Star Wars Heresy (Factions 2)

Criminals, Rebels, and Heretics - Subversive factions in the Sith'aari Imperium

The Hunters Guild- One of the 300 Great Guilds, this is the inheritor of the mantle of the old Bounty Hunter's Guild. They still hold to a code of strict professionalism and honor, and are entirely composed of either Weak or Strong who hide their abilities. As a league of bounty hunters and assassins, the Hunter's Guild is hated by essentially all Strong, but their Great Guild Charter gives Guild hunters free passage throughout Imperium space. Lawfully registered bounties can not be interfered with by Great House lords, who otherwise have the power of life and death in their territories. However, the Hunters Guild is also heavily employed by various house factions for intelligence and assassination. The Guild prides itself on the skills and professionalism of it's killers. Many Weak boys and girls dream of a Hunter's Guild apprenticeship.

The Association - An interlinked alliance of crime guilds, The Association prey upon other Weak, engaging in every form of vice and extortion imaginable. Working hand in hand with the spymasters of the Great Houses, these guilds infiltrate and nip in the bud burgeoning rebellions, labor movements and other seditious trends, while providing an outlet for ambitious Weak who don't want to join a house military or guild. The Association engages in drug and slave trading, embezzlement, and all manner of shakedowns.

The Association is hated by local Sector Magistrates, and occasionally Magisterium and Temple enforcers will perform a massive purge. But the Association is too good a tool for the House Lords to use. Further, Association crime lords can become powers unto themselves, assisted by minor Terror adepts and respectfully providing their services to the highest bidder. The Crime Guilds are one of the few places where non-humans can gain respect.

The 5000 - On Dantooine, 5000 starving farmers refused to pay their taxes. They were mowed down by Legionnaires in defiance of Imperial Law.

The 5000 are the most feared terrorist group in the entire galaxy. Whenever the Weak are beaten, starved, or abused, the 5000 take the head of a Temple Priest, or a Magistrate, or a Lord, and leave their bloody mark.

While every few decades or so the organization is tracked down and killed to a man, the 5000 always rise up and return. They are known for their acidic hatred of the Strong, and have committed terrible tortures upon Strong that they capture. They have also performed missions of mercy, saving large populations from plague and starvation. Only when saving the Weak will they pause in their hatred of the Strong.

The Antilles have openly praised the 5000 - "Their savagery and hatred is magnificent. They are living proof that our way is right and keeps the galaxy strong."

The 500 Sects

To be a Force User in the Sith'aari Imperium and not part of the social hierarchy is a treacherous thing. Most do not join a Great House or the Temple of Fear to maintain their freedom - ultimately, to be a Force User in the Imperium is to always have someone else having their foot at your neck. Some sects have not been consumed by the Dark Side of the Force, and some are native traditions. Ultimately, to be a Force User who is not part of the ruling heirarchy of the Imperium is to be hunted.

Ironically, the minority Force User sects in the Imperium tend to trend against using the Dark Side of the Force, since Dark Side training and culture is so prevalent amongst the ruling classes.

The Baran Do - In hiding for 15,000 years, the Baran Do accepted non-Kel Dor into their ranks when Skywalker started persecuting their people. Passive Seers, the Baran Do have watched and waited for millenia as the Sith'aari imperium ate the galaxy. However, they now sense movements in the Force, mighty ones - the Jedi are about to return. This gives the pensive Seers great hope, and they are preparing their small numbers and what lore they have gathered to assist the Jedi, should they arise.

Shaktari Assassins - Descended from the fusion of old Dark Sider cults such as the Bando Gora and the Sayugi Dervishes, the Shaktari are disciplined, artistic assassins who use the Fury to murder for profit and artistic delight. Heavily employed by houses that do not have highly trained assassin corps, the Shaktari take contracts with refined grace against any target, except members of the Temple of Fear or the Magisterium ("we are patriots, you know.") The Shaktari all wear black and red masks.

Dathomiri Witches/Nightsisters - Evenly split between Darksider witches and their more benevolent cousins, the Dathomiri witches have developed as a tradition ever since the first Skywalker took 12 of the Nightsisters as his brides. The Nightsisters rule the minor house of Dathomir, while the original Witches who follow the Book of the Law have scattered across the galaxy, referring to the Force as the "Breath" or the "Life". The Witches aid people as they can, while rogue Nightsisters act as seers and aides to crime lords and merchant factors. Witches are extremely paranoid, as they are usually slain when they are found by Nightsisters. House Adepts and the various Imperial authorities do not regard the Witches as any kind of serious threat.

The Marutaki - An ancient tradition, these warriors merged with the Wardens of the Sky during the Skywalker purge - now, none of them even remember a Republic. The Marutaki are a sect of martial arts warriors who can match the best of any House or Legion armed warrior, but assidously avoid the Alter aspect of the Force, as they feel that such egregious use of the Breath leads to temptation and corruption. The Marutaki follow a rigorous code of moral conduct and destroy those who become consumed by 'hateful breath.' When a Weak rebellion occurs, usually Marutaki can be found assisting where they can.