TEXT:  
  The Corporation Version 4.0 Public Document 
  An organization which does not exist 
   
  A Gran March Meta-campaign Organization written by J. Mark Brooks, Will Dover, and the Gran March Triad 
   
   
  Organization Alignment(s)   
   
  Members: Any but Lawful Good 
  PC Organization: 
  Yes 
   
   
  There is no such thing as organized crime in Gran March, only criminal gangsters who seek to 
  mislead and deceive the public about the extent of their power. 
  - Special Constable Ferrule Garde in a speech before the Electors, CY 590.  
   
   
  This document is public information regarding an infamously secretive organization — The Corporation. 
  The purpose of this public document is to provide players with an overview of what is generally known 
  about The Corporation. From a meta-campaign perspective it outlines the entry requirements and 
  provides only general information about this mythical organization. A great deal of the information about 
  The Corporation is secret, and can become known only to members and even then only as those 
  members advance within The Corporation itself. This is a necessary precaution taken by the shadowy 
  leadership of The Corporation for survival in a lawful state such as Gran March.  
   
  Much of this document contains information that is not commonly known by everyday Marchers. In fact, 
  some still debate whether such an organization even exists, or is merely a fiction designed to enhance 
  the reputation of petty criminals. This information is included in the public document because it is 
  information available to historians, magistrates, government officials, and other interested parties. Players 
  are encouraged to select for their characters an appropriate level of knowledge regarding the 
  Corporation. 
   
  Organization 
   
  The Corporation, once known by the name of The Body Corporate for the Defense of the Rights of the 
  Commons, is the chief organized crime group in Gran March. No other criminal organization approaches 
  it in power or extent. Everyone has heard rumors of it and many justly fear it, for it is an institution that has 
  become notorious for its ruthlessness and daring. Yet there are some in Gran March who also see The 
  Corporation as a refuge from the lawful, militaristic character of Gran March’s government and 
  institutions.  
   
  What is known about the Corporate structure is sparse. The smallest operational unit appears to be the 
  gang. A gang will typically specialize in one particular area of operations, such as burglary or robbery. 
  Seemingly, a gang can operate anywhere, from the dank Rushmoors to the steep mountain passes of the 
  Lortmils to the dark streets of Gran March cities. How the gangs work together (if they do at all) is 
  unknown save for the outlandish tales of the tavern. 
   
  Philosophy and Credo 
   
  The goal of The Corporation is simple to understand: the acquisition of wealth by any means available. 
  Such means are typically illegal. Thus, loyalty and secrecy are highly valued to the point that death 
  comes to traitors swiftly and leaves slowly. It is this secrecy that makes some Gran March officials 
  doubtful of the organization’s very existence. These officials believe that The Corporation is nothing more 
  than a fictional boogey-man promulgated by individual criminals or small gangs to discourage active 
  investigation and punishment of criminal activity. This theory is given additional credence since one of its 
  
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  adherents is Ferrule Garde, who as Special Constable is in a position to know more about criminal activity 
  in Gran March than perhaps any other individual. 
   
  One of the more persistent rumors about The Corporation concerns their choice of targets. Military targets 
  are almost never hit by Corporate operations as such operations would surely lead to public exposure. 
  Similarly, truly violent crimes are typically not part of their standard operations due to the publicity such 
  crimes attract. Secrecy is the one certain characteristic of The Corporation. 
   
  While many criminal organizations appear to be misogynistic and racist in behavior, The Corporation 
  appears to not engage in such practices. Any operative who contributes profitably to the Corporate 
  coffers is welcome. 
   
  Day-to-Day Activities 
   
  It is believed by many that The Corporation’s gangs have their hands in most (if not all) non-violent 
  crimes. It has been said that if one has thought out a crime, chances are good that The Corporation has 
  figured it out long beforehand and refined it to their needs. Smuggling, pick pocketing, burglary, and 
  confidence games provide the funds for other sorts of operations. Even gambling and prostitution (though 
  not expressly illegal in Gran March) are likely operations for Corporate gangs due to the general public 
  disapproval of such activities. In many cases, these low level activities can provide fodder for riskier 
  ventures; such as robbery, embezzlement, and blackmail. 
   
  Important Dates, Holidays & Ceremonies 
   
  There are rumors of induction ceremonies for membership. These rumors typically involve criminal acts 
  and oaths of secrecy enforced by death. These seem to be only rumors, however, with no public facts 
  available. 
   
  Headquarters / Major Power Centers 
   
  The operations of The Corporation can be anywhere, or so the common Marcher believes. The dark and 
  lonely road is just as likely to be a den for a Corporation gang as the dank and abandoned alley. The local 
  gossips talk about “Chapter Houses” and “Mendicant Orders” as names for such locations, but there is 
  nothing concrete to indicate whether these names refer to the same thing or if they even truly exist at all. 
  There appears to be no public headquarters controlling everything, however. Such a center of operations 
  appears to be only the subject of drunken hearsay and local superstition. 
   
  History 
   
  The information in this section is not widely known, but is part of Gran March history and 
  available to the educated and well informed. 
   
  The Corporation originated as The Body Corporate for the Defense of the Rights of the Commons. The 
  Body Corporate began with an agreement called the Grayfriars Accord in 422 CY (so-called because it 
  was made at an estate outside Buxton’s Crossing called Grayfriars). The Accord bound together nobles 
  opposed to the Commandant, common resistance movements, Flan from Farvale and the Rushmoors, 
  demihumans tired of the prejudice of the Suloise-Oeridian dominated government, and various criminal 
  gangs. The group disintegrated in the years following Berlikyn’s death in 438. It briefly revived during the 
  demihuman troubles of the early 500’s, but once again was all but extinct by the 520’s, except in name 
  only among smugglers in the Rushmoors and a few criminal groups in Hookhill and Shiboleth. 
   
  The nadir of organized crime in the early 580’s seemed to coincide with the rise of the private constables, 
  individuals who recovered stolen goods and apprehended criminals as a profession, usually without any 
  official brief to do so. Some of the private constables have even been accused of organizing their own 
  criminal gangs in order to ransom stolen goods back to their owners. The most prominent private 
  constable in the early 580’s was Ferrule Garde, who was appointed Special Constable in 584 CY by the 
  
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  present Commandant and given broad authority to track down criminal gangs throughout Gran March. 
  This Garde did with great enthusiasm, and in a matter of months most of the criminal gangs of Gran 
  March seemed to have been eliminated or forced to go dormant. His steadfast enmity towards criminals 
  of all kinds and his amazing ability to recover stolen goods for their owners has earned him many friends 
  and has made him a hero to many law-abiding citizens of the March. 
   
  Yet, in the late 580’s came the disquieting rumor that The Corporation, the real Corporation, had revived 
  and become stronger than ever before. Certain merchants and electors found notes pinned to their 
  pillows with jet-black daggers and moved to Keoland or even further places. Ordinary street crimes, which 
  had risen with the dislocations of war, seemed to decline, but bold thefts by stealth and trickery seemed 
  to increase. A rash of crimes committed by the swollen refugee population slowed to a trickle, and among 
  the refugee population there arose a rumor of black-clad men in the night, with offers of employment in 
  various nefarious enterprises in one hand, and a dagger in the other for those who did not toe the line. 
  Smuggling increased in the Rushmoors, bypassing oftentimes stringent border taxes imposed by local 
  lords. The ever-present camp followers who trailed after the Army were suddenly much better organized, 
  and were less likely to deal in rotgut liquor, engage in fixed gaming, or promote disease than previously. 
  Various new entertainment establishments, offering shady if not necessarily illegal services, sprang up, 
  while older ones offering similar entertainments suddenly disappeared. There are rumors of banditry 
  abroad, of an underground organization to guide serfs from surrounding lands to the March and to 
  freedom - for a price - and of assassination, blackmail, and intrigue. Even some guilds and militia 
  companies came under suspicion as being controlled by or fronts for The Corporation. 
   
  Magistrates who inquired too closely into alleged Corporation activities often found that it was difficult for 
  them to maintain their positions. Today, many magistrates and consulting detectives simply refuse to 
  believe the organization exists. Even Ferrule Garde stated as recently as 590 CY that “There is no such 
  thing as organized crime in Gran March, only criminal gangsters who seek to mislead and deceive the 
  public about the extent of their power.” Garde’s assertion represents the official position of the 
  government of Gran March today—that there is no organized crime except on the most local level, in the 
  form of small criminal gangs. 
   
  Allies 
   
  The Corporation supposedly has allies everywhere in Gran March. Its agents are believed to have 
  infiltrated every institution that could provide a profit for organization. Additionally, The Corporation has 
  rumored contacts with other like-minded groups throughout the Sheldomar Valley. Finally, certain fringe 
  cults who worship crime and deception, such as Olidammara, are rumored associates and partners in 
  Corporate operations. 
   
  Rivals 
   
  There are no known long-standing rivals to The Corporation. Independent criminal activity is ignored if 
  petty enough, coerced into Corporate management if profitable, or made to disappear permanently. As for 
  the evil cults rumored to be present in Gran March, there is no known connection between them and The 
  Corporation. 
   
  Foes 
   
  Private constables provide the biggest source of trouble for Corporate activities. Typically, this trouble 
  comes from either a true servant of the people who pursues justice with vigor or from the corrupt official 
  who uses the power of their office to make their own profits. Either way, the deductive powers of most of 
  these detectives jeopardize the anonymity of the Corporation’s activities. 
   
  The major churches also oppose the activities of the Corporation, even though they do not officially 
  recognize its existence. Each provides opposition based on its tenets of faith, with the followers of St. 
  Cuthbert being the most active in destroying Corporate operations. Many constables are also followers of 
  St. Cuthbert, making them very dangerous adversaries. 
  
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  The Gran March military is also a potential foe for the Corporation. Military warehouses and caravans do 
  tend to carry valuables. As crimes against military targets tend to have high visibility and also generate 
  negative public sentiment, however, there seems to be little Corporate activity in this area. 
   
  Heraldry / Symbol 
   
  Obviously, a secret society has no known symbols. Tales exists, however, of secret symbols and glyphs 
  used for Corporate communications. Such symbols could be used to mark Corporate territory, to indicate 
  Corporate safe houses, and to designate information drops.  
   
  Requirements 
   
  In order for a character to gain The Corporation’s attention and thus be allowed to work with them as an 
  affiliate, a character must: 
   
  • 
  Possess two ranks in any one of the following skills: 
   
  Diplomacy 
  Intimidate 
  Sense Motive 
   
  • 
  Possess two ranks of Bluff. 
   
  • 
  Possess two ranks in any one of the following skills: 
   
  Disable Device 
  Disguise 
  Forgery 
  Open Lock 
  Slight of Hand 
   
  • 
  Be of any alignment other than Lawful Good. 
   
  Spellcasters who have access to 1st-level spells can substitute this ability for either requirement 1 or 
  requirement 3. Non-spellcasters can substitute the rank of Corporal in the Army for requirement 1 or 
  requirement 3. Spellcasters who possess the rank of Corporal can waive both requirements. 
  Requirements 2 and 4 are mandatory.  
   
  A player may join The Corporation as an affiliate in any adventure set in Gran March, or by contacting the 
  Gran March Triad. The character’s affiliation should be noted on that character’s Adventure Certificate 
  and signed by the DM or Triad member, since further advancement will be dependent in part on meeting 
  time requirements. Also, upon having a PC join The Corporation, the player must contact the Gran March 
  Triad to receive additional materials required for membership. These additional materials are the official 
  regional documentation for joining The Corporation and must be with the player whenever the player’s 
  Corporate PC is in play. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Metaorg Material/Gran March/temp/Gran_March_The_Corporation_4.0_public.pdf