The Anointed

For as long as memory has been etched upon stone or paper there have been those dedicated to the Divine and being spiritual guides for the masses. 

The Anointed are often referred to as Acolytes, as they assist the faithful in rituals and religious celebrations. Acolytes are expected to uphold a minimum of piety and faithfulness to the Divine, which includes defending against the creatures of the Outer Darkness and the horrors that Corruption has unleashed upon the world. 

While many Acolytes are well funded by their local congregation, there no longer exists a greater organization that can provide for the needs of the Anointed. While many Acolytes share among themselves in time of need, each Acolyte is often expected to provide their own provisions. 

Anointed members draw a circle upon their forehead, a sign to others that they are able to lead them in spiritual matters. While the mark is known as the Tears of Ghesheya, and most Anointed paint the mark with blue, others use whatever color they find available, especially in modern times.

While some Acolytes may prefer one Divine over the others, they respect all Divines equally and are knowledgeable of all Divines and capable of performing all of the rites. In the days before the Curse some Acolyte Orders existed that pursued the embodiment of a single Divine over all others, however, that is no longer the case.

Benefit: Membership in the Faction grants access to Rites of the Divine, as well as the ability to perform them. A complete list of Rites can be found in Rites and Rituals of the Divines.

Restriction: Those with this Faction Membership may not perform profane Cult Rituals.

The Esoteric Order of the Nostiri

Requirements: Apprentice Path (any)

One of the few mystic orders to survive the fall of the Curse, the Nostiri have long been a tightly knit and secretive organization. Once their Lodges were found throughout the Empire, but in more recent years their surviving members have been wandering the Frontier attempting to reestablish themselves. 

Follow the Dragon’s Tail…

Benefit – Membership grants access to perform Rituals of the Nostiri.

The Lost Chorus

Requirement: Ar-Nura, Bard Skill

“While we are not the only ones who can tap into the harmonies that were woven through the world, we were the first to pluck the strings.“

The earliest remembered existence of the Chorus was within a century of the War of the First Blood. The Ar-Nura claim that their healing songs were instrumental in preventing a few Emperors from perishing due to various plagues and afflictions. However, with a lack of surviving records, little can be verified.

What is known is that those among the Firstborn who have a talent for soothing the mind with their songs are occasionally indoctrinated into the mysteries of using their skills to do much more. While most tales of Ar-Nura using their songs to heal the wounded and the ill, a few speak of an Ar-Nura releasing devastating wails. 

When an Ar-Nura, regardless of Culture, has become a notable musician or singer, a venerable member of the Lost Chorus seeks them out. They watch the talented individual for a time, and when they feel that the Firstborn is ready, they approach them with an offer to be indoctrinated into the further mysteries of one of the oldest organizations.

After a brief ceremony in which the recruit performs a song with the teacher, they are brought into the mysteries of the Lost Chorus. The teacher spends some time teaching the new recruit the Principles of the Chorus.

  1. The world is made of invisible strings, woven by Akhanadra. 
  2. Everything has a pitch, everything vibrates. Most things resonate at a pitch that can only be heard by the initiated.
  3. You may change the pitch through sound, and alter the properties of their thread.
  4. Only the Great Weaver may trim a thread. It is not for you to decide when a life must end. 

Benefit: Membership in the Faction grants knowledge of all Chords, as well as the ability to perform them. A complete list of Chords can be found in the Codex of the Mystical.

Notaries

Requirement: Stoneborn

Among the Stoneborn, one occupation arose that seems to hold great sway, that of the Notary, individuals who spend their time studying the nuances of language and go to painstaking lengths in writing documents that aptly detail agreements between two (or more) parties. While anyone can write up a contract or agreement, Stoneborn not only pride themselves on their diligence and astute wording, but some say that the Notaries practice a form of magic unseen among any other people.

When an individual is a willing party to an Oath crafted by a Stoneborn Notary, and they break the Oath, it is said that great misfortune befalls them. While that may be seen as mere superstition by some, the Notaries are sure to inform their brethren of Oathbreakers, and such individuals forever carry a stigma from all Stoneborn and their allies.

Most Notaries go to great lengths to record the Pacts they write, using special inks of unusual colors or with traces of precious metals, and transcribed on thick parchment or even tanned hides. Because their work is seen as an art form, a Notary rarely writes a frivolous Pact.

Notaries are held to the highest of standards to be impartial when enacting their Oaths. Notaries who betray their position of being unbiased arbiters find that their Oaths are deemed as worthless, and those that use their position for devious purposes are often hunted down by other Stoneborn.

It is rare that an Oath is drafted quickly, and many take several nights and deep musings from the Notary upon the specific language to be used within the Oath. Many Notaries also confer with their colleagues to make sure that an Oath has no dubious or misleading wording.

Benefit: Membership in the Notary Faction grants knowledge of all Oaths, as well as the ability to perform them. A complete list of Oaths can be found in the Codex of the Mystical.

 

Rangers of the West

Requirement: the Warden Archetype, or Lore (Nature), or Hunting

Long since charged for scouting the western lands and making the roads safe to the blossoming settlements on the Frontier, they were once an order of warriors, trackers, and wilder folk. Their abilities to hunt down menaces and threats were well-honed, and even bandits and criminals had begun to fear their blades. For many years it seemed they might single-handedly bring peace to the region, as they also were known to deal diplomatically with the various tribes in the region, as many of their members originated from such peoples.

With the fall of the Empire, the Rangers lost much of their support and were forced to rely only upon what they could secure in the wild. Their numbers have dwindled since the Curse, and their abilities against the horrors have been hard-pressed since the emergence of darkborn and other corrupt horrors. Some of their surviving members began to focus more and more on their own tribes, often leaving vast swaths of wilderness without regular patrols.

While many are seen as errant adventurers, most still adhere to their original charge, roaming the wilds and hunting down possible threats. They occasionally venture into settlements, both to resupply and to seek out rumors of nearby dangers that need to be dealt with.

In order to join the Rangers, they are often tasked with hunting down a dangerous creature and eliminating it on their own. Once proof has been delivered to a veteran ranger, they undergo a short ceremony and are given a small badge of duty, the symbol of three arrows marked upon an amulet made of monster bone. 

In more recent years, the Rangers have been acting more like mercenaries, taking on bounties to hunt down monsters and criminals plaguing areas. Such has become a necessity due to their dwindling numbers and lack of Imperial support. While they don’t outright refuse to handle dangerous creatures, they are often more hesitant to put themselves in danger without proper supplies.

Benefit – Membership in the Faction grants access to Ranger Missions, a mechanic performed at the Check-In of an Event.

The Union of Trade

Requirement: NPC Only

Started long ago in the Great Cities of Saronae, they were formed to ensure that all goods sold within the Empire had a sense of uniformity. They developed stringent quality control, as well as a system of weights and measures, and helped codify several different systems. They also promoted the use of official roadways and petitioned local authorities in each city to devote taxes toward the development and maintenance of roads and waste management.

Their offices would often be busy affairs, as craftspersons would stream through their doors, or request writs of authenticity for larger projects which could not be brought to the office. The knowledge of their Depot Clerks was often uncanny and highly relied upon.

One reason they were so well-trusted was due to their unbiased stance. No amount of gold could sway their decisions, and they took their duties extremely seriously. Each of their Clerks were sworn to be an impartial arbiter of the Scales of Commerce. During the height of the Empire, Clerks were treated like nobility, as a Trade Depot shuttering its doors often meant that all commercial activity would come to a grinding halt.