The Department of Dungeons, also known by its initials “DoD”, is the largest adventurer’s guild on Abmarah. The organization serves as an adventurer-for-hire service for the people and other organizations of the world while also serving as a union for “adventurers”, licensed mercenaries, explorers, archaeologists, scribes, and pathfinders. The DoD collates all the complex word-of-mouth information it receives and redistributes it in the form of quests and adventures assigned to adventurers. It also holds an extensive library of information about history and arcana as well as a dossier of criminals, villains, and bad-actors. The DoD has branches all across Aurial and Eqos, with at least one building in each of the major cities on the two continents. They have comparatively little presence in Eteru and elsewhere, with only singular branches in the cities of Xijing and Whither. The DoD involved themselves in many world-changing events that shaped the course of history. Their power and influence waxed and waned over the years as they tried to maintain their non-political stance, despite being headquartered within the Great Kingdom of Terros on Aurial. The eqosi saw them as welcome foreigners, and over time the eqosi branches of the DoD have become far more native-run and usually only have local members.

Their role in slaying monsters and targeting criminal elements is often seen as the DoD doing the army or the guards’ jobs for them, but in reality the DoD works with the government factions to help solve issues not many are qualified to handle. The DoD as an organization isn’t as organized as it appears on the surface. Rather, it is a union of individuals from contrasting cultures and backgrounds who bonded over the shared goals of maintaining peace, preserving knowledge, and protecting the downtrodden. Some DoD members worked in small teams often alongside friends and close allies, while others operated as lone operatives who kept only informal ties with the DoD at large. The actual branches have more permanent members, such as the archivists who compile information and resources as well as posting jobs and planning expeditions. The branches usually also have craftsmen such as smiths, enchanters, alchemists, and so on who help adventurers both train and gear up. Guild members and teams usually end up paying a percentage of their reward money to the DoD, but most employers tend to price-in the guild fee into the reward sum.

Many people are quick to point out that the DoD doesn’t appear much like a guild when comparing to merchant or mercenary guilds, and instead looks to be more like an employment contractor union or a simple job-poster. While this may be a reasonable assumption when it comes to adventurers; the explorers, cartographers, archaeologists, and geologists that make up the DoD certainly act like a group. The guild only serves as a centralized hub for independent contractors (the adventurers), facilitating jobs that are too dangerous or specialized for ordinary people or local governments. It provides structure, resources, and a system of accountability for its members while ensuring safety and fairness for its clients and ensuring compliance with local laws and ethical standards.

Goals

They are dedicated to saving mortalkind, preserving historical lore, maintaining the balance between nature and civilization, and defending the innocent from the forces of evil. Officially, the guild exists to facilitate and organize expeditions into uncharted lands, ancient ruins, and dangerous territories; and to provide adventurers with the resources, training, and support to succeed in their endeavors while offering a structured system for accepting and completing quests ensuring fair compensation and safety. The DoD also aims to serve as a repository of knowledge, archiving both ancient lore and dossiers of criminals.

Relationships

The Department of Dungeons is considered an ally to law and safety enforcement of the nations it operates in. As it is considered to be both a guild and a peacekeeping organization, they are allowed to set up their branches in most nations across Aurial and Eqos with only a few exceptions like al-Shhubus and some free cities. A significant portion of the DoD's support comes from the Kaiser of the Great Kingdom of Terros and Emperor Sombra of the Crimson Empire. While this would normally make them an enemy of the Lunar Collective, the DoD works alongside the Collective in making sure that Lunar laws are followed by the DoD members inside Lunar territories and that the organization remains politically neutral. That being said, the DoD is often considered too foreign and aurian by many nations and cultures, especially in Eteru and Teer. 

In the currently tense political climate between the Kasaaqi Dynasty and the Calamity Covenant, the DoD helps the politicians negotiate with each other and has to tiptoe around national borders in fulfilling their jobs. The DoD is often seen as a nicer alternative and competitor to the monster hunters of the Blackreyne Brotherhood based in Aurial, but in actuality the adventurers of the DoD tackle much more general-purpose requests and missions. While their actions do align and overlap often, the DoD refers sufficiently strong supernatural threats to other factions of their own volition.

Ranks

"AMBITIOUS ADVENTURERS REQUESTED"
"Teams signed up with the DoD receive lodging, support, weapons, and guidance, with the DoD only taking 10% of the overall cut of any reward. Rise from Bronze Star to Adamantine Star and become heroes of the material realm!"

Membership requires an application process, including a background check and proof of skills that usually requires a trial task. The DoD offers basic training programs in survival skills, navigation, combat, and first aid, creating a basic level of competence for guild members. There are many different types of guild-members, and most non-adventuring members such as explorers, craftsmen, and archivists do not adhere to any kind of ranking system as the guild is more collaborative and is structured rather evenly. The only real power structure is the locally elected Guildmaster, who then answers to the globally elected Grandmaster. For adventurers, a tier-based system has been implemented to promote competition as well as valor, heroism, and ambition. Both solo adventurers and adventuring teams are ranked by different tiers called “Stars”:

Characters belonging to the DoD often use the following background:

Members

The Department of Dungeons was founded in 2E530 by Grandmaster Aldwin Greenshield, a former Zietarian soldier and adventurer himself. After his death in 2E552, the guild was led by Grandmaster Eliril, an elven adventurer who later stepped down in 3E044. For the nearly five centuries since, the guild has been led by Grandmaster Aam Fen Ross, a benevolent silver dragon who takes silver dragonborn form.

In 3E498, some of the notable non-adventuring individual members of the DoD included (by branch then seniority):

• Grandmaster Aam Fen Ross

• Guildmaster Holroth (Rockham Branch)

• Professor Anxos (Rockham Branch - Archivist)

• Syndra (Rockham Branch - Receptionist)

• Ombon (Rockham Branch - Smith)

• Minsuk (Rockham Branch - Alchemist)

• Franz (Rockham Branch - Cook & Bartender)

• Eryka Amberberry (Fort Huxley Outpost - Official)

• Grenthrum Silentearth (Fort Huxley Outpost - Smith)

• Bakos (Fort Huxley Outpost - Guard)

• Guz (Fort Huxley Outpost - Guard)

• Ahmed Noke (Fort Huxley Outpost - Archivist)

• Trysta Rieger (Fort Huxley Outpost - Housekeeper & Cook)

• Guildmaster Pemaa (Kasaaq Branch)

• J'arr (Ammba Branch - Receptionist)

• Rosebeak (Newhope Branch - Receptionist)

In 3E498, some of the notable adventuring teams of the DoD included (by rank then seniority):

⬤ The Krono Krew (★★★★★★ Adamantine Star Team), who saved the Material Plane in 3E483 by defeating Shatterrealm in the Shatterworld Tournament as well as saving the prime timeline from Gabryel von Gothwyn. They also saved Vogh Vulfrhûn from the malevolent dragon known as Tulunvithar in 3E482. Their members included:

• Dame Ingrid Rennwald

• Erna Frieg

• Baron Gideon Huxley (Owner of the DoD outpost known as Fort Huxley)

• Kai-Li

• Werner von Gaten

• Tasmyn Burakha

⬤ The Ivory Suns (★★★★ Gold Star Team), who became national heroes within the Great Kingdom of Terros slowly and steadily by helping anyone in need. They also helped the Krono Krew in defeating the forces of Gabryel von Gothwyn in 3E483. Their members included:

• Meras

• Pavoi

• Dagaek

• Sylvia

⬤ The Phanden Four (★★★★ Gold Star Team), who became heroes within the Kingdom of Førland for saving Phanden from both an orc invasion as well as the dragon Cryovain who they slayed in 3E448. While the team disbanded after that, the adventurers remained DoD members. Their members included:

• Volrath Steelefist

• Velech Coilbone

• Nevaeh

• Ian Hubert (Deceased)

⬤ Team Rosé (★★★ Silver Star Team), who became famous in and around the Terrosi Grasslands for their glamorous heroics. They also aided both the Krono Krew and the Ivory Suns during the expedition to Varkaria as well as some of the fallout of Gothwyn's invasion in 3E498. Their pink-themed members included:

• Eva

• Sakii

• Lorndyr

In 3E498, some of the notable individual adventurers of the DoD not affiliated with any team included (by rank then seniority):

• Zahn Zwei (★★★★★ Platinum Star Adventurer)

• Persephone (★★★★ Gold Star Adventurer, left adventuring to become a senior faculty member of the College of Zaubarovia)

• Wisp (★★★ Silver Star Adventurer)

• Haru Kira (★★★ Silver Star Adventurer)

• Yirnhir (★★★ Silver Star Adventurer)

History

There have been 3 Grandmasters of the DoD since its founding in 2E530:

The DoD was formed in 2E530 in the city of Timeron during the reign of King Hugberto von Etaburg when he brought relative stability to the region. The Department of Dungeons started out fairly small and grew steadily over time, and it wasn't until hundreds of years later in 3E325 during the The Great Aurian War that the DoD reached its modern-day importance. The DoD was highly influential in the final years of the war and helped negotiate peace between the warring nations.

In 3E448, the dragon Cryovain threatened the area around Aldrigvinter and Phanden. While the authorities wanted the dragon dead, they did not assign enough forces to the cause. The DoD asked for adventurers to help defeat the dragon, and four adventurers now known as the Phanden Four took up the job during the events of Dragon of Icespire Peak. Only a few years later, the Whither branch of the DoD mounted a rescue expedition to search for one of these adventurers named Volrath during the events of The Search for Volrath. In 3E467, the Chimera took help from the librarians of the DoD's branches in Ammba and Newhope to investigate criminals as well as bounty hunters such as Moghroth.

The DoD would be instrumental in the events of Shards of the Empire in 3E482 as two of its teams, the Krono Krew and the Ivory Suns, would be involved in the noble-funded expedition to Varkaria as well as saving the world from Gabryel von Gothwyn in 3E483. The Krono Krew was directly supported by Guildmaster Holroth of the Rockham branch as well as Grandmaster Aam Fen Ross himself. One of the Krono Krew members, Gideon Huxley, converted his fortress Fort Huxley into a DoD outpost.