Factions

\*\*\*MAKE SEPARATE FACTION PAGES WITH ACCUMULATED LORE, ITEMS/FEATS/WEAPONS, NPCS ETC

The Deadlands factions are groups of people or clans that unite under one theme and purpose.  They have their unique stories and offerings, and may be composed of different clans.  These factions have motivations, needs, and goals that are determined by world events the players cause or react to.  Often, the factions come into conflict with each other, but internally, players share resources and spaces, and it must be remembered that being in opposing factions does *not* negate no-KoS rules.

Each faction has their own unique in-game offerings available to different ranks within the faction; these range from weapons, tools, and in some cases potions or mounts.  They also come with their own dangers and responsibilities - possessing some of these weapons and tools carries a great deal of story and background with it that is explored and learned with every new initiate - if they remain loyal to the faction’s cause.

Major: The Nightscourge Hunters

Major: The Asura Afriti

Major: Xaltatun’s Risen

Major: The Beast Tribe

Minor: The Tree People

Minor: The Water Tribe

Minor: The Garam Trading Company

## Major: The Nightscourge Hunters

**Archetype:** Demon Hunter

**Function & Drive:** Protect humanity against supernatural and eldritch threats

**Keywords:** Warrior monk, Paladin, battle cleric, oathbound, 'humanity’s greater good'

**Alignment:** Lawful good

**Specialty Skills:** Combat, Perception

**Unique Abilities:** anti-sorcery, corruption-purging (self, environment), consecration/spirit destruction

**Primary Attribute:** grit

**Secondary Attribute:** might, agility

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** Saggitarius, Taurus, Libra, Cancer

**Religion:** Mitra, Oya of the Black Kingdoms, Ancestors

**Color:** Black and Blue, Purple.  The old monks wear sunset orange

**Engagement & Movement:** Socially Isolated, physically mobile.  Constantly traveling and hunting, rarely staying in one place for long despite having a core monastery.

**Best fit character:** Those who can put duty and what must be done above themselves, knowing they serve a purpose greater than themselves. The disciplined, decision makers, investigators, those who wield respect and remorse as an art. They don’t believe in thoughtless action, being reactive or allowing emotions to cloud their duties. Giving within reason makes the world more livable.

**Types of Missions & Events:** Monster Hunts, demonologist prevention, aiding people from being overrun or possessed, purifying corrupted areas

**Faction Relations:**

* **AA:** Distrusted - “Proud demons of fire. Their laws and reason obscure their base nature: they are all-consuming, and may seek to subjugate humankind...again.”
* **XR:** Hostile - “Unfortunates guided by fear or lust for power to seek an unnatural extension to their life. Kill them where you find them, for they are worse than the mindless dead.”
* **BT:** Neutral - “Men who choose to be closer to beasts. At least they choose it.”
* **TP:** Neutral - “We...know too little to say with any certainty. They are secretive, but they are human, and that is enough to fight for them.”
* **WT:** Respected -  “Healers who oppose the undead are friends to us.”
* **GTC:** Neutral - “We can’t be held responsible for what the Exiles do when there are no eldritch forces acting upon them. Our duty is to weed this garden, not tend it.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** high
* **Medicine:** low
* **Construction:** low
* **Sorcery:** low
* **Martial Combat:** high

**Amount:** low

**Minion Number:** none

## Major: The Asura Afriti

**Archetype:** Demon Dwarves, Djinn

**Function & Drive:** Create Order and make the world reasonable, mafia

**Keywords:** Crafter, jolly tyrant, legalese, manipulative but honest, passion/fury, domination & dominion, ruthless

**Alignment:** Lawful Neutral

**Specialty Skills:** Manipulation, Persuasion

**Unique Abilities:** Thermal control, fire stuff, enchanting

**Primary Attribute:** Vitality

**Secondary Attribute:** Endurance, Might

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** Aries, Scorpio, Gemini, Virgo

**Religion:** themselves/asura, Set, Agni

**Color:** Red, Gold, and Black

**Engagement & Movement:** Socially open. They are based out of compounds and outposts.

**Best fit character:** Those who have a vision of order, a dream for a stronger world, those who are lost and seeking purpose or family

**Types of Missions & Events:** Area/outpost conquest, base sieges

**Faction Relations:**

* **NSH:** Distrusted - “Their world order does not include us, and their tools are highly effective against us.  Their only saving grace is that they are predictable and diplomatic, so we tolerate their existence.”
* **XR:** Neutral - “The undead thralls have little meaning to us, but our flametouched humans require protection and generosity to ensure their survival.”
* **BT:** Distrusted - “If you must let them near us, leave their goat stenched followers outside of our halls.  They are unruly, dirty little children.”
* **WT:** Distrusted - “Their healing and efforts have sabotaged our efforts too many times to be forgiven.”
* **TP:** Distrusted - “Don’t be fooled by their small size and primitive garb; they are grown, murderous creatures that have no respect for authority or hierarchy.  They have survived more sunderings and harvests than anyone in the land, so they have earned a modicum of distant respect.”
* **GTC:** Respected - “The Garam Trade Company is a bastion of progress in these dead lands.  They are industrious, a regular pleasure to work with.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** medium
* **Medicine:** low
* **Construction:** High
* **Sorcery:** Medium
* **Martial Combat:** Medium

**Amount:** low

**Minion Number:** Medium

## Major: Xaltatun’s Risen

**Archetype:** Necromancers, evil witch, vicious undead and damned

**Function & Drive:** Attain total freedom and power

**Keywords:** necrotech, spirit thrallers, slavers, do anything to survive, second chance at life, existence must be earned and is not a right

**Alignment:** Neutral Evil

**Specialty Skills:** Sorcery

**Unique Abilities:** necromancy, corruption of areas/profane shrines, disease stuff

**Primary Attribute:** might

**Secondary Attribute:** Vitality, agility

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** Aquarius, Saggitarius, Virgo, Pisces

**Religion:** Yog, Louhi, Ancestors, Set is tolerated

**Color:** Gray, Blue

**Engagement & Movement:** Social, mobile. They will go and be anywhere.

**Best fit character:** The wretched, the violating, those who can take what they must to get ahead and leave their enemies broken beneath them.  People are here to be bent and used

**Types of Missions & Events:** Capturing and forced possessions/using people as vessels, creating demon breaches to allow them in for power barters or to get out of exiled land, hunting NS initiates

**Faction Relations:**

* **NSH:** Hostile - “They work to ruin all that we do and are.  Ruin them so that we may have full freedom.”
* **AA:** Neutral - “Elder demons, conniving and resourceful. A most dangerous force to trifle with, but to have one under our claim would be incredible.”
* **BT:** Neutral - “Dumb dogs and rodents, but dumb does not mean they are not absolutely dangerous.  Give them wide berth, for the savage beasts of the land are more numerous and powerful than most of our undead servants.”
* **WT:** Hostile - “They possess the means to unmake our efforts and undo our marks on the living. Were it not for the Nightscourge Hunters and the Tree People, we would eradicate them.”
* **TP:** Respected - “Small, highly effective hunters of Yog.  They are fickle and unreliable, but trade secrets and the dead on occasion.”
* **GTC:** Respected - “These men and women trade and sell excellent crop, or fodder that does not have to be taken forcibly by us.  Leave them and their bazaar; the Exiled Lands needs a focal point for us to observe.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** Low
* **Medicine:** Medium
* **Construction:** Low
* **Sorcery:** High
* **Martial Combat:** Medium

**Amount:** Medium

**Minion Number:** High

## Major: The Beast Tribe

**Archetype:** Berserker, noble chimaera, primal hunter.

**Function & Drive:** Simplify life, maintain beasts for food.

**Keywords:** Free spirit, instinctual, overt or elusive.

**Alignment**: Neutral.

**Specialty Skills:** Combat, Athletics.

**Unique Abilities:** Animal companionship/rearing, beast tongue, demon eating.

**Primary Attribute:** Survival.

**Secondary Attribute:** Might, Accuracy.

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** Leo, Scorpio, Gemini, Taurus.

**Religion:** Jhebbal Sag, Jhil.

**Color:** White, black, earth tones.

**Who (player characters) do they call to:** Those who do not care for the excess complexities and weakness of civilization. Those who have everything they need, or are close to such, but will not accept chains and prefer the old ways.

**Engagement & Movement:** Social, mobile. They cluster together because their ways contrast heavily against the overly complex ways of civilized men.

**Types of Missions & Events:** Ordained Beast hunts. Demon hunts.  Saving animals.

**Faction Relations:**

* **NSH:** Neutral - “We share some goals, but their ways are not ours.”
* **AA:** Distrusted - “Fools who serve these crave a collar. They think of themselves as we think of the Beast Father.”
* **XR:** Hostile - “These are dead and should learn to lie down.”
* **WT:** Respected - “The healing skills of the Water Tribe are legend!”
* **TP:** Respected - “Those that walk the High Green Paths are fierce hunters!”
* **GTC:** Indifferent - “Silver coins buy no honor and cannot be spent on anything worthwhile.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** None
* **Medicine:** Low
* **Construction:** Low
* **Sorcery:** Low
* **Martial Combat:** High

**Amount:** Medium

**Minion Number:** Medium

## Minor: The Tree People

**Archetype:** Ranger, poison fey, or goblin

**Function & Drive:** remind people of mortality, assassinate threats to their region

**Keywords:** misfit, ambusher, assassin, isolationist, hedonist

**Alignment:** Chaotic Evil

**Specialty Skills:** Perception, Evasion

**Unique Abilities:** poison venom and acid mastery, archery

**Primary Attribute:** survival

**Secondary Attribute:** accuracy, agility

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** leo, capricorn, libra, scorpio

**Religion:** yog

**Color:** green, yellow, sand

**Engagement & Movement:** socially open, but physically isolated. Based out of the jungle, depends on the environment to survive and fight exceptionally well.

**Best fit characters:** Those who just want to live and enjoy life...without suffering fools and predators or losing the strength and cunning required to stay free in this world of subjugation.  It is good to toy with your prey, to find the best angles to start with - the most nurturing parts.

**Faction Relations:**

* **XR:** Neutral - “Xaltatun made Yog proud! If his followers are a tooth as strong as he, we will watch them from afar and cheer. They better leave our dead alone though.”
* **AA:** Distrusted - “Bad! Don’t ever let them near the jungle. They were banished from the world, and then the exiled lands for good reason, and they will try and take all that we have for their own agendas.”
* **NSH:** Neutral - “If they leave our ancestral dead alone, they can do whatever they need.  They have destroyed thousands of demons that have tried to eat the dead lands, so if the hunt is good, we will aid.”
* **BT:** Neutral - “Funny smells. The beast tribes are fun to trick and throw things at.  You never know what they’ll do. Let them live.”
* **WT:** Respected - “Very useful Tall neighbors. They heal us, and sometimes our enemies so that we have good hunts. Protect them.”
* **GTC:** Hostile - “They say everyone likes small slaves because they’re easy to keep in line. They’re greedy, so kill or maim them if they come near the trees.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** low
* **Medicine:** high
* **Construction:** none
* **Sorcery:** low
* **Martial Combat:** medium

**Amount:** high

**Minion Number:** none

## Minor: The Water Tribe

**Archetype:** shaman, tribal elf

**Function & Drive:** ensure life continues

**Keywords:** purifier, restorationist, independant

**Alignment:** chaotic neutral

**Specialty Skills:** medicine

**Unique Abilities:** heal and cleanse through medicine/alchemy/limited magic, disease stuff

**Primary Attribute:** vitality

**Secondary Attribute:** survival, accuracy

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** cancer, scorpio, virgo, leo

**Religion:** animism

**Color:** blue, magenta

**Engagement & Movement:** Isolated. They remain in their village and do their work there, but do travel.

**Best fit characters:** Those who can dedicate themselves to helping worthwhile life continue without sickening the land further.

**Faction Relations:**

* **NSH:** Respected - “We have aided them before, and we will do it again.”
* **AA:** Distrusted - “While we may still work with them from time to time...it is to ensure they leave us be, not because we consider them a *friend*.”
* **XR:** Hostile - “The risen dead must be put down without mercy-- they violate the cycle of life, and for that they will be undone.”
* **BT:** Respected - “They respect life for what it is, be it flora or fauna. We have no qualms with their people. Though some of them... *really* smell...”
* **TP:** Allied - “Mischievous though they may be, they are our guardians and spare no effort in keeping us safe or putting down our foes. For this, we will aid them in kind as long as we yet remain to do so.”
* **GTC:** Distrusted - “It would not be the first time they attempted to take some of our people...and considering who they work for, I am not keen upon dealing with them.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** high
* **Medicine:** high
* **Construction:** none
* **Sorcery:** medium
* **Martial Combat:** low

**Amount:** medium

**Minion Number:** none

## Minor: The Garam Trading Company

**Archetype:** Merchant Kings: prehistoric dirty big business

**Function & Drive:** Profit, live lavish lives above the other fools of the exiled lands

**Keywords:** slavers, profiteers, racketeers, exploitation

**Alignment:** Lawful evil

**Specialty Skills:** sense motive + persuasion or intimidation + combat, wide range of resources

**Unique Abilities:** N/A

**Primary Attribute:** might

**Secondary Attribute:** encumbrance, accuracy

**Zodiac - Champion Elements:** N/A

**Religion:** Bel, and almost any pantheon save Mitra is common here. They really don’t care.

**Color:** Red, black

**Engagement & Movement:** social, mobile. They can be found far and wide, interacting with everyone for trade, profit, and capture

**Best fit characters:** Slavers, merchants, people who want to make it big, those who want to have simple roles without having to think much.

**Faction Relations:**

* NSH: Respected - “They’re stiff in public, but they keep us from getting overrun by demons and undead like no other.”
* AA: Respected - “Demons, but they know how to keep people on a leash and get things done. They make good business partners, but you need the best negotiators to break even with them.”
* XR: Neutral - “We worked out deals early on. We don’t defend people and stay out their way, they leave us alone to handle our business.”
* BT: Distrusted - “Half of these people can’t even speak, aren’t worth enslaving, but they’re useful for some things.”
* WT: Respected - “Our numbers are what they are because of the healing these people do. We have some good deals with them.”
* TP: Hostile - “Small, nimble, flexible, enduring, they make great slave pets once you get the poison off. Just watch out, for every single one you see, there are probably three more that you don’t.”

**Skillset:**

* **Alchemy:** low
* **Medicine:** low
* **Construction:** medium
* **Sorcery:** none
* **Martial Combat:** high

**Amount:** High

**Minion Number:** Many