# Faction: Chains of Service An iron-fisted security firm operating in [[Region - The Discovery Coast]], known for hiring ex-convicts and recently freed prisoners to guard noble assets. ## Overview The Chains of Service represents the nobility's most prominent answer to the threat posed by the [[Faction - Blue Blades]]. Unlike traditional guard forces or mercenary companies, the Chains recruits exclusively from the prison population—ex-convicts and recently freed prisoners who trade their freedom for service. The organization's name is grimly literal: those who join exchange the chains of imprisonment for the chains of service to the noble houses. ## Recruitment & Membership - **Ex-convicts** - Criminals offered early release in exchange for service - **Recently freed prisoners** - Those with few options upon release - **Desperate individuals** - People with criminal records who cannot find legitimate work Members are bound by strict contracts and harsh discipline. The organization offers redemption through violence—a second chance that comes with significant strings attached. ## Operations The Chains primarily serve as private security for noble families in the Discovery Coast: - **Caravan protection** - Guarding noble goods from Blue Blades ambushes - **Estate security** - Protecting noble properties and families - **Enforcement** - Carrying out noble interests with an iron hand Their methods are notoriously harsh, earning them a fearsome reputation among the common folk who see them as little better than the criminals they once were—now simply wearing different chains. ## Reputation The Chains are viewed with deep suspicion by the populace: - **Nobles** see them as a necessary evil against the Blue Blades threat - **Commonfolk** distrust them as criminals given authority - **The Blue Blades** view them as the armed hand of noble oppression ## Enemies & Rivals - **[[Faction - Blue Blades]]** - Their primary opposition; the reason for their existence - **Common people** - Who distrust their criminal origins and harsh methods ## Connections - Based in [[Region - The Discovery Coast]] - Employed by noble families to counter [[Faction - Blue Blades]] - Part of the escalating arms race between thieves and nobility ## Story Hooks > [!note] Potential Plot Threads > - **Moral complexity**: Are the Chains redeemed criminals or just oppression with extra steps? > - **Inside information**: Members might know secrets from their criminal pasts > - **Defectors**: Some might sympathize with the Blue Blades' mission > - **Noble corruption**: What are the nobles hiding that requires such brutal protection? > - **The succession crisis**: Which claimant do the noble families (and thus the Chains) support?