Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels

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Corps of Gentlemen-at-Cudgels
Cudgel Banner.png
Active: 1552–1613 & 1623–
Motto

Manners maketh Man and the Cudgel maketh Man mind His Manners

Allegiance: Elwynn

Type: Uniformed Police / Public Order Force
Size:
  • Statutory Manpower:
  • Active Strength: 319,000
Nicknames: Cudgellers
Commander: The Bludgeoner-General

Allies

Imperial Marshals
Commissioners of the Peace

Opponents

The Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels (CGC), also known as the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels or simply as the Cudgellers is the national police service of the Elwynnese Union. It has jurisdiction to police anywhere in the Elwynnese Republic.

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) organizations 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) and remains the main instrument of the Prince's reign.

Duties, Functions, and Responsibilities

As Elwynnese police service the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels 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 Commissioners of the Peace and the Imperial Marshals. They must also co-operate with the public prosecution authorities 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.

Organization and Structure

Council of Cudgellers

The Corps is headed by the Bludgeoner-General, whose immediate subordinates are two Deputy 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, Grand Master of Wires. All of the aforesaid are members of the Council of Cudgellers, the management board of the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels.

Position in Council of Cudgellers Responsibility
Bludgeoner-General General direction and management of the Corps
Deputy 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
Grand Master of Whispers Intelligence
Justiciar Legal Affairs
Alchemist-General Science and Technology
Grand Master of Wires Information and Communications 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 immortalized as symbols of Elwynnese culture in numerous movies and television series, which often feature the image of the Cudgeller as square-jawed, stoic, and polite, yet with 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, dogged yet gentle 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 established in Goldshire and the influences of the cudgellers being very evident in the Shirekeep City Guard.