Factions

## Ramal Nations

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The city states of the Sand Seas, built around major rivers and oases, are the home to the great Ramaltas, a group of aristocrats who control the majority of the wealth in them. When going to war, they tap into their vast wealth to raise mercenary armies which are comprised of the many available mercenary bands found within their desert empires. These include the roving Raider Bands, nomad groups which travel the Sand Seas, the Unbodied, a secret guild of thieves and criminals, or the Blood Cults, dark groups centered around the magic of blood who employ assassins and mages for their purposes.

The armies of the Ramal Nations are a mish-mash of groups all hired under the banner of one Ramaltas, who then sends them to war along with his personal Ramaltas Guard, an elite group of soldiers under his direct command. The armies are known for their quick strikes, hit and run tactics, and the use of dark, blood magic to surprise and overwhelm their enemies.

Ramal Nations Time Line | Ramal Nations Back Story

## Kingdom of Arkland

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The Kingdom of Arkland is a federation of lands controlled by a council of barons who pledge allegiance to a central King or Queen. Arkland is a nation born of out-landers who traveled by sea to establish what was to become a massive trading power. Arkland is a rich nation, fueled by economic trade. They believe themselves to be a powerful nation with a manifest destiny to spread the Light of Arkland throughout the known world, and they do so fueled by their vast wealth, armies, and unmatched navy.

Arkland is a Faction that maintains a powerful, professional Army. With access to great wealth, Arkland marches to war with professional soldiers, equipped with the best plate armor and steel that money can buy. The powerful Arkland Heavy Cavalry has won many battles with just a single, well-armored, charge. As trained soldiers, Arkland is capable of utilizing tight formations and rely on battlefield commands which fuel tactical reactions which would otherwise be impossible for a less organized group. The slow, organized, armored march of the Army of Arkland drives fear into the forces of their enemies.

Arkland Time Line | Arkland Back Story

## Great Forest Tribes

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Reclusive, enigmatic, and fiercely independent, the Great Forest Tribes inhabit the Great Forest, a vast forest in the center of the continent, surrounded by an imposing mountain range known as the Spine. The isolation of the mountains and forest hides an innumerable patchwork of Tribes, people who have banded together within the forest to carve out a living among nature. Led by Chieftains, each village within the trees is an entirely independent group of fierce individuals who eek out an existence by surviving off the bounty of the forest and through subsistence farming. Chieftains are nominated by the group and are often the bravest or wisest among the Tribe or perhaps just the strongest and most brutal. Above all else, the Forest Tribes value the strength of individuals, and that strong independence and subsequent loyalty to the Tribe drives their politics.

Their connection to the Forest has also produced a pseudo-religion, fueled by Wild Magic. Tribes have Druids and Shamans who are responsible for this pseudo-religion and act as ambassadors and emissaries to the outside world as well. When going to war, the Tribes must unite as each Tribe is too small to field a large army. They do so typically as a council of Chieftains or perhaps led by a great leader who was able to unite the Tribes under a single banner. The population of the Tribes dwarfs that of any other Faction, and as such, when marching to war, the ground may shake as the hordes of the Great Forest rumble out into the world. Having no standing army or organization, each Tribe Warrior is a unique fighter relying on his own strength, and they are accompanied by fierce warriors of the Wilds, known as Berserkers and Howlers.

Forest Tribes Time Line | Forest Tribes Back Story

## The Stars of Ixohtl

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Known to outsiders as The Horse Lords, the Stars of Ixohtl are powerful mounted warlords of the eastern plains who govern enormous, semi-nomadic hordes as they travel the plains in search of food and resources. These hordes may number in the tens of thousands and represent mobile cities of people who build temporary, seasonal structures but are otherwise constantly on the move. Almost a religion, the peoples of the Stars value the strength to move forward, frowning on weakness and frailty as being more than just an affliction but possibly the downfall of their entire way of life. As such, the people of the Stars are known for raising vast herds of powerful Horses which are as much a part of their way of life as the people.

Said to be born in the saddle, the Stars of Ixohtl go to war with hordes of mounted warriors. The thundering of hooves from the movement of a Horse Lord army can be heard for miles. Nomadic, and viewed by outsiders as barbaric, Stars are the best trained horsemen and women in the world and excel at mounted archery and combat. They use their speed advantages and savage skills to utterly destroy their enemies.

Stars Time Line | Stars Back Story

## The Lanagaran Scions

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Once the mightiest republic in the world, fueled by riches and magics, the Lanagaran Scions are what is left of that great republic after the Cataclysm. Once a powerful republic with a well-formed bureaucracy that stretched as far as the eye could see, the Lanagaran Scions now are a loose federation of counties, leftover from the old Republic, which are overseen by elected officials and governors. Since the fall of The Republic, these counties have lost a lot of what made them a powerful Republic and have begun a slow slide into individual nations. The peoples of the Lanagaran Scions live in uncertainty but continue their daily lives as workers, engineers, government officials, artisans, farmers, and the like.

Known for their intuitiveness, engineering, and power of mind, the Lanagaran Scions once had a trained army which still exists and is comprised of a powerful warrior class which is equipped with enigmatic invention and battlefield technology. Counties fund their own armies, and through alliances or the loose federal government, combine to form powerful armies to defend the lands of the Lanagaran Scions but also to keep the denizens of the Dead Lands at bay.

Lanagaran Scions Time Line | Lanagaran Scions Back Story

## The Cabal and The Order

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The power of the Spirit leaks into reality, providing the world with magic. In return, in death and decay, reality returns that energy back to the Spirit. The Reaper, a force of nature, seek to maintain that balance. It was due to an imbalance that the Cataclysm happened and the Reaper Energy has come forth into reality to restore balance to the Spirit. It has done so by possessing the souls of the living, taking control of their minds and bodies and using that corporeal form to spread chaos and destruction across the world all in an effort to restore balance. The Reaper is not evil, nor even alive, but simply a force of nature with a single purpose. It utilizes the minds of powerful beings to fuel their cunning and ambitious plans.

Yet, a secret war rages against The Reaper as the souls of the living are not so easily dominated. An elite group of once Reaper Energy possessed mortals, some of whom were possessed on the very night of the Cataclysm, have overcome their demonic host to instead bend it to their wills. Having a base in the City on the Lake, this group uses their new found power to hunt down and destroy The Cabal, who are Reaper possessed, in an effort to stamp out the destruction of the Reaper in a secret war that goes unnoticed by the other Factions.

Such is the story of The Cabal and The Order, two secret societies on the front lines of the hidden war of the Reaper. The Order is bent on destroying The Cabal while The Cabal is bent on destroying the world. Both infiltrate the highest stations of the other Factions, sowing plans that run deep and wide to determine the fate of the world. When those plans call for war, they use the might of powerful necromancers, ritualists, cabalists, and the power of Reaper Energy to summon forth magical constructs to fight battles.

Cabal Time Line | Cabal Back Story

Order Time Line | Order Back Story

--Neil (talk) 23:19, 18 October 2016 (AST)