Moralinth: Factions
- Adam Donovan
- Nov 17, 2018
- 4 min read
(First things first: apologies for the missing blog on Thurs, Nov 15th. Illness won out, but I'm back in the saddle now, so here's Thursday's blog - albeit a little later than advertised!)
In tonight's blog we'll be having a look at Factions in Moralinth: organisations that are so wide-spread and influential that they are known all across The Known World.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACTIONS IN MORALINTH: CYPHER EDITION AND MORALINTH: 5E
Cypher System and D&D 5e are two very different beasts and act quite unlike one another. The Factions presented in this blog are part of the lore of the Moralinth world, and are identical in name, agenda, membership and ethos, but have a different influence on the characters in both games.
In Moralinth: Cypher Edition, the 31 Factions - also referred to as Social Groups - are groups that the players go up and down in reputation with throughout the course of a campaign or even a single game. Most players start with Favour with a single faction and Disdain with one of the opposing factions, granting an Asset with one and Inability with the other. There is no upper limit to how many factions a player can have Favour and Disdain with at any one time, but the effect do not stack - in other words, a player cannot gain "double" Favour/Disdain with any one Faction.
In Moralinth: 5e, the Factions are essentially like Organisations (see the DMG, p21 onward), and membership with these Factions is much more permanent affair representing a considerable investment in the Faction one becomes a member of. It is possible to change Factions throughout the course of a character's life, but it is not a simple affair. Unlike Moralinth: Cypher Edition, being a member of one Faction does not necessarily gain the ire of a competitor or rival Faction. How Factions differ from Organisations as recorded in the DMG in their progression. Factions come with Renown which allow Characters to progress within these Factions and go up in Ranks within their chosen Faction just as described in the DMG, the difference being that characters gain special bonuses when they go up ranks. In other words, there is an mechanical in-game incentive to progress in a Faction as well as an role-playing one.
TYPES OF FACTIONS
in both Moralinth: Cypher Edition and Moralinth: 5e, the Factions are categorised as one of two types - Organised and Free-form. The Type of a Faction makes no mechanical difference to the rules in play, but they provide an important Narrative tool to explain how the Faction works, how one might advance with them and how they are structured.
Organised Factions: are structured, often sanctioned and moderated groups, that have a public, civic or political presence. Massive companies, organised religion and governmental bodies all fall into this category. Organised Factions often have a recognised leader or figurehead, as well as a generally accepted headquarters or building that is considered the nexus of the Faction.
Free-form Factions: are often born out of a necessity or a collection of beliefs, ideals or opinion and may or may not have a central leading figure orchestrating the overall direction of the Faction as a movement. Ranging from tiny in numbers and scope to unfathomably massive, Free-form Factions are all radically different from one another but work without the constraints or restrictions of an Organised Faction. The downside is they are often a lot less focused, can suffer from in-fighting and power struggles (which, to be fair can also be a problem for organised Factions), and are unlikely to be able to pool and successfully distribute as many resources.
SAMPLE FACTIONS
Here is a look at two out of the thirty-one Factions present in the Moralinth Core Rule books. It does not go into too much detail, but gives a glimpse into how these Factions work. Beyond the 31 included at launch, more Factions will be added in following World Books.
HOUSE ANTEA
Faction Type: Organised Leader: Cardinal Viskar Themer Headquarters: The Shadow Citadel, Warsein Enclave, Antea. Along with Libantas, Antea is a strongly-religious nation, and promotes the ways of The Church. Unlike Libantas, Antea is a lot less liberal and more militant about enforcing those beliefs. Home to the Imperial Inquisition, its people live under the oppressive rule of the Inquisition who claim to keep their people safe from “corruption” in the face of The Blight. Deeply traditional, The Church in Antea does not accept the so-called 'Church of Light' as part of the Pantheon and considers the practice of that religion to be heretical, punishable by death while inside their borders. Between their war on this false god and their battle against the corrupt arcane magics, one would assume that Antea as a country would also actively work against technology but in fact, they consider it an important part of the progression of their nation and often employ technological devices in their work to ferret out the corrupt. Said to be blessed by The Old God known as The Shadowking, the Inquisition works with a self-proclaimed religious decree.
GREEN WARDENS:
Faction Type: Free-Form Leader: 'The Green Man' (true identity unknown) Headquarters: None, though Circle Meets convene in The Wilderness in every nation of The Known World, save the nations of Dalevya and Lithanthul. Many people fear the vast Wilderness between the great Enclave Cities and rightly so; for they are lands which have been Blighted, forever changed by some dark curse or sorcery that send beasts mad and turn men into monsters. Most see The Wilderness as a lost cause, but not all. For some, the world needs to be reclaimed, protected, preserved. Those who work to rebuild the world outside the walls are all loosely affiliated as a single group known as the Green Wardens. As a group the Green Wardens do not avoid the Enclaves or the places of 'civilisation', yet they do not fear The Wilderness either. Their experience has taught them that The Blight is something to be cautious of but that even it has limits, and they strive to find a way to reverse its effects and return the world to how it was before.
This is just quick snippet of two of the 31 Factions, minus any game mechanics (no spoilers!). Hopefully it has been insightful and gives an idea of how Factions may be viewed in the world of Moralinth, regardless of which system it is played on.
A new blog will, of course be along on Tue 20th November, but until then: Happy Gaming! - Adam
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