmiths, and inventions. They have sections such as rope and glue, gluesloppers and ropeteasers, forging and founding, and numerous others.

They will raid the black market for money, and take anything for wealth, regardless of its origin. They also employ spies for sky pirate captains, such as Spleethe. Indeed, the only thing which unites all Leaguesmen are their hatred of the sky pirates. Their goal is to purge the skies of flight.

They are not omniscient or limitless, Quintinius told Spleethe that "your treacherous friends in the Leagues are of no use to you here in the Deepwoods." Also, when a Leaguesman dies, his friends raid his house, stealing everything. Also no love appears to go on between their families, Ulbus hated his son Cowlquape, for example.

By the time of New Sanctaphrax, the Leaguesmen of the Old Sanctaphrax time were embossed in stone statues around a palace, forming the palace of statues. They were representations of how the real Leaguesmen looked, enfaming them forever.

The Leaguesmen changed their styles, they had ugly fashions such as fang-like teeth, and changed from long robes to rich suits.