Factions

## **The Sea Lords**

Hailing from the islands of the Blood Bay and their capital city of Ardwall, the Sea Lords are made up of an "organized" band of pirates that share a common goal of independent statehood. Led by the Three Captains – James Garre, Tessa Southwind, and Derek "One-Eye" Dudley – they have welcomed thousands of men and women to the ranks of their superior navy and "highly refined" pirate society. Their mastery of the seas is unrivaled, and they always seem to have the wind at their backs whenever they need it most.

## **The Greyguard**

Composed mostly of dwarves and some gnomes, the Greyguard finds its roots within Dun Eamon (a.k.a. The Grey Citadel), the homeland to both races. This impressive city is built into the cliffside of the Great Escarpment and expands deep into the ground as well as onto the surface. The Greyguard have tasked themselves with defending their home at all costs and have little to no interest in sending their best soldiers forth to fight the undead hordes because their leader, a dwarf by the name of Thenn'do the Thrasher, is quoted saying: “The whole sodding world can go to shit but Dun Eamon will still be here! My ancestors built this place thousands of years ago and if it can stand against the test of time, it can stand against a few thousand dead folks!”

## **The Black Crown**

A new faction formed in the wake of the Foul Upheaval, The Black Crown hails from the newly formed bastion of Lastwall. It is led by the Crow King, a human whose true name and identity have not been discovered. For over a century, he and his modest army have held Lastwall, which rests in a small bottleneck between the mountains that separate the Ashen Wastes from the southern kingdoms.

## **The Silent Watchers**

Deep in the Forest Heart, known to the elves as Illvandrin, the Silent Watchers have protected the elven forests for millennia. Deadly and precise, archers lay silent in the forest canopy scouting for enemies of the elven kingdom and dispatching them quickly and quietly. Beast masters and rangers alike patrol the vast woods for trespassers while the druids and mages of the kingdom create massive vine walls and mazes of illusions to keep all others away from their home cities of Curael-Endir and Arathene. The leaders of the Elven Kingdom have recently brokered an agreement with The Black Crown to send some of the Silent Watchers’ scouts and archers to Lastwall to help keep the unending legions of undead from crossing its threshold and threatening their sacred forests.

## **The Dragon Princes**

The peninsula of Urland is home to an ancient order of people who are of metallic draconic bloodlines. The Dragon Princes are  full-blooded ancient dragons but maintain humanoid forms the majority of the time until threatened. They are: Arthuurnax (Brass), Turalisk (Bronze), Rachisj (Copper), Aurixisk (Gold), and Ornisthyr (Silver). They have always been masters of their own realm, paying little mind to the activities of the southern kingdoms as they and their ancestors have seen many kingdoms rise and fall. However, the growing threat of the Crucible Lands may be the spark that sends this nation back into the fold.

## **The Court of Stars**

The island of Ithell is home to the Eladrin. The celestial paragons of the Eladrins are collectively known as The Court of Stars. Like the Dragon Princes, they Eladrin have remained isolated for hundreds of years. After the Foul Upheaval, a magical barrier was seen being raised around Ithellium, their capital city, and what little was known about the fae-touched then has all been lost to time now as no Eladrin have been seen outside the magical protections since the cataclysm.

The last documented members of the Court of Stars include:

* **Ghaelon, the Queen's Consort** - Oversees the defense of the Court of Stars and liberates Eladrins captured by evil forces.
* **Nova, the Whirling Fury** - Queen Illiani’s loyal champion and a barbarian of unparalleled ferocity.
* **Illiani, Queen of Stars** - The ruler of the Eladrins and the Court of Stars.

## **The Omega Project**

Far off the southern coast of the main continent of Telduria is a vast desert island now known as Kelnore. On the northern tip of this island is the brilliant city of Tamash Ahir, a bustling trading port with a diverse population. After the Foul Upheaval, a collective of the top minds in Telduria formed the Omega Project. Led by an individual known only as Chief Executive, this group has tasked itself with finding a way to merge technology with magic to protect the living and destroy its enemies. They always working towards innovating new technologies and spells to both assist the general public as well as fight the advancing undead armies of Ebonezzar in the north.

## **The Archclericy of Valon**

The Archclericy has been around for centuries. Before the Foul Upheaval, it was overseen by the Council of Eleven, each representing one of the Good or Neutral deities of the realm. They had been responsible for initiating and training new clerics in their newfound divine abilities. When the gods went silent after the cataclysm, they began to fracture and disband. In their stead, a new divine prophet by the name of Valon Dawnspear emerged. She was one of the few paladins who retained immense divine power after the Foul Upheaval. People began to worship Valon as she healed the sick and trained new initiates to fight the undead, but she never believed she was a prophet or goddess, herself. One day, Valon mysteriously disappeared. People reported seeing a pillar of pure light descend upon The Great Spire in Highrock the day she disappeared. Others began to speculate that she had somehow ascended to Godhood. Not long after, most of humanity as well as fringe groups in other societies began to worship her as the one and only Goddess of the Realms. Nowadays, the Archclericy is devoted to her service and spreading the word of the new Goddess of Telduria.

## **The Darakeene Vanguard**

The Darakeene Protectorate was founded by the First Emperor, Ardan Ironborn, more than 1,000 years ago. Darakeene is a nation of both constancy and great change. The great warrior Ardan united the barbaric Keltai tribes into a single nation. The borders of each tribe's lands were set, and they became the nine provinces forming the Darakeene Protectorate. The Darakeene Vanguard is now the most feared and respected group of fighters in the known world, always at the front line of a major battle. They have protected Dragonport and the other cities and villages of their allies in the Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis from countless invasions and make up the bulk of the ground forces holding the undead and other foul creatures of the realm at bay.