The Department?s chief office is an incongruously handsome seventeenth-century building, though the years and Fall have taken their toll. Its white walls have darkened to a shade between nicotine and ivory. It lies between the Hill and the River. Its officers and contracted agents deal with inconsiderate hazards from rats to sorrow-spiders, and Unfinished Men to marsh-things.
It is in this office, or rather a room to the side of it, that the various recruits found themselves having been taken to the room upon presenting their letters to a grinning functionary. The functionary had examined each letter in turn and pointed them to the room, muttering varied remarks about how exciting this was, the exception being for Ptolemy the rat for whom the functionary took the letter tentatively and frowned stiffly before directing him to the room.
The group had only recently finished assembling in the small room. The room's solitary window overlooked the marsh and hills outside, the various fungal growths visible in the light emanating from the departments lamps. One wall of the room was covered in all manner of posters, most offering warnings about all manner of things such as ambulatory fungus and voices out of wells. Other than this though the room was quite bare, with only a few creaky old chairs sitting about, not nearly enough for all the group to sit.
The door flew open again and an imposing man, well dressed in a worn but dignified suit and heavy mud-caked boots. He held a brass topped cane in one hand, tucked under one arm, and walked confidently into the center of the room examining each of them in turn. His expression remained impassive for most, though it became more stern as he passed Nigel and Ptolemy.
He muttered under his breath, though not inaudibly "Rats and squids? I'll have to make do I suppose," he shook his head and assumed an exuberant grin, stepping away from the group to better address them.
"Greetings one and all, I am Sir Byron Marshall of the Department of Menace Eradication, and I am happy to welcome you to join in this newest effort of the department, a personal project of mine, to form a special group of investigators, a squad even! To seek out and best the menaces of the Neath that elude even the special constables!" he spoke quickly and with great enthusiasm, then paused, gauging their reactions before speaking again.
"Now I'm sure you have a number of questions regarding this venture, what fearsome menaces, monsters and men you might encounter, what glorious battles you might undertake in the service of London and its citizens, and of course the matter of your payment," dear god did the man ever run out of breath? It didn't seem like it, as he continued without pause "The last matter is a simple thing to answer, you will be paid a small weekly sum, slightly less than that of the salary of your average special constable, for your continued availability to act as a member of this group, in addition you will be compensated by commission and as these commissions will be handpicked for you there will be little competition for them and substantial rewards for their completion."
He paused again, gauging their reactions and possibly catching his breath, "Ah, my apologies but I haven't even given you the chance to introduce yourselves to me or to each other," he said apologetically "Please do so, and by all means voice whatever questions or concerns you might have, I would prefer to answer them before I present you with your contracts and your first commission."
It is in this office, or rather a room to the side of it, that the various recruits found themselves having been taken to the room upon presenting their letters to a grinning functionary. The functionary had examined each letter in turn and pointed them to the room, muttering varied remarks about how exciting this was, the exception being for Ptolemy the rat for whom the functionary took the letter tentatively and frowned stiffly before directing him to the room.
The group had only recently finished assembling in the small room. The room's solitary window overlooked the marsh and hills outside, the various fungal growths visible in the light emanating from the departments lamps. One wall of the room was covered in all manner of posters, most offering warnings about all manner of things such as ambulatory fungus and voices out of wells. Other than this though the room was quite bare, with only a few creaky old chairs sitting about, not nearly enough for all the group to sit.
The door flew open again and an imposing man, well dressed in a worn but dignified suit and heavy mud-caked boots. He held a brass topped cane in one hand, tucked under one arm, and walked confidently into the center of the room examining each of them in turn. His expression remained impassive for most, though it became more stern as he passed Nigel and Ptolemy.
He muttered under his breath, though not inaudibly "Rats and squids? I'll have to make do I suppose," he shook his head and assumed an exuberant grin, stepping away from the group to better address them.
"Greetings one and all, I am Sir Byron Marshall of the Department of Menace Eradication, and I am happy to welcome you to join in this newest effort of the department, a personal project of mine, to form a special group of investigators, a squad even! To seek out and best the menaces of the Neath that elude even the special constables!" he spoke quickly and with great enthusiasm, then paused, gauging their reactions before speaking again.
"Now I'm sure you have a number of questions regarding this venture, what fearsome menaces, monsters and men you might encounter, what glorious battles you might undertake in the service of London and its citizens, and of course the matter of your payment," dear god did the man ever run out of breath? It didn't seem like it, as he continued without pause "The last matter is a simple thing to answer, you will be paid a small weekly sum, slightly less than that of the salary of your average special constable, for your continued availability to act as a member of this group, in addition you will be compensated by commission and as these commissions will be handpicked for you there will be little competition for them and substantial rewards for their completion."
He paused again, gauging their reactions and possibly catching his breath, "Ah, my apologies but I haven't even given you the chance to introduce yourselves to me or to each other," he said apologetically "Please do so, and by all means voice whatever questions or concerns you might have, I would prefer to answer them before I present you with your contracts and your first commission."