diff --git a/server/demoSeed.js b/server/demoSeed.js
index 829a038..4d791b7 100644
--- a/server/demoSeed.js
+++ b/server/demoSeed.js
@@ -9,18 +9,44 @@
 //            .env, so the token is never in the repo
 //   links    demo-player's stand-in Steam id (DM6), so the player screens have
 //            somebody to show
+//   npcs     the NPC faction table and profiles of the demo default set (DM26)
+//   chat     a BetterChat style per group (DM26)
 //
 //   { "servers": [{ "id": "main", "name": "Demo", "sidecarBaseUrl": "$env:RUST_SIDECAR_URL",
 //                   "sidecarToken": "$env:RUST_SIDECAR_TOKEN" }],
-//     "links":   [{ "username": "demo-player", "steamId": "7656119…", "serverId": "main" }] }
+//     "links":   [{ "username": "demo-player", "steamId": "7656119…", "serverId": "main" }],
+//     "npcs":    { "factions": [{ "a": "bandits", "b": "guards", "relation": "allied" }],
+//                  "profiles": [{ "name": "bandit", "servers": ["main"], "body": { … } }] },
+//     "chat":    [{ "serverId": "main", "group": "vip", "style": { "Title": "[VIP]", … } }] }
+//
+// **Why NPCs and chat come from here, not the rig's baseline (DM26).** The rig is
+// restored before the site is wiped, and a fresh site imports what it finds
+// (§7.1). That holds for permissions, but not for these two. The restored rig's
+// RunicNPC says it is already managed, by the site before this one, so the new
+// site adopts nothing (D244) and its first push empties the profiles. The import
+// never adopts a group's chat style. So the site holds them from the start and
+// pushes them, and the placements in the baseline spawn again.
+//
+// A chat style names a group the rig's import has not brought in yet, because
+// the seed runs first. The group is created for that server, and the import
+// then adopts the rig's title, rank and permissions into it. A style lists only
+// the fields that differ from BetterChat's defaults.
 //
 // **It runs on every seed, so it upserts.** Core seeds content on a database's
-// first run only, but calls this every time. Everything is checked before
-// anything is written, and a problem throws, which fails the seed.
+// first run only, but calls this every time. The section's shape is checked
+// before anything is written, and a problem throws, which fails the seed. A
+// profile is checked by the NPC model as it is saved, as the admin page saves
+// one, so a profile the model refuses fails the seed too.
 
 const linksDb = require('./model/links/links.db')
 const servers = require('./model/servers/servers.model')
 const serversDb = require('./model/servers/servers.db')
+const npcs = require('./model/npcs/npcs.model')
+const npcsDb = require('./model/npcs/npcs.db')
+const npcShape = require('./model/npcs/npcProfile')
+const permApply = require('./model/permissions/permissions.apply')
+const permDb = require('./model/permissions/permissions.db')
+const chatStyle = require('./model/permissions/chatStyle')
 const sidecar = require('./sidecarClient')
 const core = require('./core')
 
@@ -28,6 +54,13 @@ const log = core.logger('demo')
 
 const SERVER_ID = /^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]{0,63}$/
 const STEAM_ID = /^7656119\d{10}$/
+// Oxide group names as the permission model keeps them: trimmed and lower-cased.
+const GROUP_NAME = /^[a-z0-9_.-]{1,64}$/
+
+/** BetterChat's defaults for the group, with the fixture's fields over them. */
+function fullStyle(group, style) {
+  return { ...chatStyle.defaults(String(group || '')), ...(style && typeof style === 'object' ? style : {}) }
+}
 
 /** Every problem with the section, as sentences. Empty when it is good to write. */
 function checkSection(data, accounts = {}) {
@@ -35,11 +68,41 @@ function checkSection(data, accounts = {}) {
   if (!data || typeof data !== 'object' || Array.isArray(data)) return ['modules.rust must be an object']
 
   const list = (key) => (data[key] === undefined ? [] : data[key])
-  for (const key of ['servers', 'links']) {
+  for (const key of ['servers', 'links', 'chat']) {
     if (data[key] !== undefined && !Array.isArray(data[key])) problems.push(`modules.rust.${key} must be an array`)
   }
+  const n = data.npcs
+  if (n !== undefined) {
+    if (!n || typeof n !== 'object' || Array.isArray(n)) problems.push('modules.rust.npcs must be an object')
+    else {
+      if (n.factions !== undefined && !Array.isArray(n.factions)) problems.push('modules.rust.npcs.factions must be an array')
+      if (n.profiles !== undefined && !Array.isArray(n.profiles)) problems.push('modules.rust.npcs.profiles must be an array')
+    }
+  }
   if (problems.length) return problems
 
+  if (n && n.factions !== undefined) {
+    const checked = npcShape.checkFactions(n.factions)
+    if (!checked.ok) problems.push(`modules.rust.npcs.${checked.error}`)
+  }
+  ;((n && n.profiles) || []).forEach((p, i) => {
+    const at = `modules.rust.npcs.profiles[${i}]`
+    if (!p || typeof p !== 'object') return problems.push(`${at} must be an object`)
+    if (!npcShape.NAME_RULE.test(String(p.name || ''))) problems.push(`${at}.name must be 1 to 40 of a-z, 0-9, _ and -`)
+    if (!p.body || typeof p.body !== 'object' || Array.isArray(p.body)) problems.push(`${at}.body must be an object`)
+    return undefined
+  })
+
+  list('chat').forEach((c, i) => {
+    const at = `modules.rust.chat[${i}]`
+    if (!c || typeof c !== 'object') return problems.push(`${at} must be an object`)
+    if (!SERVER_ID.test(String(c.serverId || ''))) problems.push(`${at}.serverId must be a server id`)
+    if (!GROUP_NAME.test(String(c.group || ''))) problems.push(`${at}.group must be a group name`)
+    const checked = chatStyle.validateStyle(fullStyle(c.group, c.style))
+    if (!checked.ok) problems.push(`${at}.style: ${checked.errors.join(' ')}`)
+    return undefined
+  })
+
   list('servers').forEach((s, i) => {
     const at = `modules.rust.servers[${i}]`
     if (!s || typeof s !== 'object') return problems.push(`${at} must be an object`)
@@ -92,6 +155,36 @@ async function onDemoSeed(data, { accounts = {} } = {}) {
     await linksDb.insert({ steamId, userId, name: l.name || null, serverId: l.serverId || null })
     log.info('demo link ready', { username: l.username })
   }
+
+  // After the servers: a profile is refused for a server the site does not have.
+  const n = data.npcs || {}
+  if (n.factions !== undefined) {
+    await npcs.setFactions(n.factions)
+    log.info('demo NPC factions ready', { pairs: n.factions.length })
+  }
+  if (n.profiles && n.profiles.length) {
+    const existing = await npcsDb.listProfiles()
+    for (const p of n.profiles) {
+      const input = { name: p.name, body: p.body, servers: p.servers, allServers: p.allServers, killsScope: p.killsScope }
+      const same = existing.find((e) => e.name === p.name && !e.replaced)
+      if (same) await npcs.update(same.id, input)
+      else await npcs.create(input)
+      log.info('demo NPC profile ready', { profile: p.name })
+    }
+  }
+
+  for (const c of data.chat || []) {
+    const name = String(c.group)
+    let group = await permApply.groupOn(name, c.serverId)
+    if (!group) {
+      const id = await permDb.insertGroup({ name, title: name })
+      await permDb.setGroupServers(id, { allServers: false, servers: [c.serverId] })
+      group = { id }
+    }
+    await permDb.setGroupChat(group.id, chatStyle.validateStyle(fullStyle(name, c.style)).fields)
+    await permDb.markDirty(c.serverId)
+    log.info('demo chat style ready', { server: c.serverId, group: name })
+  }
 }
 
 module.exports = { checkSection, onDemoSeed }
diff --git a/server/test/demo.test.js b/server/test/demo.test.js
index badf1f3..ff4459b 100644
--- a/server/test/demo.test.js
+++ b/server/test/demo.test.js
@@ -375,6 +375,76 @@ test('a re-seed leaves a link the right owner holds, and moves one held by someo
   assert.deepEqual(writes, ['DELETE', 'INSERT'])
 })
 
+// ── NPCs and chat styles from the seed (DM26) ──────────────────────────────
+
+const NPC_SECTION = {
+  npcs: {
+    factions: [{ a: 'bandits', b: 'guards', relation: 'allied' }],
+    profiles: [
+      { name: 'bandit', servers: ['main'], body: { kits: ['rnpc_raider'], role: 'roamer' } },
+      { name: 'guard', servers: ['main'], body: { kits: ['rnpc_campguard'], role: 'sentry' } },
+    ],
+  },
+  chat: [
+    { serverId: 'main', group: 'vip', style: { Title: '[VIP]', TitleColor: '#ffaa00' } },
+    { serverId: 'main', group: 'moderator', style: { Title: '[MOD]' } },
+  ],
+}
+
+/** Stubs the models the seed writes NPCs and chat styles through; returns the calls. */
+function stubSeedModels({ profiles = [], groups = {} } = {}) {
+  const calls = []
+  const npcs = require('../model/npcs/npcs.model')
+  const npcsDb = require('../model/npcs/npcs.db')
+  const apply = require('../model/permissions/permissions.apply')
+  const permDb = require('../model/permissions/permissions.db')
+  npcs.setFactions = async (f) => calls.push(['setFactions', f])
+  npcs.create = async (input) => calls.push(['create', input.name, input.servers])
+  npcs.update = async (id, input) => calls.push(['update', id, input.name])
+  npcsDb.listProfiles = async () => profiles
+  apply.groupOn = async (name) => groups[name] || null
+  permDb.insertGroup = async ({ name }) => {
+    calls.push(['insertGroup', name])
+    return 50
+  }
+  permDb.setGroupServers = async (id, s) => calls.push(['setGroupServers', id, s.servers])
+  permDb.setGroupChat = async (id, style) => calls.push(['setGroupChat', id, style.Title, style.TitleColor, Object.keys(style).length])
+  permDb.markDirty = async (scope) => calls.push(['markDirty', scope])
+  return calls
+}
+
+test('the NPC and chat parts of the seed section are checked before anything is written', async () => {
+  withCore()
+  const seed = require('../demoSeed')
+  assert.deepEqual(seed.checkSection(NPC_SECTION, {}), [])
+  const problems = seed.checkSection({
+    npcs: { factions: [{ a: 'scientists', b: 'animals', relation: 'hostile' }], profiles: [{ name: 'Bad Name', body: [] }] },
+    chat: [{ serverId: 'Main', group: '', style: { Title: '[VIP]', Nope: 1 } }],
+  }, {})
+  assert.equal(problems.length, 6, problems.join(' | '))
+  assert.deepEqual(seed.checkSection({ npcs: [] }, {}), ['modules.rust.npcs must be an object'])
+  const calls = stubSeedModels()
+  await assert.rejects(seed.onDemoSeed({ chat: [{ serverId: 'main', group: 'vip', style: { Priority: 'x' } }] }, { accounts: {} }), /style/)
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [])
+})
+
+test('the seed sets the faction table, saves each profile, and styles each group', async () => {
+  withCore()
+  const calls = stubSeedModels({ profiles: [{ id: 7, name: 'bandit', replaced: false }], groups: { vip: { id: 13 } } })
+  await require('../demoSeed').onDemoSeed(NPC_SECTION, { accounts: {} })
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [
+    ['setFactions', NPC_SECTION.npcs.factions],
+    ['update', 7, 'bandit'], // already there: updated, not created twice
+    ['create', 'guard', ['main']],
+    ['setGroupChat', 13, '[VIP]', '#ffaa00', 12], // all twelve fields, the defaults filled in
+    ['markDirty', 'main'],
+    ['insertGroup', 'moderator'], // the rig's import has not brought it in yet
+    ['setGroupServers', 50, ['main']],
+    ['setGroupChat', 50, '[MOD]', '#55aaff', 12],
+    ['markDirty', 'main'],
+  ])
+})
+
 // ── The manifest (§3.2) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 test('module.json locks the two link routes and needs a core that asks demoRefuses', () => {