During a failed invasion of Absalom by the Taldan empire called the Silent Tide, operatives were sent into the city on missions of sabotage. Before embarking, these operatives, knows at the Black Echelon, swore an oath to complete their missions, no matter the hindrance. Their plot was subsequently discovered and the members of the Black Echelon were hunted down and killed to the man. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Binding Word vow they swore can bring them back as skeletal undead, whose only desire is to complete the mission they had originally be tasked.