On a tangent, breaking away from the Grand Companies, there are three special Factions/Companies existing in tandem with the Adventurer's Guild. These are Azeyma's Shields, the Brotherhood of the Broken Blade, and the Horn and Hand.
With the loss of Faction Levequests in 2.0, these organizations rarely get brought up, but they still exist in the background of 2.0, per the Ashcrown Consortium's involvement in the 2.0 Allied Beastmen Storyline. The Ashcrown Consortium, a secret organization founded by the Sylphs that works very closely with the Horn and Hand, monitors all Crystal Trade across Eorzea and works to restore city-state relations with the estranged Beast Tribes.
Quote:Azeyma's Shields
One of the three factions of Eorzea, Azeyma's Shields face the dangers within the city-states as opposed to the threats from without. Because their enemies are not from the Empire or the Beast Tribes, but are members of their own societies, the upper echelons of their association remain well hidden. Often placing themselves directly in harms way as they infiltrate the criminal underworld, Azeyma's Shields seek to bring the most dangerous members of society to swift, and often lethal, justice.
Sometimes dealing directly with the professional intelligence gathering members of The Horn and Hand, their clandestine operations are rarely known to the public at large as the Shields attempt to pervade into, and dismantle, an international criminal organization known only as Zer'maat Five.
As the Shields get closer to their goal, it becomes more and more imperative that their membership remain anonymous. To this end, they will often employ volunteers from throughout the city-states to assist in their operations.
Quote:The Brotherhood of the Broken Blade
One of the three existing factions currently existing in Eorzea, the Brotherhood of the Broken Blade is a structured corps of warriors that take on the threats of the beast tribes in the most complex of situations.
Under the circumstances that an area is threatened by Forgekin and there is no one to counter them, either because the militias cannot intervene, or are too weak to win, the Broken Blades will shoulder the responsibility. Their motivation for this seems to be political esteem and prestige, as they often take on missions with the aim of pleasing organizations such as the Syndicate or the throne of Ishgard.
This does not mean that the Broken Blades are above dishonorable means, however. If it ensures the stability of the realm, their ranks are not above political assassinations, false flag operations, or shady alliances; though, it is with the best of intentions that the Blades step in when weakness, bureaucracy, or corruption poses as big a threat to the cities as does the beast tribes.
To this end, The Brotherhood of the Broken Blade is willing to accept volunteers from among Eorzea's adventurers, so long as they follow the chain of command and serve the best interests of their people.
Quote:The Horn and Hand
One of the three currently existing factions in Eorzea, the Horn and Hand focuses their efforts on non-combative tasks such as intelligence gathering, item recovery, and espionage. These skills are utilized in service of any organization willing to pay for them, as the Horn and Hand are currently overwhelmed by their debts.
Be it at the behest of the other factions, the city-states, or private clients, the ranks of the Horn and Hand are able to masterfully and stealthily navigate the landscape in order to procure rare materials, obtain intelligence, gather evidence, and recover goods thought unobtainable.
It is not all about the pay, however. When lives and land are threatened, the Horn and Hand will not hesitate to assist their allies in any way they can, even it it means losing profits by way of recruiting volunteer adventurers to ensure an operation's success.
With the loss of Faction Levequests in 2.0, these organizations rarely get brought up, but they still exist in the background of 2.0, per the Ashcrown Consortium's involvement in the 2.0 Allied Beastmen Storyline. The Ashcrown Consortium, a secret organization founded by the Sylphs that works very closely with the Horn and Hand, monitors all Crystal Trade across Eorzea and works to restore city-state relations with the estranged Beast Tribes.
