Editing Rails Through Hell (section)

==Factions==

'''Scorpion's Oath''': The pro tribal rights, anti aristocratic party currently in power in the Parliament In Exile. They also have a military arm. Scorpion's Oath may have turned from freedom fighters to politicians, but they started out as a warrior order, and this bunch is all about tradition. So there are degrees of participation. Just taking the Oath means that you will support the cause to the degree you are capable and willing of, even if you are just a baker providing bread for the cause. The military arm is the '''Stingers'''. They are identified by a scorpion tattoo on the back of the left hand. Taking the tattoo indicates willingness to fight and die for the cause. The tattoo was almost a thing of the past before the Dark Devastation, but has gained popularity since.

'''The Royalists''': Once the most powerful party in Parliament, but they have diminished in power since, and even more since the Dark Devastation and the apparent demise of the House of Falcon. They favor a strong central authority, and more power for the Royal house. After the apparent death of the Royal House, most of those who still identify as Royalists come from the original human and elven tribes of The First Falcon King, but although few in number, those who remain are unshakable in their faith and dedication.

'''The Archivists''': A minor power with no representatives in the parliament. The Archivists are a group of scholars and sages dedicated to preserving and collecting knowledge of the past and of the outside. With the focus of life in Stonegate having been on survival, the "bookworms" have never been particularly popular, and what influence they have comes from the fact that they are highly learned people possessing specialized knowledge few others have.

'''The Order of the Vengeful Fist''': During the Dark Devastation, half a dozen Ogrun clans sent their male warriors to assist the Falcon Army in repelling the horrors. None came back. This gave birth to an all new warrior order. The Ogrun women, bereft of their menfolk and worried about an assault on Stonegate, trained to defend their folk. Bereft of weapons training, with all potential trainers gone to fight, they trained themselves to fight without weapons or armor, using only their formidable Ogrun physique. When it became obvious that the horrors could not breach Stonegate's defenses, they continued to train for a different purpose. To one day take the fight to the horrors and avenge the lost menfolk of their clans. It is no surprise that The Order of the Vengeful Fist volunteered for the task force in numbers!

'''The Firestarters''': Survivors of Cruor's arcane traditions, these wizards, warlocks and sorcerers have trained for generations for a single purpose - the retaking of the surface.