Need Factions for a Neo-Chainmail Setting

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-06-21, 03:47 PM (ISO 8601)

So...I recently stumbled across D&D 3e's Warband tie-in game, Chainmail, and the setting fluff (what little of it there was), combined with my limited knowledge of the videogame "For Honor", inspired me. So, I want to do my own setting in a similar "fantasy world at war" type of world.

Only problem is... I only got a few faction concepts, so I could use a hand in coming up with other neat countries to be at loggerheads with the rest of the world.

Oh, and whilst I'm sticking with Nentir Vale and the World Axis as the foundation, I intend to plunder lore from past editions too, such as the presence of Hatuukans and/or Aranea.

Anyone interested in helping out? These are the factions I have so far.

Survivors of Nerath
Before the Dark Time, the cataclysmic upheaval that had preceded the current Age of War, the human empire of Nerath was known as a bastion of light and justice. A theocracy sworn to Bahamut, Pelor and Erastil, its armies of paladin-knights strove to uphold peace and protect the weak.

When the Dark Time came, they were overwhelmed by malevolent forces. Besieged, they pleaded for help with old allies... but none came. Nerath fell, its churches burned, its people scattered, and the priest-kings slain to the last.

Humanity has never forgotten nor forgiven the treachery of supposed allies. Now, the Nerathians are a culture of mercenaries, working shamelessly alongside any other race that will provide payment.

(I have some vague thoughts that "Fallen Nerath" actually survived due to surprise help from traditional enemies - orcs or goblinoids - who sided with them because they didn't want to see *their* enemies beaten by somebody else, which has actually made them close allies in the present. Not sure if that's an idea worth pursuing, though.)

The Worldweavers
In the bitter north, the land is wild and dangerous. Storms lash the mountain peaks, carved by glaciers and riddled with volcanoes, and churn the frigid seas into froth. In this place, the powers of the elements are manifest, and so the dwarves have sought to prove their dominance through the binding of the forces of the primordial chaos.

Unlike on other worlds, sorcery and spellcraft are the backbone of dwarven culture. When they march to war, beings called myrmidions - elementals reshaped and remolded into killing machines - lead the charge. Some dwarven clans have embraced elementalism to the point of mutating into new forms; fiery Azers, stony Galeb Duhr, and frozen Eisk Jaat.

But most intimidating of all are the great living weapons of the dwarves; elemental fury bound to hulking frames. In this world, Giants and Titans are the slaves of dwarves - for it was the dwarves who created them.

The Darkwood Kingdom
Once, it is said, the elves were a peaceful race, who lived in harmony with nature, for they had been born to tend to it. That was before the Dark Time.

In the Age of War, the elves have become corrupt, arrogant and narcissistic. They see themselves as nature's masters, not its shepherds. Using their former titles as the source of their power, they have enslaved lesser fae and melded them with beasts and plants, creating slave-races with whose blood they will win back the lands of civilization and stretch their shadowed groves from sea to sea.

The Charnel Queendom
From blasted lands they come, legions of walking dead and screaming, sorcery-chained fiends. At their backs stride the true masters of the horde; jackals that walk like men, cold and cruel as the obsidian they wield, flanked by cackling, shrieking, demon-bred gnolls.

Worshippers of Mordiggian and Shub-Niggurath, the (Hatuukan) jackal-folk are an ancient and decadent race, who care for little beyond their studies of dark magic and the freedom to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh. But this Age of War is a temptation to expand and acquire ever greater territories, and how can they resist?

Doom may come from within, however, as their new creations, the gnolls, chafe under the dominance of their masters and yearn to be free.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-07-11, 04:47 AM (ISO 8601)

Just bumping this, I'm wondering if maybe I can steal some inspiration from the recent Plane Shift: Amonkhet article. Weirdly, the sheep-headed minotaurs struck a real chord with me, the Khenra seem weirdly fitting for the neo-Hutaakan faction, and the Nagas... well, I'm sure I can work up some place for them. Maybe a reptile-focused faction, worshipping some indigenous dragon-god?

**Thunderfist12** · 2017-07-12, 01:53 AM (ISO 8601)

Random idea for the serpent faction.

CHILDREN OF SSYNRA
From the far islands of Essa comes a horde of dragon-blooded folk on a divine mission to conquer and enslave the weak-fleshed races of man. While once they squabbled for dominion over their homeland, the coming of the dragon queen Ssynra united them under one banner - hers.

Soldiers are typically assigned roles in combat based on their race.
* Kobolds are scouts, assassins, pyromancers, and bombers (always winged).
* Lizardfolk are berserkers (unarmed), lancers (often mounted on drakes), shamans, and breakers (armed with clubs and shields).
* Troglodytes are hexers, knights, and halberdiers.
* Yuan-ti are dragon priests, generals, templars (armed with flambards and heater shields), and warlocks.
* War beasts include drakes, giant snakes, dragons, and some dinosaurs.

**Thunderfist12** · 2017-07-12, 02:56 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Shadow_in_the_Mist

I have some vague thoughts that "Fallen Nerath" actually survived due to surprise help from traditional enemies - orcs or goblinoids - who sided with them because they didn't want to see *their* enemies beaten by somebody else, which has actually made them close allies in the present. Not sure if that's an idea worth pursuing, though.

Nice, though I think it makes more sense if they allied because whatever destroyed the human kingdom at their border left such terrible destruction in its wake that it woke up the orcs to how petty their little wars with one another really were.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-07-12, 05:45 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Thunderfist12

Random idea for the serpent faction.

CHILDREN OF SSYNRA
From the far islands of Essa comes a horde of dragon-blooded folk on a divine mission to conquer and enslave the weak-fleshed races of man. While once they squabbled for dominion over their homeland, the coming of the dragon queen Ssynra united them under one banner - hers.

Soldiers are typically assigned roles in combat based on their race.
* Kobolds are scouts, assassins, pyromancers, and bombers (always winged).
* Lizardfolk are berserkers (unarmed), lancers (often mounted on drakes), shamans, and breakers (armed with clubs and shields).
* Troglodytes are hexers, knights, and halberdiers.
* Yuan-ti are dragon priests, generals, templars (armed with flambards and heater shields), and warlocks.
* War beasts include drakes, giant snakes, dragons, and some dinosaurs.

Hmm, definitely some interesting possibilities here! I'd need to make tweaking, but you've got some good ideas here... I wonder if it'd be too much to give it some sub-factions, such as swamp-dwelling auxiliury comprised on grippli mystics, bullywug/grung grunts, and gurrash (mystaran gatormen)?

Originally Posted by Thunderfist12

Nice, though I think it makes more sense if they allied because whatever destroyed the human kingdom at their border left such terrible destruction in its wake that it woke up the orcs to how petty their little wars with one another really were.

Why, thank you! Interesting little addendum to the idea, too.

**Honest Tiefling** · 2017-07-13, 03:14 PM (ISO 8601)

You know, those traditional enemies that helped Nerath survive? Could totally be tieflings. Either they were redeemed and tried to follow the gods of Light to suppress or purify their bloodlines, or were actual followers of a fallen Angel who turned them into Tieflings. Could also borrow from 4e, in that their leaders made pacts with demons/devils, and the rest of the populace sorta thinks that was a dumb idea, but choose to use their infernal powers to save themselves.

You also mention lesser fae. I think it would be interesting to have a Fae faction fighting the elves. They could be gnomes! Gnomes never get any love.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-07-16, 04:27 PM (ISO 8601)

Hmm... might work. You know... starting to get some crude faction outline ideas; should I go ahead and post them?

**Thunderfist12** · 2017-07-22, 07:50 PM (ISO 8601)

A faction idea for the half-orc descended rivals of Fallen Nerath.

KNIGHTS OF SLAUGHTER
In the grasslands just Northwest of Fallen Nerath, opposite the mountains, is a small hold garrisoned by the priests and knightly orders of Wee Jas, Nerull, Vecna, Gruumsh (whom the orcs of the mountains have abandoned) and Orcus. They are a growing force dedicated to leveling the towers and cities of all who stand in the way of their gods, reclaiming the land once their task is done. Their ranks follow:

Soldier (scale mail, mace, heater shield)
Berserkir (chain mail with hides, axes)
Raider (scale mail, short bow, riding boar)
Cavalry (scale mail, lance, riding boar)
Knight of Blood (half plate, axe, targe)
Knight of the Skull (full plate, scythe)
Knight of the Hand (chain mail, twin long knives)
Knight of the Eye (full plate, spear, heater shield)
Knight of Ash (full plate, flamberge)
Priest (robes)
Conjured Demon (flail/chain/sword)

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-07-24, 05:53 AM (ISO 8601)

So, conversation in another thread has made me realize that there's a couple of Big Questions I need to ask and answer if this setting idea's ever going to have a hope of getting off of the ground:

Why is everybody fighting?

How fierce is the fighting?

What else do I want out of this setting?

For comparison, in Chainmail's "Godwar setting" (not strictly called that, but there's no other name for it), everybody's fighting because 1: the God of War has been killed, and has enveloped the world in a curse of bloodlust until a new God of War takes his place, and 2: there are pre-existing enmities or motivations - the mad lich Ahmut wants revenge on the elves of Ravilla for condemning him to three centuries spent trapped and helpless inside his own rotting corpse, the humans of Thalos want to revenge on the elves of Ravilla for trying to enslave them centuries ago and have a sworn duty to the Goddess of Justice to fight evils like Ahmut and Naresh, the demon-worshipping gnolls of Naresh want to defeat the elves of Ravilla so they can open the Abyssal Gateways sealed in the hearts of the elven cities, the elves of Ravilla want to stay the top power as they have for centuries, the dwarves of Mordengard want to stop the Godwar, the hobgoblins of Drazen want to conquer the world, and the drow of ousted House Kilsek want to rebuild their power.

As for answering these questions... well, it's late and I'm tired, so I don't have any particularly good answers at the moment.

One random thought is that, as this shares the same meta-cosmology as my Malebolge setting, this world could actually be a "recruiting ground" for the ongoing war between Demons and Angels - that is, the two outsider races are coaxing this world's civilizations to fight in order to generate some valuable resource (souls?) for their own war effort.

Another random thought is that I might be able to take a leaf or two out of the "Weird West" setting of Deadlands. The big United/Confederate war is an important part of that setting, could go hot again any day, and even now is still full of random skirmishes and clashes, but there's other things to do that don't directly involve the war effort.

One thing I can solidly say is that I want this setting to be a predominantly Grey and Gray Morality world, with room for Gray and Black Morality. There are some evil powers and the like, but for the most part, everybody should have believable, sympathetic aspects and reasons for doing the things they do. Especially races that aren't the standard neo-Tolkienian demihumans; this is a setting where being a Monster Adventurer should be not only viable, but actively encouraged.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-08-05, 01:27 AM (ISO 8601)

I actually had a huge stroke of inspiration this morning, and I wanted to share it and see if it works.

Like I said in my last post, one of the Big Questions I need to answer if this setting is going to work is "Why is Everyone Fighting?" Well, on my hike this morning, it hit me: I can steal this idea from Midnight and Golarion.

Basically, this world was created as a prison for an Elder Evil - I'm thinking some kind of bloodthirsty aberrant god - which was sealed at the planet's core eons ago, long before life developed. This current Age of Conflict was born because The Stars Became Right; some phenomena triggered and woke up the Elder Evil at the world's heart. This Elder Evil won't stay conscious forever; in a comparative eye-blink, the phenomena will end and it'll go back into dormancy. This, of course, it won't allow to just happen.

It's using its influence to cast a malaise upon the denizens of the world; psychically corrupting them and driving them to engage in war, conquest and slaughter. This malicious emanations are responsible for driving some of the former "light" factions mad (like the elves) and stirring vigor in the "dark" factions. The Elder Evil doesn't care who wins; it just wants them to fight. And fight. And fight, until the tally of blood and souls is great enough that it can break its bindings.

Its strength ebbs and flows - impatience, perhaps, leading it to expend itself before it's fully ready as it thrashes against the metaphorical (metaphysical?) chains binding it. This leads to the conflict waxing and waning in potency - though always the war breaks out again as it regains the strength to influence minds amongst the mortals.

Still... there's hope that it can be stopped. Or at least the war can be blunted enough that the stars will end their convergence and it'll be forced back into slumber before it can free itself, granting mortalkind a reprieve and the chance to snap out of it and start the long process of rebuilding... you know, before it happens all over again generations in the future.

So, what do you guys think? Does this make sense as a metaphysical rationale for the conflict?

**redwizard007** · 2017-08-12, 12:43 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Shadow_in_the_Mist

I actually had a huge stroke of inspiration this morning, and I wanted to share it and see if it works.

Like I said in my last post, one of the Big Questions I need to answer if this setting is going to work is "Why is Everyone Fighting?" Well, on my hike this morning, it hit me: I can steal this idea from Midnight and Golarion.

Basically, this world was created as a prison for an Elder Evil - I'm thinking some kind of bloodthirsty aberrant god - which was sealed at the planet's core eons ago, long before life developed. This current Age of Conflict was born because The Stars Became Right; some phenomena triggered and woke up the Elder Evil at the world's heart. This Elder Evil won't stay conscious forever; in a comparative eye-blink, the phenomena will end and it'll go back into dormancy. This, of course, it won't allow to just happen.

It's using its influence to cast a malaise upon the denizens of the world; psychically corrupting them and driving them to engage in war, conquest and slaughter. This malicious emanations are responsible for driving some of the former "light" factions mad (like the elves) and stirring vigor in the "dark" factions. The Elder Evil doesn't care who wins; it just wants them to fight. And fight. And fight, until the tally of blood and souls is great enough that it can break its bindings.

Its strength ebbs and flows - impatience, perhaps, leading it to expend itself before it's fully ready as it thrashes against the metaphorical (metaphysical?) chains binding it. This leads to the conflict waxing and waning in potency - though always the war breaks out again as it regains the strength to influence minds amongst the mortals.

Still... there's hope that it can be stopped. Or at least the war can be blunted enough that the stars will end their convergence and it'll be forced back into slumber before it can free itself, granting mortalkind a reprieve and the chance to snap out of it and start the long process of rebuilding... you know, before it happens all over again generations in the future.

So, what do you guys think? Does this make sense as a metaphysical rationale for the conflict?

That's great and all, but why are the specific factions fighting each other, specifically?

The ancient-evil thing just sparks conflict, as far as I can tell. Random conflict doesn't lead to war, it leads to small scale brutality. Families slaughtering one another, or guardsmen killing their charges would make sense with this storyline. Maybe inter-tribal warfare, but it seems like things would break down before you could coordinate armies.

If there are EXISTING RIVALRIES then I could see things working out the way you want, but you haven't given us any existing rivalries yet.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-08-31, 03:59 PM (ISO 8601)

Alright, I've spent the last week or so too sick to think straight, but now I want to try and breathe some life back into this project.

Only problem is... I have no idea where to start. Can anyone help me figure out where to go?

@redwizard007: Don't I kind of need to figure out who the factions ARE first before I can go around filling in any existing rivalries?

You know... just in case it's helpful, in the original Chainmail 3e, your factions consisted of the following:
* Ahmut's Legion: Undead commanded by an insane human lich, who was left dead-but-alive by an elven assassin for defying the Ogligarches of Ravilla 300 years ago. Ahmut wields the Spear of Stratis.
* Drazen's Horde: Hobgoblins bolstered by orcs & goblinoids, led by a visionary hobgoblin warlord who wields the Axe of Stratis.
* House Kilsek: A drow noble house ousted in civil war who believes that claiming the Panoply of Stratis will restore their power.
* Mordengard: Neo-Communist dwarves who use summoned elementals to reinforce their ranks and believe they can use the Panoply of Stratis for the greater good.
* Naresh: Demon-worshipping gnolls led by a Gnollish Priest-King named Jangir, the half-fiend son of Yeenoghu and bearer of the Flail of Stratis.
* Ravilla: Arrogant elven ogligarches who have systemically conquered, manipulated and battled all other races for centuries to protect Abyssal gateways.
* Thalos: Island nation of theocratic humans and gnomish mages who were the last bastion of freedom in the face of Ravilla.

**JBPuffin** · 2017-08-31, 10:40 PM (ISO 8601)

How much do you want to fashion whole-cloth? I see your first post suggests you'll be avoiding complete rewritings for the most part by focusing on Nentir Vale/World Axis, but how far does that extend?

Is there a particular edition you're planning to use this setting for? I know you have quite a chunk of 5e homebrew - how much of that would you want to incorporate?

On a sliding scale of stereotypical and stereotype-averting, where would you want this setting? As it's a total war setting, questions of morality can be played fervently up or down - which would you prefer? Are there any races in particular you want to break the mold on - orcs and goblinoids teaming up with humans in a sort of "New Nerath" collection of tribal-states could be pretty cool, as has been mentioned.

Are there any race pairings you're particularly keen on? Any classes or builds you want to take center stage, perhaps as a faction's primary or most powerful soldiers?

How many factions do you want to be "player-approachable?" Are there certain races/classes/archetypes you'd prefer players stay away from, or do you want every group to have a place and appeal to the players? Note that the latter is exponentially more difficult the more factions you have, so you either want a smaller number of factions with at least a couple of reasons a PC might align themselves to their faction's agenda, or a larger number where some are largely the result of NPCs doing crazy NPC things that most players don't want to touch with a 9-and-a-half foot pole (also known as the Grinch Stick Principle).

Nothing in the way of factions delivered on a silver platter tonight, but I might do something like that tomorrow or if I just can't fall asleep tonight.

**Shadow_in_the_Mist** · 2017-09-01, 09:26 PM (ISO 8601)