Revelmoore - Factions

Revelmoore is famous (or perhaps infamous, depending on who you ask) for its myriad factions. Aside from the city’s vast array of crafting guilds, several factions dedicated to particular causes and ideals operate within the city’s walls, influencing events both behind the scenes and at the very forefront of the public eye. Most of the famous factions of Revelmoore are not endorsed as official entities by the city’s government (and indeed, factions such as the Xanathar Guild are outright criminal organizations condemned by the lawful interests of the city), but the interactions between these factions are often the subject of much public fixation and fascination regardless of their legality.  

The Masquerade

The Masquerade was founded centuries ago by a group of former masked lords who found the Council of Lord’s willingness and ability to fight evil and the abuse of magic to be lacking, and broke off from the council to form their own secret society. The Masquerade’s goal is to preserve society and nature in tandem, to preserve history and art, to promote goodwill and cooperation, and to root out and destroy evil or abuses of magical spells and artifacts.   The Masquerade uses many fanciful terms borrowed from masquerade balls and high-society events. Members of the Masquerade are referred to as ‘Attendees’. Enemies of the faction are referred to as being “not on the list”.   Members of the Masquerade wear masks to meetings, which are referred to as ‘Balls’ or ‘Fetes’. These masks vary in design and opulence, and each member enjoys whatever degree of anonymity from their peers as they wish (although identities are known to the Hosts of the Masquerade).   The organization’s existence is an open secret. Members of the faction are discouraged from speaking of the Masquerade’s existence without due cause, and agents with notably loose lips find themselves quickly reprimanded.   The Masquerade is traditionally considered the archnemesis organization of the Black Network, although following the latter’s rebranding, this relationship has cooled somewhat. Members of both factions typically still despise and mistrust each other on sight regardless, and both find themselves in regular conflict thanks to the more illicit activities carried out by the Black Network.   A council of Masters of Ceremonies, referred to as ‘The Committee’, organizes the faction at the highest levels.  

The Black Network

The Black Network is a semi-legal mercenary company made up largely of former adventurers and ex-convicts. The Network is the favored hire of those looking for protection or martial services without going through the City Guard. Off the record however, the Black Network is involved in a number of illicit schemes; black market trading, racketeering, loan sharking, smuggling, and burglary, just to name a few.   The Network was originally founded by a renegade drow wizard named Veszaltyrr Oussndar centuries ago in the Undermountain as his personal cabal of servants, agents, and magic apprentices. The cabal conquered several layers of the Undermountain and founded the underground city of Fort Oussndar, now known as Ramrider‘s Retreat.   For decades the Black Network was a haven of villainy who perpetrated crimes with dire ramifications both above and below ground, usually involving magical artifacts and dark rituals. Following the mysterious disappearance of Veszaltyrr some centuries ago, the Black Network was left without a leader and easily scattered by the arrival of the Xanathar Guild. The remnants of the Black Network scattered to the surface and reorganized themselves in the business of surface level crime in Revelmoore, forgoing their origins and becoming a more standard ‘mafia’.   The Black Network became a traditional crime syndicate, becoming less blatantly evil and more opportunistic. The organization’s origins are spoken of only in hushed tones, and Veszaltyr’s name is considered a cursed word in the presence of agents.   Particularly in their early incarnation, the Black Network was the traditional hated enemy of the Masquerade. Following the ‘mellowing out’ of the Network, this relationship has cooled somewhat, though animosity and outright conflicts between the factions are still commonplace.   The Black Network strongly emphasizes family, loyalty, and oath. Members are expected to look out for one another as family. They participate in operations both legal and illegal; they are reputed as unscrupulous mercenaries and immoral scoundrels in equal measure. Above all, they desire wealth and power over their territory.   The Black Network is at its lowest point in recent memory as of late, having suffered many losses in their clandestine war against the Xanathar Guild. Rumors purport that the Black Network is quietly undergoing a civil war of its own between loyalists and revolutionaries seeking to recapture the Network’s dark past as a cabal of villainous wizards.  

The Knights of the Rose

Originally founded as a circle of bodyguards for the first open lord of Revelmoore, the Knights of the Rose were (originally) an all-female Knightly Order, also referred to as ‘Roses’ or ‘Valkyries’. Following a disagreement with the sixth open lord of Revelmoore, the Knights of the Rose broke off from their duty and became an independent knightly order, although it still cooperates frequently with the city and the forces of Alkis Anvil.   As an independent knightly order, the Knights of the Rose is composed of faithful and vigilant seekers of justice who protect others from the depredations of evildoers. The organization is honorable, vigilant, and zealous.   ‘The Rose’ in the name refers to the compass rose, an important symbol for the original mercantile lords that established the city of Revelmoore.   Although the modern order accepts members of all genders or lack thereof, the organization is still predominantly composed of women.   Leadership consists of Four Grandmasters, each corresponding to one of the cardinal directions on the compass rose. Below the Grandmasters are the four Masters, each of whom are only permitted to accept orders from two of the Grandmasters according to their assigned direction, to foster cooperation at the highest level.  

The Flaming Anvil

The Flaming Anvil is the mobile task force of the intergovernmental alliance of the independent city-states of the Buntesveldt, known as the Veldtrada. Unlike the garrison stationed at Alkis Anvil, the elite Flaming Anvil is capable of and allowed to mobilize to strike against threats against the Buntesveldt, both internal and external.   The Flaming Anvil is, as a strike force, much smaller in scale than the garrison at Alkis Anvil. Members of the Veldtrada states contribute some of their most elite operatives to the organization, but the Anvil is allowed to recruit independently as well.   The Anvil is loyal above all to the rulers of the Veldtrada and are expected to follow their orders without question. Conversely, the deployment of the Flaming Anvil is seen as a privilege not to be abused, and must be voted upon during Veldtrada summits.   The leader of the Flaming Anvil is traditionally a head of state from one of the Veldtrada cities. Each city passes leadership every ten years and is carried from one successor to the next; if an Open Lord is to pass four years into his term as the Crown of the Anvil, his successor will serve for the remaining six years. Revelmoore currently sits as the leading state of the Anvil, acquiring the seat in the year 3520.   Recruitment into the Flaming Anvil (as opposed to assignment from another governmental institution) is rare and saved only for the most loyal servants of the social order of the Buntesveldt. Adventurers are rarely given the privilege, and the Flaming Anvil generally looks down upon adventurers as a whole as ‘opportunists’ and ‘wild cards’. However, adventurers displaying remarkable loyalty to the Veldtrada have been known to rise to great fame as champions of the Anvil.  

The Circle of the Old Faith

A decentralized group of druids, rangers, and other nature-minded individuals that seek to preserve the natural order. The Old Faith ferrets out and destroys unnatural threats and protects the lives and property of those who live in harmony with nature (such as farmers, ranchers, and fishermen), and is often called upon by local cities to dispatch threats plaguing the wilderness.   Although typically cooperative with civilized kingdoms and city-states, the Old Faith is militantly opposed to the exploitation of sacred groves and other such sites in nature, and will resist the efforts of civilized nations to exploit or disrupt the natural order if necessary.   Members of the Old Faith usually operate in isolation, relying on their own instincts and abilities to survive. Some, however, engage with the people of the world as protectors, emerging from the wilderness to help others survive its perils. At times, all are called together to combat foes great enough to disrupt the natural order of the land.   Individual chapters of the Old Faith are sometimes found in cities such as Revelmoore, where they tend to the cities’ sites of natural beauty (such as gardens, parks, and lakes) and carry out missions on the behalf of local farmers and other such individuals.   Leaders of the Old Faith declare themselves as such. If their capability is found wanting, they are challenged by other high-ranking members to prove their worth. This rarely occurs; those who reach the rank of Master of the Wild typically only declare themselves as such when they have secured the respect and love of their peers and subordinates. There can be any number of Masters of the Wild at any given time, and they are all listened to with the same degree of respect and deference.   The Old Faith operates a pseudo-Knightly Order known as the Green Knights, who adorn themselves in the metallic trappings of the civilized world in order to protect nature.  

The Xanathar Guild

A major criminal and slaver syndicate, largely active in Revelmoore with a few small outposts elsewhere, particularly in the nearby Undermountain. A much more ruthless and chaotic institution than the modern Black Network, the Xanathar Guild is reviled and feared by the general populace of Revelmoore.   Given their contentious and volatile nature, the Xanathar Guild has a long list of enemies and rival organizations; they have been opposed to the Black Network since their founding, and in fact were formed from traitors to the original Black Network following the disappearance of Veszaltyrr Oussndar. The Xanathar guild competes with the Black Network for territory and for criminal enterprises.   The Xanathar Guild is the ruling faction of the underground port city of Ramrider’s Retreat. The Xanathar’s rule is absolute in the Retreat, and it is their center of operations. It is difficult to traverse the Undermountain without crossing the path of the Xanathar Guild, making them hated by would-be adventurers.   The Xanathar Guild was opposed for a long time by the Ramrider clan of Grey Dwarves, but were eventually able to outwit the clan and indebt them. The once proud Ramriders now serve the Xanathar Guild unwillingly to pay off their debts.