Changes: Tricell (file)

Tricell is a conglomerate organization comprised of

shipping, natural resources development, and

pharmaceuticals divisions.

Tricell's history dates back to the period known as

the Age of Exploration. The forbearer to Tricell was

Travis Trading, a company owned by the wealthy

European merchant Thomas Travis.

This company profited greatly from expansive trading

with the Orient, and laid the groundwork for what

would become Tricell's shipping division.

Travis Trading entered the 19th century as a

profitable trading venture.

In the 1800's, Henry Travis, the youngest of seven

siblings, invested much of his own fortune into the

exploration of Africa.

During this period, the exploits of explorers like

David Livingstone were creating quite a stir in the

newspapers of the day. Henry's expedition was inspired

by these accounts, and his decision was to have a

great impact on Travis Trading's future.

Henry made five expeditions to the African continent

in order to explore all of its regions. The extensive

funds of the Travis family allowed him to continue

his research into Africa even through times when

results were not forthcoming.

After his fifth and final expedition in Africa, Henry

Travis returned to his home country a full 34 years

after he had first left it.

Henry compiled the records of his expeditions into an

impressive 72-volume set entitled "Survey of Natural

History." These books covered everything from animals,

plants, insects, minerals, and topography to the

native inhabitants and their cultures, histories, and

traditions. These books also contained extensive

records detailing the folklore of various peoples

throughout the continent. These tomes were a veritable

encyclopedia of the African continent.

Henry's survey was published in its entirety, but his

meticulous details were viewed as products of creative

license and an overzealous imagination. The books

were ultimately discredited by the scientific

community. Considered to be a novelty item, only a

few copies of the entire series were ever published.

The shock of being shunned by the scientific

community sent Henry into a deep state of depression.

He passed away only two years after his return from

Africa.

It is now believed that the head of Travis Trading at

that time (Henry's eldest brother) purposely spread

the rumor that Henry's books were nothing more than

fiction.

The thought being that he did this because he wanted

Travis Trading to be the only company that could

exploit the information contained within those books.

Of particular interest was the topographical

information contained in volumes 17 through 24.

By the end of the 19th Century, Travis Trading had

begun to exploit the mineral resources of Africa. All

over the continent, the company was mining for

precious metals and discovering/developing oil and

natural gas fields. Meanwhile, the company's profits

continued to soar. These operations formed the basis

of Tricell's natural resources development division.

Travis Trading built a firm foothold in Africa, and

beginning in the mid-20th century, they had begun to

actively collect samples of plants, animals, and

insects.

Henry's books were instrumental in guiding these

endeavors.

The collected specimens were used in pharmaceutical

research, and before long that research brought

commercial success and the subsequent founding of

Tricell's pharmaceuticals division.

Travis Trading was the basis for the shipping

division.

The natural resources development division was born

from the information contained in Henry's journals.

The specimens obtained from the African fauna were

used to create the independent pharmaceuticals division.

By the 1960's, these three divisions of Travis Trading

were firmly established, and they formed a

conglomerate under the name Tricell.

The Travis family, however, were not the only ones

privy to the knowledge of Henry's journals.

Umbrella's founder, Ozwell E. Spencer, was interested

in them for the folklore recorded therein. Of

particular interest were the accounts of the Ndipaya's

rituals. Spencer hypothesized that the flower used in

their rituals held significance, and this ultimately

led to the discovery of the Progenitor virus.

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