Other Organisations

Besides the factions, there are many other groups and organisations in the world, some of them hostile and some of them friendly. A few of the more consistently appearing groups are listed here. Some of these groups are formed entirely of non-player characters portrayed by members of staff, and some are partly or wholly player-led.

The Bastion

The Bastion is a collection of cross-faction organisations which serve to educate and better the warhost through the dissemination of skills, abilities and knowledge. It is led by a combination of players and NPCs, mostly serving as tutors and administrators. It is the main route to learning new skills (or to improving existing skills) via training and provides support for research.

The Bastion consists of three organisations: the Academy of War, the Forge and the College of Celestial and Earthly Studies.

• The Academy of War is led by non-player characters from the Court of the Principality of War. They travel with the warhost to develop all aspects of war, including martial and physical skills, strategy and tactics. The Academy runs several training sessions a day, through which participants can spend study units to learn new warrior and scouting skills.
• The Forge is led by NPCs who are master crafters, surgeons and alchemists, and who administrate the creation of new items within the game, including potions and poisons, crafted goods and surgical procedures. Creators can also consult with Forge NPCs to research new recipes and skills. The Forge also supports various player-led “guilds” where players share and advance knowledge and conduct experiments.
• The College of Celestial and Earthly Studies is led by players, with the support of NPC staff, to study the workings of the world and its peoples. The College meets each day and maintains a large collection of texts and scrolls available to its members (which is an invaluable resource in its own right as well as serving as a library for the Scholar skill). Members can gain qualifications through submission of research projects, and resources and knowledge are pooled by College members. Like the Academy, attending College sessions allows participants to spend study units to learn magical and creation skills.

The Trade Council

The Trade Council has had many guises over the years, but it has always been focused on buying, selling and making. Whether that's five units of silver or 100 units of high-quality wood, ten high-quality swords or a single rare gem, they are those who travel among the lands seeking to connect those with wants and those with resources.

The Trade Council is a very loose affiliation of traders who know many crafters, alchemists and even Oathbound and Undead. It has been known for them to acquire items from across the planes for those who can pay and, from time to time, they've also been known to buy and sell information.

The Trade Council remains scrupulously neutral. although they have been known to quietly support those who seek the best for ordinary folk - after all, without makers and creators, farmers and tailors, they would have no one to trade with and no one to serve.

The Trade Council can often be found wandering among the warhost looking for deals, buying, selling and commissioning pieces from those skilled enough to make them.

The Watchers

The history of the ritual circles has been turbulent. For many years, the circles were under the control of an evil being called the Nything (see A Brief History); after the Nything’s destruction, he was replaced by a magician called Gabriel, who was later exposed as a power-hungry demon. When Gabriel was overthrown, a man calling himself “Messenger” assumed his duties, introducing an order of guardians called Watchers.

Drawn from all peoples and all walks of life, from ancient Fae magicians to humble mortal gamblers, Watchers are appointed to witness every ritual and to protect the circles themselves from harm. The Watchers schedule use of the circles, ensuring fair and equal access for all, and offer advice to magicians planning rituals.

On their appointment, Watchers swear an oath to perform their duties with strict impartiality, showing no fear or favour – either to any of the Factions of the world or to any other groups, even those that stand as enemies of the mortal nations. The oath isn’t mystically binding, but no Watcher will break it lightly, for fear of reprisals by their fellow Watchers.

The Worshipful Company of Ethermongers

The Worshipful Company of Ethermongers appear to have arrived from nowhere, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. After the first eruptions of ether during the festival of the Renewal of Magic in 1124, a group of ritualists and other magicians approached the Watchers for more understanding, and the Watchers encouraged them to go out and study the changes.

These first explorers returned from the fissures they found with what are now called ether spheres, tiny, fragile vessels fashioned using ritual, invocation and crafting. The adventurers claimed these spheres held concentrations of magic the likes of which none had seen before. Indeed, the Spirit of the Circle itself let them know these spheres were precious and powerful.

So the Watchers told the adventurers to go forth into the world, collect the ether as it appeared and bring their spheres to those who could use them. And the adventurers formed the Worshipful Guild of Ethermongers, to find and trap ether where it can be found and sell it, at fair and regulated prices, to all who need it.

The Empire of the Golden Isles

To the southeast of the Land lies a string of islands which is home to an ancient, once-powerful empire. Though divided from the Land by a narrow channel, the waters are deep and treacherous, and for centuries there was little contact between the Empire and the Land.

In 1103, the Empire invaded, starting a war which lasted for four years and saw the nations of the Land defeated again and again, forcing them into a humiliating parley and peace, ceding a large swath of the continent to the conquerors.

But the Emperor was murdered, and his Empress struggled to maintain control of a crumbling nation, as vying factions within the Empire fought for control. Civil war broke out, both in the Golden Isles and in their holdings on the continent. In 1119, the last vestiges of Imperial control were swept away.

Now the Empire has withdrawn upon itself, and the nations of the Land no longer hear from them. When the Empire will next rear its head, and whether they will come as friends or foes, is not known; but for now there is silence to the southeast.