The Guild of Commercial Influence

Many corporate entities desire nothing more than calamity to befall their competition; however, the law frowns on suvh direct intentional antagonism between corporate entities.

The Guild provides a questionably legal go-between. Sponsors pay a subscription fee for security and market research through shell corps, and the Guild in turn funds contract antagonist organizations which harass the corporate interests of their sponsor's competitors.

The Guild of Commercial Influence has a long and storied history stretching back to renaissance-era Europe. Throughout the ages, The Guild has been a silent partner to those seeking to expand their financial influence while maintaining the appearance of clean hands. The Guild had amassed a vast fortune not only from financial contributions of their many sponsors, but often taking advantage of advanced knowledge of market trends as a result of their activities through savvy investment strategies.

Over the ages, the guild has gone through many different iterations with periods of retreat and resurgence. Their activities make them a target for powerful entities both in authority and extra-legal.

The Guild is ruled by an Executive Chairman and an assembly of Councilors, the identites of whom are a closely guarded secret. The cuincil directs guild operations, deciding which sponsorship contracts to take, what teams to assign, how to allocate resources... All that fun stuff. The Guild has their own security forces; however their antagonist activities are carried out by affiliated contract teams.
Local operations are delegated to geographic chapters, each governed by an Executor and their team of advisors. The Rapog's Beach chapter of the Guild finds itself in a situation of unprecedented independence due to the physical separation from the rest of the Guild. Many corporate sponsors of the guild have extended their interest through the gate, and the guild is obligy to follow.

The primary effectors of the guild are affiliated members, that have the protection and support of the guild, but operate on an at will basis. Affiliated members can be registered as individuals or teams, and typically receive guild related work through a handler. Often times, teams will have a guild agent implanted to serve as an advisor ensuring the team follows guild tenents.
As teams complete contracts for the guild, they may rise in membership standing. This honor comes with increased support from the guild, more lucrative contracts, and the possibility of becoming a full member. Full membership involves a lifetime devotion to the guild, but comes with a multitude of benefits and responsibilities.

There are many guild-affiliated teams operating in Rapog's Beach. Services of The Guild are in high demand as government and corporate interests try to carve out a piece of the new world for themselves.

A note about secrecy and publicity for the Guild
GCI is a publicly known organization. On the surface, they facilitate client-contractor relations, and perform market research and consulting. In secret, they vet the heads of wealthy organizations for ethics, corruptability, secrecy, and inclination towards using full guild services. If a recruiter deems an individual acceptable, they are offered full guild services and shift from "client" to "patron". If they accept a patronage position, a contract is signed in blood, committing the Patron to sponsorship and non-disclosure of Guild activities. The Patron then benefits from the Guild's services, and antagonism of the Patron's competition. Those who do not accept patronage are permanently silenced to conceal the guild's true nature.

The Guild has a public presence, a face, a front that they put forward as a coalition of market researchers and business consultants. Measures are taken to obscure the true nature of the guild from the public eye. As such, it is perfectly acceptable to publicize one's affiliation or employment with the guild.