The Department of Resolutions is a clandestine, highly specialised wing of the Board of Trade tasked with the covert stabilisation of international commerce. Operating under a veil of strict secrecy and “plausible deniability,” the department is mandated to resolve complex impediments to trade through any means necessary. Its operational philosophy is rooted in the Skyssian maxim that war and political instability are fundamentally “bad for business.” Consequently, its agents (frequently heroes) employ ruses, misdirection, and tactical subversion to maintain the maritime hegemony of the Kingdom of Skyss.
The department operates under a veil of strict secrecy, with its activities explicitly omitted from official logs or merchant reports to ensure “plausible deniability” for the Skyssian Crown. It is the “hand in the shadows” for the Board of Trade. While the broader Board focuses on intelligence gathering and market trend analytics, the Department of Resolutions is deployed when standard diplomatic or economic measures fail. Their methods are characterised as “sneaky and devious,” prioritising the “ruse de guerre” over overt military engagement.
Agents are authorised to “clear obstacles” using a spectrum of interventions. This ranges from brokering strategic marriages and alliances to more lethal “other methods”—including targeted assassinations—should key protagonists refuse to talk down a conflict. The department maintains no official logs or reports that could be traced back to the Crown, ensuring that Skyss can distance itself from the more unsavoury aspects of its economic statecraft.
Due to the demanding nature of clandestine work, the department has historically recruited individuals of divine lineage whose unique affinities provide significant advantages in espionage.
The Department of Resolutions currently faces a systemic crisis due to long-term infiltration by Rojden’s loyalists. Having headed the unit, Rojden successfully subverted numerous mid-to-senior level agents, binding many with voluntary or involuntary geasa. Following his defection, it became evident that Rojden had left behind a network of double agents, such as Ormrun, who operate with “more than one master.” This infiltration allows Rojden to feed Skyssian intelligence a diet of disinformation, effectively neutralising the department's ability to protect trade in southern theatres. The legacy of The Great Schism also persists within the unit, as different factions of Heroes continue to struggle for influence over the department's formidable resources.
In active conflict zones like Beretha, department teams are authorised to use “other methods”1) if key protagonists cannot be persuaded to de-escalate. Despite this lethality, the department's culture remains anchored in the belief that a calculated death is preferable to a trade-disrupting war