Editing Factions

==The Awakened Horde==
A few Dragonborn have both the intelligence and honor to realize that Arkhosia is capable of much more than what it has yet accomplished.  They seek to transform the Empire from a loose confederation to a mighty unified nation that values excellence in everything and aspires to more than the amassing of treasure.  They strive to teach Dragonborn to draw strength from their Draconic side, to fight well but with honor, to do their duty to their chosen leadership and to leave a legacy for their heirs to remember them by.  


==The Circle of the True== 
This order has sworn to seek out and kill aberrant creatures that have ties to the Far Realm and to seal any portals between that plane and the world.  Since such creatures are inimical to the primal nature of the Keepers, they frequently have common ground.  Keepers have worked with the Circle informally on many occasions; they share information and sometimes coordinate their strikes.  Both groups are frequently militant, but the Circle is far more directed.

The Circle of the True has its own secret council in Cendriane itself, but operates using cells of covert operatives.  They have safe houses in cities across the mortal realm, and boast membership from many races.  They have many resources at their disposal as a result, including influence in various governments, a substantial warchest, and some of the most powerful elven seers.  For long they have suspected the influence of the mindflayers is growing in the mortal realm, and they have been cautiously seeking the source and extent of this influence.  They never reveal much of what they know, since they (rightly) fear that their enemies have potent psychic abilities.


==The Concordant Brotherhood==
All the varied beauties of the mortal world rise from the shifting surge of the Elemental Chaos, and that same chaos threatens always to drag the world into itself again.  Danger comes in a thousand forms: the enraged frenzy of demons, the fractal regimentation of archons, the passionate vengeance of giants and titans... the list goes on. 

But from the interplay of creative and destructive forces comes knowledge, and those who devote themselves to it.  Lead by genasi savants, the Concordant Brotherhood devotes itself to unearthing the secrets of the Elemental Chaos, and using those secrets to undo the damage its forces have caused to the world. 

From their fortress, Stochion, built to surround a portal into the Chaos in a far desert in the mortal world, and from a secret college in the City of Brass and small embassies in many other realms, the Brotherhood safeguards the world.  They give secret aid to the dwarves in their rebellion, divert the attentions of Bael Turath towards the demon hordes and forewarn the elves of invasion from without.  In this way they bond with the Twilight Guardians - borrowing the elven strength as their own when the need arises. 


==The Cult of Bane==
Bane is the god of war and conquest, as well as discipline, order, the rule of law, and the triumph of civilization over the wild.  His cult's activities have spurred on the war between tiefling and dragonborn, leading to endless fruitless bloodshed.  Commanders, generals, and soldiers frequently worship Bane.  Their teaching, an admixture of savage bloodletting and military discipline, is like a cruel application of the Hidden Flame, used to subvert the primal rather than promote it.  Keepers will take great risks to assassinate a prominent Bane cultist, and the destruction of their shrine and temples is one of the few activities will gather them to concerted action.

For all their effort, the Keepers of the Hidden Flame are virtually unknown to the Cult of Bane, which exceeds their memberships by many orders of magnitude.  It is a desperate fight for the druids, but merely one more harasser for the orderly armies influenced by Bane's teachings.


==The Hands of the Shroud==
Those who seek to defy destiny and those who seek to cheat death are often one and the same.  The Hands of the Shroud serve the Raven Queen in the mortal realms, seeking to enforce the laws of ending that she has dictated.  On more than one occasion, the Hounds of Fate have found themselves allied with the Hands in an effort to bring down a particularly powerful liche or dark warlock whose actions have trouble the immortals who govern fate.

On the rare occasions that a cell of Hands and a pack of Hounds have similar targets but disimilar goals for them, the groups engage in a vigorous but cordial rivalry to carry out the wishes of their patrons.  While these competitions are rarely deadly, injuries do occur, and the groups' honor and reputations are at stake.  Lifelong enemies and, more rarely, lifelong friendships between the two sects sometimes result as a consequence.


==The Hounds of Fate==
Araushnee the Weaver's most loyal servants are the Hounds of Fate, warriors and sages who seek out and punish those that would shake the bonds of destiny and re-write the fate that has been determined for them.

Typically, the Hounds of Fate work in groups of three to six members, each with a diversity of talents and skills, though every group has at least one cleric or paladin among them.  These "packs" operate independently from one another, receiving their orders through divination, prophecy, and direct revelation by their goddess.  When packs cross one another's paths they will offer whatever aid they can to one another without straying from their own set objectives.  Their loyalty to one another is secondary only to their loyalty to their goddess and her objectives.

Of late the Hounds have become fragmented.  A portion of the Hounds has begun acting on prophecies and orders that the rest of the sect cannot understand, though they acknowledge that the dictates do appear to be genuine in their origin from Araushnee.  Whispers heard from among this splinter group have prompted their fellows to label them as "The Students of Caiphon" (paragon path), a name with which few are familiar.  Unease grows among them as the tasks that the Students of Caiphon take seem more and more at odds with the sect's previous goals, sometimes even conflicting directly with orders that another pack has been given.  The eldest among the Hounds see these signs of growing division within their goddess's mind and shudder at the thought of where it may lead.


==The Keepers of the Hidden Flame==
Wild spirits that eschew the stagnation of the over-civilized as well as the bestial nature of the debased and debauched.  Primarily druids, they pride themselves on their connection to their own primal nature without being overcome by it.

There is almost no organization to the Keepers.  They rarely act in any sort of concerted fashion, though they gather at ceremonial sites to observe the passing of the seasons.  There are many such places, and one is never certain if they will celebrate alone or with a host of fellow Keepers.  At these gatherings new Keepers are initiated, bonds are formed, and news is spread.  If a Keeper feels the need to call the host into action, they may argue for concerted effort, but no vote is ever made or consensus reached; those who choose to act will act, on their own and in their time.  Only the most desperate need brings them together as a whole.  Between these gatherings, word is spread using animal messengers as an informal postal system; thus they receive news of far distant events sometimes weeks ahead of others.

On of their largest gathering places is the Stones of Charios, which are located near the forested elven town of Lohirial.  Alambremos the Wise, eldest of the keepers, is said to live in the mountains near there, and he presides over the season changes at Charios.  Though none lead the Keepers, when Alambremos speaks, he is listened to.


==Nightfall==
here is one group actively working to destroy the Awakened Ones.  They have never openly declared themselves, but are known as "Nightfall."  They have sought to undermine the Awakened Horde whenever possible.  This includes framing Awakened Ones for crimes they have not committed, sabotaging Dragonic Society and assassinating prominent members of society in order to instill fear in to those seeking their own Awakening.  Nightfall is believed to be a Tiefling-sponsered organization.  Before the war, the Tiefling Empire knew that a unified Draconic Horde would be an insurmountable foe and sought to destroy any movement that would result in that.  Nightfall consists of a strong network of agents, mercenaries and unwilling servants blackmailed in  to participation.  It is believed that Nightfall has convinced some Dragon rulers to side with them and betray Awakened Ones within their province in exchange for the promise of treasure and the ability to acquire land from other Draconic clans.  The Awakened Horde is well aware of this threat, and seek to put an end to them.  A war-within-a-war has broken out, with the Awakened Horde learning to identify Nightfall cells and eradicating them from several provinces, while Nightfall has gained more sympathizers amongst Dragonborn rulers.  This world of espionage is new to Dragonborns, but they have proven themselves effective fighters on this new battlefield.


==The Order of the Scale==
Humans who worship Bahamut as an example of all that is Just and Right, and believe that he will bring about the downfall of the Turathi and free the humans of the Empire from oppression.  Few know how long they have been around, but they have become much more active since around the time tensions began to increase with the Dragonborn.  Many believe the Order had something to do with the complex, escalating series of events that led to the initial Dragonborn attack. 


==The Tiefling Rebellion==
Although it has a fancy sounding name, the Rebellion is still in its infancy, and has recently suffered some major setbacks, including the destruction of Kain's band that led to his exile.  Its strength lies in its decentralized nature: the rebels are loosely organized into cells, and few within the organization know either who its leaders are or the extent of the movement.  It seems, however, that a fair number of younger Tieflings have grown disillusioned enough with the Turathi rulers to take action. 


==The Twilight Guardians==
A fraternal order of wandering knights-errant, the Twilight Guardians owe allegiance to no single elven ruler, but live in service to all; they are heroes of the elven armies, lone defenders of elves afar and agents of their people gone into other realms.  They walk the roads and wilds between the elven kingdoms, keeping safe their dream.

Selected by the power of the Feywild itself as their people's champions, there is no set hierarchy among the Guardians.  They compete with each other for honor and prestige through deeds done, stories spread and duels amongst themselves.  A common elven children's tale is of a Guardian who waits at a crossroads for another of his brotherhood to come by and will not let that other pass without first answering a challenge. 

Competition aside, the Twilight Guardians are brothers-in-arms and have set their Champion's Hall in Astrazalian, the City of Starlight.  There they gather in fellowship and council, share news and tidings, and chart their wanderings so the strength of the elves never grows too thick in one realm or too thin in another.  A few of the most elder Guardians, usually druids, wizards or other ritualists, always remain in Astrazalian, to spread quick word of an emergency and gather their strength should the need arise. 


==The Walkers of the Perfected Scale==
A loose confederation of alchemists and artificers who seek to create Perfected Vessels, artificial bodies that will grant them immortality.  Members labor in secret to create their own unique Perfected Vessels that, upon their completion, absorb the souls of their creators.  While some Walkers recreate stunning versions of their original bodies or strive for an idealized, abstract humanoid form, many eschew the limitations of their former flesh and create bodies that are as unique and bizarre as any creature that exists in the Far Realms or the Elemental Chaos.

At the core of each Vessel pulses an Aberrath, a clockwork crystal sphere that represents the culmination of the Walkers' combined genius.  It is the Aberrath that allows the Vessels to house their creators' souls indefinitely, but it is also the object that has brought the wrath of Araushnee on them.  Whether intentionally or merely as a side-effect of its operation, the Aberrath rips free the soul it houses from the strings of the fate-weave, leaving gaping, twisting holes in the fabric of destiny and removing the actions of the Walkers from the sight of gods and goddesses of fate.  Such hubris and destruction angers all the immortals, but Aurashnee, the Weaver, feels each Aberrath as a wound on her own being and commands her servents to hunt and destroy the Stair wherever it manifests.


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[[Crowns of the Dawn]]