The Bond of Old Hyfrias

The Bond of Old Hyfrias, known commonly as "the Bond" is a mysterious organisation that was founded sometime after the destruction of the city-state, Hyfrias. During the Sedian revolution, Hyfrias attempted to free itself of the control of Sedia. Forming its own city-state for a short while, the city was quickly overrun and destroyed by the Sedian Crown. Since its destruction, the strange ruins hold all kinds of secrets, including the rumoured Bond of Old Hyfrias, an organisation that aims to make the city the gleaming Jewel of the East that it once was.

History

Mentions of the Bond of Old Hyfrias first began to appear in vocabulary about a year after the destruction of Hyfrias. It's not clear if the organisation existed before the rumours, or if the rumours birthed the idea of the organisation. Evidence of their actual existence is not documented until 5 years after the end of the Sedian Revolution.

Too caught up in riots in Astrellos, the Sedian Crown had more things to worry about following the destruction of Hyfrias than rumours of a secret organisation. It was only after the Crown fell, and a new government was instated in Sedia that authorities began to take note. At this time, the rumours were mostly ignored, as the governing powers in the capital were built of high-ranking rebels from the revolution, and the idea of Hyfrias building itself was more than pallitable to them.

Years later, having time to grow and as the governing system of Sedia straighted out, the government began to take notice. Rebuilding Hyfrias as a city state was a direct threat to their ownership of the peninsula, and it was at this time that the Sedian government deemed the rumoured secret society a threat, urging all farmers and travellers in the area to report any information to police.

Membership and Locations

It is rumoured that the Bond of Old Hyfrias has members all across Sedia, and even as far as Virias and The Azure Isles.

It is often thought there is a large base of operations located somewhere in the Hyfrias rubble, or more likely, somewhere in the forests of the Southreach Isles. No one knows for sure if there is an actual, physical base of operations or if all organisation is done remotely through a web of communication.

Historically, a known hub of the Bond was located in the Astrellos undercity, resulting in one of the biggest raids to the fourth level of the undercity since the revolution. Police activity is limited past the second or third level of the undercity, but the raid was of unprecedented force. Criticised later as being a particularly violent display of police force, the raid killed nine people in the old factory. Only one person, a young dragonborn man named Thilaas Retuke, was captured alive and was unwilling to offer any information to police. Retuke died suddenly only six months into his life sentence.

Little is known about the membership intake process of the Bond, and next to nothing is understood about their regular practices. Some theorise the organisation is nothing more than a poorly managed rebel group. Others believe their practices run much deeper and involve political corruption. Some believe that the group dabbles in outlawed magical practices and harbours wanted mages because of Hyfrias' ancient and strong ties with magical knowledge.

Dress

The Bond are rumoured to dress plainly with a secret code of a blue and burgandy braided ribbon tied in their hair, or around their wrist. Sometimes this signal is thought to be more diverse, such as in the form of a handkerchief in the pocket, or as artificial colour in the hair. This colour combination is a hint to the old flag of the rebel city-state of Hyfrias.

Reputation and rumours

The Bond of Old Hyfrias has a reputation for being incredibly clever and hard to catch, as well as being dangerous. Many rumour surround the group and how quickly they are to silence any people who may be deemed a threat to their secrecy, though it's unclear how much of this rumour is propaganda or based in truth. They