Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels (1552-1692)
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| Motto |
Manners maketh Man and the Cudgel maketh Man mind His Manners | ||
| Allegiance: | Elwynn | ||
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| Type: | Gendarmerie | ||
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| Nicknames: | Cudgellers | ||
| Commander: | Zurvanudin Miran al-Osman | ||
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The Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels (CGC), also known as the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels or simply as the Cudgellers is an auxiliary corps of the Union Defence Force that also serves as the national gendarmerie of the Greater Elwynnese State.
History
The Gentlemen-at-Cudgels were founded in the year 1552 as a public order force for the Barony of Eliria by means of an ordinance issued by Eliria's Baron, Ardashir Moqtada al-Osmani. The primary duty of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels was to deliver and serve writs of cudgelling against individuals named by the Baron of Eliria. As such they were considered to be one of the more coercive manifestations of state power during this, becoming notorious for the degree to which arbitrary abuses became ingrained amongst the practitioners of cudgelling, until finally being curbed by Duke Nathan's various decrees against capital and corporal punishment.
During the era of Elwynnese independence the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels, having survived the expulsion of Aurangzeb by going underground as a series of unlicensed sporting associations, became a Non-Combatant Corps of the Union Defence Force and were made responsible for national level law enforcement and public order duties, causing the Cudgellers to dramatically expand in remit and, as a consequence, in size as well. The Corps was abolished after the Communist Revolution of 1613 and not replaced by any other formal body, leading to various ad hoc vigilante groups, and other (local) organisations acting in a law enforcement capacity (or in the pursuit of self-perceived justice) without legal authority, to step in.
Following the Kalirion Restoration the CGC was re-established in 1623 AN by the decree of the Steward of Elwynn, Hallbjörn Haraldsson, which provided the whole of the Elwynnese Union with police forces again.
The Corps survived the Auspicious Occasion (1651) and the Elwynnese Civil War (1660-1662) only to be dissolved with the abolition of Elwynnese Statehood in 1669 (?). Following its restoration with the passage of the Elwynnese Constitution in 1672 the Corps operated as an auxiliary arm of the Union Defence Force, and would go on to become one of the main instrument of the reign of Prince Frederik, alongside the UDF and the Panopticon Corps.
Duties, Functions, and Responsibilities
As the Elwynnese national gendarmerie the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels, subordinate to the Inspector of Cudgelling, has the following duties, functions, and responsibilities:
- prevent crime and other disturbances of public order or safety;
- maintain public order and safety, prevent disturbances of the same and take action when such disturbances occur;
- carry out investigations and surveillance in connection with indictable offences;
- provide the public with protection, information and other kinds of assistance, whenever such assistance is best given by the police; and
- perform such duties as are incumbent on the police pursuant to special regulations laid down by Elwynnese Law.
The Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels is obliged to co-operate with the civil authorities in relation to the above tasks. They must also co-operate with the Inspector of the Judiciary as well as with other authorities and organisations whose activities concern their work. Other authorities are required by law to support the Cudgellers in their work.
Organisation and Structure
Council of Cudgellers
The Corps is headed by the Inspector of Cudgels, reporting directly to the Committee of Defence at the Court of the Prince, whose immediate subordinates are two Bludgeoners-General. Below them there are eighteen Quartermasters of Cudgels: one for each of the nine cardinal directions of the territorial jurisdictions known informally as "Circuits" and the remainder dealing with various national support functions. At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to the Quartermasters of Cudgels are the positions of Seneschal, Treasurer, Surgeon-General, Justiciar, Alchemist-General, and the Chief Director of the Panopticon. All of the aforementioned are members of the Grand Council of Cudgels, the management board of the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels.
| Position in Grand Council of Cudgels | Office Holders | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector of Cudgels | Zurvanudin Miran al-Osman | General direction and management of the Corps |
| Bludgeoner-General | Strategy, Operations | |
| Quartermaster of Cudgels | Management of a Circuit, or a national support function | |
| Seneschal | Human Resources | |
| Treasurer | Finance and Procurement | |
| Surgeon-General | Occupational Health Services | |
| Chief Director | Nizam al-Mulk | Panopticon Department (UDF) |
| Justiciar | Legal Affairs | |
| Alchemist-General | Science and Technology |
Other Senior Police Officers
Directly subordinate to the Quartermasters of Cudgels are approximately 100 Superintendent Officers of Cudgels, about a quarter of whom supervise territorial divisions which are known as Palatinates. A Palatinate usually corresponds with a County.
Every Palatinate contains a number of Commanderies. A Commandery is commanded by a Commander of Cudgels and, as a general rule, corresponds with a Bailiwick, but the more sizable Bailiwicks - in geographical area and/or in population - do happen to have multiple (ad hoc) commanderies within their borders.
Each Commandery is in turn composed of a number of Manors, which are usually commanded by Masters of Cudgels.
Ranks
- Bludgeoner-General;
- Deputy Bludgeoner-General;
- Quartermaster of Cudgels;
- Superintendent Officer of Cudgels;
- Commander of Cudgels;
- Master of Cudgels;
- Knight-Cudgeller;
- Proctor-Cudgeller;
- Serjeant-Cudgeller;
- Gentleman-Cudgeller;
- Beadle-Cudgeller;
- Cudgel-Carrier.
Popular awareness of the CGC
The Cudgellers have been immortalised as symbols of Elwynnese culture in numerous movies and Elwnet series, which often feature the image of the Cudgeller as square-jawed, stoic, and possessed of a steely determination and physical toughness that sometimes appears superhuman. Coupled with the adage that the Cudgeller "always gets his man," the image projects them as fearsome, incorruptible champions of the law.
Trivia
- Owing to their distinctive proclivities and signature law-enforcement tool, the Cudgellers have become synonymous with Benacian law enforcement, with a force of Cudgellers to be found in nearly every one of the Vulture States established after the Kalirion Fracture, and the influences of the cudgellers being very evident in the Shirekeep City Guard.
