technocracy Society
Technocratic Society came about when various crafters and merchants families banded together for mutual economic and political protection and growth. After decades of development and in-fighting, the result is an upper middle/upper class of wealthy families that can apply influence to the political spheres of the Illustrados Union.
The Corporation
Also known as a Company or a Firm, this financial institution is the core of the Tecnocracia. In fact, an individual is not truly part of the Tecnocracia until they join one of its Corporations. In the Illustados Union, these institutions can number from fifty to over a thousand people.
Joining a Corporation is simple -- individuals are either born into one or they are recruited from the Illustrados Union or, as a recent development, from the other Archfactions. Contracts are signed, benefits are discussed, and the new Technocrat is expected to progress their Corporation’s interests -- through labor at one of their facilities, through administration of subordinates, or through other tasks outside the Illustrados Union.
Social Strata
Corporate Board: At the top of the Tecnoracia’s social ladder is the Junta Corporativa or the Corporate Board. These are Directors of the top five Corporations, usually one per Corporation.
Corporate Leadership: Typically, Corporate leadership is led by a Director -- this individual is elected and advised by the core families of the Corporation, the leaders of the Corporation’s worker unions, the matriarchs of the core/founding families, or another secondary group. Directors can be drawn from ranks of the aforementioned groups or chosen from Middle Operations. Some Directors are founding entrepreneurs that created the Corporation that consider the advisory bodies when it suits them. This position and above it are for NPCs and Retired PCs only.
Special Operations (Operator): These are the para-military and espionage assets of the Tecnocracia - guards, militia, spies, and similar positioned individuals. They are considered to be lateral to Middle Operations. Spec Ops answer primarily to Corporate Leadership. Among the Operators, there are three grades (in ascending order): Standard, Expert, and Senior.
Middle Operations (Overseer): These are supervisory and logistical positions within a Corporation, focused more on maintaining and managing the inner workings of the institution. Among the Overseers, there are three grades (in ascending order): Standard, Expert, and Senior.
Ground Operations (Associate): This is the tier of most of a Corporation. These are the ground-level laborers, crafters, clerks, merchants, and similar individuals. This also includes ground level supervisory individuals. Among the Associates, there are three grades (in ascending order): Standard, Expert, and Senior.
Externals: This describes individuals and groups that are outside the Corporation’s ranks, though not necessarily out of their control.
Upbringing
The Tecnocracia recruits from all parts of the Illustrados Union and the other Archfactions. Though the Union is not a utopia, the working and middle class in the Illustrados benefit from Senatorial support via governmental programs of food, schooling, shelter, and clothing. The reach of the Senate is not absolute and some fall through the cracks. Similarly, the quality of the programs varies within and between each city or province. Many Illustrados look beyond these government programs for wealth and comfort, seeking greater employment or other methods of acquisition.
Those who do not labor for the government are usually employed by the Tecnocracia, the Iglesia, or the Charioteers. The Tecnocracia contracts these folk as laborers in Ground Operations or bureaucrats in Middle Operations. Most become industrial laborers or fill similar positions amid the Technocrat’s structure. Those who become Technocrats gain access to better living situations than what is typically provided. Indeed, the Tecnocracia has better facilities, housing, healthcare, and education for those they recruit. This is primarily in the case of those individuals who reside in the Illustrados Union.
Recruits earmarked with exceptional talents in violence, espionage, and similar skills are brought to Special Operations. These individuals are trained and sent to problem/distant areas to enforce Technocrat authority, retrieve Technocrat assets, and/or advance Technocrat interests. Individuals who excel in their roles are outfitted with better equipment.
Those that come from the core or founding families of a Corporation are usually assigned to Middle or Special Operations, with favored and/or meritorious scions eventually joining Corporate leadership.
Stigmata in the Tecnocracia:
Because the Tecnocracia draw from all social classes and from everywhere they can reach, both Stigmatic and non-Stigmatic individuals can be found within their ranks. Graft Stigmata are of relative rarity among most of the Corporations, except in the case of their Special Operations division. Those deemed worthy of Metabionic implantation are given that gift. Also, the dangerous nature of their tasks means that some of them are Risen. Scant few individuals are Eidolons, except for those that work with sorcerous Corporations or those recruited with such Stigmata.
Laws and Punishments
The Tecnocracia follows the laws of the territories that they reside. They also craft similar laws for their territories that are out of Illustrados control. When a Technocrat commits a crime, depending on their status and/or value, they are either remanded to local law or assisted in their escape. That said, those who are given to law enforcement are given the benefit of the Tecnocracia’s influence in their judgment and sentencing. Exceptions exist, of course -- individuals that offend both local law and corporate policy may find themselves arrested and surrendered with no aid given.
Corporate Policy is the Tecnocracia’s version of law. It follows much of the same laws as most places -- sanctioning murder, theft, assault, etc. The difference is that the Corporation is an entity that can be stolen from and that Corporate Leadership is subject to Policy on a nominal basis. Another difference is that Corporate Policy does not protect those who are not of the Corporation or the Tecnocracia. This means that those who trespass upon Tecnocracia territory can expect the full force of their sanctions. On a darker note, this means that unwilling human experimentation is within a Corporation’s rights if they deem someone to be an outsider.
Written Warning: Those who violate Corporate Policy in a minor way or for the first time are typically given a written warning. Depending on the Corporation, this may be given multiple times per year or only given thrice before escalating to a worse punishment. Written Warnings are under the purview of those with supervisory roles to their subordinates.
Contractual Expulsion: Those whose violations are egregious or far too repetitious are expelled from the Tecnocracia. Their contract with the Tecnocracia is expunged and rendered null, as are their benefits. If their family is housed by the Corporation, they are evicted in short order. Lucky and talented individuals are able to jump ship to a different Corporation but most have to find their own means of employment. Only the upper echelons of Middle and Special Operations may inflict this sanction, as can Corporate Leadership.
Reformatory Assignment: In lieu of Contractual Expulsion, an offender may plead for a Reformatory Assignment. In this case, they (and potentially, their family) is reassigned to a different area. Oftentimes, these are facilities at the fringe of the wilderness or are poorly performing facilities. The “reformer” is expected to serve (and survive) their assignment for a few years.
Permanent Dismissal: Those who are discovered aiding the Corporation’s enemies (or are themselves such enemies) can be subject to a “Permanent Dismissal”. Not to be confused with Contractual Expulsion, this sanction involves Operators killing an individual -- sometimes, the offender’s family and associates may be involved. Special Operations may also inflict this upon those found trespassing on Corporate territory but outside Illustrados influence. What makes Permanent Dismissal far more than a simple execution is its thoroughness -- the body of an offender may be burned or otherwise destroyed. If possible, their soul is disrupted -- but this technology is not available to all Corporations. Some sorcerous Corporations are rumored to use such souls to power their Necrotheurgic technologies.
Territory
Port-au-Jacques
A western city-state on the island of Ayiti and a founding member of the Illustrados, it is known for its technological and military developments, to the point that the Tecnocracia eventually moved their headquarters to Chato-au-Celso at its fringes. A staunch economic rival to Puerto Vazquez, it is the home of Celso Innovational Enterprises and Sylvaine Energy Systems.
Puerto Vazquez
This city-state dominates the eastern portion of Ayiti island and is a founding member of the Illustrados. It is a powerhouse of agriculture and mining. The headquarters of the Fontaine-Fuentes Pharmaceuticals is located in this city.
Vedado
Coabana island houses the city-state of Vedado (sometimes called El Vedado). This is one of the bigger and more influential powers in the Illustrados Union, to the point that it almost became the Archfaction’s capital. It is also known as the cradle of the Illustrados Navy and the home of its shipyards. Goodbread Hospitality and Banking has its corporate headquarters near this city.
Cuidad Juanita
The Illustrados capital of Cuidad Juanita (and thus the seat of the Senate) is located on the island of Puerto-del-Encanto (aka Boriken). Once the crown of Magnatech and Celsotech, it has since ceded that label to Port-au-Jacques but it is no slouch: the largest Vox-Com tower is in Ciudad Juanita, unifying the Illustrados and allowing instant long range communique.
Tanpa
A former research facility of the Tecnocracia, nothing is left of this place except a magically irradiated ruin. The Magistrados send patrols to this area to ensure that no person or creature lairs within.
Sharpton
The city-state of Sharpton in Xaymaca island houses the Tecnocracia’s Sorcerous Sciences Corporation -- in particular, their headquarters and their highest institutions of learning and magical research.