LORE | Registrar Corps

BARGETOWN'S DIGNIFIED

With the significant growth of the Gold Leaf Army marked by the development of the Commonwealth, growing affluence in trade with giants like the Southern Union, and the rise of patriotism within the Coalition as a whole, the Gold Leaf Army has become the second largest military force on the Sunrise Isles. In addition to its undisputed control over Bargetown and the Windernola Island, the Gold Leaf Army also exercises measured influence in Sunrise City with multiple outposts and patrol routes throughout the region.

In earlier times, the Marshal programme—born of the Coalition greats Hamilton and Cleveland—was adopted within the barge with the intention of uprooting and eliminating internal corruption. Over time, however, the programme was found to be entirely ineffective, and mostly achieved the opposite effect; Marshals themselves engaged heavily in corruption and were often politically motivated rather than loyal to the town itself.

With Marshals proven entirely incapable of their duties, the program was disbanded—yet the great claws of corruption dug only deeper into the flesh and sinew of the town and its government. In a desperate bid to curb the threat and kill the roots, the Brigadiers signed a decree forming the Registrar Corps—an administrative unit initially tasked with the oversight of the Gold Leaf Army and civilian populace, with their authority eventually expanded to directly oversee the government following the January 2165 coup and subsequent reformation.

The first batch of Registrars was comprised of corrupt soldiers who had bought their position, wealthy plants from families who sought a cushy position for their lesser children, and fallen Sergeants in search of redemption; however, occasionally, a Registrar may be planted by affluent corporations or groups seeking a foothold in Bargetown. With such a meagre first appearance, it is no wonder that the open secret of corporate and guild funding spread. With many Registrars directly paid by these shadowy, enigmatic suits, Registrars often find themselves perpetually at the whim of their external benefactors lest they seek to lose their status.

Although the Registrar Corps' history has been a rocky one plagued with doubt, shifting allegiance, and continuous internal corruption, the Corps now finds itself at the height of its power; following the creation of the Commonwealth, the arrival of High Marshal Thorne, and the enaction of the Hamilton Junta, the Registrars have been vested with the authority of the barge, the Ministers, and the Capital to enact justice—or snuff it out.

THE PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Upon the creation of the Registrar Corps, their initial goals were quite simple—crack down on corruption, enforce the rules, and manage the servicemen within the Gold Leaf Army. Despite the original purpose of fighting corruption, many factors that contributed to the conception of the Corps were the cause of an influx of crooked and unscrupulous people gaining a place within the newly formed program.

Numerous Registrars soon began to stray away from strictly enforcing militia standards, often imposing laws or outright abusing their subordinates either out of cruelty or for their own benefit, with only big-time corruption cases being fought to preserve their positions.

With tensions in Bargetown culminating in January 2165, the control of the government, and soon the Registrar Corps, was seized by the Council of Ministers, and the latter's responsibilities were soon expanded to lower-ranking agents as well. Even with new duties, the Corps strutted along with their usual behaviour of controlling their juniors to a degree, where they allowed them to break certain rules as long as they did not do anything egregious.

The introduction of the High Marshal to Bargetown pushed for even more changes within the Corps—the disorganisation and the internal power struggle came to an end, with three new distinct roles created to watch and maintain different kinds of affairs within the city.

Nowadays, the Registrars are supposed to fulfill most of their old functions, such as cracking down on corruption, enforcing regulations, and sometimes acting as bodyguards for extremely important figures. Often, though, their abusive habits and political ties still take priority.

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A chart demonstrating the inner structure of the Registrar Corps.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CORPS

It's an open secret that the Council of Ministers is, in reality, backed by the city of Hamilton. This fact became even more apparent when Brigadier-General Mathis de Coverley suspended democracy in Bargetown and assumed the title of governor, thus granting Hamilton nearly full control of Bargetown.

With Hamilton in control, several reforms were made within the Registrar Corps. Namely, the new head of the Corps became the High Marshal—arriving from Hamilton shortly after the new governor—who soon appointed Head Registrar Kiesinger as his deputy.

The office of the High Marshal is a position recently formed by the Hamilton delegation. Its goal is to oversee and control the internal and external affairs of the Registrar Corps. The primary focus is to ensure that the Corps serves as a vessel in which Hamilton can exert its influence over Bargetown, and secondary duties include representing the Corps in the Coalition's governments, supervising various reforms within the Corps, as well as handling finances and logistics.

The office of the Head Registrar is a position designated upon a member of the Registrar Corps who has been vested with the authority to lead and represent their fellow Registrars. Before 2165, the position of Head Registrar served just as a senior position for those who gained the trust of the military high command to lead their peers. In recent times, however, the position of Head Registrar was reformed, with only one individual holding the position at a time. The current obligations of the position include handling the Registrars and the internal affairs of the Corps, along with the induction and training of new Registrars.

Beneath the High Marshal and Head Registrar are Registrars—the backbone of the Corps. They have the choice between three roles, which specialise in different branches and vary in their goals. Each Registrar is equal in terms of rank to one another, but every role's hierarchy is different in each branch:

Commissars, who have the highest authority in the Gold Leaf Army (and subsequently, the Marked Men programme), but have the least priority with government and civilian matters compared to the other two roles;
Inspectors, with the highest authority in the government, and second-highest authority within the Gold Leaf Army, as well as in civilian matters;
Heralds, possessing the highest authority in civilian affairs, second-highest authority within the government, and the least authority in the Gold Leaf Army.

CODE OF CONDUCT

All Registrars are obligated to follow the Corps' set of edicts when fulfilling their duties. The regulations are officially named the Code of Conduct, and while Registrars are supposed to follow it, very few follow it to the letter—a majority of Registrars treat it more as a guideline rather than rules set in stone.

The Code states that Registrars should be fair in deliberation against friend and foe alike, be pillars of justice and morality, and present themselves in a formal and stately manner. Registrars are expected to make decisions in times of crisis, while giving their all to Bargetown and her people, even at the cost of their lives—with their primary goal to dismantle and shun acts of immorality and corruption.

As per the Code, Registrars are hard-pressed by their superiors to maintain a formal appearance. Many wear ceremonial clothing, often donning decade-old tunics passed down from retired or deceased officers, with few revisions beyond a change in material for the sake of comfort. Along with the formal tunic, Registrars are expected to carry an officer's sabre or any other sword with them, symbolising the bravery and strength they're supposed to have, with maintenance of their equipment being widely taught.

As a key part of their job, Registrars manage those below them at nearly all times, which ranges from enforcing law to overseeing patrols and sometimes even forcing their inferiors into battles. Ultimately, however, it is entirely up to the Registrar themselves on how they want to treat their subordinates, with the system financially incentivising verbal harassment and even physical brutality, should the situation call for it. Compassionate Registrars are rare and few, and those who do show instances of kindness often quickly change for the worse—or completely disappear. Due to their behaviour and Code of Conduct, Registrars are often seen as rich kids, megalomaniacs, losers, thieves, or simply people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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THE COMMISSARIAT

On paper, the Commissariat is the third regulatory branch of Bargetown. In practice, it's a term that merges and refers to the Office of the Constabulary, the Registrar Corps, and the Senate, offering them additional power per the Civil Security Mandate.

Such powers include the ability to investigate and prosecute anyone, no matter their rank, while being legally shielded, should they feel the stability of Bargetown is at risk—though the upper echelon of the Commissariat reserves the right to pull a case, the Senate has been given powers to veto and subsequently vote on the decision of pulling a case. A majority vote must occur for a case to be restored.

Another case of such additional responsibilities given to the branch is the duty of the Senate to prevent wrongful convictions, with any prisoners or Marked Men being able to appeal to the Senate, where they may be cleared of any charges with 3 positive votes.

Overall, the Commissariat is generally looked down upon as a branch by citizens as they are permitted to breach their rights should a 'plausible' cause come up—though officially, needless right violations result in punishment.

THE HAMILTON DELEGATION AND THE CORPS

Upon the initial arrival of the Hamilton Delegation, the subsequent creation of the Council of Ministers, and the realisation of their assumption of power, the Registrar Corps and the delegation had complicated relations—a simple back-and-forth argument regarding the power struggle soon resulted in the Registrars being stripped of the protection of bodyguards, and it soon spiraled into the Corps being split in half—those aligned with the delegation and thus the government, and those who stood against it.

Everything came crashing down on January 12th when the Interim Government declared a "bloodless" coup, while in reality, a few Registrars who refused to swear their loyalty were killed or executed. In the months following the assumption of power, the Registrar Corps saw itself acting no longer in the interest of Bargetown but the delegation and soon Brigadier-General de Coverley, too.

What started with rocky relations soon calmed down even further with the arrival of the High Marshal who began the reformation of the Corps into a proper branch of ever-loyal enforcers.

A part of the Hamilton Delegation consisting of two new ministers and Brigadier-General de Coverley on their way to Bargetown via a helicopter.

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