Each and every one of our world’s groups – family, clan, horde, guild, tribe, and organization—has gears in mighty factions. Each of these grand factions has goals to secure their place at the peak of world power, serving as umbrellas for lesser, more specialised, and narrow-minded elements. Often at the cost of others.

However, some aspects of their agendas overlap, making it difficult to distinguish the boundaries of their respective domains. Some of the factions are direct opposites, with visions, end goals, and means so contradictory that they only coexist on the vast world due to available space and the plenitude of living beings supporting either. Therefore, it can be difficult for those who are uninformed to determine which faction they are supporting, and in some instances, their actions may inadvertently strengthen multiple factions.

“How do you do, is for factions more than a simple phrase.”

Skjald El Mary

Most faction agendas aim to manipulate situations to their advantage, often at the expense of neutral parties or their actual counterparts. Most of them have built a pyramid-like scaffold of tasks, verifications, conclusions, documentation, and actions. Serving to secure their organization’s members and structure, those attempting to join have to build renown among said faction. Slowly climbing ranks, gaining trust, and insight.

There’s a risk, though, as carrying out the most innocent-looking or mundane task may lead to further interest from the powers behind it. They sometimes act with suspicion towards anyone approaching, and other times seek scapegoats in future plots or welcome anyone approaching, regardless of their honesty or hidden agenda.

“The faction path, are a ironclad mantle – ready to drown you in worldly waters.”

Skjald Sejrik

Through time, many factions have formed and dissolved due to fulfilling their agendas or being annihilated by other factions or open forces, such as nobility or public law enforcement. Slowly, however, some major faction collections have emerged; the most recent, with its immense power and vast reach, has only been around for 35 years, and the realm has already drastically changed in just 5 years.

Here are the eight major opposing faction groupings within their hierarchy:

The Gods vs The Divine
- The gods are all those who sprang into existence through mana links, and their worshippers.
- The divine are those who came into existence from mana tainting, and their worshippers.
The Unliving vs. The Apothesis Cadre
- The Unliving are the Vampires, Arisen, and Liches, as well as all that serve them.
- The Apothesis Cadre are those who seek to remove the Unliving from existence.
The Invaders vs. The Realm
- The Invaders are those of the Invading races, and anyone aiding them.
- The Realm is anyone working for an empire spanning all the isles.
The Torch vs The Hordes
- The Torch is for those who want local freedom.
- The Hordes are families and individuals upholding their millennia-old claims.

One can easily end up benefitting not only one faction, but two or more in a single act.

“Nothing is ever simple, not even a commoner’s life or actions.”

Skjald Vinotis

History

Dark Ages

Although sparse, as their agendas were secret even then, the earliest information about factions forming and acting go back to the times before our world. Most often, it was shared interests in an area of development or a trade that boud individuals to form factions. Yet at rare times, it has also been a single task or goal that was either reached or redefined when fulfilled. But as more and more interests, of ever reaching proportions, groups kept springing forth, their interactions ever the more complicated. And as social life grew in complexity, so did the landscape and panorama of factions.

Of all factions, the divines must be considered the oldest, although it’s uncertain if they initially carried themselves as a faction, mirroring or opposing those creatures, avoiding astral tainting, or if they merely acted in a whimsical manner—toward each other and the void creatures. Or if they became a faction so to speak, after their fully astral bathes or servere void taintings creating several divine groups. Maybe astral and void divines began shaping lesser races to interact with.

Regardless the two celestial factions, divine and gods, and their rivalery erupted when the astral links, which for long had influenced those utilising them, became entities capable of physical manifestation an manipulation.

The second oldest of factions are the very races themselves, Archaic, Drakk Alfar, Kobold, T’Aurs, Dwarven, and the many types of humans that emerged through. As they are tied to the races more than any other means, they are considered each their own and as such not included in the wheel of factions.

The Unliving and the Apothesis Cadre could be considered as a racial faction, but as both Drakk- and Ljost Alfar, and their embraced generations from various races, as well as their opponents from the Apothesis Cadre consist of individuals of several races. They are seen as true factions, thirdborn among the lot of the faction wheel.

“Building a faction is no easy task, and the path from idea to carrying out is a breathtaking effort.”

Skjald Sigurd

First Age

The creation of our world was the only thing standing above all others in regard to influencing faction visions and works. The only things that comes close, was the Vampire war, the Bullheaded God, the Deep Blue Tsunami, and the Great Invasion. All other events or personas, however severely they might have impacted locally, are but pale shadows or unheard murmurs in the gargantuan tapestry of what the void gardens offered and delivered.

The first age also saw individuals of many races begin to claim ownership of more than just living space and enforce paid protection for neighbours. They also fought, sometimes to their deaths, to become free campers, living under the torch that has been carried since the dawn of the Dark Ages.

Fourth Age

The unliving gained, although unwilling, a large influx of participants when the Deep Blue Tsunami swept the world and created the Arisen by bringing back spirits to corpses, remains, and places. In addition, the power-hungry, self-made liches learnt to use the tainted waters in their immortality rituals. Strengthened in numbers, the Unliving now not only oppose the Apothesis Cadre, but as liches and vampires acquire each other’s energies when slain by the other, there’s a new, internal foe to the vampires. Not that this new foe is by any means welcomed by the Apothesis Cadre.

The fourth age also saw a shift in powers, as the Hordes rose to power and took the reins of the old nobility and the role as opposing force to the Torch. And then both the Hordes and the Torch took a servere blow from the Realm which united them all under a single crown, protection, and taxes. All three had though to gather in a common cause when the invaders came and razed the lands, uncaring if their victims was a Horde noble, Torch trader, or Realm guard.

Yet, with the Great Invasion gone, scattered remains, and collaberators or traitors still present or hiding, old rivalries and agendas are blooming once more.

“The interests of the powers behind them do not sway even if the world trembles.”

Skjald Valgrif

Cartography

The spread of their operating units and individuals across the known world is difficult to describe. And not only geographically, they are generally also seamed tight into several cultural layers, with those of the Torch acting among old nobility and horde leaders, as well as those of Apothesis Cadre aiding the unliving to gain insight into their secrets.

Skjald Ulrich

Organisation

Both The Isles and Darin thus have many different organisations. Some are well known to the commoner, while others try to exist in secrecy. Some are huge in numbers, others have a score, or a few are very powerful individuals. Common to all is that they work to bend the world towards their own view of a better, most often profitable or empowering place. They generally also have a very strict hierarchy.

A hierarchy leading all the way up to one of the major ones, so everyone is locked in this wheel turning and churning from birth to death.

Apprentice (I), Normally ranked from 1 up to 125, are Faction points 0-8000
Novice (II), Normally ranked from 126 up to 325, are Faction points 8001-16000
Journeyman (III), Normally ranked from 326 up to 500, are Faction points 16001-24000
Chief (IV), Normally ranked from 501 up to 650, are Faction points 24001-32000
Master (V), Normally ranked from 651 up to 775, are Faction points 32001-40000
Lord (VI) Normally ranked from 776 up to 875, are Faction points 40001-48000
Overlord (VII), Normally ranked from 876 up to 950, are Faction points 48001-56000
Grand lord (VIII), Normally ranked from 951 up to 1000, are Faction points 56001-64000

“Working for a faction reduces the possibility of working for its opposite.”

Skjald Sigurd

Special

Common for all is that they strife to uphold the highest standards of their ‘trade’, and banish those who fail to act by their, often very strict, rules and laws. They also, throughout the world, hunt down and punish impostors.

“Be serious when navigating their paths, and be prepared to pay their price.”

Skjald Ulrich

Last Updated on 2026-01-29 by IoM-Christian