The Bound
Masters of binding magic, they bend dragons to their will in a relentless quest for power.
The Bound are a faction of human mages who use binding magic to enslave dragons to their will. Far from being a tragic collective, they are an active, antagonistic force seeking power and control in the world of The Bound and the Broken. Their existence is defined not by shared suffering but by their ruthless ambition and mastery of coercive magical arts.
- Nature
- Mages who bind dragons
- Origin
- Human mages using binding magic
- Primary Status
- Active/Antagonistic
- Key Trait
- Individual mages with no shared connection
- Affiliation
- Antagonistic Faction
Lore & Background
The Bound are not the result of a catastrophic event or a breach between worlds. Instead, they are human mages who have developed and practice binding magic—a form of sorcery that allows them to subjugate dragons to their will. Each mage operates independently; there is no shared sensory or emotional link between them. Their power comes from their ability to control dragons, making them a formidable and feared faction. They actively seek to expand their influence and dominate others, viewing dragons as tools for conquest. The lore surrounding The Bound focuses on their methods, their hierarchy, and the moral implications of their magic, rather than on any collective consciousness or tragic origin.
In Their Own Story
The rain fell cold and heavy on the cobblestones, but Elara didn't feel the chill. Instead, she felt the searing heat of a fire burning in a distant valley, a sensation that wasn't hers yet burned her skin all the same. Beside her, Kaelen gasped, clutching his chest as if struck by a blade, though no weapon had touched him. It was the shared wound of Joren, miles away, being dragged across rough stone. "It's getting louder," Elara whispered, her voice trembling not from fear, but from the cacophony of three hundred distinct heartbeats pounding in time within her own ribcage. The world around them blurred; she could taste the salt tears of a child in the east and smell the iron blood of a warrior in the west. They were never truly alone, a chorus of suffering bound by an invisible chain that tightened with every passing moment. In this shared silence, they found their only solace: knowing that no matter how broken the world became, they would feel it all together.
Reader's Guide
The Bound are not a faction in the traditional sense but a forced collective defined by a magical curse that links their souls. Their primary goal is survival and the eventual breaking of these chains to restore individual autonomy. Membership is involuntary; individuals become part of The Bound through exposure to specific magical anomalies or ritualistic binding events. There is no hierarchy, as the shared consciousness prevents true dominance, though those with stronger wills may temporarily influence the group's direction. In the broader conflict between the living and the supernatural forces threatening the realm, The Bound serve as a wild card. Their ability to sense threats across vast distances makes them valuable scouts, but their vulnerability—where attacking one is akin to attacking all—makes them high-risk targets for enemies seeking to destabilize the region. Ultimately, they represent the cost of broken magic. While some groups seek to weaponize their connection, The Bound themselves strive to heal the rift that created them, hoping to sever the ties and find peace as individuals once more.
Did You Know?
- The Bound are human mages, not tethered souls or victims of a magical catastrophe.
- Each member of The Bound is an individual mage with no shared pain or psychic connection to others.
- Their binding magic is specifically used to enslave dragons, not to link souls together.
- The Bound are an active antagonistic faction, not a neutral or forced collective.