What are factions?
Factions are groups of guilds that have common aspirations, overarching goals, and adhere to certain philosophies that govern how they live, work, and interact with other members of the XViREnt Metaverse. Players don’t have to join Factions, and can choose to live within their canvases or communities without getting involved in the war at large, but eventually they may come face to face with an enemy, and at that point they will need to make a choice on whether to continue being passive, or not.
Each faction is led by an influential figure, or a council of individuals that reside on the headquarter planets for the given faction. Being a part of a faction provides you with perks, including requisition rights to certain clothing, armor, weapons, vehicles, skills, and technologies that are unique to that faction. In addition, some factions have a preferred theme for the Metaverse worlds they want to own, as it suits a particular need or resource that they require.
Most factions would start recruiting once people have at least proven themselves with basic skills and capabilities in XViREnt. The more quests and missions faction members complete on behalf of their faction, the higher their rank and renown in the faction, allowing for more equipment, technology, and skills, and sometimes even ships and land given to worthy individuals.
AMAN:
Description: A group financed by several world governments to keep XViREnt peaceful and under the control of humanity. They seek justice and order, whether through diplomatic means or by force. AMAN is governed by the XViREnt Governance Authority (XGA), as such they are bound by rules, treaties and protocols of InEvoWare, and pass punishments on individuals, as well as blockades on worlds that overstep their legal boundaries.
They are likened to the “federation” of the fictional “Star Trek” franchise. AMAN officers have requisition authority to unique armor, vehicles, spacecraft and weaponry.
Key figures: General Sam Creed. Leader of the AMAN fleet flagship, the Purple Eagle. A revered general whose father was a war hero who sacrificed himself to stop Metatron’s forces from decimating the human minds that resided in XViREnt. The fleet is currently charged with protecting the Metaverse planet of AVA10N, where Macro City, the headquarters of the UNMDA (United Nations Metaverse Development Agency), as well as several other human cities and portals to other realities is located.
Alignment: Idealist
Example guild types: Brigade/Fleet
Preferred Classes: Law & Government (Enforcer / Soldier sub-classes), Diplomacy & Intelligence (Diplomat & Secret Agent sub-classes), Science & Medicine, Transportation (pilot sub-class), Engineering.
SOMA:
SOMA was founded by a group of humans who believe that XViREnt is a form of human ascension into an “upper” reality. They consider this virtual universe sacred, as such, they try to keep it as peaceful and orderly as possible, often engaging in mediation between warring factions, and caring for struggling new worlds. They have tried for several years to make contact with the Xients, to negotiate trade agreements, with no response positive or otherwise. SOMA treats the creatures of XViREnt as though they were real beings, as such, they encourage the good treatment of all creatures, no matter how alien. SOMA is named after an “enlightenment” digital drug that is produced in Soman temples. The only digital drug that (although discouraged) is not considered illegal by the XViREnt authorities.
SOMA’s priests have the ability of mind controlling creatures and NPCs and as such, they are likened to the “Jedi” of “Star Wars” lore. SOMAn high shamans are said to be have the rare ability to morph into various creatures.
Key people: Lara Genise. High priestess of the SOMA High Temple on the Metaverse planet Alcyone Prime. She was instrumental in uniting the once sworn enemy tribes of Butthu and Rabine under the banner of SOMA. Butthu now leads the Priestly class (including Paladin and Inquisitor sub-classes) and Rabine leads the Beastmasters.
Alignment: Opportunist (Karmic)
Example Guild types: Sect/Order.
Preferred Classes: Religion, Engineer (bio-Engineer subclass), Diplomat, Artist.
CYPHER:
CYPHER is made up of a group of engineers and former InEvoWare employees who know the inner workings of XViREnt. As such they have tools and capabilities to create powerful new things, as well as repair (and sometimes hack) equipment, vehicles and other things in the virtual world, some highly advanced hackers have capabilities to the point of being able to manipulate the very fabric and physical laws of XViREnt. They are neutral politically so as to keep their talents for hire by another faction, but usually side with AMAN more often than they do the Underground groups.
CYPHER’s highest level “hackers” are called “Overcontrollers” and are likened to “Neo” from “The Matrix”, or Flynn, the creator of the Grid in “Tron: Legacy”.
Key figure: Dr. Hitoro Ikeda, the discoverer of the “spark” that made the Canvas possible. Refused a lucrative consulting contract for InEvoWare in favor of assuming leadership of the CYPHER faction after its former leader was killed by pirates. Dr. Ikeda resides in the Highlands of medieval-japan in the Time Vortex.
Alignment: Opportunist (Neutral)
Example Guild Types: Cell/Foundation.
Preferred classes: Engineers.
MEC:
MEC is a conglomerate made up of various corporations and unions that strive to find rare and niche products in the metaverse and sell it for a profit, as well as mining the precious Essence resource, and established fuel routes across the Metaverse. that’s why they’re mostly merchants and explorers. Some of them also have the capability to build components that can produce unique, and fast vehicles, the fastest ships so as to ferry customers (and sometimes contraband) across the Metaverse.
Key figures: Johnson Mak. Former CEO of a major corporate conglomerate in the real world. Was elected to the board of directors of MEC and has served for the past 63 years. Spent millions of dollars creating the world’s most highly secured building in XViREnt, the SilverStreak building in Macro City.
Alignment: Opportunist (Neutral)
Example Guild Types: Corporation/Union.
Preferred Classes: Business, Exploration & Archaeology.
LEGION:
LEGION is made up of anti-establishmentarianists, who believe that Xvirent should not be governed by one group (namely AMAN). They are against any form of superiority on a given world or planet, and would rather see Chaos and freedom rather than Order and slavery. Legionnaires have the unique trait of “affinity” that forces enemy creatures or NPCs to join forces with the legion, not unlike a vampire’s conversion ability.
Key figures: Michael Von Drake, a notorious British rebel who founded and ran the British Freedom Army during the German occupation of the UK in the year 2038. For many years, he masterminded terrorism activities around the world that resulted in tens of thousands of human deaths. He was placed in death-row by the German Anti-Terrorism Force, but due to political upheavals was forgotten for two decades. After Umoja took over, they looked at his blood-drenched record and determined that his consciousness was to be uploaded into XViREnt, but without enjoying the freedoms of the Metaverse, given his past heinous acts. So his consciousness was locked up on the prison planet Al-Gol 3. A mysterious being whom Von Drake calls “Blue Mist” broke him out, after escaping Al-Gol, he went into hiding, and then banded with former rebel compatriots to form LEGION, aimed to overthrow AMAN’s rule on XViREnt so as to allow worlds to govern themselves any way they see fit. Although Von Drake’s current whereabouts are unknown, it is thought that he resides in the Dark Reality, in a vampire-themed world, from which he plans his attacks and sends out his most trusted operatives to various parts of the Metaverse.
Alignment: Opportunist (Anarchist)
Example Guild Types: Guild/Clan.
Preferred Classes: Crime (Assassin sub-classs), Crime (Rebel sub-class)
SYNDICATE
SYNDICATE is a group of underground groups and gangs formed mostly by former criminals of various mob families from around the world. Some executed for their crimes in the real world, but managed to get their consciousness uploaded to the metaverse, and are seeking revenge by forming illegal blockades, piracy on trade routes, and even criminal operations in various worlds from rigged gambling, to prostitution, to addictive digital drugs. They resort to any means to reach their goals, including inflicting perma-death weapons on those who stand in their way.
The current leader of the Syndicate is unknown, but it is thought that he resides in the Time Vortex, in a 1940’s recreation of the island of Sicily.
Alignment: Malignant
Example Guild Types: Gang, Crime Family
Preferred Classes: Crime, Diplomacy (secret agent sub-class), Engineering