The six devotion factions represent the core philosophies and cosmic forces battling for dominance, influence, and survival in the Starfall Galaxy. Tens of thousands of years have passed since these cabals have operated openly. While they are bitter rivals, they dare not engage in open, direct conflict. The last time the factions openly warred, the galaxy was nearly destroyed, entities almost extinguished, and the progenitors were scoured from existence. The core devotions now foster proxies and maintain buffers between their siblings. Their preference is not to be exposed on a galactic scale; instead, they spin webs of loyalty, alliances, and obligations to achieve their objectives. From devoted Heart systems in real space and semidivine rift realms, the significant events of the Starfall have been touched in some way by these influential collectives.
- Ebon Syndicate: Master Trader Zek Irathi seeks to maximize influence through black markets and corporate espionage, leveraging their fleet of armored luxury yachts as both trade ships and mobile command centers.
Ebon Syndicate Faction
The Ebon Syndicate is a vast criminal enterprise in the Starfall Galaxy, a colossal shadow corporation built on the foundation of hyper-capitalism and the cold conviction that all things—life, resources, and even the soul—are ultimately commodities. Driven by the Devotion of Ambition, they are a deeply entrenched, galaxy-spanning cabal that manipulates the flow of illicit goods and credits. Their vast network of black markets, smuggling routes, and corrupt governments makes them a pervasive, if often invisible, force that profits from every conflict and crisis.
Their aesthetic is one of opulent corruption, blending ruthless business acumen with deadly, gilded self-defense. Their leaders, often cybernetically enhanced with high-end, custom modifications, operate from armed luxury yachts and towering corporate enclaves on their industrialized Heart World, Gilded Maw. They are the disciples of The Hunger, an entity they refer to as The Cosmic Debt Collector, which embodies pure cosmic scarcity and demands the ultimate debt: the payment of a soul.
The Duality of Ambition
The core value of the Syndicate—unrestricted commerce and self-interest—can be perceived through the dual lenses of virtue and vice. For those who benefit from their networks, it is a system of fierce efficiency; for those caught in its machinery, it is a hell of exploitation.
The Virtue: Relentless Drive and Economic Freedom
From the Syndicate's perspective, their core philosophy represents the purest form of Economic Freedom and Self-Reliance. They see themselves as the true engine of the galactic economy, unburdened by the cumbersome moralizing of stagnant governments.
Unrivaled Efficiency: The Syndicate is driven by pure, pragmatic results. They cut through red tape, supply chains, and legal obstacles to get the job done, ensuring resources (illicit or not) flow to where they are needed most—providing what honest governments cannot or will not.
Empowerment of the Individual: Their philosophy champions the individual's right to succeed on their own merits, rewarding personal drive and ambition above all else. Loyalty is earned through results and wealth generation, making it a true meritocracy for those willing to engage in its morally grey markets.
The Unseen Economy: They fill necessary niches in the galactic ecosystem, connecting desperate sellers with equally desperate buyers, facilitating commerce where traditional trade routes have failed, and maintaining stability in volatile Frontier regions where official law has no reach.
The Vice: Total Exploitation and Moral Bankruptcy
The fundamental vice of the Ebon Syndicate is Total Exploitation, rooted in the cold belief that every living thing and every cosmic concept has a price and can be owned.
Commodification of Sentience: The Syndicate's most heinous act is the institutionalization of slavery, culminating in the abhorrent practice of Soul-Binding. They are not simply slavers, but dealers in eternal debt, condemning souls to endless servitude to power their industries.
The Corruption of Institutions: Their wealth is a weapon used to corrupt governments, fuel destructive proxy wars between other factions, and systematically dismantle ethical structures across the galaxy. They foster chaos and suffering, knowing that both are excellent for business.
The Price of Everything: Their devotion to The Hunger means they are philosophically and spiritually bankrupt. They acknowledge no moral law, only the cosmic ledger where every interaction is a transaction and every success is built on the crushing debt of another. They seek to amass a fortune vast enough to buy a "favorable position in the final, cosmic ledger," a delusion of escaping the ultimate cost of their actions.
Goals and Motivations
The Ebon Syndicate is solely motivated by the pursuit of profit and ultimate financial dominion over the galaxy. Their objectives are calculated, pragmatic, and utterly ruthless.
Eliminate All Threats to Profit: They tirelessly work to neutralize any challenge to their financial margins, whether from moral crusaders (like the Accord) seeking to dismantle their operations or from rival pirate fleets and independent crime bosses competing for territory.
Acquire Galactic Monopoly: Their long-term goal is to secure a monopoly on a key galactic commodity. This could be a rare fuel source, a powerful Rift-Tainted artifact, or control over a heavily populated slave world, ensuring no government can operate without their direct or indirect consent.
Perfect Soul-Binding: They seek to perfect the forbidden art of Soul-Binding, a dangerous form of necromantic commerce. This ultimate form of exploitation aims to create a permanent, inexhaustible, and cheap labor force from the captured souls of the recently deceased, further fueling their enterprises on worlds like Gilded Maw.
The Hunger
An insatiable, ever-hungry void of pure cosmic scarcity that manifests as a gravitational anomaly that draws energy, matter, and, most importantly, souls towards it. The Tallyman of All Cost. It thrives on transactions, exploitation, and the ultimate debt—the payment of a soul. It believes everything has a price. Syndicate cultists perform highly secret, necromantic rituals that bind the souls of the recently deceased to the service of The Hunger(creating Soul-Bound Laborers). They believe their ultimate goal is to amass enough wealth to buy a favorable position in the final, cosmic ledger.
The Tallyman's Vault
An insatiable, ever-hungry void of pure cosmic scarcity, manifesting as a gravitational anomaly that draws energy, matter, and, most importantly, souls towards it. It is a hidden, semi-divine realm within the deepest currents of the Rift, a perfect crystalline focus of Black Mana. The Vault is a reflection of the Hunger’s philosophy: a space where everything is a transaction, a debt, and a commodity.
The Vault is not a planet but a vast, oppressive emptiness where gravity is a metaphor for obligation and light is currency. Towering, spectral skyscrapers of purest Black Mana pierce the void, their surfaces etched with the names of countless souls and debts—The Cosmic Ledger. These crystalline structures are the corporate enclaves and pleasure palaces of the highest Devotees.
Gilded Maw: The Heart World of Avarice
A heavily industrialized, smog-choked planet with a perpetually overcast sky, Gilded Maw is the unapologetic testament to unchecked avarice and the core philosophy of the Ebon Syndicate. It is not merely a base of operations, but a functioning society where Black Devotion is the only law, the only currency, and the ultimate measure of worth. There is no traditional government on Gilded Maw, only the Corporate-Legal Framework of the Ebon Syndicate. The economy of Gilded Maw is pure, unfiltered Ambition and Scarcity. Gilded Maw's society is a harsh, rigid hierarchy where the only way to climb is to ruthlessly exploit those below you.
The Master Trader
Zek Irathi, the Master Trader, leads the Syndicate's operations with cold calculation. Operating from a fleet of armored luxury yachts, Irathi maximizes influence through black markets and corporate espionage, spinning webs of loyalty, alliances, and obligations across the galaxy. Like all devotion faction leaders, Irathi prefers to remain unexposed on the galactic scale, working through proxies and maintaining buffers with rival factions—a necessity after the last open war between devotions nearly destroyed the galaxy and drove the progenitors to extinction.
Building Reputation with the Black Ledger
The Ebon Syndicate operates on cold, transactional logic—every favor is a debt owed, every service rendered is currency in the cosmic ledger. Player characters can build standing with the galaxy's preeminent criminal enterprise through profitable actions that advance Syndicate interests, or destroy their reputation through betrayal and moral defiance.the-rules-index-2KThM9_pQweGFlZ2swCitQ.md
Favors: Actions to Build Reputation
Minor Favors (+1-2 Reputation Points)
Deliver Smuggled Goods — Transport contraband, illicit tech, or forbidden cargo to Syndicate drop points without attracting law enforcement attention.
Provide Intelligence — Feed the Syndicate information on rival criminal organizations, Accord patrols, Concord rebels, or other threats to their operations.
Simple Debt Collection — Intimidate, threaten, or physically enforce payment from debtors who owe credits to local Syndicate operatives.
Moderate Favors (+3-5 Reputation Points)
Eliminate Competition — Sabotage a rival business, disrupt competing smuggling rings, or permanently remove business competitors on behalf of Syndicate interests.
Escort High-Value Cargo — Safely transport slaves, forbidden Rift artifacts, or experimental biotech through contested space, pirate zones, or Accord blockades.
Broker Profitable Deals — Negotiate trade agreements, open new markets, or expand Syndicate market share through diplomacy, coercion, or corporate infiltration.
Major Favors (+6-10 Reputation Points)
Orchestrate Major Heists — Execute complex corporate espionage operations, vault breaches, or data theft that nets significant wealth for the Syndicate's coffers.
Defend Syndicate Holdings — Prevent or resolve existential threats to Gilded Maw, The Tallyman's Vault, or other key Syndicate infrastructure from rival factions or military forces.
Secure Monopolistic Control — Establish total market dominance over a critical resource, smuggling route, or planetary economy, ensuring no competitor can operate without Syndicate consent.
Disservices: Actions That Harm Reputation
Minor Disservices (-1-2 Reputation Points)
Contractual Failure — Miss delivery deadlines, fail to complete contracted jobs, or default on payment obligations to Syndicate creditors.
Public Disrespect — Insult Syndicate operatives, damage their property, or show contempt for the organization's authority in public settings.
Operational Interference — Cause collateral damage to Syndicate operations through incompetence, reckless behavior, or poorly executed missions.
Moderate Disservices (-3-5 Reputation Points)
Free Captives — Liberate slaves, prisoners, or Soul-Bound Laborers held by the Syndicate, disrupting their labor force and profit streams.
Betray Secrets — Steal Syndicate assets, leak operational intelligence to rivals, or provide aid and comfort to competing criminal organizations.
Public Exposure — Reveal Syndicate corruption, smuggling networks, or Soul-Binding facilities to authorities, investigative journalists, or galactic media.
Major Disservices (-6-10 Reputation Points)
Destroy Soul-Binding Facilities — Demolish the necromantic infrastructure that creates Soul-Bound Laborers, releasing thousands and crippling Syndicate industrial capacity.
Assassinate Leadership — Kill or kidnap high-ranking Syndicate figures like Master Trader Zek Irathi, regional bosses, or Soul-Binder Adepts.
Law Enforcement Raids — Lead, support, or provide intelligence for Accord military operations that dismantle major Syndicate operations, seize assets, or arrest key personnel.
Reputation Boons: Spending Favor
Reputation with the Ebon Syndicate unlocks access to the galaxy's most lucrative—and morally bankrupt—opportunities. Favor spent is deducted from reputation totals, representing investment in specific services or privileges.
Ignored/Neutral (0-4 Reputation)
Liked (5-14 Reputation)
Admired (15-29 Reputation)
Revered (30+ Reputation)
Negative Reputation: When the Ledger Comes Due
The Ebon Syndicate does not forgive debts, and betrayal is recorded permanently in The Cosmic Ledger. Negative reputation triggers escalating consequences.
Disliked (-5 to -14 Reputation)
Prices doubled for all Syndicate services, denied access to most black market goods, social penalties when operating in Syndicate-controlled territory, malignant neglect during dangerous situations.
Hated (-15 to -29 Reputation)
Active sabotage of PC operations, spread of damaging rumors through criminal networks, refusal of all services, potential ambushes by Syndicate enforcers, bounties posted in underworld channels.
Hunted (-30 or lower Reputation)
The Ultimate Debt — Bounties posted across the galaxy offering substantial rewards. Assassination contracts are issued to independent hunters. Soul-Binder Adepts are explicitly deployed to capture and bind PCs' souls into eternal servitude. No safe harbor exists in Syndicate-controlled space. The only escape is the destruction of the regional Syndicate infrastructure or death.
Adventure Hooks
The Debt Spiral — A PC takes a small Syndicate loan to repair their ship, then discovers the compound interest and "service fees" create an impossible debt. They must choose between indentured servitude, fleeing to the Frontier, or pulling a heist to pay it off.
The Whistleblower's Dilemma — The party discovers a Syndicate Soul-Binding facility on a mining colony. Exposure would devastate their Liked reputation but could save thousands. The local Syndicate boss offers a counter-deal: eliminate a rival facility instead.
The Monopoly War — Two Syndicate regional bosses are fighting for control of a lucrative Rift-fuel route. Both approach the party separately, offering escalating Favor to sabotage the other. Choosing sides locks the party into a criminal power struggle with galaxy-spanning consequences.
The Tallyman's Invitation — At Revered reputation, Master Trader Zek Irathi extends a rare invitation to The Tallyman's Vault. Inside, the party learns The Hunger intends to "collect" on the Syndicate's cosmic debt—by binding every Syndicate member's soul simultaneously. They must decide whether to warn the criminals who've enabled their success or let cosmic justice unfold.
The Soul Debt — The party discovers a loved one's soul has been bound to a Syndicate labor camp on Gilded Maw. Breaking them free requires infiltrating corporate enclaves, navigating the Syndicate's legal framework, and potentially bargaining with The Hunger itself.
Proxy War — Two independent colonies suddenly find themselves at war, their leaders mysteriously funded by anonymous benefactors. Investigation reveals the Syndicate is fueling both sides to drive up demand for weapons, medical supplies, and reconstruction contracts.
The Monopoly Play — Syndicate agents are systematically eliminating competitors in the rare Rift-fuel trade. The party must decide whether to protect independent miners, work for the Syndicate to eliminate "obstacles," or find a third path that disrupts the coming monopoly.
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