Factions

## ***Gang Warfare***

Because it is impossible for there to be more than one person in the world without people fighting, there are a few factions you all should know about! Feel free to be a member of any of these factions if you do so desire, so long as you adhere to their moral code. There are plenty of other organizations in Aneos, and I am not limiting you to these; if you would like to come up with your own faction, by all means, do so. These have only been listed due to their plot significance throughout the RP.

### ***The Order of the Golden Hand***

The **Order of the Golden Hand**, sometimes called the **Golden Order** or just **The Order** for short, is one of the most well-known factions throughout Aneos. It is made up of hundreds of members, and while very few are chosen to be elite members of the faction, the common man can enter service under The Order’s name. Very rarely will one enter a major city that does not include its own Order branch, and it is very common to encounter ragtag Order outposts while traveling off the beaten path.

The Order is a group of overzealous religious and political elites that dedicate their lives to eradicating demonic forces and beings from Aneos. Society has mixed emotions about the Order; on one hand, it is highly involved in community service projects and often makes large donations to churches, hospitals, and other beneficial institutions. On the other hand, many accuse The Order as being a means of a political official to secure public status, and the Order is very conservative; in other words, they are very against a human upgrading himself with Thaummatech body parts. So much so, in fact, that they consider Thaummatech-upgraded humans “demons” and deny them all access to funding from the organization. Rumors have sprouted about “exorcisms” behind closed doors, as they are called, where all Thaummatech materials are removed from an individual’s body, whether or not they cooperate.

The Order also has a very loose definition of “demonic”. Other than Thaummatech, The Order also wages war against any and all forms of Liches, Djinnis, and Orcs. Obviously they cannot attack these people in public in fear of tarnishing their political standings, but attacks in the night are not unheard of. Society is completely aware of what The Order does; it is just scared to stand up to the Order due to how helpful they are with their funding. It is a tricky moral issue.

Order members are usually Elves or Humans in positions of political power. One can recognize members of the Order by their gold-trimmed silver plate armor with the organization’s emblem emblazoned on the back, the silhouette of an eagle’s head.

### ***Skyrates***

A **Skyrate** is a slang term for “sky pirate”, a swashbuckler who travels by air, most often in an airship or zeppelin. However, a Skyrate can also travel in any form of biplane, flying animal, or other mode of transportation. Skyrates are well-known for swooping into trading outposts, robbing them blind, and taking off without a trace. They pillage, they plunder, and they don’t give a hoot, not even about each other; Skyrates fight among themselves almost as much as they feud with the law.

Skyrates often travel in **Skyrate Crews**, which are exactly like pirate crews…but in the sky. Many of them are pursuing the treasure of Captain Blade, a famous Skyrate who was said to have died with his riches on an island in the sky made of *solid gold* - but that could not possibly be a real thing, right?

### ***The Black Web***

**The Black Web** is shrouded in mystery. Truthfully, people are not entirely sure it even exists; the only things they know have sprouted from rumors. The Black Web is an underground criminal organization lead by The Spider, who has seven selected officials under him that manage his going-ons in other areas. Other than this, nobody knows anything about the makeup of the guild, the identity of The Spider and his companions, nor where they operate from; yet, many still firmly believe The Spider is watching.

The calling sign of The Black Web is a bit gruesome, but easily identifiable – a number “8” will be left somewhere near the scene of the crime, written in blood. Depending on the job, the source of this blood varies. The Black Web has been known to stage major heists and robberies, where the source of the blood may be an unfortunate guard or a watch dog. Sometimes the members must provide their own blood for the calling sign. It need not be explained what the blood source is for an assassination job.

While the operations are shady, many people respect The Black Web and all that they do because they have been known to assassinate corrupt government officials, especially ones involved in The Order. However, many do not know the truth behind these missions – The Black Web is not above killing innocents if it is for the sake of completing a job.

Some people insist that The Black Web is open for hire, but no one is entirely sure how to make contact with them. How an individual is selected remains a mystery as well, but the only thing people know for sure is that this web of assassins spreads out farther than one may have ever expected.