Liminal: the Department for Irregular Services

I had an idea for a Liminal crew while I was on holiday – the Department for Irregular Services.

Silbury Hill, not far from the DfIS office. Please do 
NOT to climb the monument as it disturbs the spirits there.

Ancient monuments can be a draw for liminal beings. So, to both protect those beings and the general public (not to mention employees), the Office of Works set up the Department for Irregular Services (DfIS) in 1703. The department is now part of Historic England.

The DfIS deal with boggarts, ghost realms, fae, trolls and more. A Footpath Closed sign might indicate a footpath in need of repair, or it might be to avoid disturbing a sleeping troll.

Currently led by Bernard McTavish, the group is a team of six, based out of a haunted office in Marlborough, Wiltshire.

The team are now all getting on a bit – the youngest is 53. Most of the team have Lore and The Sight – both are essential in their kind of work.

Crew goal: Deal with liminal hazards (creatures, realms, etc) affecting Britain’s historical monuments. Protect monuments, employees and the public from liminal hazards – and vice versa.

Assets

Base of operations: An old office in Marlborough. Haunted.

Occult library:  Managed by Hester Babbage, the wheelchair-bound archivist.

Support: The crew are English Heritage employees.

Transport: Two pickup trucks with Highway Maintenance markings.

Hangers-on: Associates and contacts in English Heritage, National Trust, Cadw, Historic Scotland and elsewhere.

Cases

I’m not sure what I’m doing with the Department for Irregular Services yet, but I’m thinking about it. Maybe something for Furnace. 

(And while I’m waiting, they can sort out the Hardknott Roman Fort ghost realm and make the site safe for visitors.)

Fountains Abbey at dusk. The carving of the green man has
been known to sing, but sadly not while the DfIS has been on site.