"Fear the plague, not the Morbid." - Greenwater proverb
The Corps Morbid are a Guild agency tasked with eliminating any trace of the Screaming Plague. They operate both within the city of Greenwater and in the surrounding region. The Corps is formally part of the Department of Order under the Convocation Militant, but in practice it operates independently with the blessing of the Convocation Mentalis. The organization is made up entirely of specially trained Parapsychers, though many of its members refrain from using their implants actively. In total, the Corps Morbid has around one hundred active Parapsychers along with countless clerks and aides.
History of the Corps Morbid
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Organization
There is no formal leadership or hierarchy within the corps, and all members hold the rank of colonel when dealing with outsiders. Each member is given a number upon joining, successively higher for each admitted Parapsycher, and effectively this is the individual's rank within the organization. The lower the number, the more senior and the more influential the person, with the first member being the Corps Morbid #1. The current senior Morbid is the Corps Morbid #614, with an all-time total of around 750 members past and present.
Beyond this rule of seniority, each member acts independently. Some spend most of their time within their laboratories researching the Screaming Plague, some patrol the city trying to prevent new outbreaks before they happen, while others journey to remote places to investigate reports and rumors of the disease. Junior members usually spend their first time time in the corps working under a senior member, though this is by no means mandatory.
Exquisitors and their retinues
Corps Morbid members go by the title of 'Exquisitor' when acting within the general populace. Most find it necessary, or at least practical, to enlist a retinue of aides to help with their work. These aides are as varied as the Exquisitors they follow, ranging from University Augmenters and lab assistants working for scientifically-minded Morbids to mercenary gunslingers and drafted Militant infantrymen acting as bodyguards and enforcers for more violently inclined ones.
Due to the inherent danger of the work, along with the Corps' rather dark image in the eyes of the public, many mercenaries are reluctant to work with the Corps Morbid. Because of this, it is not unheard of for radical Exquisitors to offer convicted criminals who are deemed to be "useful" the chance to be pardoned on the condition that they serve as aides for a specified time. As the Corps are formally part of the Department of Order, and thus the Convocation Militant, similar offers are also frequently extended to soldiers serving in the Greenwater army, giving them the opportunity to serve all or part of their contracts with the Corps Morbid. As this allows soldiers to serve in civilization rather than a muddy trench, there is usually no shortage of volunteers for Morbid work among the Corps Peditat - what may seem like a dangerous job to a Greenwater mercenary begins to look like vacation after a few years on the front lines.
The Morbid administrative office
While the Corps lacks formal leadership in the traditional sense, it still has an administrative office located in the Mentalis district, a short walk from the Oculus offices. Here an administrative staff, lead by a handful of semi-retired senior Morbids, keeps track of all current and previous members, handle the Corps rather generous funding, and process membership applications. The Corps Morbid has an extensive archive of the activities of its members past and present, and while there is no formal requirement for Exquisitors in the field to report on their investigations and findings, the majority provide detailed reports on a regular basis. The Morbid office also documents any relevant rumors in circulation, looking for things that may warrant proper inquiry from an Exquisitor.
The Corps Morbid does not actively recruit new members, but anyone who meets the formal requirements is welcome to hand in an application at the Morbid office. All candidates are required to be active Parapsychers, and must get a current member to vouch for them to be considered. Each applicant must also provide a sealed confidential statement from the Oculus regarding their history and suitability. If deemed worthy, the candidate is then handed over to a field Exquisitor for further evaluation. This process usually involves working in the field for a full year, after which the candidate - if accepted - is sent to the Oculus offices for "further confidential training regarding the Screaming Plague and the nature thereof", during which time the essential skill of learning to identify victims of the Screaming Plague in its early stages is taught.
Urban legends
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