Criminal Breaker Factions

Serpent’s Embrace

Summary
Decentralized cult-crime network active in dense cities and river belts. They preach “purity through shedding,” which they use to justify poison use and forced oaths. They avoid televised fights and prefer quiet control of alleys, clinics, and night markets.

Core business

• Relic-poison extraction from Verdigris lines (glands, bile, dust).

• Off-book suturing for factories that want clean permits.

• Blackmail and protection around food, water, and med deliveries.

• Targeted killings of rival brokers and witnesses.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Zealot (cell lead; fanatic; E–B).

• Venomancer (toxin rig user; often a Pyromancer or Healer running chem countermeasures).

• Shadowmancer (Shade-Slinger using shadow rigs).

• Initiate (scout and courier).

• Enforcer (muscle; The Strong/The Skilled).

Operating zones and rivals
Ports in PLDC and AGSA corridors, river cities, and older transit districts. Frequent clashes with Obsidian Guard over urban rackets. GGA Blue Shield prioritizes them when clinics or water nodes are hit.

Tactics and signatures
Low-watt scramblers, wet soot masking, narrow-lane ambushes, and “calm light” lamps to push through drift. Recovered gear shows heat-sealed toxin pods and coil-tuned knives. Safehouses keep brine vats and lime for gland work.

Civilians and lines
They generally avoid open harm to bystanders because clinics and markets host their business. They do not respect oaths outside their cult. They will steal med stock when pressed, which moves them into “hunt without pause” status.

Leadership
No single head. Regional “Coils” of 3–5 Zealots decide targets. A rumored coordinator called The Shedding Voice sells maps and timing to cells for a cut.

Threat and guidance
Typical cell: 6–12 operators (D–C core). Expect toxins, shadow tricks, and fast withdrawals. Use brine, overpressure fans, and drone eyes. Detain the Venomancer first.

Scarred Sands

Summary
Convoy raiders and worm-belt harvesters across deserts and dry belts in AGSA and ACF ranges. Some crews are half-legal and sell real protection to villages; others run hard extortion around water and diesel.

Core business

• Worm-part harvesting (acid glands, cryo sacs) and sale to processors.

• Convoy hits outside array nets and storm-season ambushes.

• “Road guards” contracts that become taxes if unpoliced.

• Relic-cell fuel barter and desert guide services.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Stormcaller (lead; weather and route timing).

• Shade (scout/sniper; The Quick).

• Ironhide (close-in anchor; The Unbreakable).

• Dust Devil (skirmisher; sand nets, trip mines, smoke).

Operating zones and rivals
Dry belts, rail sidings, and old airfields. Clash with AGSA convoys when they overreach. Will fight Crimson Scorch on sight near Amber hazards.

Tactics and signatures
Sand screens, tail-wind runs, shallow-draft trucks, and worm-bait traps. They carry lime, clay, and brine to make acid gear safe. Their drop marks are simple spiral rings on culverts.

Civilians and lines
Many crews follow the basic ten lines: no shrine damage, no forced labor, pay for fuel. Those crews can be flipped to auxiliaries during storms. Hardline crews press villages and get rolled up when AGSA brigades return.

Leadership
Loose clan councils. Names change with seasons. A veteran fixer called Mahdi of the Mileage brokers parts and truces for a 10% cut.

Threat and guidance
Typical raid: 10–20 riders, 3–5 trucks, D–C mix with one B anchor. Use air pickets, decoys, and ground-truth drones. Offer paid escort terms to split gray crews from predators.

Obsidian Guard

Summary
Ex-security contractors and deserter squads who sell a strict “order for hire” package to corporations, oligarchs, and city bosses. They run urban protection rackets, seize suture yards during crises, and kidnap keywrights and techs.

Core business

• Contract “area control” and union busting around salvage and rail nodes.

• Kidnapping of specialists (engineers, medics, keywrights) for ransom or forced work.

• Black market counter-relic gear and limiter harnesses.

• Silent kills on rival brokers.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Kinetic Bruiser (breach; heavy rigs).

• Voidmancer (spatial tricks via relic frames; often a Wayfinder-adjacent rig, not a true legendary).

• Striker (urban assault; The Skilled/The Armed).

• Shadowcaster (stealth demolitions; Shade-Slinger rigs).

• Leech (interrogation and intel).

Operating zones and rivals
High-rise belts, arcology service levels, and financial districts. Primary rival is the Jade Dynasty in East Asia and the CDSA sphere.

Tactics and signatures
Black armor, red optics, disciplined stacks, and jammers that block public cams but leave law cams alone to stage deniable proof. Use foam baffles and sound plates to mask shots.

Civilians and lines
They try to appear legal, so they usually avoid harm to bystanders. If hired to clear a protest line, they escalate fast and hide bodies. Forced labor cases push blocs to joint tasking.

Leadership
Tiered command under Marshal-Client contracts. Regional managers answer to a board hidden behind shell firms. Names rotate.

Threat and guidance
C–B core with military discipline. Expect rehearsed entries and snatch ops against med staff. Require body-cam redundancy and fast broadcast to prevent evidence tampering.

Jade Dynasty

Summary
Networked syndicate with roots in East Asian ports and inland logistics. They prefer quiet control through documents, permits, and access. They infiltrate credential systems and move goods inside lull windows. They avoid spectacle and long firefights.

Core business

• Credential fraud and clean-paper moves through CDSA checkpoints.

• Off-book salvage inside lull windows, then resale through state-owned fronts.

• Shadow banking and escrow in PCs and Credits.

• Contract assassinations of brokers who expose routes.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Shadow Walker (stealth ops; Shade-Slinger).

• Mind Weaver (manipulation and intel; often social engineering + mild relic effects).

• Iron Hand (discipline and punishment).

• Whisper (liaison and bribes).

• Venom Blade (fast strike; toxins).

Operating zones and rivals
CDSA arcologies, river delta belts, bonded warehouses. Rivalry with Obsidian Guard and Serpent’s Embrace where rackets overlap.

Tactics and signatures
Paper first, violence last. They stage uniform sets, spoofed tags, and shared seal-team signatures to pass doors. They stock portable key baths and raw Keys to sell to fronts.

Civilians and lines
They keep to the ten lines when it helps business. They do not tilt arrays. They will steal med stock in emergencies if the risk is low. Harm to civilians is rare and targeted.

Leadership
Council of Five Ledges (finance, logistics, discipline, intel, ritual). Local captains run “Halls” with cash books and relic lockers.

Threat and guidance
D–C operators with one B per Hall. Expect clean uniforms, legal-looking papers, and quiet routes. Catch them on timing and ledgers, not on street brawls.

Ironclad Ascendency

Summary
Paramilitary gang that treats turf as a fortress. They hold factories, suture yards, and scrapyards. They push into public contracts, then refuse oversight. They love power armor and heavy support.

Core business

• Control of industrial salvage, foundries, and armor shops.

• “Security concessions” at ports and railheads that become monopolies.

• War-relic repair for pay-to-play clients.

• Protection taxes on market belts.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Commander (zone lead; runs ops).

• Enforcer (street lead; collects taxes).

• Tech-Specialist (rigs, relic maintenance, drones).

• Heavy Gunner (fire support).

• Grunt (patrol).

Operating zones and rivals
Industrial cities, repair yards, and ring roads. They fight Obsidian Guard over city contracts and Crimson Scorch over heat-line assets.

Tactics and signatures
Exo-frames, shield wagons, kill zones, and public shows of gear. They seize rooftops and junctions first. Their safehouses keep relic-cell chargers and copper-mesh cages.

Civilians and lines
They keep order on their streets but tax hard. They do not usually tilt arrays; they want long, stable dormancy to mine scrap. Forced labor has occurred under some Commanders; those units draw coalition crackdowns.

Leadership
Zone Commanders report to a central “Ascendancy Council.” Council members shield identities behind procurement firms.

Threat and guidance
C–A presence depending on zone. Expect armor, drones, and static positions. Bring counter-armor, high-amp stunners, and warrant stacks that target their shops and chargers.

Crimson Scorch

Summary
Heat-cult cells obsessed with Amber hazard Gates. They revere fire output and attempt to trigger surges. They break the red lines often and are hunted everywhere.

Core business

• Arson for hire and arson for spectacle.

• Theft and sale of thermal nodes and volatile relics.

• Extortion around heat utilities and fuel depots.

• Targeted killings of suture staff to disrupt windows.

Structure and roles (house titles)

• Hellfire (cell lead; Pyromancer or rigged fire user).

• Flare (shock and distractions).

• Ember (runner; carries igniters and volatile stock).

• Inferno (heavy; pushes fires through barriers).

• Blaze (assassin; heat lenses and shaped charges).

Operating zones and rivals
Any city with Amber Gates, refineries, or depots. Fights Scarred Sands in dry belts and Ironclad Ascendency in industrial sprawl.

Tactics and signatures
Layered igniters, thermal nodes in clay, braced breaching saws with phase teeth. They block hydrants and ambush med crews. Marks include burn rings near ladders and stairwells.

Civilians and lines
They violate the ten lines regularly. They steal med stock, target arrays, and cause evacuations to mask thefts. Communities rarely protect them.

Leadership
Loose cult cells report to a remote “Choir.” Identities unknown. Recruits move fast and burn out.

Threat and guidance
D–B cells with high damage output. Treat as terror cells. Use heat shields, foam curtains, and drone suppression of igniters. Prioritize arrest of Hellfire and seizure of thermal caches.