Chapter 6 - Factions and Associations of Ephia's Well

[Ironside]

Overview: The IVth Legion of the Sultan's Jannissaries has been given the dubious privilege of maintaining law and order in Ephia's Well.  Called "The Misfortune" by their compeers in Baz'eel, they are dominated by an obsession with their perceived ill luck.  Carrying charms and following their own superstitions, they prowl the Well looking for ne'er do wells... and ensuring they find a fair few each time.  The day-to-day of a recruit in the Janissaries is similar to the dreary life of a town watchman: they ring the bell for open and close of market, sit and gaze vacantly over the bustle of the bazaar, patrol its walls for signs of attack and arrest petty criminals.

Unfortunately for them, they are also the Well's first line of defence against invasion, and many find themselves on the wrong end of a barbarian's axe, or dragged to Qa'im to suffer a fate worse than death. Those that survive such perils, and prove themselves worthy of laurels, can soon find themselves advancing into positions of command, from there springboarding their way into the upper echelons of Baz'eel society.


Recommended Alignment: Any, characters of a chaotic alignment may be uniquely challenged.
Recommended Classes:  Martial and Cleric Only
Recommended Race: Any non-monstrous
Advancement: Application only

"We the swift remember to ye the dead, all the red blood that beats in our hearts."

The Cinquefoil Rose is a coalition of the forces that once fought tooth and nail to free Ephia's Well from Orentid occupation.  Originally composed of refugees and heroes from far-away places, it now exists as a populist movement and formal alliance of the occupants of the Krak des Roses.  Crucial to the citadels defense, and bearing a never-quite-suppressed enmity for Baz'eel and her Jannissaries, the Cinquefoil Rose blooms still in Ephia's Well -- thorns and all. 

United under Grandmaster Elizabetha d'Avergne, these three groups compose the coalition:

Overview:  The Balladeers of the Lost Hearth are the dwindling souls who still follow the noble ideals of the old Rose.  Originally the squires, troubadours, servants and sons of the original Cinquefoil Rose they have banded together under the name "Balladeers" - and do all they can to keep their fallen forebears memory and legacy alive.  At odds with the callous Banda Rossa, whom they must abide so the Rose is not lost forever, and with a rumored fondness toward the Drink and the nostalgic bliss it brings, they struggle to embody chivalry and poetic virtue in a broken world.  They are forever seeking (or proclaiming themselves to be) a prophesied hero who shall claim the  Cup - the mystical relic whose waters might reinvigorate the arid sands.


Recommended Alignment: Any, characters of an evil alignment may be uniquely challenged
Recommended Classes:  No druids
Recommended Race: Any non-monstrous
Advancement: Application only

Overview:  The Banda Rossa are a mercenary company under exclusive contract with the Grandmaster of the Cinquefoil Rose. While independent, the groundswell of refugees, adventurers and cupseekers into their ranks means they have become tightly coupled with the other members of the alliance, serving as the bulk of the military might of the Knights of the Cinquefoil Rose. This integration is at times a tense one, with many calling them allies of convenience at best. They yet seek gold and glory above all else... and their bloody reputation proceeds them.

Recommended Alignment: Any, characters of a good alignment may be uniquely challenged
Recommended Classes:  No druids
Recommended Race: Any non-monstrous
Advancement: Application only

Overview:

The Sisters of the Sibylline Vine are a monastic community of mystics, seers, fanatics and scholars united by shared consumption of a sacred wine -- called The Drink by laymen. This wine is said to grant them visions of things that have yet to pass. They are highly secretive, zealously safeguarding their strange rites and their knowledge of past and future, and rarely share their insights even with the other members of the alliance. Even so, they serve as the mystic foundation of the cause: their vision of a sacred Chalice and the Heroic Pilgrim who shall find it has bound the Cinquefoil Rose together in the years after the fall of the Orentid dynasty.


Recommended Alignment: Any lawful, characters of a chaotic alignment my be uniquely challenged
Recommended Classes:  Any non-martial
Recommended Race: Human strongly recommended. Non-monstrous possible.
Advancement: Application only

Overview:  The Astronomer's of Q'tolip are the free-thinking, curious  collection of scholars gathered under the banner of the enigmatic and brilliant visionary, Q'tolip.  Seeking to master the Cosmos through understanding, they are constantly engaged in the quest for knowledge of yore - and indulge in the power that comes from such things.   In more practical terms, they are the prime archaeologists and magical authority of Ephia's Well, and their maintenance of the Shade affords them influence that few other organizations can boast.  Often the quest for knowledge is hindered by the unlearned, and the Astronomers understand well that their search can only be strengthened by cultivating a safe environment for their studies to bear fruit. 


Recommended Alignment: Any lawful, characters of a chaotic alignment my be uniquely challenged
Recommended Classes:  Wizards and Astrologians.  (Non-traditional classes/concepts may be accepted on a strictly app-only basis)
Recommended Race: Any non-monstrous
Advancement: Application only

Overview: The unceasingly busy bees of the Well, the commendable and highly stressed civil servants of the government.  They are constantly collecting informaiton, ensuring that letters arrive on time, and generally serving at the leisure of Ephia's legates.  They are the workhorse of the minutiae of governance, and they are forever ensuring that taxes are paid, citizens are registered, and food is stored.  Their duties and responsibilities are exhaustive.  They, too, are exhausted.  But the work is never done.

Recommended Alignment: Any, characters who cannot handle stress well and have a fear of papercuts may face unique challenges.
Recommended Classes:  Any non druid
Recommended Race: Any non-monstrous