The characters begin the campaign in the employ of an organization known as Khyber's Maw. It is a mercenary band operating out of Sharn, but whose exploits span the breadth of Khorvaire and beyond. They make no distinction between legal and illegal errands, save for the cost to the customer and the discretion of the operatives.
So far, the characters have been used as errand-runners, lookouts, distractions, etc.: the general disposable trash of the organization. When they join the campaign, their superiours have seen them succeed often enough to ask them to step into the organization proper and take on the responsibility of running missions as primary operatives.