The Chainbreak
The Chainbreak was not a single broken collar or failed workshop. Forced attunement failed across a linked handling network and the resulting resonance destroyed three river towns.
Before the break
The Quiet Chain had industrialized forced bonds through hush-collars, forged seals, chemical suppression, paper networks, handlers, and transport crews. Harm disappeared easily when the paperwork said no living subject had ever been there.
Accepted record
Surviving accounts agree that the failure spread beyond the original handling sites. Entire streets were lost. Records of warning signs, responsible officers, and the first point of failure remain incomplete or contradictory.
Immediate aftermath
The disaster made the First Accord politically possible. Sanctuary rights, Keeper licensing, documented custody, and provenance were written into law while surviving Chain routes broke into smaller, harder-to-trace cells.