The Bladed Bond

Combat Instructors, Duelists & Elite Mercenaries
“For coin, for cause, for conquest.”

Quick Facts

Known Headquarters: Severance Hall, Lowreach
Power Tier: High (Combat Services, Tactical Training, Coinbound Conflict)
Reach: Contracts throughout Ironspire and beyond
Defense: Battle-forged mercenaries, private duelists, hired bodyguards
Influence: Accepts private clients, guild protection deals, and corporate security
Respect: Admired by aspiring fighters, mistrusted by traditional military, watched closely by the Iron Accord

Overview

The Bladed Bond is Ironspire’s premier mercenary guild—a hardened brotherhood of professional killers, tacticians, and coin-forged soldiers. Where the Iron Accord enforces the law, the Bond sells skill to the highest bidder. Whether guarding a caravan, mentoring noble brats in swordplay, or silencing a Syndicate informant with plausible deniability, their blades never sleep.

Their name is literal. Every member signs the Pact of Blades—a magically sealed contract that binds them to the guild’s honor code and unlocks exclusive access to its resources, clients, and arsenal. For those within, it’s a career. For those without, it’s a warning.

They are clean-cut killers in public. Blood-soaked champions in private. And every coin they earn sharpens the edge.

Known Headquarters

Severance Hall, Lowreach

A former courthouse gutted and rebuilt into a grim training compound
Sparring chambers, dueling pits, bounty board, and tactical war room
Contract wall holds open offers from nobles, merchants, and foreign clients
Blood from training duels is ritually smeared onto the “Severance Stone” at the center of the hall
Coin-forged crests from fallen members are forged into the door’s iron spine

Identity & Philosophy

“Strength is coin. Coin is choice. Choice is power.”

The Bladed Bond believes that power should be earned—and paid for. They reject allegiance to thrones or causes, unless coin accompanies conviction. While many claim neutrality, the Bond wears it as armor.

They train obsessively, prize discipline, and hold themselves to a brutal but clear code: No broken contracts. No treason within. No free kills.

Honor exists—but it is transactional.

Roleplay Hooks

You’re a former noble turned merc, hiding a scandalous past
You killed your own mentor to take their place on the contract board
You’ve begun questioning why your current client wants someone “protected”… or silenced
You were blacklisted from another guild and this was your only path forward
You secretly funnel coin to the Forged to fund underground rebellion

Power Tier

High (Combat-for-Hire and Tactical Instruction)
Reach: Available for contracts in all major districts and provinces
Defense: Personal armories, trained killers, strategic withdrawal plans
Influence: Respected in dueling culture, feared in corporate circles
Respect: Admired by ambitious upstarts, watched by the Ember Court, envied by less successful merc groups

Rivalries & Tensions

The Forged Brotherhood – Philosophical divide: honor vs. coin
The Blackmark Brotherhood – Competing for the same clients; less disciplined, more ruthless
The Iron Accord – Distrust of Bond neutrality and contract killing
The Emberforge Collective – Tensions over guarding experimental weapons and refusing unpaid security work

Leadership

Marshal Teyva Rook

Former battlefield commander turned private tactician
Fought for three sides in the Crimson Isles War—walked away paid and undefeated
Speaks four languages, teaches one-on-one dueling, and reportedly never sleeps
Known for making recruits train blindfolded in burning rooms
Keeps her personal contract dagger in a locked box labeled “My First Lie”

Known Practices & Traditions

The Pact of Blades – Magical contract signed in blood; violators combust from the inside
The Severance Stone – Blood rite marking the end of training and beginning of true service
Duelbright Nights – Monthly arena duels open to the public; used to scout talent
The Crimson Ledger – A private book of rejected contracts—some say it’s cursed
The Oathcoin – Token given to clients upon hiring; returned only when the job is complete

Membership & Structure

Common Roles:

Edgewrights – Combat instructors and dueling trainers
Contractors – Active mercenaries and field agents
Bladeborne – Veteran members with priority pick of elite contracts
Redhands – Enforcers of the internal code; they hunt deserters
Coincallers – Dealmakers and client liaisons

Symbols & Style:

Sigil: Two crossed swords over a burning scroll
Style: Functional armor, red sashes denoting contract tier, steel-threaded cloaks
Tools: Dual blades, binding ink, combat scrolls, silence coins

Rumors & Whispers

“They’ve got a list of every highborn who’s ever paid for a discreet kill.”

“Marshal Rook once ended a war with six words and a knife.”

“That Severance Stone? It’s not stone. It’s someone.”

“There’s a secret contract in the Crimson Ledger that no one dares take.”

“The Bladed Bond doesn’t fight for good or evil. They fight for the highest bidder. And they always win.”