Factions
Getting a tier 1 faction to help you would be kinda helpful. Getting a tier 1 faction mad at you would be inconvenient.
Getting a tier 4 faction to help you would be REAL hard but REAL helpful.
Getting a tier 4 faction mad at you would be REAL unhelpful.
TIER 1 FACTIONS:
Travelling Merchants: Moving goods along the road between the town and the next kingdom over (east). Generally on the lookout for trouble.
The Faithful - In utter fear for their lives after the tyrant took over and started hunting them for being heretics. The truly faithful (city) still whisper prayers to other gods.
Marvelous Masons- A secret society (city) with strange rituals and hidden agendas. The only thing that is truly known about them is that they all know how to build things.
The Loyal Order of the Caribou: The Grand Exalted PooBah welcomes you to join this brotherhood focused on the manlier aspects of life: hunting, fishing, drinking, weapons, duels, roasting meat outdoors, more drinking, etc. Be recommended by a member and bring your first dues installment to your local chapter; Lodge 26 (city).
The Guild of Bartenders and Innholders: They know who's drinking, who's brawling, who's having an affair, who's got money, and lots more things. Could be useful people to know... if you can impress them (city).
The Brewers' and Vintners' Guild: These families live just a little north by northwest of the city. They've got quite a bit of money and influence, but they're usually too busy with their vendettas against each other to be truly powerful.
TIER 2 FACTIONS:
The Farmers: Hardworking farmers (east) who need just a little more push from the Tyrant (or encouragement from rebels) to start defending their lands and watching each others' backs. Each farm generally has several houses with extended family spread throughout them.
The Cacti Court: This prickly court of characters (southwest) is full of all different kinds of fey. They are recognized citizens of the kingdom even though they live outside the city limits.
Duchess in the Ruined Castle: A powerful spirit haunts this castle (far southeast), ruined in an unremembered war. Within the halls of the castle also roams a possessed suit of armor - her son's soul bound to it. She sends the suit out in the land, in search of her husband, dead for generations.
Swift Monastery: The Swift are bird-people who can fly with the wings growing out of their backs. Normally they live only far to the east in the tops of the Skytrees, but a group of them live on top of Mount Cloudrake (southwest) in the desert in monastic contemplation of their god Noric, god of The Sky and Freedom. They scorn the people of the town and their earthly ways, but they also depend on them for trade.
The Bears: The Bears live in the woods to the northeast. They love to party, and to sing. Their songs are magical, and can mend things-- a broken cup or bottle, a broken sword, a broken bone... But while they're really mellow, they're also very strong fighters when and if anything ever manages to set off their tempers.
The Blacksmith's Guild: No horse gets shoe-ed, no armor gets made, now weapons gets made without them. (city)
TIER 3 FACTIONS:
Boris the Wizard: Boris has an interesting relationship with the city, getting supplies and other odd products for his mysterious arcane experiments in return for... things. Sometimes Boris pays for what he wants with gold, sometimes with minor magical items that he's apparently made by himself. Delivery wagons regularly travel back and forth from the city to his tower (southeast).
The Dragonbone Collective: In ages past this was a group of dragon slayers, until the they killed the last known living dragon. Now they (city) control the trade in dragonbone, dragon scales, and any other dragon bits still survive.
The Dervishes: Spirits of the desert (southwest), banded together to defend and spread their land. They can take the form of a warm breeze, or a vicious whirlwind gathering up sand into a biting mass. When they want to communicate, they will coalesce into a humanoid shape made of swirling sand, and speaking with the voice of the desert wind.
TIER 4 FACTIONS:
The Wanderers: No humans can survive in the most inhospitable parts of the desert (far southwest) like the people called The Wanderers. They're devout worshipers of some deity they don't talk to strangers about, and they're very fierce fighters. Everyone respects them, and no one dares to cross them. They come to the edge of the city every few months to trade for supplies, but they're very independent.
The People of the Crystal: A village (to the northwest) of people with amazing mental abilities. They communicate with each other without words and many claim they know what you're thinking. Indeed, they are said to have other incredible abilities as well... especially when they work together...
The Gnolls: The Gnolls (far northwest) are a barbarian tribe of large hyena-folk to the far northwest. They don't like humans... They don't like much of anything, except The Game, which is what they call their whole lifestyle, which involves a complex caste system based on how much respect an individual has in their community...
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:46, Fri 24 Apr 2020.
