Jeff recently started running a mini campaign set in Sacaron about two hundred years before the events of the main campaign took place. The campaign is set in Dimmerdale, a Drow city, and all the characters are Drow or members of races that associate with Drow.
The city of the Drow is a free wheeling city. There is just barely enough law and order to keep things running smoothly, but not too much, the smooth running is that of currents within water. The houses and families of the powerful Drow have no boundaries that are visible to anyone who is not in tune with the mores of Drow society, unless they are at the plane of turbulence between conflicting flows, and then woe be to them.
However as said there is a need to maintain this minimal order there is required a certain amount of enforcement, in order to maintain this freedom against those inferior races that would impose their abominable sense of order on this delightful kaleidoscope of talent commerce and power a military force is required. However needed the military either in the field or on the streets must maintain order, discipline and a chain of command - which means it is never a popular job choice except with those trying to prove something for future political gain. Hence the police/miltary/secret service of Dimmerdale is staffed mostly by draftees and indentured beings working off debts.
Your average Drow would sell his father for a silver - they'd hold out for a gold to sell their mother. Even if you'd rather not be working for police/miltary, you recognize the need - all of you are a bit more loyal to the crown than average (I need at least some token reason to hold a party of chaotics together), or at least to your personal conception of who the Queen is and what she symbolizes . Since she doesn't live a very public life, you each may well have completely different perceptions or notions about why she is worthy of your loyalty, from the mother of all Drow aspect, to the keeper of the peace, or the terrible force behind the harsh lash of the Queens Justice on the backs of your enemies, or her place as the spiritual leader an intercessionary of the Awesome Power of Charilanu, supreme Diety of the Drow, whose voracious appetite chews up and swallow the enemies of Dimmerdale. Whatever, you like the Queen and until you tour of duty is up, will willingly serve as a member of her Praetors.
Tonight : you've all been assigned for one reason or another to a task force that is to seize and arrest some enemies of the crown.