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GM Note

GM Canon — Factions

The powers behind the powers.

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Behind the Veil — GM material. Spoilers, draft notes, and cosmology that is not yet canon (and may never be). Players of the Enduring Lesser Lights, turn back.

Celsian Athenaeum

Overview

A scholarly faction focused on preservation and study of magical knowledge, particularly arcane arts. Maintains rigorous standards and practices.

Location

Far to the west (exact location unspecified).

Philosophy

  • Responsible use of magic
  • Archivism and preservation
  • Alignment with teachings of powerful mentors
  • Opposition to essence-draining practices (depletion)

Training

Initiates are trained in various forms of magic under strict ethical guidelines. Practices that drain magical essence are forbidden.

Notable Members

  • Tamber - A fully-initiated Celsian itinerant in good standing; holds advanced techniques Ygva never learned

Notable Former Members

  • Ygva - Expelled before completing initiation for "depletion": draining an entity's entire essence to power a single effect, in violation of the Athenaeum's preservation ethos

Both Tamber and Ygva learned from the same mentors but diverged in practices. When they reunite, Tamber calls Ygva "apostate" while Ygva calls Tamber "sister."

Relationship to Party

  • Tamber serves as information source about Ygva's background
  • Knowledge of Otheidas relics and their properties
  • Understanding of runes and mystical texts

GM Notes

The Athenaeum represents orthodox magical tradition versus the heretical practices of Ygva. Tamber — who completed initiation where Ygva did not — embodies the tradition Ygva betrayed.

The faction may have further role if the party seeks magical knowledge or assistance against Ygva's plans. Their stance against the Old Gods' return (via Tamber's warnings) positions them as potential opposition to Ygva's scheme.

Celsian Teachers

Overview

Wandering educators who travel between settlements, spreading knowledge and preserving learning in a world where communities are isolated. Connected to the Celsian Athenaeum.

Activities

  • Traveling between settlements to teach
  • Preserving pre-Apostasy knowledge
  • Serving as messengers and cultural bridges between isolated communities

Key Members

GM Notes

The Celsian teachers serve as a connective tissue between the scattered settlements of The Enduring. They can be used as plot devices for delivering news, lore, or quest hooks from distant locations.

Delvers

Overview

Relic hunters who explore dangerous ruins from the time before the Apostasy. They venture into Umbra-touched territory in search of artifacts, knowledge, and resources from the fallen Halcyon Domain.

Activities

  • Exploring ruins and abandoned settlements
  • Recovering pre-Apostasy artifacts and technology
  • Navigating areas beyond the reach of sacred pyres

Connections

  • Overlap with the Dimmers, who also scavenge from ruins
  • Some Celsians may support or employ Delvers for scholarly purposes

GM Notes

Delvers represent the adventuring class of this world -- those who risk the Umbra for profit or purpose. They can serve as quest-givers, rivals, or sources of information about ruins the party might explore.

Dimmers

Overview

A powerful faction deeply entrenched in the criminal underworld, known for operations in the shadows and intricate ties to various illicit activities. Their reputation instills caution among local populations.

Structure

Network of semi-independent members operating across multiple settlements. Members identify each other through subtle signals and wear emblems like two-finger rings.

Operations

  • Trade and negotiation
  • Acquisition of rare items (including essence of individuals)
  • Infiltration and manipulation
  • Information brokering

Presence

Key Members

Notable Dealings

Reputation

Grim incidents have marred their image (two members fell from high bridge). They are both recognized and regarded with suspicion in settlements where they operate.

Heyou's Knowledge of Dimmers Subsets

"Dimmers" is a catch-all term for multiple, semi-overlapping groups that are scavenging from the ruins of the Halcyon Domain. Some are taking scarce Blessed Branches to light their way into temple and palace ruins for delving; others are more interested in getting a leg up on other survivors.

Heyou has had direct interactions with two subsets:

1. The Reactivators - Interested in reactivating old stone clanks

2. The Recyclers - Focused on recycling found and stolen materials

GM Notes

The Dimmers represent the criminal element the party must navigate. Heyou's membership provides access but also obligations.

Borek's possession of part of Heyou's essence creates leverage and potential plot hooks. The infiltration into his quarters may have consequences.

The katari with eye patch among refugees warrants watching—likely a Dimmers operator with hidden agenda.

The Dimmers may be the same organization as (or a subset of) The Syndicate.

Goblin Engineers

Overview

A faction of goblins recognized for mechanical expertise and engineering skills. Operate within Underground Complex, specializing in constructing defenses and explosive contraptions.

Equipment

  • Tool belts
  • Socket wrenches
  • Explosive barrels (three-part design)
  • Focus on engineering over traditional combat

Culture

  • Pragmatic attitude toward workplace hazards
  • Accept injuries as normal part of trade
  • Dangerous approach to survival
  • Willing to embrace chaos in pursuit of goals

Tactics

  • Utilize explosives to secure territory
  • Rig defensive positions with explosive barrels
  • Ambush intruders in tunnel systems
  • Territory marked by ring of corpses

Relationship with Party

  • Established positive rapport with Heyou (respected his mechanical aptitude)
  • Goblin Envoy proposed alliance against Guardian beast
  • Provided explosive powder as gesture of goodwill
  • Alliance ended catastrophically when goblin accident destroyed Sacred Tree

Key Events

  • Explained three-part explosive barrel design (shake, throw, detonate)
  • Previous attempts against Guardian resulted in no returns
  • Goblin carrying barrel caused catastrophic explosion
  • Explosion destroyed Sacred Tree and ended alliance hopes

Casualties

Multiple goblins killed in the accidental explosion, including the one carrying the barrel.

GM Notes

The Goblin Engineers represent a faction whose pragmatism led to disaster. Their destruction of the Sacred Tree angered Kelun and the divine powers.

Despite the catastrophe, surviving engineers may still operate in the tunnels. Their engineering knowledge and explosive supplies could be valuable—or dangerous—in future encounters.

Old Gods

Overview

Ancient deities whose influence persists through relics, sacred rituals, and scattered followers. Their worship is considered heresy in contemporary society.

The Veiled Gods (Otheidas and the Pantheon)

Ulmira - Pacts, the Alliance between the Earth and the Heavens

  • Ulmira's Step was named as the first step of a forgotten pilgrimage in her honor
  • Associated with pacts and divine covenants

Tlellic - The Long Night, Predation

  • The Askavir is his mount/avatar (rumored to have been his familiar)
  • Connected to Moon Rune (false hope, paralysis of thought)
  • His departure left the Askavir as a remnant

Kreth - False Visions, Deceit, The Moon

  • Associated with deception and lunar influence
  • Connection to "Sister Moon" and Sylvie's powers is unexplored

Brathis - Feral Survival, Loss of Personhood

  • Represents the degradation of civilized identity
  • Survival at the cost of one's humanity

Mollthain - The Rampart, Sturdy Against All Odds

  • Left great creatures in places like Grithmaar Deep
  • One such creature destroyed Jamal's village
  • Valghast (Ygva's lion) is linked to Mollthain

Caranthalis - The Tree of Light, Source of Blessed Branches

Ossa - The Wanderer Atop the Peaks

  • Draz's compass points toward this god
  • Kelun has served Ossa

Otheidas - The Arrested Cycle of Life and Undeath, Revenants

  • Associated with cycles of life and undeath
  • Relics protect lesser mages from divine powers
  • Draz's amulet and Sylvie's circlet are connected to him
  • Celsians preserve knowledge of his teachings

Sacred Elements

  • Blessed Branches for rekindling sacred pyres
  • Sacred Pyres as defense against Umbra
  • Altars throughout the world
  • Askavir heart contains Splendor magic

Ygva's Plan

Ygva seeks to bind the Old Gods in the World Below by:

  • Gathering remnants and totems
  • Constructing massive pyre with titans' help
  • Using god-touched artifacts

GM Notes

The Old Gods represent a cosmological framework the party is increasingly entangled with. Draz sought to recruit Tamber to revive them, but she refused citing social stability risks.

Sylvie's transformation connects her to Umbra magic, which operates outside the Old Gods' divine framework—or perhaps draws from the same source in different form.

Pyre-Keepers

Overview

Those who maintain the sacred fires that protect settlements from the Umbra. A vital role in every community that possesses a sacred pyre.

Key Members

Responsibilities

  • Maintaining and tending sacred pyres
  • Ensuring the fire never goes out
  • Procuring Blessed Branches when needed
  • Guarding against threats to the pyre

GM Notes

The pyre-keepers represent the thin line between survival and annihilation for most settlements. Their knowledge of how pyres work -- and their limitations -- makes them important sources of information.

The Enduring

Overview

A term used by the extant communities that have survived the Apostasy and the coming of the Umbra. Not a formal organization so much as a shared identity among the scattered settlements that persist under the protection of sacred pyres.

Member Settlements

Characteristics

  • Settlements are scattered and operate semi-independently
  • United by shared reliance on sacred pyres and Blessed Branches
  • Each community has developed its own culture, dialect, and survival strategies

GM Notes

The Enduring is the campaign's namesake. The "Lesser Lights" likely refers to the sacred pyres themselves -- lesser lights that keep the darkness at bay in the absence of the gods.

The Syndicate

Overview

A criminal organization active in multiple cities. Heyou's background is tied to the Syndicate. May overlap with or be an alternate name for the Dimmers network.

Operations

  • Active across multiple settlements
  • Criminal enterprise with wide-reaching influence

Key Members

Notable Dealings

Connections to PCs

  • Draz has interacted with Syndicate runners through the forest glade; this may be his only connection to the outside world

GM Notes

The Syndicate and Dimmers may be the same organization referred to by different names, or the Syndicate may be the larger parent organization of which the Dimmers are a subset. Clarify as the campaign develops.