Factions

The factions represent the place of belonging to each resident. Each faction is expected to cooperate for the good of the safe zone but retain its autonomy and thus cannot be ordered to do anything by other factions. Only a decision by the council (each primary head of staff) can force a faction to follow an order. Residents can only belong to a singular faction (excluding freeblades) and may perform any job they are qualified for. For example, an exalted could also be the speaker or a seeker but not an blackwood agent. No exceptions.

Player Factions

The Safe Zone Council

“We need to maintain unity if we want to survive down here. The people within need direction or they will fracture and turn on each other. Our external threats would want nothing more for us to weaken so they, like so many vultures before them, can opportunistically pick us clean of our life and wealth.” -Ashlord Tarkus, during the first meeting that formed the council.

Owner: Joint ownership by each acting faction leader.
Leader: None.

The council represents the combined leadership of the factions within the safe zone headed by a triumvirate. The acting council members are made up of the current leader of each faction or, in place of them, a subordinate acting in their place should they not be present. In this way, the acting directors of each faction are allowed to pursue their interests and tasks and the day to day operations are delegated to those they trust with the responsibility. The council is formed strictly for the cooperation between factions to handle greater disputes and events concerning the safe zone as a whole. Nobody is considered the head of the council as each member holds equal sway and voting power. Decisions are decided by majority vote (2/3 as there are three factions) and leaders cannot abstain from a vote under any circumstance. The council answers only to the faction leaders, who rarely visit the safe zone for varied reasons, but are largely expected to be autonomous.

Safe Zone Factions

The Breakers

“Who but we stand between order and chaos? Who but we fashion for ourselves an armor with which we protect our people? Many of us who were cast into this hell are guilty, yet that does not mean we cannot find redemption. My people do not just hold the line against the horrors below, they dive into the darkness with weapon in hand ready to face the lurking evil.” -Ashlord Tarkus, in conversation with Sad King Briareus.

Owner: Ashlord Tarkus
Acting Leader: Hammerlord
Second in Command: Master of the Forge

The breakers are a faction formed as the first and last line of defense for the safe zone. They make up the more militant individuals interested in both keeping the peace and delving into the dungeons below. Breakers focus on armor, weapons, and pragmatic means of building themselves into a strong and fit fighting force to keep the safe zone safe. Breakers range from the heavily armored Sledge to the expert marksmen making up the Ashman and Firebrand teams. Maintaining their weapons and equipment is the master of the forge, led by the hammerlord.

Breakers are more deeply tied to the Blackwood than the Ascendant, as they rely heavily on agents for the pursuit and investigation of criminals. A secondary but no less important matter to the breakers is enforcing and aiding in the investigation, detainment, and arrest of rule breakers within the safe zone. A common motto among the breakers is 'carry a big hammer and swing it hard', though the best breakers have as much brain as they do brawn.

The Blackwood Abbey

“He who has a 'why' to live can bear almost anything. And I am not just quoting something His Majesty told me, after all, it was my own arrogance that led me here, rebuilding an entire new market and economy from the ground up is my new why.” -Bagman Herod, in conversation with Ashlord Tarkus.
“I don’t mind being the villain in your story because you're a clown in mine.” -Boss Yaga, speaking to Bagman Herod.

Owner: Bagman Herod and Boss Yaga
Acting Leader: Merchant
Second in Command: Penumbra

The abbey make up the hospitality of the safe zone by concerning themselves with creature comforts like food, and drink, and supplying others through their depot. The abbey controls the tavern, kitchen, ranch, and warehouses that deal in coin created and minted by the abbey to give a stabilized currency. The merchant heads the Fixers and Beast Masters who respectively cover a wide variety of trades ranging from ammunition to food to various types of creature comforts. This represents the biggest face of the abbey but in truth, they are split into two rather autonomous roles.

The second half of the abbey is led by the penumbra and their Agents which serve as detectives and gumshoes focused on keeping the safe zone properly safe by investigating potential crimes and breaks in the agreement. Agents catalog, record, investigate, and recommend fines and arrests for the breakers to carry out to detain those causing trouble within the safe zone. While most of the blackwood is friendly by nature with other factions, the penumbra, and their agents work closely with the breakers both in the safe zone and beyond, as agents are expert locksmiths and skilled with their daggers, a valued trait when in dangerous areas.

The Ascendant

“When I first became a magi, my fellow apprentices were filled with wonder, the potential, the power, the limitless bounds of what magic could and would be if we only dreamed. Yet in the end, we shackled ourselves to our self-imposed limits. A rune lantern will make a magi, but it will never give them what magic truly needs, the realization of dreams. Magic is art and so few artists like myself are left...” -Sad King Briareus, bemoaning the state of magic to anyone willing to listen.

Owner: Sad King Briareus
Acting Leader: Exalted
Second in Command: Speaker

The ascendant are the magical backbone of the safe zone by making up the magical research and creation through the Rune Masters, alchemical and magical healing by the Rosaria, and magical offensive and defensive might of the Seekers. The ascendant is a wildly varied faction, focused upon all fields of magic from ancient, clockwork, runic, supernatural, and weaving. Because of their less ordered nature and a greater focus on research and creation, the ascendant are considered less disciplined than the blackwood and breakers but more than make up for it with the magical powers they bring to the table.

While powerful, the ascendant is very aware of their weaknesses and thus work with the other factions to make up for their shortcomings. After all, a magi without spells is not worth much besides their intellectual ability, and that rarely matters in the brutal realm of Hammer's Fall.

The Freeblades

“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.” -Unknown, a saying commonly carved into the walls of Freeblade areas.

Owner: None
Leadership: None

The freeblades represent the faction-less residents working within the safe zone, providing useful skills and auxiliaries separate from the three primary factions. Some freeblades, such as the Prospector provide an incredible use to the safe zone through the obtainment of materials for the various forges needing to churn out constructed items. Others, such as the Gardener and Jester are merely present so some freeblades have work. Residents and other freeblades might also be off-duty members of factions, looking to make a bit of coin for themselves or merely take a break from their usual faction business. The Custodian is the most valued of all the freeblades and is thus paid and equipped by every faction to keep the safe zone clean and livable.

External Factions

These factions are ones outside the safe zone, either outside of Hammer's Fall itself or simply outside the safe zone. They are notable enough to be common backgrounds for some and can be treated as common knowledge by most.

Sons of Baitaal

Leader: Pliny the Hero
The Sons of Baitaal are an ancient religious order first coming into being during the time of knights before the invention of gunpowder and rune lanterns. Originally hailing from the Onokrin empire and made up primarily of humans and orcs, this organization in the modern age is bent towards witch hunting, occult disruption, and hunting down the undead. Though officially practitioners of necromancy and occultism are not inherently enemies of the empire thanks to the actions of lord Magnus, the sons often hunt down criminals who will use darker magics to further their goals, presuming the sons are not seeking to slay the mindless undead that wanders the ruins and darker places in the realm.

The original Sons of Baitaal who formed before the lich wars were said to have come together because of the curse of xaal that causes all corpses of sapient creatures to rise into undead monsters unless properly buried with the correct funeral rites. Their methods of purifying and destroying these risen corpses and curing the potential sickness and disease that might be spread have made them a popular house-hold name. The Sons are a largely religious order, paying their respects to Baitaal and through it high high-ranking members and lords are often gifted abilities that liken them to paladins, while their rosaria corps makes them exceptional healers through the use of rune lanterns.

Many who join the sons do so for personal, religious, or career reasons. Former tribals and the garm are popular recruits as they often benefit greatly from the strict hierarchy that the sons have and are given training to make them better fit for empire society. Those who join for career reasons do so as a method of advancing into military positions across the world without risking themselves on the front lines of the active elven war. While some view this as cowardly, the greater focus on individual training often makes former members of the Sons deadly combatants, and long term members become experts are dealing with the unsavory creatures lurking in the dark.

Those seeking not to be wretch slayers often fall into the rosaria corp and hospitaller orders where they provide services to frontier towns in need, healing to the masses, and a wide variety of charity functions that offer food and shelter to the destitute. It is through this that the sons remain relevant today and are greatly valued by most of the populace.

Positions within the sons can commonly be referred to this list, though not all positions are listed these are the most common ones people who work with the sons would have as reference for their experience.

• Paladin - The highest rank within the Sons' martial legions, these men and women can be considered as close to an exalted knight as one can get. They lead groups of crusaders ranging from kill teams of only a dozen men to potentially a full company of a hundred, usually with the attached rosaria company for support. Paladins are said to have the direct favor of Baitaal and while a lord paladin could channel divine energy easily and directly, lesser paladins will find it not as easily called even if it is what sets them apart from crusaders beyond merely their greater martial skill.
• Crusader - The technically rank and file combatant of the Sons of Baitaal, these are the heavily equipped and ready soldiers of the sons adorned in plate armor and carrying great swords as their weapons of choice. Many also carry prayer books and have scriptures and purity seals adorning their armor. Make no mistake though, these trappings of scholarly implications adorning their armor pales in comparison to how the Sons operate as ruthless tactical squads that support each other in combat like well-drilled soldiers. They are the most common martial rank among the sons. They are considered the 'loud' option compared to wretch slayers and will often deploy in squads or companies to uproot heavy undead infestations or necromancers who have become enemies of the empire.
• Wretch Slayer - Often called witch hunters, wretch slayers are more of a combination of tracker and ranger than soldier or warrior-priest, they are the investigators and hunters of all the creations of Xaal and are thus most often paranoid, cloaked in shadow, and always on the move in their lone crusades. Wretch slayers rarely work with even other wretch slayers, preferring to move swiftly and quietly alone and marking locations and discoveries for squads of crusaders or paladins to storm in and clean up the filth. As a result of their dangerous work, old wretch slayers are very rare but highly respected by all even if their identities are rarely known.
• Rosaria - The priestly aspect of the sons, the rosaria are expert healers world renowned for both their magical powers and expert medical training in both surgery and alchemy. Most rosaria come with a rosaria rune lantern but a select few are psionic and follow the vitalist path for healing. Both are well respected inside and outside the sons usual companies. Though many rosaria will at some point be attached to a company of crusaders to provide support, most never see a single day of active combat, the bulk of rosaria are stationed across the world in towns and villages acting working in largely staffed hospitals to bring succor to the masses. The initial Rosaria at the founding of the Sons were devout servants of Baitaal, but in later years many pay equal and sometimes secretly more devotion to Ravendara to further improve their healing abilities. This duel allegiance sets them apart both in faith and iconography, as many Rosaria take more druidic approaches to their clothing rather than the silk and steel the rest of the sons choose.
• Templar - The guard forces of the sons, set apart from active fighters and hunters by way of being ever-vigilant watchers of towns, camps, cities, and holdings of interest to the sons. Templars are often even more heavily equipped than crusaders as they need not worry about lugging heavy equipment hundreds of miles. However, their position as both guards and watchers makes them a little less trusted than most sons. Templars are often the eyes and ears of wretch slayers and will actively report suspicious or suspected cult activities. Garm in particular have an almost racial distrust of templars, a mutual feeling given any sign of the feasting affliction that garm suffers from will certainly draw the templars and soon the wretch slayers.
• Brother/Sister - The administration, clergy, and menials of the Sons, being neither combatants nor healers, they make up the majority of the sons internal works by managing all manner of logistics and clerical operations ranging from priests and priestess giving sermons to administrators concerned with moving and managing supplies either paid to or donated to the Sons. The highest ranks of which are called brother-superior/sister-superior and abbot/abbess. Brother/sister-superiors are attached to crusader companies, forming what is more or less a combination of quartermaster and head priest to manage prayer sessions or ensure the logistics of managing a crusade. Those tasked with managing a permanent holding for the sons are known as abbots/abbesses and almost always come from noble or merchant backgrounds used to dealing with the complex logistics of a country spanning organization. Unlike average nobles, who may or may not be corrupt or self-serving, the sons are ruthlessly efficient at weeding out corruption, thus many abbots or abbesses are often well known, well respected, and called on by lords when a skilled administrator is needed to sort out any potential corruption, particularly within the nobility itself and often with a few wretch slayers in tow.

Order of Brass

Leader: Lonesome Gract (Missing, presumed deceased)
The order of brass is one of the newest forms of magic. While ancient magic and alchemy have always existed and each empire has its selection of magical specialization be it runic, psionic, or weaving, the order of brass is made up of members from every empire. First made by the legendary lord of clockwork Lonesome Gract who forged the city of brass shortly before disappearing, most of the order are made up of goblins, rodentfolk, and humans. Though it accepts any who show the proper aptitudes.

Its lord, Lonesome Gract, disappeared some time ago and is presumed to either be dead or in parts unknown. In his place, a small council has formed to oversee the city of brass, though the city itself is largely autonomous thanks to its hundreds of clockwork golems operating day and night. The council oversees its engineers and the newly indicted. All brass hearts will have joined this order at some point to receive their implant, with many coming to enhance their abilities or train to become golem pilots to better aid the ongoing war effort.

The order of brass is more of a city-state than most factions, as such it has no real ranking system or chain of command. However, as is natural for people, they do recognize different groups and polities within their ranks. Generally separated by expertise, most of the brass city can fall into engineers, clocksmiths, and timekeepers. While by no means the only form of magical researcher or arcane title, the order of brass helpfully splits into these major divisions that may differ on finer detail but ultimately recognize people of like mind and ability.

Engineers are those who work mainly with golems and weapons and are often sub-divided into golem crafters and their pilots but so much overlap exists that engineer is the usual title. Whereas most members of the order will exclusively work in bronze and clockwork, the engineers will use any form of magical material and technology available to craft more powerful, sturdy, and deadly golems to deploy (at a very sizeable cost) for the empire and federation, though some rare and very well-funded groups might hire them as mercenaries. Many engineers thus have a much broader understanding of both magitech and a variety of science or magic beyond than what the order generally focuses on, making them widely skilled. Most distinguish themselves by their brass and brown jumpsuits often embossed with a singular pauldron depicting the order's cog to befit a mechanic.

Clocksmiths are responsible not only for the titular brass hearts almost everyone in the order has but also focus heavily on clockwork automatons and creations. Surprisingly, they have the fewest numbers among their ranks and those who understand their complex technology to an impressive degree are even more rare. Clocksmiths are thus rather insular and are loathe to reveal the secrets of their science, not that most care, even within the order of brass few are willing to dedicate the difficult and often experimental amount of time required to make even the most basic of clockwork contraptions. Clocksmiths usually show their allegiance by their creations alone, often accompanied by a simple machine or carrying complex gadgets.

The timekeepers are the only religious sect within the order of brass, an off-shoot of one of the few remaining dwarves who carried his religion from his theocratic nation. Though this dwarf has stricken his name from all records and does not quite preach the details of his now-forgotten faith, it is considered a splinter of the followers of baitaal, finding order and structure within machines. From what inklings can be found of this very small cult that rarely leaves the order of brass, the members are obsessed with keeping time and often build complex and ornate clocks, watches, and timepieces for a reason that is often answered when questioning members by long platitudes about the importance of and perspective of 'time immeasurable, ancient, and forgotten'. While most treat timekeepers as eccentric they do add the very distinct benefit of having near-perfect logistical, organizational, and unsurprisingly timekeeping skills. Each one can be identified by his ornate timepiece, usually with a tau cross of Baitaal on the casing.

Chosen of Xaal

Leader: Bonecaller Magnus Souldour
The chosen of Xaal are a widely disliked but necessary organization, often likened to tax collectors in how many speak of them. The chosen, also known as Xaal's chosen, house the death priest caste who oversee the burial, rites, and entombment of the dead through rituals that prevent the buried from ever rising as an undead creature, even if a necromancer attempts to directly raise them. The chosen of Xaal are nearly as old as the sons of Baitaal as they seek to prevent undead from rising while the sons carry out the culling of the newly risen. Though relations with the Sons have worsened in recent times thanks to Magnus and his political maneuvering allowing for 'empire-sanctioned' necromancers. Those necromancers under order of Magnus or merely attuning their rune lanterns for necromancy are considered members of the chosen and entirely within their legal right to practice their art.

Scholars believe that the chosen first came to be when it was observed that when any intelligent humanoid died and was not properly buried or burned on a pyre, it would eventually rise as a mindless undead creature that sought only to destroy all life. Though it often took decades or years, some corpses were seen to rise faster among evil men who perished or those who died in horrific ways. As a result, the chosen have a stigma of darkness and evil to their order, a fact not helped at all by their patron being the god of death.

In recent years the chosen have gone under much further scrutiny with the development of more refined methods of necromancy. In the past, necromancers were rare and extremely powerful magicians of ancient magic. The worst of which was the great lich Lazarus who once nearly destroyed the onokrin empire. Such monsters were a top priority for the sons of Baitaal to hunt down and kill. Yet in recent years the rune lanterns have expanded to allow more occultic arts, offering weaker and safer forms of necromantic arts. Ancient practioners still exist, many plying their trades far from civilized places within the ruins of old fortresses and bastions where they build armies of the dead. Officially, such necromancers are disavowed by the chosen and turned over to the sons to be killed and their holdings destroyed.

While the purpose of the chosen is to prevent the raising of the dead there is no true official ruling both within the chosen and within the empire on the legality of necromancy, the politics of the situation were made complex and difficult to manage due to the chosen's leader Magnus, a devout follower of Xaal and industrialist lord who revolutionized the town of Crullfield into the worlds most productive crucible for war material. The success of Magnus is based entirely on his immense necromantic powers as his legions of mindless undead work the factories day and night. Without them, the empire would be deprived of its greatest production asset and in a time of active war, nobody is willing to officially outlaw necromancy as a result. Thus, while necromancers are heavily disdained, nothing can be legally done to the average necromancer unless they violate a different crime such as grave robbing to raise the dead.

Internally, as the leader of the chosen, Magnus has not changed the rites or laws of the chosen since their inception since he took leadership. The chosen tend to the burial of any who die, the only slight change is that those whose bodies are unclaimed by family or were criminals are shipped to Crullfield to join the many factories in death. Beyond that, the embalming, ceremony, and burial of the dead remain unchanged. While one might expect the priesthood of Xaal to have all manner of ranks and honorifics they purposefully forgo such platitudes, even amongst themselves, as it is seen as ego to make yourself above or below your fellow man when death shall make you all equal. It helps that the priesthood of Xaal is quite small unless you are in a major holding such as Crullfield. The closest one can say to a ranking system they have is Magnus as the herald of Xaal, his black hand as his direct officials shepherding the remaining death priests. This ranking is technically unofficial though and even Magnus sees himself as just any other death priest, he and his black hand are set apart by their status as Magnus' lordship and his appointed nobles, differing from the priest caste.

The chosen of Xaal have their primary holdings within the Onokrin empire and smaller holdings within the Steel Legion and Warren Federation, though in the other empires the internment of the dead has different and specific rites of burial. Within the federation it is customary to cremate and bless the ashes of the dead before spreading them atop their mountains to the wind. Within the legion the dead are wrapped in cloth and rope before being blessed by wax paper seals to put the dead to rest. While an improperly buried person within the empire is likely to raise as a skeleton or zombie, within the federation most improperly blessed dead become ash wraiths that haunt the mountains and valleys. Within the legion, improperly buried dead rise as what is known in their tongue as the jiang-shi, a dangerous type of undead that drains the life and spirit of the living and is rumored to only be capable of being permanently felled by a yokai.

Faceless

Leader: Unknown
The faceless is a mysterious faction said to be one singular person, a singular man who seizes control of others through magic to subsume their identity and shift their goals to match his own. Every member of the faceless is just that, the faceless man, who might seize control of them directly like a quite literal puppet. All that is known about the faceless is that they use a specialized magical implant to convert others, but why or what they are doing is unknown. Thankfully, the faceless are extremely rare and thus considered a minor threat at best. Still, some worry they might have eyes and ears everywhere, after all, anyone can be the faceless man.