The Broken Chain

The losses during the Africa to America leg of the slave trade — the infamous Middle Passage — were horriﬁc. Anywhere from 20% to 50% of the slaves on board would perish of disease, hunger, dehydration or simply through losing the will to live. The death toll was usually in the hundreds. Even the crew suffered fatalities: disease claimed them just as easily and they had little protection against the illnesses endemic to Africa. By the time a Guineaman reached port, it would be carrying several wraiths.

A group of wraiths of ex-slaves took to riding ships to reap the dead slaves and capture and punish crew who perished. On the occasions when a ship went down, they were uniquely placed to capture its relic. When enough had been seized, the group launched a series of lightning raids against Stygian convoys, with patchy but increasing success.

In the centuries since, the Broken Chain, as the organization was dubbed, has become one of the most organized and focused Renegade groups. All the ships and crews are sworn to ﬁghting the Thrall trade in the Shadowlands. They target Thrall ships exclusively, ignoring relic-based cargoes.

Captured ships and those ex-Thralls who wish to join the Broken Chain are taken to one of a series of camps on the African coast, which are tolerated by the native wraiths. Artiﬁ cers keep their forges stoked, ready to turn the captured Hierarchy crewmen into repair materials and weapons.

The group maintains many links with Renegade communities all around the Atlantic. Liberated Thralls who don’t want to join the crusade are helped to ﬁnd a new circle of wraiths.

There is even some cordial, but distant, contact with the kingdoms that make up the Dark Kingdom of Ivory. However, too many former slaves remember being sold into slavery by their countrymen to return to their arms too easily.

Reference

 * World of Darkness: Blood-Dimmed Tides p. 49