Guild Factions

Excerpt from the Atheria Chronicles: 342 A.N.

As for the nature of mortal beings, it is no surprise that not even a hundred years after the Hero Party left us, factions emerged within the Guild centered around the different magical energies and their ideology of what should be done with the Aetheon to stop the World Breaches.

Magus Faction: Menos

Mages are the scientists of the chaotic energy of Menos. They are scholars who learned to safely siphon this chaotic magic by filtering it through complex incantations and forcing it into predictable stable forms called spells. They respect the power’s dangerous nature and prioritize control and safety. Their magic is a triumph of intellect over chaos.

Warlocks are more radical. They are a dual class of a fighter and mage who believe that trying to tame the Arcane is a fool’s errand. Instead, they embrace its chaotic nature. They use their formidable physical and mental fortitude to channel the raw, unfiltered power of Menos directly. This is why their magic is more destructive and why they are a martial class. It takes immense physical strength to survive being a conduit of pure chaos. Channeling beyond one’s limit has been known to cause madness, so most Warlocks are held with fear and disdain.

Nightblades are assassins that live and thrive in chaos. They harness Menos for their own gain and are extremely deadly. They are masters of the shadow arts and their specialized arsenal of weapons. They use Menos to ruthlessly eliminate their targets and escape before anyone knows they were there.

The Magus Philosophy is that the Aetheon is the ultimate source of power. The only way to secure Atheria is to become more powerful than the forces within the void. They believe the Divinus path is naive and weak, a futile attempt to patch a crumbling dam when one should be learning to command the river.

Divinus Faction: Ordis

Ordis is the divine source that taps into the Order left behind by Aethelos. Order is seen as a fundamental cosmic principle that is a wellspring of stability, faith and structure. Clerics are the conduits of this principle. They channel the power of Ordis to mend wounds caused by chaos. Their magic is about restoration, protection and purification.

Paladins are the holy knights of Order. They believe Chaos cannot simply be healed; it must be actively fought and contained. They infuse their bodies and weapons with the Divine Power, making them living bastions against the Aetheon’s corruption. Their power is rigid, disciplined and unyielding - the perfect weapon to fight the formless chaos within the Aetheon.

The Divinus Philosophy is that the arcane power emanating from the Aetheon is a cosmic cancer. The only way to save Atheria is to reinforce the seal, purify the corrupted land and eventually starve the chaos within until it fades. They see the Magus as a dangerous and reckless path.

Virtus Faction: Vitra

Before Aethelos' sacrifice, the pure magic of the world, Aether, was everywhere. When the Aethelos died and the Aetheon was formed, this Aether was not completely destroyed. A faint, residual echo of it remains infused in the natural world—in the rocks, the trees, the water, and most importantly, within every living creature. This remnant of the world's original lifeblood is called Virta. It is not a cosmic force like Order or Chaos; it is the quiet, resilient strength of Atheria itself.

Warriors and Rangers are the martial fighters of Atheria. While Mages and Clerics look to the heavens and the great cosmic wound of the Aetheon for their power, the followers of the Virtus Path look inward.

Warriors specialize in combat and weapon mastery. They lead the charge and protect their party members while inflicting massive damage on their enemies. Rangers are more in tune with nature, are masters of ranged attacks and proficient explorers and scouts.

The Virtus are more than masters of weapons. As they progress, their mastery over their own Vitra allows them to perform superhuman feats: They can strike with a force that shatters stone, not just from muscle, but from focusing their Vitra into their fists and feet. They can move with a speed that seems to blur and can endure blows that would kill a normal person by reinforcing their body with their own life force.

The Virtus path is one of self-mastery. Warriors and Rangers believe true power cannot be borrowed; it must be built. Through extreme physical conditioning, martial discipline, and force of will, they learn to awaken and channel the Vitra that resides within their own bodies. Their strength is not a gift from an external source; it is earned through own efforts. They see the Magus as reckless for making a pact with the very force that almost destroyed the world. They see Divinus as sentimental, clinging to the fading will of a dead god who is long gone. True strength, they argue, comes from the only thing one can truly master: oneself.

Unitus Faction: All

Unitus is a fourth faction that believes we must all come together like the original Hero Party, which had members of all arcane types, to work as one to find a solution to the World Breaches. They firmly believe that Menos, Ordis and Vitra truly become powerful when they are focused together on the same goal. While a good idea in theory, the anonymity between classes and the Church sponsored Faction Wars makes finding adventurers who believe in this philosophy very rare.