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| Overview
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Since the ascension of Christianity, the worship of old gods has waned but even with the passing of millennia Norse paganism still has a loyal, if secretive, following in the supernatural community. Initially hiding their faiths and natures from the budding Christian church, families loyal to the House of Odin have passed their traditions down in secret from generation to generation; much has been lost along the way, and diaspora has spread the descendants of the Norse pantheon, and its worshippers, worldwide. Bloodlines have thinned, and it seems that day by day more has been lost and forgotten than most living followers will ever have opportunity to know.
The families that still pay homage to the Norse godly house are a queer lot, and often are as much at odds with each other as they are unified in goal; competition and conflict between the families ensures that discord is the standard rather than harmony. They are, however, united in a desire to protect and restore the bloodlines of their families, which has served to discourage the escalation of conflict and bring the families together where common goals exist: the restoral and advancement of direct trade and communication with the godrealms, the collection and protection of lore, arcana, and artifacts related to the Norse house, and mutual protection against shared adversaries. Profit and a growing industry in human and angelborn slavery is, of course, a fringe benefit.
Einherjar Incorporated was founded in the late 1960s by the scions and family heads of several of the more prominent families of divine Norse ancestry located within the continental United States. The families responsible for its founding have intermarried and interbred over the years in a questionable pursuit of blood purity, and the belief that external marriages would eventually thin the divine bloodlines to the point that they would cease to be. The corporation has thrived in import and export, in addition to international investment, and is suspected to have ties to smuggling and organized crime. While many of its higher-ranking members are demigods of Norse ancestry descended from its founders, it's also comprised of many aware naturals of similar ancestry alongside demigods of unknown lines who have been brought into the fold, and, naturally, human and angelborn servants and retainers.
The corporate arm of Norse pagans and demigods of Odin's line has only established its presence in the small town of Haven recently. Initially working through a now-defunct alliance with the crumbled Hand, Einherjar Incorporated is now a local power in its own right, operating chiefly out of the affiliated local business 'Einherjar Import/Export', while cultivating businesses, alliances, assets, and vassals in a wider network that's primarily consolidated on the burgeoning forest road: Norsewood Court.
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| Operation
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Einherjar Incorporated operates as an economic powerhouse with specialization in import/export and investment. The bulk of their income is earned from importing and exporting goods, primarily from Nordic countries but also, and much more profitably, between Earth and the Godrealms. A sizable percentage of the goods shipped by the organization are smuggled contraband, and the group's involvement in human slavery, and their export of human servants to the Godrealms, is a known fact in the supernatural world.
As such, the business operates in a manner somewhere between a criminal syndicate and an evil corporation. Extortion and protection rackets are common practices and subordinates are valued based on their ability to 'earn', but it's all beneath the veneer of corporate culture -- Einherjar's employees earn 'stock options' to match their contributions and work done on the business's behalf, as well as those of their slaves, servants, or vassals, and there's a thriving internal economy built around the barter and trade of favors and shares between Einherjar employees, who are expected to meet a weekly quota to retain their position, and protection, lest they be demoted, or worse, indebted and enslaved to the corporation. Advancement in rank is attained by buying position with shares, which can also be used for personal projects once a certain rank's been met.
Einherjar eschews violence in favor of wielding political and economic power, but is capable of making use of it when necessary. The organization is more disposed towards using arcane tools to their benefit than brute force, but has departments responsible for cultivating talent and empowering the corporation on all fronts. While internal strife is common, and even encouraged, there are unspoken rules to internal conflict, which is perceived more as a game, a sparring match between ostensible-equals within the Norse house to demonstrate superiority in one or another field. Where it comes to external conflict, the organization prefers to settle its disputes as profitably as possible, but is infamous for its willingness to patiently hold a grudge and then act upon it when most advantageous.
While the organization often treats individuals as property, it is also somewhat protective of its property against damages inflicted by outside parties -- this is seen as disrespectful and is dealt with accordingly, though when enacted by those in otherwise profitable relationships there may be a statement of damages and request for payment instead. Damage inflicted on property internally, while not forbidden, often comes with an expected price in damages, failure of which to pay may result in demotion or propertization of the perpetrator.
Outside of their trade in human chattel, Einherjar Incorporated's chief operational agendas are: the exploration and eventual colonization of the godrealms to rebuild its connection with the true House of Odin in Northgard, the collection and study of Norse mythological lore, arcana, and artifacts in furtherance of a rediscovery of lost knowledge and history, and the practice of Norse pagan ritualism and religion -- to include animal and human sacrifice.
The corporation is also well-known for its investment in genetic research and into studies of genealogy, primarily in tracing the bloodlines of Norse demigods, but also in advancement of the practice of eugenics and selective-breeding, both within the divine Norse bloodlines and without.
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| Organization
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CEO
Anselm Anderson?
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Interim COO
Lynn Sheridan
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De Facto CFO
Anselm Anderson
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CIO
Vacant
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CAO
Nathalie Eriksson?
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Einherjar Incorporated is led by a five-person board comprised of chief officers from each of its internal divisions: Executive, Operations, Finance, Information, and Administration. Major policy decisions are decided by vote, as well as the potential promotion of new board members, with the executive and the chief officer whose department is most relevant to the policy decision each receiving an additional vote to cast, for a total of seven votes.
*The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for overseeing the board and administering the overall direction of the organization. In the event of a vacancy in another chief officer position, they're expected to fulfill the position's duties themselves or to delegate accordingly.
*The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for the organization's operations on both a local and field level, and for scheduling and delegating field operations accordingly. They are additionally responsible for ensuring that the organization is engaging in sufficient training.
*The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for keeping track of the organization's finances, approving or denying expenditure waivers, tracking the accumulation and spending of members' shares, assigning penalizations to shares as necessary, and ensuring that the organization's internal economy bolsters organization profits as well as personal profits. They may also declare spending freezes when necessary.
*The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for the overseeing of research and reports within the organization and determining the extent to which information should be disseminated. They are also responsible for arcanists within the organization, outside of combat and field operations.
*The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is responsible for assigning individuals to the appropriate divisions, updating the roster, ensuring that members keep their dossiers up to date, and handling promotions and demotions, so long as the stock option conditions are satisfied. They are also expected to play a heavy role in recruitment when necessary, and in keeping abreast of vassals and other assets.
Those holding Chief-level positions are expected to earn a weekly quota of $1,500 in shares. Those seeking promotion to a Chief-level position must be senior staff and pay $10,000 in shares. Their promotion is then subject to a vote by the board, with the CEO and CAO holding two votes each; if the vote is unfavorable the shares are not refunded.
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Senior Staff
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Senior Staff are those that have demonstrated their loyalty to the House of Odin and their ability to work and earn on Einherjar Incorporated's behalf. These are the members to whom chief officers will most readily delegate authority, and may often work as a stand-in in the event of a vacancy or leave of absence. Senior Staff are trusted to make use of most of the organization's facilities and to make personal expenditures with their shares -- these expenditures may be waived retroactively at the CFO's discretion, if a report is filed.
Those holding senior staff positions are expected to earn a weekly quota of $1,250 in shares. Those seeking promotion to a senior staff position must be staff and pay $7,500 in shares.
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Staff
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Staff are those who have demonstrated worthiness of a basic modicum of trust. They are expected to help and train those beneath them, and are those most readily relied upon for the satisfactory performance of tasks. Staff members are entrusted with the ability to make personal expenditures with their shares -- these expenditures may be waived retroactively at the CFO's discretion if a report is filed.
Those holding staff positions are expected to earn a weekly quota of $1,000 in shares. Those seeking promotion to a staff position must be junior staff and pay $5,000 in shares.
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Junior Staff
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Junior staff are those who have started to climb the organizational rungs and attain a grasp on the corporate power structure. They're expected to be heavily utilized by other members of the organization through the barter and trade of shares and to be included in training. They are not yet trusted with the ability to utilize shares for personal projects, but may file requests with staff and senior staff if necessary.
Those holding junior staff positions are expected to earn a weekly quota of $500 in shares. Those seeking promotion to a junior staff position must be interns and pay $2,500 in shares.
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Interns
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Interns are young, inexperienced, or recently-transferred members of the organization and have the least expectations but the most room to grow. Interns are expected to obey the requests of senior employees and encouraged to start partaking in the commerce of shares within the organization. They have very few individual trusts and are generally reliant on more senior members for direction until they've earned their way into a proper staff position.
Those holding intern positions are expected to earn a weekly quota of $250 in shares. Interns are an entry-level position.
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Property
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Property are assets belonging to the organization that may be utilized at the organization's discretion. These assets are often members of the organization that have become severely indebted, or assets taken that require the protection of the organization, but aren't slated to be sold or shipped to the Godrealms. While some who begin as property of the corporation may one day buy their freedom, and some of those yet stay with the organization and begin to climb its ladder, for many being propertized by Einherjar Incorporated is a trap from which one will seldom escape -- they are instead often used and extorted until they've no use left, and then are sold.
Property may buy their freedom, or their way into the Junior Staff position should they so choose, by acquiring sufficient shares to negate their debt, and paying an additional $5,000 beyond it. Properties that are indebted (or have negative shares) have no right of refusal for any one-time requested service by a staff member or higher who is offering a minimum of $500 in shares for that service. Property are indebted on a weekly basis by the addition of $500 plus 10% of their standing debt to the sum owed.
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