Adjustment Bureau

Adjust the scales, balance the city

— Frequently overhead at the opening or closing of meetings

  Ghal Pelor government seems to thrive off bureaucracy, administration, and process. So much so that most citizens and even many city officials are generally clueless as to exactly what is an official office and what isn't. This is the sort of environment that best suits organizations like the enigmatic Adjustment Bureau.   On the surface, this is a sub-organization within the Surveyors Department and is simply responsible for dispatching teams to verify reference points on maps, making sure they are accurate, and adjusting them where needed. Non-descript, basic... banal. This is all a lie. In truth, the Adjustment Bureau is a secret wing of highly trained special forces that answer only to a shadowy group of bureaucrats known only as the Oversight Committee. Their aim is to seek out threats to Ghal Pelor's continued supremacy, whether abroad or from within, and eliminate them... proactively. The Oversight Committee and their task force play a considerable role in the continued prosperity of Ghal Pelor while most other nations remain in a state of decline, often directly or indirectly because of the Adjustment Bureau's work.   The success of their efforts largely depends on secrecy. Ghal Pelor's multi-cultural demographic would certainly bristle at the idea of shadowy government agents disrupting the goals of their homelands. Members of the city's government would find the overreach of this department to be incredibly dangerous and immoral. And, foreign nations might consider the actions of the Oversight Committee as acts of war. This is why the illusion of mundanity is so important to the Bureau and why the truth must be kept hidden at all costs.   Agents of the Bureau, Adjusters as they are called, are given generic and forgettable titles, rarely wear noticeable gear outside of missions that call for it, and are all sworn to take the organization's truth to their grave. Working in this fashion, the Oversight Committee is able to destabilize nations, restrict any resurgence of magic outside Ghal Pelor's benefit, eliminate threats from before The Queen's Rebuke, and stymie the growth of criminal organizations or dangerous political movements.   The Bureau is not an unchecked power- a number of factions within Ghal Pelor and across the continent represent a real danger to their work. Outside of the city, criminal enterprises such as the Black Thorn Society compete to influence unfolding events. Groups like the Heritage League, Melanthris' noble houses, the Cult of the Chain Maker, and Ghal Ankhar's clan lords all look to purge external influencers like the Bureau by any means. Within Ghal Pelor itself, numerous factions oppose the work of the Adjustment Bureau, whether they know the full truth of the organization or not. Individuals with the city's government are often aware of payments, the movement of resources, and orders bypassing expected procedures. This leads to the kind of questions that risk exposing the Bureau if left unchecked. Political movements and popular leaders pose a risk as well. Any number of Aldermen, rank and file bureaucrats, or political hopefuls would use exposing the Adjustment Bureau as a stepping stone on their career path to a higher station. Worse still are the true believers, people who would bring the Bureau's activities to the light of day out of a foolish pursuit of justice. Conspiracy theorists, idealistic demagogues, and seekers of knowledge all present a very real challenge because they cannot be silenced with money or threats. These individuals often become targets of the Oversight Committee, who assign their task forces to discredit or disappear these dangerous people.