Under the Dome: Grind Dealers & Power Factions (D&D campaign setting)
Who Controls Chaos in Your D&D Campaign?
Under the Dome, Grind is survival.
It fuels engines.
It powers magic.
It stabilizes the unstable.
And because of that, it is never truly free.
Every grain of refined chaos passes through someone’s hands—and those hands belong to people who understand a simple truth:
Control the Grind, and you control the Dome.
Not all factions want the same thing.
Some want profit.
Some want stability.
Some want power.
And a few want something far more dangerous:
Understanding.
🏛️ The Refiners Guild
“Chaos is only dangerous when it’s unprocessed.”
The Refiners Guild controls the legal production of Grind inside the Dome.
They operate massive, heavily guarded facilities where raw chaos crystals are stabilized into usable forms.
What They Control
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Industrial refinement plants
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Quality standards and “safe” Grind
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Official distribution contracts
What They Want
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Monopoly over refinement
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Strict regulation of supply
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Public trust in “safe Grind”
The Truth
They don’t eliminate instability.
They standardize it.
And they quietly suppress research that might make Grind safer—or unnecessary.
Adventure Hooks
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A “perfect refinement process” is discovered—and immediately buried
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A refinery worker claims certain batches are being altered intentionally
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The party is hired to investigate sabotage… that may be internal
💰 The Grind Barons
“Scarcity is more valuable than abundance.”
Grind Barons don’t refine Grind.
They control everything around it.
Transport. Storage. Distribution. Pricing.
They are the reason Grind is never as available as it should be.
What They Control
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Trade routes and caravans
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Storage depots and stockpiles
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Black-market price manipulation
What They Want
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Total economic control
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Artificial scarcity
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Dependence
The Truth
There is almost always enough Grind.
Barons make sure it never feels that way.
Adventure Hooks
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A Baron floods a district with cheap Grind—then cuts supply
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A hidden stockpile could destabilize the entire market
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The party is hired to escort a shipment… that everyone wants
🕶️ The Black Vein Syndicate
“If it works, we sell it.”
The Black Vein Syndicate operates the illegal Grind trade.
They deal in everything the Guild won’t approve:
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Unstable batches
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Experimental derivatives
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Addictive formulations
What They Control
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Street-level distribution
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Illegal refinement labs
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Grind-based drugs
What They Want
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Profit without oversight
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Expansion into controlled districts
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New, more potent products
The Truth
They innovate faster than anyone else.
And they don’t care who gets hurt.
Adventure Hooks
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A new strain of Grind causes shared hallucinations
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A dealer offers the party a version that “has no side effects”
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The Syndicate starts targeting high-ranking officials as customers
⚙️ The Iron Circuit
“Optimization is survival.”
The Iron Circuit is a faction of engineers, artificers, and construct-aligned thinkers who view Grind as the next step in evolution.
They don’t fear dependency.
They embrace it.
What They Control
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Grind-powered augmentations
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Construct enhancement programs
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Experimental integration tech
What They Want
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Full integration of Grind into living systems
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Elimination of biological limitations
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A future where dependence is standard
The Truth
They are closer than anyone to making Grind part of the body.
And once that line is crossed, it cannot be undone.
Adventure Hooks
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A volunteer emerges with permanent Grind integration
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A construct begins acting independently after “over-optimization”
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The party must retrieve a prototype before it spreads
🧬 The Stormbound
“You were never meant to control it.”
The Stormbound are a loose, often secretive group who believe Grind is not a tool—but a mistake.
They see it as:
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Residual chaos
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A corrupting influence
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A force that should not be refined
What They Control
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Sabotage networks
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Anti-Grind movements
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Hidden knowledge of pre-Dome systems
What They Want
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Reduced reliance on Grind
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Exposure of its dangers
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Collapse of Grind-based systems
The Truth
Some among them don’t want reform.
They want collapse.
Adventure Hooks
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A refinery is sabotaged during peak demand
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A Stormbound agent tries to convince the party to stop a shipment
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Evidence surfaces that Grind use is accelerating something worse
🧠 The Quiet Ledger
“Everything is tracked. Everything is owed.”
The Quiet Ledger is less visible than other factions.
They don’t deal Grind.
They track it.
Every transaction. Every debt. Every favor tied to it.
What They Control
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Debt records tied to Grind
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Identity-linked consumption tracking
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Information networks
What They Want
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Perfect predictive control
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Total economic visibility
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Influence without exposure
The Truth
They may know who will run out of Grind before it happens.
And they act on that knowledge.
Adventure Hooks
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A character’s debt is called in at the worst possible time
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The party discovers records of transactions that never happened
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Someone is manipulating the Ledger’s data—and rewriting reality
⚖️ Faction Conflict: The Real Engine of the Dome
These factions don’t exist in isolation.
They collide constantly:
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Guild vs Syndicate (control vs chaos)
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Barons vs everyone (profit vs access)
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Iron Circuit vs Stormbound (evolution vs rejection)
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Ledger vs all (control through knowledge)
Grind isn’t just a resource.
It’s a conflict generator.
🎲 Using Grind Factions in Your Campaign
For Dungeon Masters
Use factions to:
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Create layered conflicts
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Offer competing truths
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Force players to choose sides
Let no faction be purely right.
Or purely wrong.
For Players
Ask:
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Who do you trust with power?
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Who benefits from your survival?
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Who benefits from your dependence?
Because under the Dome, alliances aren’t about morality.
They’re about access.
🕯️ Closing Thought
Under the Dome, Grind flows through everything.
Through engines.
Through magic.
Through people.
But it never flows freely.
It is shaped, controlled, restricted, and weaponized by those who understand its value.
Because the most important truth about Grind isn’t where it comes from.
It’s who decides where it goes.
And once someone controls that…
They don’t just control the resource.
They control who gets to survive.
Thanks for reading. Until Next Time, Stay Nerdy!!
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