Approximately in the year 2004, the world as we knew it was altered. The
cause is unknown, but its effects are still rippling outwards from that point.
This change was subtle but pervasive, the impossible had become possible.
At first passed off as the bantering of insane country folk, reports of odd
mythological creatures began to filter in from the rural areas of the world
round. A month after the first, a researcher by the name of Thomas Khale was
sent to Nevada to investigate an incident in a small but booming town that
had reportedly leveled several city blocks in the space of as many minutes.

What he found when arriving was a full military standoff. The local militia
was locked in a stalemate against what appeared to be a very large stone
humanoid. The creature was only subdued after an air strike was called, a full
hour of futile fighting into the confrontation. The stone was found to be, at
first, to be completely normal. Baffled, Thomas returned to the University of
California to conduct more thorough tests on the granite like bits.

Under intense scrutiny, it was found that the rock contained a slight
magnetic shift, though now chaotic, the evidence implies that while this
thing was 'alive', it may have had a very complex and sophisticated order.
While this alone could not explain why the creature or robot or whatever
it was could move, it did suggest that more was afoot here than a freak
of nature.

Spurred on by curiosity, Thomas requested and was approved a budget to
further investigate the various claims that had started recently, setting out
to various rural areas and farm hoods. It did not take long for things to
become clear, or at least obvious, for him. Almost five minutes after leaving
any major city, he was greeted with the occasional spotting of a creature
that blatantly described all known rules of biology and in some cases, physics.
 

It was on every channel. You couldn't avoid seeing it if you tried. In
some cases, people watching the window could see it. They were here. Creatures
that had once only inhabited our imagination had invaded our world. Though
they seemed to by large avoid major population centers of cities, they were
everywhere in the rural areas of the world and seemed to completely supplant
the natural biosphere once reaching an area that was undeveloped.

The people demanded protection. Various rallies and petitions were put into
swift motion. The government was just as quick to respond, sending out SWAT
teams and military units to attempt control. While at times effective, the
creatures were often resistant or immune to standard forms of assault and
inflicted heavy casualties on the men assigned to eliminate them.

People began sprouting up across the globe with previously unproven powers.
Some 'known' psychics found themselves suddenly very able to use their
abilities under any amount of scrutiny. Others were rapidly debunked as they
fell behind their peers. A man who can breath fire. A woman who can change
the way she looks. Fortunately, such powers only came up in humans. Animals
as a whole did not develop any new talent for magic that can be seen.

It was decided that specialized attention was required and a new cabinet
was formed. So dubbed, The 'Ministry of Extraterrestrial Containment', this new
branch was empowered to research and eliminate such creatures should they ever
pose a threat to US citizens.(see news MEC). The MEC began recruiting latent
magi and paying extravagant hazard pay, extensive combat training, and the
promise of mental training over their powers in return for their assistance in
controlling the alien threat.
 

The President, in an emergency address to the nation, decreed that all
non humans are to be treated as illegal aliens within the boundaries of the
United States and had no rights as such. The United Nations, standing behind
America, agreed shortly after that these entities, which of far had showed
no signs of sentience, as unnatural and harmful to the planet, invaders.
Under this new definition, it was legal, both within the US and under UN
charter to kill or imprison these beings. In addition, they were afforded
no rights as living beings.

In the chaos of new laws and ways of thinking, several notable figures
rose to celebrity status. Thomas Khale, appointed head of the MEC, became
a regular sight on the news and in commercials, urging the citizens of the
USA to continue their life and to keep the number for the local branch of
MEC at hand. A simple dial of usually three numbers(388 in many places)
would summon the closest MEC team to the location to deal with any alien
incursion.

Flowing River, a throwback mage of old, runs regular infomercials
offering the secrets of ultimate power to any latent magi willing to pay
up for the privilege. Under government suspicion, this man is slowly
forming a cult of the magically able and training them in a battery of
military and combat procedures. His inductees seem to wield as much,
and arguably more, power as the MEC trained but with the dangerous edge
of fanaticism. The MEC's agents have standing orders to avoid members
of Flowing River's 'Band of Tardis' as much as possible without
compromising their mission goals.
 

Dr. Taneel, a female biologist, has become a popular advocate of an
extreme movement urging the use of biological weaponry against the
invaders. Though they may be resistant to gunfire, concussion, and other
mundane forms of injury, there have been documented cases of these beings
falling prey to terran diseases ranging from the common cold to fully
deadly ailments. "If we can find the common tie between their biological
structure, we can eliminate them all the same way we rid our crops of
insects. Alien incursions would be a thing of the past."

The world as a whole fell into its new pattern for almost a year
before a new component was added. All over the world, buildings began to
vanish. Starting with isolated constructs in the wilderness and slowly
building up to a small number of city events. The most notable being the
transformation of the Eiffel Tower and the New York subway system.

Such places, labeled by the media as 'Dungeons', exude a palpable aura
of oddness, perverting the local reality. In addition, they expel a
sizable amount of alien beings every day as if of limitless supply. The MEC
was initially caught off guard by these happenings. Their mage squads
proved insufficient. Though trained adequately in skirmish and short bloody
battles, they lacked the power or versatility to survive a potentially
week long trip into enemy territory to dismantle the dungeon.

To properly defend the citizens, the MEC formed a team specially
trained in survival skills and crossed over with specialists from fields
the world over. Everything from psychologists to martial artists and
Security experts were hired on. The media dubbed this new team the
'Dungeon Delvers', and the name stuck for anyone or any group brave or
stupid enough to venture into one of the dungeons.