Current Faction List feature

It is a time when many deities descended from their astral planes to walk among the people in the bodies of mortal avatars.

It is a time when some of them were killed and lost their godly powers.

It is a time when some mortals gained godhood and immortality, and created new cults and religions.

It is a time when ancient lands of the south submerged into oceans and new lands emerged from the plane of Abeir.

It is a time of struggle and wars.

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FACTIONS:

LUSKAN ~ The Luskanites

Luskan is a
Northman faction of raiders and pirates under the strong influence of
the mysterious and malicious Arcane Brotherhood. Their culture is
similar to the Nordic/Viking culture. Led by five High Captains, the
men of Luskan are ferocious, seafaring bandits focused on conquering
primarily coastal regions of the west and north, but sometimes going on
forays as far south as Lantan. The armies of Luskan will mostly
consist of viking-like units, but also some pirates, barbarian
mercenaries and mages.

WATERDEEP ~ Lords of Waterdeep and Neverwinter

The mercantile and
cultural centre of the west, Waterdeep is inhabited by a mix of
different peoples including the Netherese, Illuskan and Chondathan
cultures. It is ruled by a council of nine Lords and is a core member
of the Lords' Alliance. The city of Waterdeep itself (its capital) is
considered by many to be one of the most advanced and rich cities of
all Faerun. Known from the eponymous computer game series, the city of
Neverwinter is also included into Waterdeep's domain as its long-time
ally and friend. The armies of Waterdeep consist of knights,
adventurers, militias and mercenaries, with a few special magical units.

BALDUR'S GATE ~ Duchy of Baldur's Gate

The Duchy of
Baldur's Gate consists primarily of the city-state of Baldur's Gate,
but being a strong naval power it has also managed to establish oversea
colonies, including in the tropical southern region of Chult far to
the south. Ruled by a Grand Duke, it is a member of the Lords' Alliance
and is the biggest rival of Amn to its south. Baldur's Gate has its
own professional army of the Flaming Fist mercenary company but also
employs some knightly orders and mercenaries.

SILVER MARCHES ~ Confederation of Silver Marches

Formed as a
confederation of a number of small kingdoms, cities and duchies, the
Silver Marches are a unique faction. Here, elves, dwarves and humans
live together in harmony, with a common goal of protecting each other
against the threats coming from the north. They are members of the
Lords' Alliance. Their army consists of a variety of forces - depending
on their origin, there are dwarven, elven and human troops. The humans
of Silver Marches also often adopt the armour and weapon styles of
either dwarves or elves, creating a unique army.

MANY-ARROWS ~ Kingdom of Many-Arrows

The realm of
Many-Arrows is only one of the many orcish kingdoms located in the
Spine of the World mountains, but is the only orcish kingdom officially
recognised by the outside world (by the Silver Marches in 1371 DR).
Inhabited mostly by orcs, their lands are also home to other goblinoids
such as orogs, ogrillons, goblins and hobgoblins, as well as a number
of humans (either barbarian tribes or slaves in orcish captivity).
Their army primarily consists of orcs, with the other monstrous races
filling out the army's ranks. Apart from some worg riders, they lack
cavalry, but make up for it with their big numbers.

ELTURGARD ~ State of Elturgard

Staying in close
and friendly relations with Baldur's Gate, Elturgard is a theocratic
crusader state of the paladins and clerics of Torm, and a member of the
Lords' Alliance. This is one of the few countries where there is a
state religion, and consequently clerics and men of faith have a high
standing in society. Elturgard is otherwise culturally and ethnically
similar to other western human factions. Their army consists of various
knightly and crusader orders of paladins, with some local militias
recruited at times. They have strong cavalry and infantry but lack
strong magical units.

SHADOVAR ~ Empire of Netheril

Returned to Faerun
in 1372 DR, the Shadovar are remnants of the ancient Netheril Empire,
the most magically advanced country in Faerun - their highly advanced
use of magic allowed them to build cities floating in the sky.
Inhabited originally by Netherese humans, some of their inhabitants
changed into shades (shadow form of human). Ruled by twelve princes,
with the High Prince in charge, the Shadovar reside in the sands of the
Anauroch desert, but their floating enclave allows them quick and
unhindered access to almost anywhere in Faerun. Their army consists of
light and heavy infantry, powerful mages and also some cavalry. A
special feature of this faction will be huge moving points bonuses for
their leaders to simulate their fast travel in their floating enclaves.

CORMYR ~ Kingdom of Cormyr

Known as the Forest
Kingdom, Cormyr is one of the oldest continuously existing human
realms of Faerun. Ruled by a single royal family since its foundation,
it created a highly respected knightly culture and is seen by many as
the leader of the human nations in the west. Their army, known as the
Purple Dragons, is a strong professional force of knights and militias,
with the support of War Wizards.

SEMBIA ~ Republic of Sembia

The Republic of
Sembia is a mercantile faction ruled by oligarchs from the wealthiest
noble-merchant houses. Being located on the coast of the Sea of the
Falling Stars allows Sembian merchant ships easy access to ports of all
of Faerun's interior, the east and the south. Trade is the main source
of wealth for this faction. Their armies are composed of professional
militias, noblemen, mercenaries and a handful of specialist units.

CHONDATH ~ Confederation of Chondath

Once a strong and
proud human kingdom in the south, Chondath is today a confederation of
city states ruled by their local lord-governors, with the Lord of the
ancient city of Arrabar as their leader. Chondathans have a legacy of
colonising large parts of Faerun (namely Cormyr and Sembia) and their
culture and language spread far north and west to become one of the
leading cultures of west Faerun. Their army is based on professional
mercenary companies of men and the elves of Chondalwood - one of the
largest forests of Faerun still inhabited by wood elves.

ZHENTARIM ~ The Zhentarim

The Black Network
(as the Zhentarim are often called) was started as a mercenary company
but over time, achieved by conquering several cities and castles, they
developed into a faction in its own right. Motivated by greed and a
lust for power, the Zhentarim follow the religion of the evil deity
Bane. They are known for conspiring against many other nations and
factions of Faerun, and are regarded as enemies by most of them. Their
armies are strong all round and consist of professional soldiers,
militias, orcs, the fearsome knights and clerics of their evil deity
and some specialist magical units.

AMN ~ Republic of Amn

Known as the
Merchant Domain, Amn is a mercantile republic and the wealthiest nation
of the west, perhaps even of all Faerun. Wealth is the measure of
everything in Amn, so much so that even the social background of each
individual is described with a name of a precious metal. Populated
mostly by humans, Amn has the largest halfling minority of all human
realms - over 10% of the whole population. Amnish armies are based on
professional mercenary companies, but also include paladins, nobles and
mages.

TETHYR ~ Kingdom of Tethyr

The Kingdom of
Tethyr is an old human realm of ancient arts and culture. Tethyrian is a
synonym for quality and beauty, and Tethyrian style crafts are popular
and priced across all of Faerun. Suffering from a recent civil war,
Tethyr is now again on the rise. The Tethyrian army largely consists of
feudal, fielding knights, paladins and nobles, but also contains
various militias and mercenaries, and even elven units from the
Wealdath.

CALIMSHAN ~ Empire of Calimshan

The southern human
Empire of Calimshan is an ancient land with over nine millennia of
history and is a direct follower and heir to the ancient Shoon Empire,
which ruled most of western Faerun. Because of this, the Calishites are
very proud and arrogant, thinking of foreigners mostly as unwashed
barbarians. Being established by a race of the Djin, magic is deeply
embedded into the fabric of Calishite society. Their culture values the
arcane arts very highly, with many arcane universities welcoming
adepts from all over Faerun. Ruled by a Syl-Pasha, this faction is
modelled after the Arab or Ottoman Empire. Their armies resemble Muslim
armies, with the addition of magical units of various kinds.

EVERESKA ~ Elves of Evereska

After the retreat
of the elven people to Evermeet, Evereska remained as the only true
elven country in Faerun. Evereska is ruled by a council of elders and
has good relations with the Lords' Alliance. Located in a well
protected valley and surrounded by mountains and magical defenses,
Evereska is located in a position of considerable safety. Such a
position is crucial as both the Shadovar and the Zhentarim are their
close neighbours. The army of Evereska is only made up of professional
elven soldiers, trained mostly as archers, but also as mages and
sword-mages, with some very exotic units such as the Pegasi cavalry.

MULHORAND ~ Empire of Mulhorand

The oldest
continuously existing human empire of Faerun, Mulhorand is an ancient
land ruled by Pharaohs and priests. Their people were brought to Faerun
through a portal from Earth (yes, the real Earth!) from ancient Egypt.
In Faerun they developed the use of magic. Their armies are vast and
versatile, composed of diffferent professional mercenaries from across
the south, with lots of slave soldiers trained by temples, elite
religious warriors, mages, mythical monsters, undead and even riflemen.

UNTHER ~ Magocracy of Unther

Once an Empire,
Unther fell under Mulhorandi control with only its northern part being
independent. Their gods were destroyed, their heroes slain, and a new
order emerged - now Unther is ruled by wizards. Unther, like Mulhorand,
is inhabited by a people brought to Faerun from ancient Mesopotamia on
Earth, and retains a culture similar to the Mesopotamians or
Babylonians. Their armies are composed of mostly mercenaries and
militias, with few elite units, but they lack strong cavalry.

THAY ~ Thayan Empire

Ruled by the evil
Red Wizards, the Thayan Empire is a mighty faction, but the Thays are
often ineffective as a result of internal divisions. Their economy is
based on slave labour - a norm in their caste society. The highest
caste are the Red Wizards who are mostly of Mulani descent - an
ethnicity shared with Mulhorand and Unther - and the whole Thayan
culture and language is also similar to that of Mulhorand and Unther.
Thayan armies consist of slaves, professional soldiers, monsters, undead
and of course powerful wizards.

AGLAROND ~ Kingdom of Aglarond

The land of
Aglarond is a magocratic kingdom in the east and was founded in the
year 1065 DR after the Battle of Ingdal's Arm, in which the half-elven
army defeated the forces of humans. Since then, humans, half-elves and
elves learned to live peacefully, side by side, to make Aglarond the
country with the largest half-elven population in all of Faerun.
Bordered by the Sea of the Fallen Stars from the west, north and south,
and the expansionist Thayan Empire from the east, Aglarondans are not
very fond of foreigners. Their armies consist primarily of half-elven
professional soldiers of all formations, with many powerful wizards and
some human militias raised quickly whenever necessary.

RASHEMEN ~ Magocracy of Rashemen

Inhabiting the
lands of north-east Faerun, the Rashemen are a nation of barbarian
humans who are nominally ruled by a Huhrong (Iron Lord). In reality
they are controlled by a caste of powerful female magicians called the
Wychlaran, or named the Witches of Rashemen by outsiders. Despite being
bordered by the aggressive Thays to their south, the Rashemen, thanks
to the Witches, remained unconquered. Additionally, the mountainous
terrain and cold climate of their homeland has always helped them to
defend their lands. Their armies consist of various tribal warriors and
berserkers, as well as several echelons of the Wychlaran, but lack
dependable cavalry.

DAMARA ~ Kingdom of Damara

GREAT RIFT ~ Kingdom of the Great Rift

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LAPALIIYA ~ The Lapal League

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CHESSENTA ~ Kingdom of Chessenta
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DAMBRATH ~ Kingdom of Dambrath
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THAR ~ Hordes of Thar

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(+ some more factions)

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