The Service
Her Majesty's Service for the Arcane, Exotic, Inexplicable, Occult, and Unknown is responsible only to the monarch. It serves at her will and only a select handful of individuals even know of its existence. The Service, as it is known to insiders, investigates matters which fall outside of the normal sciences. Its purview is protecting the British Empire against all dangers, internal or external, which might result from those matters.
History
The Service was founded in 1736 by an act of Parliament, written and passed rather obtusely at the tail end of an insufferably long day in the heat of summer as the last item of business of the session. The act's passage was conveniently misfiled before it could be recorded in the public record. In the nearly 150 years since then, those few people who have managed to stumble upon its existence have been convinced to let the matter drop.
In the beginning, the Service consisted of a handful of men loyal to the king who could be trusted to carry out investigations into arcane matters. The ad-hoc nature of these efforts and the startling mortality of the men so entrusted became calamitous and in 1742. when Robert Walpole stepped down as prime minister, the king asked him to take responsibility for establishing the Service as an effective organization. Walpole was nothing if not a brilliant manager and by the time of his death three years later, the Service had begun to take shape.
From the earliest days, the Service reported to directly to the throne. As a result, the head of the Service has always been a peer with close ties to the monarch. Most have had an active role in selected their successors and in the delicate task of educating them in the nature of the Service and its activities. It is instructive to note that none of the Service heads have recommended one of his relations for the role.
The American Colonial War marked the start of forty years of constant activity for the Service that was not to end until after the Napoleonic Wars. "Investigative agents" were dispatched to the Americas, to India, and as far away as Australia in this period. Most of the Services efforts were focused on the British Isles, though.
Perhaps the most significant moment in the Service's history came in 1788, when His Majesty, George III, experienced a face-to-face encounter with a minor fairy lord while visiting Cheltenham Spa. By coincidence, three agents of the Service were present at the spa, having been summoned because of disturbing reports. Two of the agents, Roger Cornwall and Thomas Baker, died while protecting the king. The third, although seriously wounded, was able to inflict a grievous wound on the fairy lord using an artifact sword. This incident greatly haunted the king for the remainder of his days. His recognition of the value that the Service provided resulted in a considerable boost to the annual allowance, which permitted the expansion of the staff roster.
The Service would be forever changed by the appointment of Lord Henry Tufton, served as its head for thirty-five years from 1810-1845. Drawing upon lessons from the East India Company, he reorganized the Service into the form it has today and implemented merit-based promotion and hiring practices. These ideas were controversial at the time, but quickly demonstrated their worth in comparison to the corrupt and inefficient civil and military establishments of the time.
Perhaps his most controversial idea was bringing women into the Service. To quote Lord Tufton, "Half of the brains in the world belong to women, and at least I won't need to compete with the Navy, Church, and universities for them." When Lord Mortimer Dane heard this reported in court, he guffawed out loud. Her Majesty inquired as to what was so amusing and Lord Dane replied, "I was just imagining the poor sots having to serve with a woman." Within weeks, Lord Dane was off to join the Grand Army of the Indus on its invasion of Afghanistan, where, in Her Majesty's words, "he would be untroubled by the company of women." Sadly, his peerage went extinct within a year while women have continued their employment in the Service.
The third major event in the history of the Service came in 1845, when Service investigators (as they were now known), rescued a Pecht princess who had been captured by a Dâledor hunt. Her grateful mother, gave the Crown the realm known as Fairweather in gratitude. In the years since then, most of the operations of the Service have been moved to Fairweather. This has reduced expenditures, while improving secrecy and security.
Significant Affairs
Organization
Since the 1812 reorganization, the head of the System has the title Director-General and is appointed by the monarch, serving at her pleasure. The position is traditionally held by an earl of the realm, although there have been exceptions. The current Director-General is Lord Horatio Nelson who has held the position for seventeen years. The various Directors-General have been more or less engaged with the daily operations of the Service. Some like Lord Henry Tufton were involved in every detail, while others have left most matters to the professional staff and limited their engagement.
Beneath the Director-General, the Service is organized into four divisions, each led by a Director. Directors are professional staff and are generally promoted from senior positions within their division. The four divisions are: