The Big 10

                While many large corporations exist around the world of Gilon, 10 of them are among the most powerful international corporations which stand out above all the rest. These corporations are well known and have branches all over the world. With annual revenues that by far outmatch those of all but the largest and most powerful countries, these megacorporations can easily use their pull to influence politics and the daily lives of most people.  In 2958, the top 10 megacorporations at the time formed the Corporate Court, a tribunal of CEOs which is used to keep each of these corporations in check. Should one be accused of misdoing, it is the Corporate Court that decides if the corporation is in fact guilty, and if found guilty, enforces whatever suitable punishment that is deemed necessary. Here are the top 10 in no particular order.

Hermes Aeronautics

Headquarters: Dunthrane, Dunador

                As its name suggests, this megacorporation specializes in aircraft. About 70% of the world’s planes were designed and built by Hermes. While their main focus is on commercial aircraft, they do have major contracts for military aircraft with most governments and an extensive drone program. AI Inc, a subsidiary of Hermes, works heavily with drones, robotics and AI.

They were the first (and to date, only) corporation to create a space craft, but their space program was shattered in 2970 when it was discovered that Gilon’s atmosphere was in fact a display screen. While many corporations lost revenue trashing their own space research, Hermes lost the most. Still, despite the setback, Hermes has continued to lead the world in aeronautical research.

The current CEO is a human by the name of Darius Light. He is one of the friendlier CEOs and is known for his charm and personality. He regularly hosts parties and charity events. Still, despite his friendly appearance, he is a known shark in the business world, which has kept his company afloat.

Ankev Industries

Headquarters: Moonshade, Tramilaine

                Ankev Industries can be summed up by its CEO, Lord Ankev. Ankev is a lich who is rumored to have been around as long as Gilon has been around. Whether this is true or not, Ankev is nothing if not a survivor. He is the only CEO who has the distinction of being both the head of a megacorporation and the head of state. He is ruthless in his dealings and has been the ruler of Tramilaine for about 1000 years. He transferred his leadership abilities of state into those of a major corporation in 2932.  

                Ankev Industries dabbles in many markets, but their most important ones are magical goods, necromancy and biomedical research. If you own a talisman or potion, odds are it was created by Ankev Industries. They also lead the world in cloning research, bioware and gene manipulation, especially in the field of life extension.

Daiji Electronics

Headquarters: Toyo, Hachi, Desu Island Chain

                No other corporation can touch Daiji when it comes to electronics and computer systems. Daiji Electronics was responsible for the wireless Matrix system that everyone uses today. It also leads the world in computer securities and rigger systems. It also dabbles in cybernetics.

It supposedly has ties to the Yakuza, though these are only rumors. Still, many powerful Yakuza crime bosses have Daiji brand cyberware installed on themselves or their personal guards. Whether the brand loyalty is due to simple quality or something deeper is still a mystery.

The CEO of Daiji Electronics is a human by the name of Shinji Takamoto. He runs the corporation in a very strict and traditional hierarchy. He is also a known humanist. He caused a big controversy in 2999 when he made it official policy to ban nonhumans from working at Daiji Electronics and all of its subsidiaries. While he will deal with nonhumans in business, it is only through necessity and he tries to keep such deals as brief as possible.

Queen Technologies

Headquarters: Hastings, Victoria

                Queen Technologies is the only Victorian-based megacorporation, but it is a powerful one. Specializing in cybernetics, Queen Technologies is well known for its cutting edge products. Two notable subsidiaries of Queen are Knight Securities, which specializes in security and military products, and Eagle Enterprises, which specializes in aeronautics and takes up much of the market that isn’t monopolized by Hermes Aeronautics.

                Queen Technologies is particularly good at keeping their secrets under wraps, and their stocks usually increase dramatically whenever they announce a new product. They have a zero tolerance policy on information leaks, and those caught are typically executed.

                The CEO is a Victorian named Arthur Queen. Queen Technologies has been in his family for the last ten generations since it was established in 2815 as a small weapons supplier. This gives Queen Technologies the distinction of being the oldest corporation on Gilon.

Hammer Solutions

Headquarters: Stonefast, Veronian Mountains

                Hammer Solutions is a security firm based in Stonefast. While the majority of its employees are dwarven, there are quite a few humans, orks and trolls among their ranks. Hammer Solutions has two major branches. The Guardian division is a security firm which serves as a private police force for much of the world. The Destroyer division focuses on weapons and other military technologies.  While these are of course their bread and butter, they do dabble in all aspects of technology.

                Rumors abound in the shadows of a race of spider people who are completely loyal to the Stonefast clan and through them, Hammer Solutions. They say that these spider people form a shadow group of highly trained assassins which take care of any problems that the Guardian division cannot. Of course no one can prove that these spider people exist and even if they did, there is certainly no proof of assassinations.

                The CEO is Hagar Stonefast VI, a dwarf who claims direct lineage to Hagar Stonefast, the legendary dwarven king who rediscovered the Stonefast clan’s ancient home and was single handedly responsible  for restoring it to glory about a thousand years ago. He is a boisterous character (as most dwarves are) and accepts no failures.

Golden Sands Oil

Headquarters: Esmak Al-Dinar, Amsha

                Esmak Al-Dinar was an industrial town, and relatively well off. When the gas engine was invented in 2883, a slowly building demand for oil would put the city on a global stage. Today, Golden Sands Oil is the biggest supplier of oil to the entire world. The corporation has expanded its market to include cars, and industrial projects.

                Golden Sands Oil is also rumored to take part in several less, than reputable businesses. They have a fairly strong slave trade, which caters to many of the ultra wealthy of Amsha.  Their infamous shipping subsidiary, Magic Carpet Shipping, is somewhat known in darker circles for smuggling goods anywhere in the world. Lastly, they are also collectors of information, especially the kind of information that could be used for blackmail. A shadowrunner with such information could probably do well selling it to Golden Sands. Of course those that cross the company could easily find themselves the target of blackmail.

                The CEO is a djinn named Aluk Al-Rabanni. He united several unorganized small oil companies into what Golden Sands Oil is today. Some say that he used magical means of coercion to do this, which he completely denies. He is an extremely calm character though and thinks every plan about 10 steps in advance. Recently there have been several attempts on his life and so he keeps a small group of djinni bodyguards who are sworn to protect him. None have dared attack since.

Green Enterprises

Headquarters: Llayath, Sylvan Wood

                With the rise of technology came a quick rise in pollution and overuse of Gilon’s natural resources. The relatively new player, Green Enterprises came in at that point and took up the cause of eco-friendly goods. The company started off as a very small company that most people chuckled at, but it has grown to be a powerful corporation, recently putting itself among the ranks of the Big 10 within the last 10 years.

                Green Enterprises has its hand in every type of eco-friendly market one can imagine. From recycling centers, to solar and wind energy, agriculture, and environmental conservation, if it is good for the environment, Green Enterprises probably has a hand in it. Their biggest bread winners for a long time were hybrid and electric cars. There are rumors that they have strong connections to various eco-terrorist groups, some even going so far that Green Enterprises and those groups are one and the same.

                The CEO is an elf by the name of Llwellyn Branch. In her younger years, she was known to be an eco-terrorist, which is probably why the rumors of company having ties to eco-terrorists got started. She has since officially broken all ties with any type of terrorist organization and has since been spreading her message of conservation and preservation through Green Enterprises. She of course has a no tolerance policy on pollution and strives to undermine the efforts of other companies which make non eco-friendly products as cost cutting measures by providing cheaper eco-friendly ones. Though as luck would have it, it seems whenever she does this, the competition seems to have major factory malfunctions.

Brightstar Productions

Headquarters: Ehawee, Ahanu

                Another relatively new player to the Big 10, Brightstar Productions is a media corporation. If it has something to do with media or public relations, Brightstar is likely behind it. Movies, music, trideo programming, social networking, advertising, news as well as various adult industries all fall under the Brightstar umbrella. In 2980, Brightstar really hit it big by offering the first 24 hour news station called the Brightstar News Network, or BNN for short. Shortly afterward, many other 24 hour news stations started up, but none with the same level of success as BNN which turned it into a megacorporation about 15 years ago.

                Brightstar Productions has started to dabble a bit into computer and trideo systems so has to have further control of the networks that they provide. So far they have not made much progress, with titans like Daiji Electronics tightly holding onto the market.

                The current CEO is a human woman named Pokanta Brightstar. She is the daughter of the late founder Anoki Brightstar, who died of a heart attack 10 years ago and left the company to her. Being the only company that does not actually create any type of tangible products, she has had to prove her company’s self worth time and time again, which has shaped her into a capable leader. She prizes creativity in her company and so does not like to have a strict hierarchy, which she believes stifles creativity. Employees therefore have quite a lot of freedom to do as they like, so long as it helps Brightstar’s bottom line.

Feathered Serpent Inc.

Headquarters: Ichtaca, Oceloxichitl

                Feathered Serpent Inc. is a fairly old company (claiming roots as far back as 2516), though they have only been incorporated for about 50 years, shortly after which they joined the ranks of the Big 10. Their main focus is on magical goods, though their market share is nowhere near that of Ankev Industries. Thus Ankev Industries is their main competitor. It is far from their only market however, as they touch a little of everything. A major contributor to their bottom line is their Delicious Foods subsidiary, which holds the rights for most fast food and snack companies such as Sugarcola, Pizza Heaven, Colonel Fried Chicken, Taco Taquito, and Tortilla Snacks. This gives them about 70% of the junk food market and provides about 40% of their total revenue. They also dabble in multimedia projects, securities and various financial institutions such as banking and investing.

                The CEO is a human man by the name of Fernando Rodriguez. He comes from a long line of Rainbow Servants and is therefore both well versed in magic as well as possessing something that is extremely rare for CEO’s: a strong moral compass. As far as corporations go, Feathered Serpent Inc is perhaps one of the nicest ones to work for as one is unlikely to be asked to do something morally gray. He is rumored to work with shadowrunners (like all corporations really), though only of those deemed to be of the highest moral fiber, and when he does it is supposedly to punish an entity that is doing wrong in his eyes. It is said that those who please him with their work are invited to join a secret group called the Sons of Queztalcoatl. Those who are bestowed this honor are said to be given access to magical resources beyond the wildest dreams of even the most successful shadowrunners.

Lusala Pharmaceuticals

Headquarters: Lusala, Jabulani

                The tabaxi, a cat-like race of metahumans who live in and around Lusala, have been known for their quality potions for many centuries, though they never went out of their way to trade with outsiders. When they began to trade with the world in 2964, it was almost impossible to keep up with the demand. Since most potion makers at the time were usually self employed with no uniting organization, they could barely supply the needs of the city alone. When King Kithaxis, in hopes of bringing foreign revenue to his kingdom, ordered international trade routes established, the various potion makers had no choice but to work together so as to more efficiently create potions.

                While Lusala Pharmaceuticals still is the world’s leader in magical potion manufacture, they have extended their reach to all medical fields and bioresearch, though they do dabble in other magical fields as well. They are constantly pushing the boundaries of medical science and as such are always interested in any medical advances of their competitors. There are of course several rumors of the use of shadowrunners to steal such research from their competitors. A notable subsidiary of Lusala Pharmaceuticals is Doctors Without Nations, or DWN. Once a charitable organization devoted to offering international health care in areas where such care was unavailable, DWN changed its mission statement when it was bought by Lusala Pharmaceuticals in 2985. Now DWN offers high threat response medical care to those who can pay for it, as well as normal medical care for everyone else. Its charitable beginnings have long been lost and it is now a key money maker for Lusala Pharmaceuticals.

                The CEO of Lusala Pharmaceuticals is a tabaxi man by the name of Russic Parr. He is one of the few tabaxi who has spent much time with other races and as such is perhaps more patient with them than most of his kind. In his younger years he was a potion maker, so he is well versed in potion manufacture and a respectable magic user. It is said that he uses his knowledge of magic to get the upper hand on his competitors, though it is unlikely that a CEO would do such work personally. It is far more likely that he uses shadowrunners to do the work for him.