Although the nations and institutions of the old world are gone, people crave connection, and small organizations have banded together for the sake of various aims. You might see yourself as a small cog in the engine that will build a new world or a rugged individualist. Either way, factions can prove useful in achieving goals that require more than your own two hands.
Factions are a tool for creating game plot. Any group of PCs or NPCs working towards a goal can be a faction.
Factions play an essential role in Solitude's downtime actions system. After a game, PCs can propose downtime actions that can shape the game world. Although not every PC will achieve their downtime goals after each game, the impact of a successful downtime action is large, affecting at least an entire faction and sometimes more.
PCs may join factions during play, but may not start play with a faction affiliation. These factions are newly born and loosely organized. There's no central office to visit and no monthly meeting to attend, so if you want to join a faction the best way to do that is to attend one of the recurring gatherings that draw heroes and villains from all over the region. Most factions do not have a formal membership roll, so you might simply decide that you like the cut of their jib and start aiding in their goals.
Your PC does not need to join a faction to take downtime actions. You may aid a faction you are loosely affiliated with or work to sabotage a faction you oppose. Still, any downtime action must target a particular faction, and so it can be helpful to have a clear idea which one faction you most wish to aid or harm.
Starting a faction is simple: get at least one other person (PC or NPC) to agree with you that this faction exists. Make sure you also agree on what it's called! At that point, the faction is available as a valid target for downtime actions. As a new faction gains public notoriety, it becomes more likely to appear on this page.
Factions appearing on this page are fairly well known throughout the region, and PCs who have not yet encountered them in play might still have heard of them. On the other hand, some PCs have been literally living under a rock in the woods, and no faction is so well known that truly everyone has heard of them. There are, perhaps, other factions operating behind the scenes...
These factions are widely considered to be heroic and helpful by the ordinary folk of the region. They are likely to welcome help from PCs.
Typical of people who stayed behind, the villagers of Crow Canyon are individualists, contrarians, and oddballs. The village has established a passable farming economy, though shortages of luxury goods are common. Villagers seem to rely on an "elder" for governance, though said elder appears to hold the position extremely reluctantly and not be notably older than most of the rest of the village.
Crow Canyon is recovering from a particularly poor Spring planting season that saw a good deal of crops die due to demonic influence, although that influence has recently been beaten back by a dedicated demon hunter working with the Order of the Silver Lily. The village recovered by extending its farming range rather far out, and as a result faces substantial exposure to banditry.
After repeated attacks by the King of the Mountain, Crow Canyon is sitting on a wealth of Elven technology, mostly wrecked or of mysterious purpose.
With the King of the Mountain dead, villagers have started reclaiming land formerly held by the King. One of the champions responsible for the defeat of the king has remained for some time in Crow Canyon as an advisor, in the process helping stand up a village levy. As a result, bandit raids against Crow Canyon have been met with decently organized resistance.
Reach 1, Grasp 0, Sleight -1
1 Tech
Surplus food, labor, land
Needs safety, artisans
This group of self-appointed demon slayers has gained significant renown for saving Crow Canyon and Greenridge from demonic attacks. They are also one of the few factions with a degree of formal organization, having drafted a charter.
In addition to the heroic demon slayers, the Order is assisted by a number of monks. These monks worshipped Talay, a regional deity known for being the prophetic savior who would rescue humanity from an apocalypse. With faith in Talay having generally been abandoned by both the laiety and the clergy after the arrival of the elves, these monks found new purpose researching demons and anti-demonic rituals.
A hero has
Reach 1, Grasp 1, Sleight -1
Surplus scouts, scholars
Needs labor, barter goods
After a mysterious pictogram was circulated among the informal network of messages known as the crossroads, rumors spread like wildfire. What is The Worm? Who are the Worm Hunters? These rumors swirl especially fiercely surrounding reports of a shady individual (or individuals?) requesting blood samples from ordinary folk. Some people, however, swear vehemently the whole thing is a hoax.
Reach -1, Grasp 0, Sleight 2
Surplus medicine, engineering
Needs prestige, morale, spies
The people cry out for something to believe in, even if the old religions have evaporated. A loosely knit faith has sprung up around the concept of a Sacred Garden that both sustains life as well as demands thoughtful cultivation. There is considerable effort among some adherents to try and craft a commonly understood set of tenets and rites, but such efforts have been stymied by a lack of organization and the contrarianism that characterizes so many people who stayed behind.
Reach 1, Grasp 0, Sleight 0
Surplus morale, rare materials
Needs scholars, defenses, safety
The Storm Lords are no nobility, but a loosely-organized network of looters, ne'er-do-wells, and thugs. They're named for their willingness to give up the sheltered life of the villages and brave nasty weather (and much worse) if there's a chance of picking up some riches. Coins are next to useless these days, and even gold and gems aren't much in demand, so the favorite prizes of the Storm Lords are luxuries like fine wine, silks, and all the trappings of the old nobility. If you ask them how they come by these, you'll usually hear that they "just found them lying around," but you'll also see Storm Lords providing "mercenary services" to more-or-less willing villagers who've found a stash of something nice to trade. The Storm Lords don't stoop to common banditry, if only because outright theft is bad for business, but it's often wise to make a show of strength when negotiating with this gang.
Some of the most respected bravos among the Storm Lords are frequently seen whenever heroes gather. They may be mercenary in their motivations, but when demons and beasts are attacking it's wise not to accept any fellow with a strong sword arm.
The Storm Lords are licking their wounds after a bruising battle against the King of the Mountain, but they've certainly profited from picking over the battlefield.
Reach 0, Grasp 0, Sleight 1
1 tech
Surplus morale, barter goods
Needs medicine, food
These factions are feared and hated by the ordinary folk of the region. However, some people claim they're just misunderstood...
The King of the Mountain is dead. His army of automata has been devastated, but not entirely eliminated.
The remaining automata of the Derelict Mountain follow stale orders to guard the place from intruders and continue supplying the foundries with raw materials. Similar to an anti hive, there's no real intelligence guiding the mountain, but emergent behaviors of simple machines can cause frighteningly large consequences.
Reach -1, Grasp 1, Sleight -1
Surplus weaponry, labor
Needs land, engineering, prestige, rare materials, leadership
See Worm Hunters, above. Does this "Worm" they are hunting even exist?
Reach -1, Grasp 0, Sleight 2
Surplus spies, defenses
Needs rare materials, artisans, weaponry
Everyone knows the woods are full of ferocious beasts that pose a particular threat to sole travelers. But one set of hills in particular has become feared for an organized pack of beasts that will attack even larger groups. The rare survivor reports that the beasts in this pack seem to not derive from a single animal species, though this statement is often met with great skepticism. One great horned creature features especially prominently in rumors, and some claim he will even speak to travelers who respectfully stay outside of his territory.
Reach -1, Grasp 1, Sleight 1
Surplus scouts, spies
Needs defenses, scholars, food