Unbound

The Unbound were vampires that had somehow freed themselves from the clutches of Molag Bal, freeing their souls from the realm of Coldharbour. Cassus Andrius was the first to succeed in this attempt, and formed a loose organization of similarly freed vampires. They named the Grey Mare inn, of Chorrol as their base of operations, though they never met in large numbers.

As Cassus was joined by more and more like-minded children of the night, he was nominated as their leader. The Unbound were not formed like a conventional Coven, but rather a loose group of colleagues. There was no official rankings, though Andrius and several other vampires were seen as leaders of the group.

Because of the dangerous and usually fatal trials that a vampire had to go through in order to free their soul, their membership was fairly low. In addition, vampires and other organizations who owed their allegiance to Molag Bal, hunted the Unbound throughout Tamriel. Despite this, the group eventually grew to around eighty members, spread throughout Cyrodiil ,High Rock and Hammerfell.

Unfortunately, in 4E 203, the Unbound came to the attention of both the Paladins and witch hunters of Arkay. They in turn allied with the Order of the Virtuous Blood. Together, they started hunting the vampires that made up the Unbound. The Paladins of Arkay even went so far as to surround the city of Chorrol, interrogating any coming to or leaving the city, much to the displeasure of the inhabitants.

Formation
In 2E 519, the Imperial vampire, Cassus Andrius, went through a devastating and traumatic trial that freed his soul from the realm of Coldharbour. Andrius immediately received the attention of Molag Bal. Several Dremora were dispatched to kill the rebellious vampire. However, the Imperial proved more capable than Bals' minions had expected, and he slew two of them, before fleeing into the Colovian countryside. After nearly a decade of hiding in the wilderness, Cassus was discovered by a group of vampires seeking to follow in his footsteps.

Though skeptical at first, the Imperial taught his fellows the ritual. Most of the group perished in the attempt, but a few survived, and joined him. One of the group owned the recently built tavern, the Grey Mare, in the city of Chorrol. The vampires cautiously moved into the city, and set up residence below the inn. Though their souls were free, the vampires were still cautious, knowing they were hunted by those loyal to the lord of Coldharbour.

Over the years, Andrius' followers steadily grew. They formally named themselves the Unbound, and even invented a sigil, a broken chain, representing their freedom from an eternity of enslavement. The group eventually spread throughout Hammerfell and High Rock as well, though they continued to operate under the radar.

Daedric Invasion
After the events of the Soulburst Molag Bal attempted to merge his realm and Mundus, attempting to take over the world for his own purposes. This greatly concerned the Unbound, as the Daedra had not forgotten them, and they now had free reign on Tamriel. With no other choice, the vampires prepare to fight. Unbound agents appear fighting alongside several armies, in some cases, helping to turn the tide, or evacuate civilians prior to a Daedric forces' appearance.

Andrius himself fought in defense of Chorrol when the Daedric forces assaulted the city. Though he and his companions fought viciously, the city eventually fell, shortly after the Daedra seized the Imperial City. The Unbound with Andrius fled into the Colovian Highlands, and attempted to evacuate Imperial civilians, or harass Daedric troops. The vampires assisted in the invasion of Coldharbour, which concluded with the destruction of the Great Shackle, and the showdown between the Soulless One and Bal.

After the defeat of Molag Bal and his forces, the Unbound went back to their quiet lives, though they drew in more vampires seeking to join the organization. Despite having fought in Coldharbour, the Unbound remained, for the most part, anonymous.

The Oblivion Crisis
The Daedra struck once more in the fourth century of the third era, this time orchestrated by Mehrunes Dagon. The Oblivion Crisis threatened all of Tamriel, as Daedric forces invaded the land. Molag Bal, made a pact with Dagon, and a clan of Dremora, the 'Deathbringers', entered Tamriel, tasked with finding and killing Unbound. At the battle of Cheydinhal,Decimus Gaille, one of Cassus Andrius' good friends, was killed by several of the clan, while fighting along the Imperial second legion.

As Martin Septim began turning the tide of the war in Cyrodiil, Cassus, for the first time, called for the Unbound to unite, and they forged into Hammerfell, closing down several Oblivion gates. Close to the end of the crisis, Andrius, along with Dynen Maloren, Vhen Holt, and Gar-Mol-Bruckal, encountered the Deathbringer Clan outside of Bruma, and engaged them in battle, sending the entire group back to Coldharbour, and avenging Gaille.

In the aftermath of the crisis, Andrius had Gailles' body interred inside Cheydinhal, naming him an Imperial hero, though the populace of the city didn't know of his undead nature. With the beginning of the fourth era, the Unbound faded more into the background, keeping to themselves, and ever wary of their hunters. Several safehouses were constructed throughout Hammerfell and High Rock.

Paladins of Arkay
The group remained anonymous until the early years of the fifth century of the fourth era. In 4E 202, the Unbound were revealed to the Paladins of Arkay, and their Witch hunter colleagues. Predictably, the Paladins move into Cyrodiil, having already captured and interrogated several Unbound in High Rock. The Witch hunter Remehk Unrul, lead several dozen knights to purge the vampires from Hammerfell, but those agents in the Redguard homeland escaped with the help of the smuggling organization, the Unseen.

The Bloodlet Throne Coven
In late 4E 203, an agent from the Unbound, at the behest of Cassus Andrius, approached the Bloodlet Throne Coven, in Skyrim. The agent requested an alliance with the Coven, one that the Coven was reluctant to grant. Unknown to Cassus or his fellows, the Inquisitorius Vampirum had been watching the group for the past two years. They believed the Unbound would only hasten a conflict with both the Paladins. Furthermore, the Coven was currently trying to track down the Order of the Silver Sun, so they might wipe them out.

However, Salthar Vivarian was impressed by the success of Cassus and his associates' severing Molag Bals' hold on them. The Coven agreed to an alliance, and a group of Night Talons were dispatched to Cyrodiil. The Talons were successful in turning back the Paladins, and lifting the encirclement of Chorrol. However, the Inquisitorius suspected the Unbound, and High Inquisitor Esgal Dimmin dispatched inquisitor Holst Karskin to investigate them.

Inquisitor Karskin joined a group of Unbound agents on a mission into the Druadach mountains. The leader of the group was a Bosmer woman, by the name of Lellalinye Sorbrae. Karskin questioned the womans' orders at every turn, raising tensions between the inquisitor and the agents.

Organization and tactics
The Unbound, by their nature, were secretive, and reclusive. Hunted by both the mortals loyal to Bal, and his undead servants, many of their number were quick to distrust outsiders. Due to the attention large gatherings usually drew, the groups agents only met in groups of three to five at a time. However, almost all of the group were brave to a fault. Despite their hatred for Molag Bal, the agents believed vampires' enslaved by Bal could still be redeemed.

Agents would quietly seek out their hunters, and leave obscure hints, inviting a meeting, if the hunter so desired. More often than not, the vampires of Bal rejected or ignored the messages. However, several vampires betrayed Bal, to join the Unbound. Willing to risk everything for their freedom.

When forced to fight, agents of the Unbound drew on their vampiric speed to avoid the blows of their powerful enemies. Unable to field a standing army, like the Coven, they often fought in small groups, or alone. Many times, they enlisted the help of mortals, generally those unopposed to working with shadowy organizations to begin with.

The groups leader was Cassus Andrius, who was the first to break Molag Bals' hold on his soul. Though the Unbound had no formal ranking system, those with the most experience were often placed in charge of operations.

Rules
Though the Unbound did not see themselves beholden to the laws of mortals, they whenever possible, worked within the law. They were forbidden from harming innocent mortals, and, when they had to feed, did so on criminals. They treated their fallen comrades with respect, often making sure they were buried properly. They helped helpless and needy mortals, despite their undead nature. Though not necessarily a rule, the Unbound considered themselves compelled to combat slavers wherever they were found.

Rules of honour dictated that they allow an enemy, to pick up a dropped weapon. This rule, however, did not apply to Daedra, as the denizens of Oblivion usually lacked it in any form. They also refrained from defacing or looting the corpse of an enemy. In the example of Cassus Andrius, members of the Unbound felt themselves compelled to avenge the deeds of evil-doers, often hunting a scion of evil until they caught their quarry and delivered justice.

Notable Members
Cassus Andrius- Imperial male,Founder

Decimus Gaille- Imperial male

Dynen Maloren- Dunmer male

Vhen Holt- Nord male

Gar-Mol-Bruckal- Orc male

Lellalinye Sorbrae- Bosmer female