Fallen London Factions in The Partition
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Introduction:

In the Fallen London universe, there are a number of different factions. In the worldbuilding of Sunstokers, an original Sunless Skies inspired setting built for the Skyfarer TTRPG system, one or more of these factions is prominent/has the most control in each of the Five Kingdoms of The Partition. Below is a short explanation of each faction, as well as an explanation for the five original factions comprised of worshipers of The Judgements.

One can be a member of and/or be aligned with multiple factions at once. In the game of Fallen London, you are encouraged to be Closest To one specific faction, but you are also encouraged to build up Renown among every faction, and can decide for yourself which factions your character most closely aligns with in order to shape their personality, moral code, and views of the world.

Fallen London Factions:

The Bohemians:
Artists; writers, actors, musicians, painters, etc. The Bohemians enjoy the splendors of life and love to create and consume art and let their imaginations roam free. For this reason, The Bohemians are often also regular consumers of recreational drugs. They tend to live a hedonistic lifestyle, and/or be a "starving poet," an artist just trying to make a living.

The Church:
Exactly what it sounds like, The Church is what survives of Christianity in a world turned upside down where devils roam freely. Theology is a tricky business in Fallen London, but The Church has learned to adapt. In a broader sense, The Church can refer to any religious establishment or figure with a meaningful amount of power.

The Constables:
The police. In theory, they enforce law and order and protect civilians from harm and all those who would break the law. In practice, The Constables are usually corrupt, serving only the rich and powerful, and at times even engineering crime in order to get a bigger paycheck.

The Clay Men:
The clay men are living statues from the island of Polythreme, a place where inanimate objects are alive. They are typically used as brute strength and for menial labor, and they tend to have mixed feelings on this arrangement. Some view it as a respite from Polythreme, where everything was alive and screaming, and even the water the clay men drank begged them to stop. Others view it as slavery and crave their freedom. Each clay man's body contains a shard of diamond from a place called the Mountain of Light, a life-giving mountain-god that is the child of the Earth's own Sun. In The Partition, the clay men can be found just about everywhere, but they are most prominent in The Scarlet Cascade, as many clay men who have sought their freedom find themselves particularly bent towards religion.

The Criminals:
Exactly what it sounds like. Thieves, liars, murderers, those who are just trying to get by, and those who seek to take advantage of others such as spirifers who steal the souls right out of living bodies in order to sell them to devils. If it's against the law, it almost certainly belongs here.

The Docks:
Those who sail the Seven Zees. The Docks consists of sailors, lightermen, smugglers, etc. Anyone who would have any business being on or around sailing ships. They're often rough around the edges, but they're a fierce and proud people who know the secrets of the water. In a Sunless Skies setting, The Docks may have adapted to the prevalence of the engines that sail the skies, and members of this faction often fulfill roles aboard one.

Fingerkings:
The Fingerkings are a race of sentient snake-like beings from the world of dreams that exists beyond reality, Parabola. Since they are something which Is-Not real, the Fingerkings desire a true existence above all else. They derive sustenance from the memories and substance of beings from outside of the world of dreams. They have the ability to possess mortal bodies in the waking world, and become a part of a world they were never meant to exist in. To be allied with The Fingerkings, your character may be sympathetic to these beings' cause and willing to aide them in escaping the mirrors and snatching bodies.

The Great Game:
The Great Game refers to a "game" played by spies, criminals, and revolutionaries all across the world/the universe. No one knows the true nature of the Game, and everyone's in it for their own reasons. Whether it's in the aim of personal gain, or seeking the creation of a new world order, participants in The Great Game are often scheming and manipulative, and will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. How the Game is played is another matter entirely; perhaps it's simple spy-work and assassinations, or at times it can involve playing a literal game of chess on a cosmic Chessboard in Parabola, the outcome of which affects things in the real world. Primarily a faction composed of spies and secret agents, with their own organizations and own personal interests in securing and controlling information. Has a considerable bleed into the factions of Criminals, Hell, and Revolutionaries.

Hell:
Quite literally devils from Hell. Most devils are cunning and manipulative, and seek control wherever they go. They want mortal souls, and tempt mortals into committing acts of sin or into giving up their souls freely. However, this is not an absolute, and one may be lucky to find a devil who shows a shred of compassion. Although they come with an agenda, the devils are just another form of people, and may become interested in what the other factions have to offer, whether for personal gain or in the interest of furthering Hell's wants and needs. Long ago, the devils lived in outer space and were attendants to the stars, great insects that resembled bees. But something changed and the devils rebelled against their stellar masters, fleeing to Parabola. Since then, devilkind has sought a new identity for itself, traveling to the Neath and constructing the city of Hell far to the west of London, on the border of Parabola. There, Law-Forges, a holdover from their time serving the Judgements, are used to constantly change the laws of Hell's society. These days, most devils reject the rule of the Judgements, but they are certainly not without their conservative types who believe they should return to the old ways.

The Revolutionaries:
Those who are unsatisfied with the laws of the world as they stand. The revolution can range anywhere from simple anarchists who seek to revolt against "the man," whoever that might be, to those who ally with a revolutionary movement called The Liberation of Night which seeks to snuff out every star in the universe and do away entirely with the laws of reality as written, either in the interest of creating a wholly lawless universe where anything goes, or allowing mortals to write the laws themselves.

Rubbery Men:
Literally aliens from another planet, no one is quite sure how the Rubbery Men came to the Neath. In the Fallen London universe, they are social outcasts because of their inability to communicate properly in English and their disturbing physiology which causes them to appear to be humanoid squid-people. In a Sunless Skies setting where the void is adrift with planets and many species of aliens are now known to exist, the Rubbery Men may be less of social outcasts these days. They trade in amber, which can absorb vital essences that may be used to alter the shape of one's body and to alter the shape of reality itself. Enigmatic and strange, they are one of the things that goes against the laws of reality the most without being something that Is-Not and cannot exist. As part of the terms of a cosmic deal, the Rubbery Men can never love.

Society:
Society refers to the rich and the powerful. Those who are members of Society are often born into wealth, or came into great fortune by chance. They are consumers of the fine arts, pampered and vain, and often attend high society parties where they exchange gossip. Capitalist dogs, the rich and the famous, royalty and nobility, all manners of sorts can be found in Society.

The Tomb-Colonies:
Because the dead cannot truly die in the Neath, they are instead shipped off somewhere to be out of sight and out of mind. The Tomb-Colonies are home to all those who should be dead, and whose mortal flesh has decayed or been damaged to the point of being unpleasant to look at. Often wrapped in bandages to hide their hideous visages, the Tomb-Colonists are invalids and social outcasts who are often treated poorly by the living, as well as those who have died but for whom the physical effects are minimal. The opinions of Tomb-Colonists on this arrangement differ, from those who are despondent and ashamed of their appearances and accept their position in society laying down, to those who are proud of what they are and freely leave the Tomb-Colonies to mingle among the living once more.

The Urchins:
A large group of orphaned and forgotten children. They hide in nooks, crannies, and alleyways and eke out an existence on the streets. They often scorn adults and have a dignified belief that the streets have made them into who they are and that they have no need to be a part of society. However, they're only children, and some may find themselves wishing for a true family and for the opportunity to have an ordinary childhood. Their "society" is based around their independence from and superiority over adults, and those kids who grow too old so as to become adults themselves, or those who willingly leave to be adopted into society, are not allowed to be Urchins anymore.

Original Factions:

The Gospel of Light:
Worshipers of The Prismatic Observer, The Gospel of Light is a mega-faction that can consist of members of The Bohemians and The Revolutionaries, as well as disgraced former members of The Prosecutors of The Pale. They believe that The Corpse of The Ivory King is a beautiful place to be, and bask in the splendor of The Prismatic Observer's kaleidoscopic light. They promote the creation and consumption of art, far more-so than the Bohemians once did in The Gilded Glades, and are often subject to the effects of the colors of The Neathbow, which radiate from The Prismatic Observer. They are essentially space-hippies and seek to spread the promotion of community, freedom, and change throughout The Partition, believing that there should be no more conflict.

The Soldiers of Summer:
Worshipers of The Gleaming Prince, The Soldiers of Summer is a mega-faction that can consist of members of Hell, The Bohemians, and Society. They believe that The Gilded Glades are a truly free land of opportunity and fortune, and seek to invite all living beings in the universe to visit The Gilded Glades and worship The Gleaming Prince in all of his splendor. They are enemies of entropy, who seek to create art and delight in the splendors of life. As a whole, they are largely neutral on the idea of the Liberation of Night and can swing one way or the other, with many arguing its costs and benefits to their way of life.

The Echoes of Silver:
Worshipers of The Queen of Mirrors, The Echoes of Silver is a mega-faction that can consist of the mineralized mortal subjects of The Vitrified Sea, as well as those who are sympathetic to the interests of the Rubbery Men and the Fingerkings. They believe that no unsavory truths should be hidden, and believe in equality for all, even those whose personal goals are antithetical to the life and well-being of others. Rubbery Men should be accepted into society, and the Fingerkings should be provided with bodies that are "no longer in use," often those belonging to people who have fallen in between the cracks of society. They are largely positive on the subject of the Liberation of Night.

The Sanguine Order:
Worshipers of The Lady of Leeches, The Sanguine Order is a mega-faction that is basically The Church on steroids. They participate in blood rituals and acts of cannibalism and bodily mutilation, all seeking to show their love for The Lady of Leeches and to become closer to what they believe to be the purest form of life. They think that everyone and everything should just be blood mingling with other blood in a vast and cosmic pool, and that all people should be one and the same to eliminate suffering and share universally in the love of The Lady of Leeches. The Scarlet Cascade has a vast population of Urchins who are often indoctrinated into The Sanguine Order at a young age, or are used in blood rituals. The people of The Sanguine Order are obsessed with eternal youth, immortality, and the transmogrification of the mortal into the divine. They are vehemently against the Liberation of Night, for it would mean the death of their beautiful Lady.

The Legion of Ash:
Worshipers of The Black Sun, The Legion of Ash is a mega-faction that consists of ashen or smoky ghosts of the souls from every other Kingdom who ally most closely with the Liberation of Night. They serve The Black Sun's interests and are enemies of The Prosecutors of The Pale, freely leaving the afterlife and entering the domain of other Judgements in order to sow discord, disorder, and chaos. They seek to sow the seeds of revolution wherever they go, and want to topple the laws of the universe and create a lawless reality where the living and dead will be free to exist ungoverned and do as they please.

Former Factions:

The Prosecutors of The Pale:
Worshipers of The Ivory King, The Prosecutors of The Pale is a mega-faction that can consist of members of The Constables and The Great Game. They serve the interests of The Ivory King and seek to spread their belief in his superiority over the other Judgements, as well as to uphold the natural Laws and the cosmic Balance and Order of the universe. They are allies of entropy, who seek uniformity and conformity throughout the cosmos. Some believe that the only purpose of living beings is to serve the Judgements, and are vehemently against the Liberation of Night. Following the death of The Ivory King, most members of The Prosecutors of The Pale disbanded and moved to other Kingdoms, although some remained and became members of the emergent mega-faction The Gospel of Light.

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