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Soren / Zarathustra217:
Gundarakite Rebels


Untitled by Frank Frazetta
"This day, we shall be the thralls of The Devil no more! For too long have our people suffered under his yoke and the chains of his boyars! No more, I say, no more!" shouted Elder Fredek in the Luktar tongue - the assembled crowd though large in number was reverently silent. "From this day on, we shall work to supply men and other supplies to the Coursers of Chaos in their fight against the Barovians, their Devil Strahd, and his lapdog Burgomaster Jacenty Girghiu!" he rose his hand as some of the women in the crowd began to openly weep. "Save your tears, good mothers, your sons and daughters would only die under Barovian steel in their beds! Save those tears should they die as heroes, save those tears for the day Gundarak is free!" and so with that the crowd became a mighty roar, and many young men and women ran forward to volunteer themselves...

This faction primarily consists of native Gundarakites, and unlike the Guard faction, is secretive. To the west of Barovia, there once was the domain of Gundarak. Upon the assassination of Duke Gundar, Count Strahd took the initiative, and a nine-month long siege took place, until the eastern half of Gundarak was finally conquered. In Barovia, the Gundarakite are treated as second class citizens. Those Gundarakites who refuse to bend their knee to Count Strahd, have devoted their lives to the rebellion. This faction offers plenty of moral dilemmas for characters. The rebel desire for liberty is a noble one, but at what costs? Rebels spend much of their time in hiding, hatching plots in the hope that one day their struggle for liberty will pay off. This faction is open to both native Gundarakite and outlanders, so long as that outlander has gone through many trials and has been deemed trustworthy. Like the Barovians within the Guard Faction, Gundarakites fear the arcane. Therefore, any character that is of a class that is arcane dependent, be warned.

Eligible Members:
Races: Humans (Gundarakites)
[Other races, outlanders, perhaps even sympathetic Barovians might find themselves allies in the struggle, but ultimately it depends upon the individual group and its temperament as there is no unified movement...]

Classes: Any Except Spellcasters
[The Gundarakites, like all Barovians, fear magic, and any cell that had spell casters would likely find itself dreadfully alone...]

Alignments: Any
[The Gundarakite rebellion is fractured and the various cells likely have varying themes, goals, and moral opinions, though absurdly evil groups would likely be isolated from the wider movement...]

Themes: Struggle, Revolution, Rebellion, Freedom, Morality, "Native Culture".

Special: Can't have an alt in the guards.



Related Links:
Gundarakite RP Resource.
Gundarakite language resources.
Native Barovian and Gundarakite Role Play Guide.

Interested? Contact:

A member of the DM Team.

Or seek out a member of this faction in-game.

Soren / Zarathustra217:
Ba’al Verzi


Ivan the Terrible Killing His Son by Ilya Repin
"Such a curious piece." thought Burgomaster Petre Teodorus as he walked the length of an ancient, tattered tapestry on the wall somewhere in his famous archive. "This must have been a common enough thing, then, a true and common thing, the killings done by the Ba'al Verzi, else why would the ancestors need make note of it? Or conjure up such grand images for tales." His eyes focused on what was a feminine figure, ideally some ancient Barovian lordling and his wife, however she was driving a dagger right into his skull. "Though it is said, even in those myths: that the Ba'al Verzi were legendary for their ability to blend in. That anyone could have been Ba'al Verzi... your best friend, the local priest, the captain of the guard, even the mother that bore you. Perhaps it wasn't an exaggeration, perhaps this is a record of truth. Yes..."

An ancient order of assassins, haunting Barovia to this day? Especially after their supposed attempt upon Strahd the First's life? Impossible.

Interested? Contact:

You won’t find them. They will find you.

Soren / Zarathustra217:
Cult of the Morninglord


Image Source
"You are scared of this icon, my child? You need not be." Vicar Miklos said with a smile and in comfort to the little girl at hem of his robe. "His mouth and hand are bloody as proof that even in his divine radiance there is a darkness. We all have dark times and are guilty of ill deeds, but it need not smother the light in us. That is why he wears the sun-disk, the halo." He then places his hand atop the girl's head, patting three times. "...and in the end he will return, return with his mouth clean to dash away the gloom that came to our land so long ago. Much as we can start again on the morrow after we commit our dark deeds, he shall come to be the 'tomorrow' for all of Barovia, for all of the world." He then took her hand and lead her from the chapel and out into the morning sun...

The Cult of the Morninglord was founded around 475 BC by the outlander Matryn Pelkar, who claimed that the Morninglord appeared to him in physical form and saved him from a pack of vampires. Based on this encounter, the Cult depicts the Morninglord as a luminous sylvan humanoid, similar to an elf. Although his body is formed of soft, glowing light, his face is smeared with blood, which the cult says is a sign that even the greatest good may hold some evil stain and even the most depraved evil may contain a spark of goodness. They believe that no matter how dark the night, the dawn will come and that the Morninglord will one day return to lead the world into daylight. Presumably, when this happens the Morninglord's mouth would be wiped clean; clerics often use the phrase, "Thy lips be cleansed" in hopes of this day.

This religion is also imported from the Forgotten Realms setting. The name “Lathander” is not used here, and there are some differences in the belief system, such as focusing more on hope and struggle, rather than upon examples lead by nobility in the land, for instance. Lathanderites from the Realms and elsewhere may have a hard time connecting this religion with their own, especially the macabre image of a bloody mouthed elf in lieu of the traditionally imagined handsome, strong looking and human Lathander. The sorts of people who would become involved in this organization are faithful believers in the Morninglord's religion, particularly native people to Barovia and especially the oppressed Gundarakites who focus upon those aspects of hope and struggle to lead them through the darker days under the Barovian yoke. Priests of the faith make the core of the temples dedicated to bringing light to the world and banishing the wandering dead, as well as the warriors who aid them in the task. Laymen, however, can be anyone.

Eligible Members:
Races: Any Non-Outcast
[The cult's adherents are almost entirely human but their focus on the light in everyone allows for any who strive in the Lord's name to be among them, though outcast races would be kept at distance...]

Classes: Clerics (Dawnbringers), Fighter, Paladin (Light Carrier)
[Other classes might make their way among them, bards, for instance, who did not alert the native people of Barovia to their magics, would be a great boon to any church and their morning hymns...]

Alignments: Good, Neutral
[Only the most deceitful villains will be able to strive among these do-gooders. Best to avoid them..]

Themes: Do-goodery, Heroics, Hope, Morality, Undead-slaying, "Native Culture".

Other:

Clerics of the Morninglord must have two of the following domains: Good, Luck, Protection, Salvation, Sun.
Clerics of the Morninglord must have one of the following alignments: CG, NG, CN


Related Links:
Native Barovian and Gundarakite Role Play Guide.
Morninglord Resource.
Cult Of The Morninglord.

Interested? Contact:

A member of the DM Team.

Or seek out a member of this faction in-game.

Soren / Zarathustra217:

The Church of Ezra

"Oh Ezra, look down upon me in this struggle, this struggle for the soul of Barovia..." prayed the Warden Mina Polescu. "Though its people fear your name, that they associate it with the sins of an ancient betrayal that was surely wrought by the Mists of Death so long ago to suppress your message of salvation, I ask you, to give me the strength to walk among them, to tell them of your story of sacrifice, to drive away the evils in their hearts, in their lives, and those that dwell near their homes in the night." She gripped her sword tightly, a symbol and aspect of Ezra's message of stalwart guardianship. "Blessed Ezra, you who gave yourself to the Mists of Death so that I may, so that we all may have salvation and protection from their treachery, know I love you and do your will in this world, until my breath leaves me and joins you in the Hollow, to await the day of our freedom..."

The Church of Ezra was born a little over one hundred years ago (666 BC), when Yakov, a son of the notorious Dilisnya dynasty claimed that a divine entity, Ezra, Our Guardian in the Mists, had given him a message to spread to all the world. According to most traditions in the church, Ezra was a virtuous mortal woman who, despairing of the evils of the world, forever surrendered her mortality to the Mists to become an eternal guardian of mankind. However, the fractious sects of the Church of Ezra have been debating the true nature and teachings of their ascended patron for decades. The original, lawful neutral sect, also called the Home Faith due to the hierarchy and highest office (the Praesidius) "at home" in Borca. The lawful good sect in Mordent, called the Pure Hearts, also teaches that anchorites must convert as many souls to Ezra’s flock as possible for their own good. The mystical, neutral Dementlieu sect claims that Ezra was a goddess who abandoned her callous fellow gods to offer mortals succor, and spends its time studying the true nature of their goddess. Lastly, the lawful evil sect centered in Nevuchar Springs prophesies an imminent Time of Unparalleled Darkness, when the unfaithful will be consumed by darkness. All anchorites agree that Ezra cannot protect those who do not accept her into their hearts.

In the context of our server this organization is represented only in two domains, Barovia and Dementlieu.

In Barovia, the Church of Ezra is represented in the Eastern Barovian Congregation, headquartered in a temple in Vallaki, the Refuge of the Fifth Light which was founded nearly three decades ago by the now Sentire Mugur Costinus. The Congregation is also composed of other much smaller temples throughout the domain, the Pure Heart chapel in the enclave of Raduta, and the now abandoned Shrine of Dutiful Mercy in the Village of Barovia. The Sentire of Vallaki has few concerns with anyone who passes into his area of temporal authority knowing well that even wandering Anchorites would need to obey his edicts and respect his position. Combine this with the Burgomaster Svari Ionelus coming to power, a man who is himself an Anchorite and a former student of the Sentire Costinus.  Effectively meaning - if an Anchorite wishes to do Ezra's work in eastern Barovia, they must do so at Mugur's blessing and under his guidelines. Despite this, the Church of Ezra and its followers are a minority in Barovia and its faithless locals. They are perceived by Barovians as Borcan representatives and looked upon with great caution.

In Dementlieu, the Church of Ezra is represented in Port-a-Lucine, Ste.Meres-des-Larmes Cathedral, heart of the Erudite sect, and in a small chapel within the nearby village of Edrigan. The Dementlieuse Congregation answers to Bastion Leonie Caille, but much of the administrative tasks are left at the discretion of Toret Armand Pineau, who serves as the primary custodian of Ste. Meres-des-Larmes. For the majority of the residents of Dementlieu, faith is not a significant part of their daily lives. Among the wealthy, strong faith is often viewed as a sign of weakness, while the poor generally find solace in the church, but often only in times of need or despair. Fortunately, this does not bring concern to the local church about the attitude of its flock.

Eligible Members

Races: Humans mostly but non-humans are welcomed.
[The Ezrite religion is almost exclusively focused in human majority domains and Ezra is a champion for mankind. However, the Zealots being Darkonese have baptized many demi-humans into the faith and look upon demi-humanity favorably. Non-humans however remain subject to the domain's racial prejudices and outcasts like calibans would not be permitted to join.]

Classes: Clerics, Mundanes
['Mundanes' represent any non-caster class which has decided to join with the church to serve as Templars. Atypical classes, such as Barbarians, Monks, Rangers would be scrutinized, and arcane spell casters would be turned away from such a position. Favored Souls and Paladins are both a boon and topic of debate. For information regarding Favored Souls in Ravenloft please read this.]

Alignments: LN
[The general alignment in the Eastern Barovian Congregation is LN, it is a Home Faith mission, while the Dementlieuse Congregation is TN as it is an Erudite mission. The other alignments of the other sects can be represented by those few strangers they've marginalized or host as guests. Templars and other laymen need not worry much on this topic, but obviously people who drift outside the traditional alignment groups for the religion will be noticed, corrected, and have other pressures applied to them in the course of role play...]

Themes: Intrigue, Politics, Morality, Monster-slaying, "Native Culture".

Other:
Clerics of Ezra must have Mist Domain and one of the following domains: Protection, Law, Destruction, Healing, or Curse. Be mindful that domains should be reflective on the anchorite's chosen sect. For more information click here.
Clerics of Ezra must have one of the following alignments, each usually corresponding to a specific sect: LN (Home Faith), LG (Pure Heart), LE (Zealot), and TN (Erudite). Please read the following rule on Anchorite alignments and the Shield of Ezra for more information.
Most clerics of Ezra wear metal armor or cloth attire. Those who differ from this tradition would be subject to scrutiny ICly.
Clerics of Ezra may only use a longsword if they are of the Home Faith or Pure Hearts, any one-handed edged weapon if they are Erudites, and any one handed weapon if they are Zealots (as well as never going unarmed). Clerics from all sects however are expected to carry a shield.

Related Links:
Church of Ezra Resource.

Interested? Contact:
A member of the DM Team.

Or seek out a member of this faction in-game.

Soren / Zarathustra217:
Society of the Erudite


Destiny by John William Waterhouse
The pursuit of knowledge is the common thread weaving together those who partake in the Society of the Erudite. Located at the Les Presses du Savoir in Port-a-Lucine of Dementileu, this faction is based in the ideal setting. The Les Presses du Savoir possesses the most technologically advanced printing press, inviting player characters to not only collect knowledge but to author it. With the museums, multiple libraries, and the university culture, characters will have a plethora of resources to take advantage of. The faction is different than others in at least one important aspect: this faction is neither good nor evil. Characters of any alignment are able to join the Society, providing the unique opportunity for characters who might not normally associate with one another, to come together. The core value that unites those within this faction will be a deep appreciation and belief in the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and the resulting discussions, publications, and debates.

Interested? Contact:

A member of the DM Team.

Or seek out a member of this faction in-game.

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