A loose alliance of lords and leaders in and around Falco Bay, who believe in working together against threats from within and without their borders.

Their symbol is a falcon curved around a four-pointed star.

Gorgon's Fury - based in Sunaria, Franklin (H/M), short, 2nd in charge.

The Imperial Academy is a formulaic institution of magic and higher learning  for the Varencian Empire.  It follows the precepts of the eight traditional schools of magic, with each school having a philosophically different or opposed school.  Most of the learned scholars are specialists in one school, and have another school as a secondary tradition.   On occasion some mages stray outside of tradition, having unique or even contradictory combinations of schools and abilities.

The Gray Ravens are reputed to be led by a 15th rank assassin, and other members are said to be almost equally as talented.

The Ravens keep an attentive eye on Sorpigal Island, Old Sorpigal, and any potential threats to the area.

The Varencic Knights are the premier order of knighthood in Varencia. It is considered a great honor to be a member of their order. The Emperor King of Varencia is always a honorary member, but must earn full membership just like any other applicant would.

An affiliation can be almost any group of people, limited only by their imagination and their ability to form common goals. An ancient cabal of liches, the strict ecclesiastical hierarchy of Ereshkigal, the king’s bodyguards, the thieves’ guild, the old apothecary and the three daughters that help to run his shop—all these and more are affiliations.

Like-minded individuals might gather in an affiliation for any number of reasons, but at the fundamental level there are two basic categories of affiliations: social and racial.

You have a separate affiliation score for each affiliation, but need only track those important to you. Your affiliation score defines your status in that group. Rising in status can earn benefits such as an offer of membership, a monthly flow of gold and emeralds, or research time at a wizard college.

You can be associated with multiple affiliations at one time. However, each subsequent affiliation is harder to maintain. The first affiliation that you have (your primary affiliation) imposes a –10 penalty on all other affiliation scores. Subsequent affiliations oppose an additional –5 penalty to each affiliation that you gain afterward. Some affiliations might not be compatible, and the DM has final say on such issues.

Features of Affiliations

Your affiliation has many features, some primarily of use in roleplaying and background. These aspects include such basic information as the affiliation’s name and its background, goals, and dreams. Most affiliations have a symbol that enables members to identify one another. 

Type: An affiliation can be of one of the following ten types: business, cabal, college, druid circle, fighting company, government, spy ring, temple, thieves’ guild, or tribe.

Scale: An affiliation’s scale is a measure of its scope of influence. As affiliations grow in size and power, they increase the scale of their activities.

Affiliation Score Criteria: Base requirements for membership, if any, are given here.

Titles, Benefits, and Duties: A title is a designation of rank within the affiliation’s hierarchy. Characters with an affiliation score of 3 or lower are usually not considered members. In social affiliations, members with affiliation scores from 4 to 10 are generally looked upon as probationary members. A character with an affiliation  score of 30 or higher attains the most prestigious title.

Executive Powers: Executive powers are wielded by the affiliation’s leadership, generally those members with an affiliation score of at least 30. 

Interacting with Affiliations

Capital: An affiliation starts play with capital equal to its scale. Capital represents different types of assets for different affiliation types. A fighting company has its capital invested in soldiers, armor, weapons, and transport, while a cabal has its capital invested in wondrous items, spellbooks, bound demon servants, and political secrets. Capital is an abstract number that can be "loosely" tied to the tiers of play, and rarity of equipment and magic items. (See GP limit in the table above) In cases where the assets of an affiliation matter, they can be assumed to be (Capital x gold piece limit). This represents what the affiliation can muster in a relatively short time, not its total wealth.

Violence Check: When an affiliation attempts to do something using bullyboys, bludgeons, or battles, a violence check (1d20 + violence bonus) is made. Fighting companies, governments, and tribes have violence bonuses equal to 1/2 their scale. All other types of affiliations have violence bonuses equal to 1/4 their scale. 

Espionage Check: An affiliation’s attempts to sneak around, gather information, and infiltrate opponents are all summed up using espionage checks (1d20 + espionage bonus). Cabals, spy rings, and thieves guilds have espionage bonuses equal to 1/2 their scale. All other types of affiliations have espionage bonuses equal to 1/4 their scale.

Negotiation Check: Convincing arguments, delicate engagements, and subtle (perhaps even magical) manipulation are the province of an affiliation’s negotiation checks (1d20 + negotiation bonus). Businesses, colleges, druid circles, and temples have negotiation bonuses equal to 1/2 their scale. All other types of affiliations have negotiation bonuses equal to 1/4 their scale.

Faction attitudes about other factions

See also: Неизвестно, Неизвестно, Неизвестно, Неизвестно (and Неизвестно)