Factions
The Unchained
The primary antagonist faction.
Motivation
The Unchained oppose two things:
- The Linker system — they believe bonding Faerals is a form of captivity
- Faeral combat for glory — they consider the competitive scene (ranked PvP) exploitation of living creatures
Their cause is morally legitimate. The debate about whether making Faerals fight for sport is ethical runs throughout the game, and the player is slowly guided toward the ranked competitive scene — the exact thing the Unchained oppose.
The contradiction
Their methods are indefensible. To "liberate" Faerals, they:
- Built the Resonator: a device that forces a bond on Faerals without consent, the opposite of the Linker's willing bond
- Developed an aggression drug that makes Faerals stronger but permanently uncontrollable without the Resonator
- Drained Sanctuaries of energy, causing global ecological collapse — the very destruction they claim to oppose
The Linker creates a bond. The Resonator creates a chain.
Design note
The Unchained should never feel cartoonishly evil. Their founding argument is worth engaging with. The horror is that they've become the thing they hate, and they either don't see it or don't care.
Wardens
The institutional face of Linkee society. Wardens are formally trained and licensed Linkees who serve in ecological protection, law enforcement, and Sanctuary maintenance roles.
The Unchained call them jailers. Most Wardens consider themselves conservationists.
Dr. Theo Retical works alongside the Warden network but operates independently.
Linkees
The general population of people bonded to Faerals via Linkers. Not organised as a faction — just ordinary people who raise, train, and compete with Faerals.
The competitive ranked scene (Faeral combat for glory) is the cultural backdrop the Unchained oppose. The player is being guided toward participating in it — that tension is intentional.